A/N: Howdy y'all. Just thought I'd clear the air about the two complaints I received recently. The first is what happened between Cody and Max. Nothing to say to that really other than read and find out! The second is the lack of Charmed characters in this one. I promise I do have a legitimate reason for not involving the Charmed Ones in the main story. To be quite frank, this story takes place after the final season. The Charmed Ones are retired. There is no more story to tell in that department. They've already gone through eight years of that life, and as a reward they can finally kick back and live out their days peacefully with their family. This story is about Zack and Cody, and their own adventures with their own personal struggles, and their own nemesis... oops did I just give something away? But I did stick Darryl in this one. I could get away with that because all that was said about him after he left the show was that he and his family had relocated to the east coast. Anyway, I'm sorry if I disappointed anybody on that one, but I just couldn't do it. Anyway, enjoy the chapter. No ownership, no profit, please review. Pretty please with barbecue sauce on top? I'd really like to know how I'm doing on the action sequences since they're not really my forte.

Chapter 7: Backfire

Nicole started awake, her blue eyes darting all around the car. Nathan put a hand on her shoulder to sooth her. "It's okay. You're safe now." He returned his eyes to the road, though it was hardly necessary. His sixth sense was enough to keep them out of an accident.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. The sun had sunk low in the sky now, making it a soft lavender color. "So who'd you get the car from?"

"You don't have to stay awake." He told her, changing the subject. "I know it's painful for you to drive down highways.

"It's alright. I think I can handle it now." She replied. She tried to remember what she had just learned about her condition, that it might actually be another witch power. Desperately she searched the aura of the busy road they were traveling down. In the middle of all this road rage she was feeling there had to be something, someone who wasn't angry, a sleeping baby, a teenager with headphones, a guy actually looking forward to an evening with his wife, anything. She had thought it would be much harder than it actually was, but once she reached for it she was surprised at how naturally she took to it. Then she recalled just who had given her this new revelation and her peace hardened into anger again. But it wasn't painful because this time it was hers. The very thought of that blue eyed face with the shaggy mop of blond hair filled her with rage that could swallow the anger on this highway around her and still have room.

Nathan seemed to notice her silence, and probably guessed what brought it on. "So what did you and the boy talk about at the diner?"

She sighed. "Nothing much. Just the whole 'I'm trying to help you' load that they give everyone." There were many details she was leaving out. Like the fact that she had actually enjoyed herself. She was a little ashamed to admit that she had fallen into his hands so easily when all he had really wanted was a crack at the one person in her life who had really cared for her.

"Anything else?" She didn't answer. "You've never been good at hiding things Nikole."

"I told him about my… condition."

"You mean your headakhes?" Again she was silent. "And?"

"He told me a pretty interesting theory. Have you ever heard of… empathy?"

He thought for a moment. "Bits and pieces, but it's not a familiar koncept to me. He thinks… that's what's kausing your migraines?"

"Yeah. He even gave me a way to cope with it. He said if I find some good emotions to focus on, it'll balance the bad ones out."

"Has it worked so far?"

She hesitated. "So far." The face in her head seemed smug now. She just couldn't stay angry at him for long, though she didn't understand why. She had always found him annoying when they'd lived at the Tipton, and his brother had always struck her as whiny. And that lamprey of a girl that always hung out with them was naggy enough to be their mother. But now that she knew Max to be their whitelighter, this made sense. But hate just wasn't a word she could apply to them. Especially Zack. That entire time she had been with him in the diner he had seemed so sincere. "Nathan… do you really think those boys are with them?"

Nathan's face hardened as he remained focused on the road. He had never told her much about the people who were chasing them. Only that they were dangerous, and they were everywhere. "No I don't. But there's not a doubt in my mind that they're being used."

"What makes you so sure?"

"It wouldn't be the first time they used good witches to do their dirty work. You don't understand Nikole. The people we're running from are ruthless, and kunning. I'm not taking any chances. Not this time."

"But what if they can help us?"

"Help us what?"

Nicole was hesitant to answer, knowing full well what his reaction would be. "Fight back of course."

Nathan looked away from the road again, keeping the car on course with little difficulty. "No. That's not an option. I've told you before, that's exactly what they'd want you for. You'd just be a pair of fists to them. I left that life because I wanted something better for you, you hear me?"

"But—"

"End of diskussion. We're not talking about this anymore."

She didn't argue further. She knew all Nathan wanted was what was best for her. That's why he had enrolled her in Magic School, however brief that had been.

After a while the traffic began to thin out. That was never a good sign. Whenever they were alone where they couldn't blend in with the public, they were the most vulnerable. It was where their enemies could attack without the risk of exposure. Nicole's intuition was proven right. The car jolted violently, and she could hear hissing from the outside--air escaping the tires rapidly. Nathan swerved onto the shoulder of the road until the vehicle screeched to a stop. She could see the Charles River was at their backs, and to their other side, a non descript Nissan came to a stop. They were cut off. Nathan pounded the steering wheel and swore under his breath. His ice colored eyes were already turning black, as were the veins along his arms.

"They found us."

--Boston, Near the Charles River--

The four witches plus one whitelighter crammed in Trevor's Nissan watched the stolen Honda Civic swerve out of control and come to rest on the shoulder of the road, seconds before tumbling down the edge where the banks of the Charles awaited. The other four passengers in the car looked at the driver in shock.

"What?" Trevor said defensively. "Don't look at me! My hands have been on the steering wheel the entire time!"

Cody tried to argue that point. "But you reached for something just a second—"

"Ah-hem." Trevor held up the one-liter bottle of cherry coke that had been resting in the cup holder to explain his actions. "When was the last time you drove? It's exhausting!" He pulled the car to a stop near the edge of the road. They heard a door slam and weren't at all surprised to see that Nathan had already called on his inner demon. They hastily piled out of the car, not wanting to see what he could do to it while trying to get to them.

"I should have known it was you." Gabriel growled.

"It wasn't us, I promise." Trevor put his hands up instinctively.

"Really? Then why do you kut me off from the road." His total black gaze swept over them, searching for something. "And I see you brought potions."

"We didn't come here to fight." Cody tried to reason.

"Speak for yourself." Zack huffed, his hand twitching anxiously, ready to dive for the potions in his pocket at a moment's notice.

"Shut up Zack." Max muttered under her breath, but he was beyond reasoning now. On the other side of the car, peeking over its roof, probably trying to keep a far distance away from the anger that was rolling off the gathering in waves, he could see Nicole's frightened blue eyes. But they too became furious when they landed on Zack. Now he hated Nathan more than ever. He knew he couldn't kill him with Nicole watching. She'd been through enough and seeing Nathan vanquished would very likely destroy her. He made a mental note to use the potions only as a last resort.

"So," Gabriel continued to scrutinize the group, "if you didn't fire on my kar, than who did?"

"That would be us." His answer came from a voice further off, from someone who had apparently hidden himself in the shrubs. He spoke in a nasally arrogant voice that rang with a familiar accent. "Miss us Kousin?" A gaunt man emerged from the shadows where he had been hiding in the vegetation—a sniper's position. He was a little taller than Nathan, and far thinner. His appearance made him look half starved. He had mousy brown hair and a hooked nose, and he was holding up his finger from which a tendril of smoke writhed in the air.

A second, rougher voice came from somewhere else as a second man blinked into existence behind the first with a sharp tearing sound, like someone ripping vinyl apart. It was quick. First he wasn't there, and then he was, in the blink of an eye. "Good to see you again. Kan't believe it's been ten years." Although his tone and angry expression suggested he wasn't happy about this reunion in the slightest. He was a compact man with bulking muscles and close cropped black hair and a rough unshaven goatee.

Nathan shifted slightly to look the newcomers in the eye. "Thomas, Rourke. Where's your leash holder?"

A blink signaled the arrival of a slender woman, shorter than the men. She smiled wickedly and tossed her light blond hair out of her face. "Right here. You're looking as ragged as ever Nathan. Motherhood dragging you down?" The woman who spoke looked very much like a demented Barbie doll with her honey colored hair, full red lips, and slender limbs, though she was a little short for the part.

"Yours is a face I kould never miss, Rose." Nathan snarled. "Looks like you brought Tituba with you as well. You mean the old hag kan live without her mute slave for awhile? Abigail must really want me dead."

At first Zack couldn't see who Nathan was referring too. He craned his neck to catch a glimpse of a slight African American girl with her black hair tied into a multitude of small braids which were pulled back, making her prominent cheekbones stick out even more than they would have normally. Had she not looked so serious, she would have appeared no older than eighteen. But her face was blank and doll like. She didn't even react to Nathan's insult. Her simple black short skirt and tank top hinted at her lower station than that of the other three.

Rose tossed her golden hair back and cackled in her high soprano. "Don't flatter yourself, demon wannabe. Your ward is all she kares about. Where is the little beauty anyway?"

For the first time since the newcomer's arrival, Zack returned his gaze to Nicole, and he came to a horrible realization. The other witches, who he now knew to be his enemies, were closer to her than him and the others were. Even Nathan was distanced as he'd been preparing himself to defend her from the wrong group. All four of their enemies gazed at her with a hungry look in their eyes.

"So that's the little treasure you turned on your heritage for." Rose mused.

"Doesn't look like much to me." Rourke grumbled.

"Looks kan often be deceiving." Rose replied, not taking her eyes off of Nicole for an instant.

Thomas' shifty gaze was the first to land on Zack and the others. "I see you brought friends. More children I see."

"No friends of mine." Nathan scowled. "But I'd be warned. The blond ones are part of The Seven."

How did he know that? Zack had never mentioned that to Nicole. But he had mentioned Phoebe. Of course. She was clever. She probably made the connection seconds into their conversation at the diner, and she wouldn't have hesitated to tell him. But why would Nathan tell this group that? Was this a setup? The three in front shifted their attention to the others.

"Ah, I see." Rose smiled her sadistic eerie smile.

"Shall we see if their power kan stand up to that of the Tate's?" Thomas seemed to tense with excitement.

"Steady." Rose cautioned. "Abigail would want to speak with them. What a waste it would be to kill someone who kould have been a valuable asset to us."

Zack connected the dots. This was a setup. Nathan was trying to distract them with different bait. He was going to get both groups of pursuers to tangle with each other to give himself enough time to take Nicole and escape. He leaned towards Gwen and whispered without taking his eyes off the others. She had mentioned a trick she learned from her time at Magic school. He spoke so that the others would hear but not their opponents. "Gwen, can you get a read on their powers?"

Gwen focused. "The skinny one is a sharpshooter. But I'm assuming that they all know how to conjure energy balls. He's the fastest. The big one is the toughest. But he's all muscle. I think he's some kind of shape shifter, but it has more to do with his density than changing form. He can either become as hard as a boulder, or hollow enough to walk through a wall. I can't get any reads on Tituba except for Levitation. But she probably knows how to get physical in a fight. Rose is the most dangerous. On top of basic offense, like energy balls, electrical charges, and blade conjuring, she can confuse the senses. It's like Nathan's sixth sense, but she can extend it to effect other people. And I wouldn't be surprised if they all have formal combat training in hand-to-hand."

Once Gwen was through with her analysis, Cody went right into strategizing, much to his brother's annoyance. "Alright, Gwen, do you think you can deflect Rose's power?"

"I think so."

"Then you and Sykes will take her. Sykes, try to counter her power with your illusions."

Trevor nodded. "Got it."

"Max, you take Rourke. You'll be able to orb and keep out of his way. Zack, you're the best fighter. You take Thomas. My power should put me on even grounds with Tituba, so she's mine."

Zack clenched his fists as Cody finished the battle plan. There weren't enough of them. If the plan was going to work, there focus would be off of Nathan, and by the time they got out of it, he and Nicole will have been long gone. He bit his lip and nodded in silent agreement to his brother's plan. But he dropped his voice again so only Gwen, the closest one to him, and most likely to go along with his idea, could hear. "Gwen, how long do you think Rose would be distracted once you deflect her power at her?"

"Not long. Why?"

"You can deflect Thomas' darts too, right?"

"Of course. Where are you going with this?"

"Once Rose is down, do you think you could cover Thomas for me? I think Nathan is trying to distract us so he can make a run for it. Are you up for it?" He looked back at her briefly, his gaze telling her that she didn't have to put herself in more danger than was necessary if she didn't want to.

"Yes. I was thinking the same thing. Once Rose is down, I'll leave her to Trevor. I still have the potions you gave me in case something goes wrong." She'd never know how grateful he was for the chance she was giving him.

One of their opponent's spoke again, pulling their thoughts back to the matter at hand. "I don't think Abigail would be interested." Thomas answered Rose's suggestion. "If they really are part of The Seven that would either make them Warrens, or Proktors." Zack and Cody's ancestor Eva Proctor had been the Charmed Ones' ancestor, Melinda Warren's caretaker when she was young. She also became her right hand in her coven and had been involved in that battle against The Source. And from what he'd gathered, Zack believed she may have had a hand in Matthew Tate's imprisonment. It made sense that his descendants would harbor a grudge. The Tates moved into position, confirming Gwen's assumption that they had training. Zack recognized that each one's posture was that of a fighting stance.

"So," Rose spoke again, "Are we right to assume that you're here for the girl as well?"

"You assume right." Max glowered, drawing her athame from where it was strapped to her back, hidden beneath her top.

"Oooh, the whitelighter's armed. How kute." Rose motioned with her hand for the other two to move in. Rourke and Thomas took positions in front of her while Tituba remained as still as a portrait. "I'm looking forward to this." She raised her hand once more and snapped her finger, then several things happened at once. A white energy dart from Thomas' fingertip flew towards Max, only to be met with one of Zack's fireballs. Max wasted no time, diving toward Rourke who turned out to be faster than he looked. He and Max were dodging each other's strikes both unable to land a hit on the other. Tituba surprised them with a sudden movement, leaping into the air and landing on Trevor, knocking him to the ground. As Gwen had predicted, she was a highly skilled martial artist. Once Trevor was down, she spun a kick towards Gwen, while at the same time, blocking a punch from Cody. She grabbed his wrist and swung him into Gwen, nearly toppling them both. Zack was ready to move for Nathan, but with Trevor down and Gwen distracted, this left Rose completely free. Zack turned, but found that his eyes couldn't focus, darting in all directions and making his surroundings spin. His ears were ringing and his stomach felt as though it was going to empty itself at any moment. If his eyes could stay on one thing at a time, he would've seen Thomas pointing his index finger at his head while Rose looked on with glee.

Thomas cocked the dart in his finger which glowed white. However, he wasted too much time grinning over the helplessness of his prey, and was unable to get out of Tituba's way fast enough as Cody's telekinesis threw her backwards into him. Gwen jumped in front of Zack and threw her hand up. That same spinning white disc of energy, like an ethereal mirror, spun in front of her palm. She directed its surface at Rose's face. The blond witch's smile cracked and she recoiled in pain and confusion as her own power was thrown right back at her. Gwen turned around and hoisted Zack to his feet. She was stronger than she looked. "Go! He's already making a run for it!"

Starting to come to his senses, he stole a glance down the highway to find that she was right. Nathan was sprinting back the way they had come, taking Nicole by the hand. She was undoubtedly the only reason he hadn't vanished completely. Her sickness from all the anger in the air probably had her reeling. But why wasn't he shimmering to get them out? He didn't wonder about it too long. He took off after them. He stole a glance back for an instant to see if Gwen was holding her own. She still seemed to be focusing her deflection on Rose, who remained useless. She threw her other hand up just in time to deflect another of Thomas' dart, as he rose back to his feet. He managed to jump out of the way, but this put him right in the way of Gwen's foot. She aimed low, putting him back on the ground without mercy. Then, before Rose could get back up, Gwen had her deflection back on her. Trevor had gotten back to his feet and was helping Max against Rourke. But each time they managed to land a hit on him, their blows went right through him, or bounced off of his toughened hide. Tituba was proving to be more than a handful for Cody, leaping around as lithely as a nymph. Had he had time to look closer, he would have noticed that she wore no shoes. Her feet were clad only in knee-high white stockings.

But Zack's eyes were back on the two escaping. He was slowly but surely closing the distance between them. Nicole's headache made her to trip once again, forcing her to her knees. She would have gone down completely if Nathan hadn't caught her. But this slowed them enough to give Zack his chance. He really had to focus on this technique. Projecting fire was much harder than conjuring it from your body. But he was ready for this. The entire width of the road before them suddenly went up in flames. Nathan looked back in fury from the wall of fire to the young witch who had finally caught up with them.

Zack's fists were clenched at his sides. "Going somewhere?" His stomach tied itself in knots as Nathan's icy blue eyes darkened into glassy black orbs again, but he kept his face hard.

"If you kare about her at all, you'll let us pass."

"You're still trying to play the good guy? Nice try, but I've been in this game for three years now, and I know good witches don't run from other good witches, especially when they're fighting bad ones. I don't care what you are anymore, demon, witch, warlock; I still know Nicole doesn't belong with you."

Nicole got back to her feet, her stare as furious as Nathan's now. "I think that's for me to decide."

Zack tried to soften his voice, but he was beyond reasoning with her now. "Nicole, he's lied to you and manipulated you for ten years. I've held back because I know you care about him, but no matter how you look at it, you don't belong with him. Stop letting him control you."

"No one controls me! I don't belong to anyone! I'm with Nathan because I choose to be!"

Nathan stepped in front of her once more. "Whatever opinion you have of me doesn't matter right now. What matters is that whatever you think I've been doing to her, is nothing kompared to what they have in mind for her." He pointed back towards the battle, but Zack wasn't falling for it. He kept his eyes on his target, his fingers drifting dangerously close to the pocket where the red vanquishing potions were kept. He knew he only had one shot at this. Maybe if he could keep him talking, it'd be enough of a distraction to slow his sixth sense.

"If you're so interested in protecting her, why aren't you helping us fight those lunatics back there? Family ties?"

"Hardly. But those four are just a few of many. The Tate line's influence is vast, both in the magikal and the mortal world. By getting yourselves involved, you and your friends have likely marked yourselves for death. Especially you and your brother, konsidering your family history. There will probably be a hit put out on you in less than a week."

"And I wonder who we have to thank for that." Zack said bitingly. He returned his attention to Nicole. "Still think he's the good guy?" Nicole didn't move, but Nathan's eyes cooled to their original color, and the bulging black veins along his arms retracted. Zack's mouth twitched into a grin of satisfaction that his words had struck a nerve. It was now or never. He couldn't enhance his speed like Cody could, but he was fast enough to whip the potion out before either of them knew what was happening. He'd fling it at Nathan and dive for Nicole to clear her from the explosion. Wherever she went after that didn't matter. At least she'd be free of him. He clasped his fingers around the vial in his pocket. In one movement he whipped it out and cocked his hand back to throw.

The blast threw all three of them off their feet. Zack landed on the pavement hard. He could feel blood trickling down the side of his face, and his body felt like he had been rubbed over with hot coals. He tried to get to his feet, but all he could do at the moment was crawl. His legs just hadn't remembered themselves yet. His hand brushed something soft in front of him. At first glance it might have been a black cat lying on the road in front of him. But even in the darkness, the light from the fire around them was enough to see the white streak in her raven hair. Nicole was unconscious, but he could feel her breathing. He searched his surroundings for any sign of Nathan. He heard a splash from the banks of the river. So he had survived. Dimly Zack wondered what he could have done wrong with the potion. It wasn't until then that he realized that he was still holding the vial of deep red. He had never thrown it. But if he hadn't caused the explosion, then it must have been… He staggered to his knees and forced himself to turn around, back to where he had left the others with the Tates.

"Gwen! GWEN!!" She had been the only other to have a vanquishing potion with her. But none of this made sense. The potion she had wasn't strong enough to cause a blast like that. Not even the one he was holding was capable of that. He could see Cody staggering back to his feet with Max supporting him. Trevor coughed to clear his lungs as he came too. His car had been overturned, but the damage it sustained was nothing next to that of the stolen Honda. All that remained of the flaming car was the metal frame, and not much of it. The potion colliding with the car could easily caused an explosion of that magnitude, and it was with gut wrenching pang in his stomach that he remembered that she had been the closest to the car. But… where was she? Had she been thrown into the river like Nathan? Or had the explosion… he didn't dare let his mind travel that line of thought. He could see Tituba helping Rose regain her footing while Thomas and Rourke urged her on. But Zack was so concerned about Gwen that he hadn't noticed what their enemies had noticed—the red and blue lights and blaring sirens in the distance, coming closer by the second.

"Let's get out of here!" Thomas hissed before he and the others blinked away from the scene.

Zack was back on his feet now, and despite the pain he broke into a run. "GWEN!"

"Thomas…" Cody had to cough before he could continue, "knocked the potion out of her hand. It hit the car and… and…" his eyes said everything he couldn't say out loud.

Zack fell back to his knees. "No… no she couldn't… I gave her the potion… I… I let her fight them both… it's…" He didn't know if he wanted to cry or vomit, but at the moment he felt like he was about to do both. Then everything was numb. He couldn't feel anything. It didn't even register when Max bent down to whisper something comforting in his ear. Not even when he and the others were piled into the back of an ambulance to treat their injuries. Everything went by in a blur. He didn't even move to see if Nicole was awake yet. She was still out cold across from them. He payed no attention to the patrolmen who put the flames out. Only when Lieutenant Morris approached them for questioning while other officers roped off the scene and began combing for evidence, did things start to come back into focus.

--One Hour Later --

"So," Lieutenant Morris continued in his skeptical tone, "your car just happens to collide with our suspect's car, which he was reported to have stolen, there's an explosion, and then our suspect just disappears, leaving you with his foster daughter." Zack and Cody sat next to each other on the bumper of the ambulance while Max hovered near them. Trevor leaned casually against the vehicle. He was a pro at acting natural around police.

"You don't believe in coincidences Lieutenant?" Trevor managed a weak grin.

"Don't test me Sykes. You already have a record."

"Look, I'm just telling you the honest truth. The boys needed a ride, and being the nice guy that I am, I offered it to them. Zack had basketball practice, and Cody had ballet. Right Cody?"

Cody nodded grudgingly. If he got the chance, he'd beat Trevor to a pulp later.

Morris turned to question Max. "And you?"

Max was still avoiding eye contact. "I practice at the same dance studio that Cody does. You can ask the staff. I'm there all the time."

Morris tapped a finger to his chin. "You're not nervous are you? What'd you say your name was again?"

The young whitelighter looked him in the eye and did her best to straighten her features. "Max."

Morris nodded and turned to Zack next. "And how about your 'tutor'? Was she with you too?"

Zack didn't answer, but his fists tightened. He didn't have the energy to put up a front for this man at the moment. He had screwed up and Gwen had paid for it. That recurring thought cut through the haze like a hot knife. Gwen was probably dead, and it was entirely his fault.

"Gwen went home earlier." Cody interrupted. "She lives clear on the other side of town. She wasn't—"

"I was asking your brother." Morris cut him off abruptly without taking his eyes off Zack. His voice was surprisingly soft when he asked his next question, but Zack still couldn't process it. "Is there something you're not telling me?" Zack made no move to answer. "Come on Zack. I know you're a good kid, and I'd hate to see you get into any trouble over this. You can talk to me." He had begun soft, but he was growing more urgent with each word. The others held their breath. It looked like he wasn't going to stop until he forced an answer out of him. And in the state that he was, who knew what Zack might say.

At times like these, when you think the situation couldn't be any worse, you're usually proven wrong. Even in his state of shock, Zack could tell that the scene had just gotten quieter. The night air had grown a little colder. Aside from the murmurings of the other policemen at the scene, the only noise he could here was the rhythmic clicking of heeled footsteps on the asphalt. "That's quite enough of that Lieutenant." The voice was smooth, articulate and feminine, and rang with familiarity, but he just couldn't place it right now.

He felt his brother tense beside him, and if he had been more aware he would have noticed Max tense as well. He couldn't understand their reaction as he stared in front of him at the black knee high boots. It wasn't until he followed the black clad legs up past the trim leather trench coat, and gazed on the mocha face framed by long straight night-black hair did he realize. Because in the center of that darkly beautiful face sat a pair of shadowy violet eyes.