Chapter 19

Chris's POV

I grinned happily as I felt her coming towards me, we were all safe now; the bad men couldn't hurt Mr. Grey and it couldn't hurt him or his mommy. Not now.

I struggled out of Grey's arms, "Careful, kid. You'll end up falling." He said.

I didn't care, I just wanted to see my mommy, I pointed to where I knew she'd be, "Mommy's right over there, hurry up!"

And then she was there, right in front of me; the man that was carrying me was starting to walk faster. I know why, this place wasn't a nice place to be in.

"You were right," said Grey, he really sounded surprised.

Of course I'm right! Silly man, didn't he know that I'm a witch? Funny grown-ups!

I looked at my mommy, "Chris!" she whispered loudly. I couldn't stop the grin from showing on my face; not that I'd want to. I licked my lips, still smiling happily as she started running towards me.

I wriggled around wanting to get free and felt grateful when my friend set me down on the floor; as soon as I touched the floor I was running towards my mommy as fast as I could; and it really was fast, I missed her very much and I almost thought that I wouldn't ever see her again.

Reaching my arms out, I ran forwards and waited for her to pick me up and hug me; I really wanted a hug 'cause I still felt scared even though me, and everyone else I care about, was away from those people that hurt us.

I was really close and wanting a hug now more than ever, "Mommy!"

So close.

"You think I'd let you get away?"

Fear. That was all I could feel just then, the fear that made you feel like you had just got a bucket of ice-cold water poured slowly and painfully down you when all you wanted to do was to get warmer. It was weird because even though I was scared stiff I was still running; I'd better stop.

I saw mommy looking away from me and over my head, I knew she was looking at Dr. Meanie; I looked around quickly and wondered what he was going to do next.

He was pointing a gun at me; I remember what the gun does, it killed Serena. I won't ever get to see her again, now it was pointing at me and all I want to do is curl up into a ball so it wouldn't hurt.

I heard Grey shout and saw him turn towards me a second before a 'BANG' hurt my ears yet again; it was the 'bang' that made me realize that I would go to sleep for a very long time; I wouldn't see my mommy ever again.

I couldn't breathe as Grey got in the way of…whatever it was that would kill me, he came at me and jerked as he got hit.

What happened after that was very confusing, I felt very cold inside and I looked down to see red messing up my PJs; my legs felt like jellO and I couldn't see Grey on the floor anymore. I could just see the ceiling above me and the coldness of whatever it was I was lying on.

Then I stopped thinking, a deep coldness wrapped around me; I couldn't feel anything else.

Grey gritted his teeth against the unbelievable pain swirling inside him, all over him. He clutched his stomach tightly; he knew he'd just been shot, he'd been expecting it as he had turned away from Dr. Bryce.

He raised his head from the ground and looked up, from his position on the floor all he could see was the little boy's bare feet which were motionless. He could just about see the redheaded woman kneeling besides her son; head down, hair covering her face.

He could see her pressing her hands onto the boy; then he saw Dr. Bryce walk calmly over him and towards the two redheads but not before kicking him in the stomach; a scream erupted from his throat before he could stop it, "B…bastard," he muttered.

Did Chris get hit? Holy shit, he had to have done; why else would the boy be lying on the ground? No, Serena was dead, there was no way he was going to let Chris go too.

Grey used every bit of strength he could muster and pushed himself up until he was balancing on his elbows; pain sliced at his stomach eliciting a choke of pain, he pushed himself forwards and tried to push the pain back.

Using his military training he could do just that, he knew he had to act fast; he saw Bryce point the gun at the back of the redheaded woman's head; he took in a deep breath.

As the room swayed he gathered up the last of his strength and leapt up, he threw himself forwards with an angry yell; he hit Bryce's legs, wrapped his arms around them and used his momentum to carry them both down to the ground.

He felt a glimmer of satisfaction as he heard the man's head connect with the ground hard, he hoped he'd knocked the douche-bag out.

Grey dragged himself forwards even as his strength continued to deplete quickly.

Willow pressed a hand to her son's chest to try to stop the bleeding, her head span as she hyperventilated. She shook her head as she looked at Chris's too-pale features, he was breathing far too slowly.

The bullet had sliced straight across his tiny chest leaving a gaping wound in its wake; blood flowed freely under and over Willow's hand.

"Chris, open your eyes," she pleaded terrified as she held his head with her free hand. "Please baby, open your eyes."

She concentrated, not noticing a light above her head as it shattered, /Chris, can you hear me?/

Nothing.

/Chris!?/ Desperation cooled the blood in her veins as this yielded the same response.

Nothing.

She could feel the powerful force inside her bubbling under the surface; she ignored it and focused on her son, "Not again." This couldn't be happening again, not after last time….s'not fair.

Willow sobbed as Chris's head lolled to the side, a dead weight. She gritted her teeth, dead? Like Tara…exactly like Tara.

She looked up, breathing still ragged, and saw Dr. Bryce pushing himself to his knees and wincing like the pathetic little nothing she knew he was; a pathetic little nothing that had no right to be here when her innocent little boy was dead.

Blood screamed in her ears drowning out all other noise as she stared at him, loathing, grief and rage clouded her vision in a haze of red as she struggled to breathe around the raw emotions.

She saw him kick Chris's friend over to one side; the body flopped uselessly away from Bryce, dark blood soaked his shirt around his abdomen. The bullet had gone straight through and had hit Chris.

A pool of fire burned at her stomach as she turned her attention back to Bryce, her son's body fell away from her as she slowly climbed to her feet; still staring at him blankly.

Bryce looked at her and went white with fear, "Oh, oh shit." He looked around wildly as she blinked at him dully; the flat expression on her white face belied the stark fury tearing at her psyche.

Her hand shot out, seemingly of its own free will, and expelled a flurry of energy at the object of her rage as he made a dive for his lost gun. He went flying back before he'd even touched it.

Guns, it was always the guns!

She took a step forward as the man, and she used that term loosely, scrambled to his feet while still desperately trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

Well, that was fine by her. She didn't need to be right next to the bastard to hurt him.

To kill him.

Willow bared her teeth in a snarl and let rip.

Everything around her exploded.

Xander's blood froze in his veins as the ground he and the others were standing on jerked and shook violently, he gulped and wondered what had happened.

No, he knew what was happening. He knew who'd died, he knew who was going to pay for it.

Everyone.

"Holy shit," muttered Jack in foreboding. "What the hell is that?"

Xander looked at Daniel grimly, "Willow."

Daniel's pale face contorted with horror, fear and anger, he grabbed his hair and tugged, "No!"

Sam's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "How could Willow-"

Xander shook his head, "We gotta go, NOW!" How could this be happening again? What were the PTB thinking, how could they be that stupid?

It was happening all over again.

"Good lord," Giles muttered, dread stained his words.

Well put, Giles.

Xander took off running, the others followed.

All wondering what was going to happen next, all terrified of finding out.

Chris POV

Everything was bright, I screwed my eyes shut against the light. I felt very strange, light and floaty but there was also something else.

Darkness swirled around me, a faint anger inside me; it felt so odd.

How could everything be bright, but dark at the same time? That was silly.

I felt faintly confused as I started feeling lighter and lighter; I didn't want to feel lighter, I feel further away from mommy. I don't want to further away. Where is she?

/Mommy!?/

Nothing, not even a whisper. Where is she?

Where am I?

I looked at the darkness around me, I couldn't see it; but I know it's there. I looked at it; it was dark and angry; it made me think of mommy when the Macalo demons attacked us ages ago. I was real young then, but I couldn't forget that.

It felt like angry-mommy, I like happy-mommy better but any mommy was better than no mommy at all; so I tried to grab it. My arms were very heavy though, can't move them…hey, I'm getting lighter.

Don't wanna get lighter.

I felt the darkness close in around me, maybe it was eating me; it's everywhere! But it's mommy.

I didn't fight the choking darkness as it wrapped itself around me like my favorite blanket when the night gets real cold. But it didn't make me feel warm and safe.

Just cold and bad.