Hi guys, I know it's been ages since I last updated. Therefore a big thanks to all my readers who are still interested in the story and nagged me to update. I guess I needed that. dark-fate96, you rock! So, here's the next chapter. I'll try to publish at least one chapter per month from now on. Enjoy:

Chapter Thirty-One: You sure that will work?

Unknown Cave

The man's eyes were closed, his handsome features relaxed. He looked so innocent in his sleep, his long golden curls surrounding his angelic face like a halo.

Looking at him, Lara was reminded of the icons that once upon a time adorned the walls of various orthodox churches all over the world – before he had them burned down. She smiled at him, her heart rate slowly returning to its normal pace again. He was still here, still sleeping. Of course. There was no way he would wake up on his own accord. So, who was the guy that had helped the kid and the mortal escape? It couldn't be Wyatt, but the resemblance was striking. Was there another Halliwell she had to worry about? "Guess I'll have to ask your brother.," she whispered conspiratorially to the sleeping man beneath her. "He's with me now, you know? As are your kids. Nicky won't get far. Soon I'll have them both back with me. Chris will help them come around. He's awesome that way; not that you don't know that, after all he turned a nation of rebels and cowards into your willing cohorts. Turning him really was the greatest thing you achieved, ever. But now he's all mine!," she gloated. "As will be everything else you once owned. Don't be sad; as soon as the baby is on its way, I'll have your kids join you in there." Still smiling she caressed the cold surface of his cell like a lover's cheek.

Chris old apartment

Bianca's heart hammered painfully in her chest. Chris was almost dead; he was barely breathing anymore. The silence around them was suddenly disturbed when the door opened and Anna appeared, looking like hell. Behind her, Wyatt followed, dragging a completely undone teenager behind him. Was it Nicky or Alex? She still couldn't tell who was who. The kid was fighting tooth and nail against his father's iron grip. Wyatt looked two seconds from exploding. "Where are Jesse and the other one?," she asked, nodding towards the youngster. She immediately realized it had been the wrong thing to ask as Anna's face twisted in grief.

"They left them there. They just left them there!," the boy shouted.

Seeing Bianca's questioning look, Wyatt explained: "Jesse is dead. Lara and future Chris appeared and Anna used a potion to teleport us out of there before Alex could reach us."

"If we'd stayed they would have caught us all." Anna defended herself.

"You wouldn't have left ME behind had it been the other way around, or would you?!," Nicky hissed. His mother's silence spoke volumes. "Damn you!" He then whirled on his so called father. "And you! How could you let that happen?! Why did you drag me here instead of going back for your son?!"

The man counted silently to ten. "Because my brother is dying, thanks to your damn uncle and you're currently the only one with healing powers around here.," He deadpanned. "Besides, your adoptive mother is right; going back would have been suicide." Seeing Nicky's outraged look, he added: "Alex is going to be FINE. He's too precious for her to hurt him. Right now, he's her only leverage." He then turned to Bianca. "How is Chris?"

"Almost dead.," she replied solemnly.

Wyatt went rigid for a few seconds, before dragging his son over to his brother. He then took him gently by the shoulders and brought his mouth near his son's ear. "He's hurt badly. He needs you to heal him."

Still angry, Nicky took in the sight of his young uncle laying deathly pale on the couch. Worry took over and he looked unsure at his father. "I want to… but I… I never… I don't know how." Wyatt sighed. He made an effort to remember what Leo taught him about healing so long ago. Carefully, he placed Nicky's hands over Chris chest. "Love is the key. Concentrate on that feeling. Go through your memories. Search for a happy one. A moment of strong affection." Nicky shook his head, face scrunching up in concentration. Right now it was hard to remember good times.

Lara's manor, hallway

"And how are we supposed to get this thing open?" Alex asked dubiously. They had made a beeline for Lara's office, determined to do some much needed research for hightailing it out of there. The demon guards had not been a problem – though the probes in the house were designed to scan for magic, they had trouble detecting small things like Chris telekinesis stopping a heart. Breaking and entering however had proved to be the bigger issue.

"I'm working on it." Chris replied.

"That's what's worrying me." Alex muttered under his breath.

Chris shot his nephew a reproachful look. "You are welcome to contribute ideas." He regretted the words as soon as they had left his mouth. The kid had just learned about his mother's death – he deserved more sympathy than he had received so far. But ideas they needed! The monstrosity in front of them resembled more a safe than an office door: no lock, no handle and no hinges.

"Have you already tried telekinesis?"

"Yep. About as useful as a tooth pick."

"Orbing?" Seeing Chris expression, he amended quietly "Alright, stupid idea." Since they could not orb in and out of the whole area, chances it would work with the door were basically non-existent.

Chris gave his shoulder a sympathetic squeeze, flashing him a sad smile to let him know he understood his lack of dedication to the task at hand. Alex shrugged it off.

"Maybe it opens with a password or phrase?"

If Chris was hurt by the gesture, he didn't show it. "Not unlikely. But it's probably not safe enough for Lara's taste. Thoughts can be read, people tortured until they spill everything. There's gotta be more to the whole matter."

"I'm shocked." Alex scratched his head. "So, what does she like – besides you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she has to have a preference, doesn't she? Riddles, catch phrases, numbers... What do you think?"

"Magic. Lara is a neurotic control freak."

"And here I thought you two had nothing in common."

Chris' jaw twitched, but then something in his expression changed. Alex could practically see the wheels in his head turning. "What? What is it?"

"Lara is a neurotic control freak, but also a vain one. She considers herself superior. There's nothing she has more trust in than her own powers. Maybe that's how she guarded the place."

"You lost me there."

"In the old days, people used retinal scans to keep out intruders. Only the person with the right genetic ID could get in a secured area. Nowadays though, there are scans programmed to ID your magic."

"So, without her, nobody is getting in?"

"Not necessarily." Chris racked his brain on how they could test this new theory, his mind searching for any possible loop holes in this scheme.

"Well, fingerprints can be copied, right? What about magic? Can you copy someone's magic?"

Chris answering smirk was downright diabolical. "Well, you can certainly steal it."

Alex stared at him as if he had never seen him before in his life. "That's... mad." The faintest trace of a smile appeared on his face. "But it's the best idea I've ever heard from you!"

Chris ignored the little jibe. "So, you agree?"

"Yes, sure."

"Well then," Chris took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Show me what you've got."

Alex eyes widened. "Me?!"

"Am I the one who's related to her or is it you?"

Alex gaped at him a few seconds before he copied his motions and bit out: "I hate you."

"No, you don't actually."

The teen threw his arms up."Fine, I'll do it." He paused, and then added: "You don't have a spell ready for such an occasion, do you?"

"Lucky for you, your father used to call me his walking Book of Shadows. I've seen something like this happen before, when I was in the past. Your grandmother and her sisters got their identities and powers stolen by a bunch of blond witches."

Alex remembered the holographs he had seen during lessons. "The Charmed Ones gone blond? Awkward!"

"No, awkward was getting kissed by a woman you think is your aunt." Chris shuddered at the memory. It had not really been Phoebe, but still...

His nephew looked positively grossed out. "I'm disturbed for life." He shook his head as if to clear it of cobwebs. "So, before my mind overloads with mental pictures, how does the spell go?"

Chris shrugged. "The spell is quite simple: Powers of the witches rise, curse unseen across the skies," He frowned. "Wait, it won't work in its original form. If you say it that way, the spell will give you my powers instead of hers, because I'm the next person available. We have to alter the wording slightly."

"Into..?"

Chris thought this over briefly.

"Powers of the witch queen rise,

curse unseen across the skies,

come to me I call you near, come to me and settle here."

Alex dipped his head slightly to the left. "You sure that will work?"

Chris was about to answer when a blur of light shot into him with the force of an oncoming war elephant. He was thrown off his feet and banged his head against the nearest wall. Groaning, he raised a hand to right himself... and sent a shock wave towards the door that nearly blasted it out of the opening. Alex stared at him in horror.

"Oh yes, I'm quite sure it works, God damn it!"