Three months later

Reese threw her arms out again as another fireball came flying toward her, deflecting it back to its owner though he was too fast for her and ducked just in time, the ball of fire singeing the wall behind him. He grinned at her menacingly then shimmered out only to reappear behind Piper where a sharp blade tore through the skin of her belly. She let out a sharp cry and fell to the ground, her eyes instantly glassy and her shirt soaked in blood.

"Mom, no!" Wyatt cried out, running from his position behind the upturned table to her side. Reese saw him first, the demon with the fire in his hands again and she cried out, tried to move between Wyatt and the demon but he let out a startled "No!" before wrapping his arms protectively around Reese and shielding her from his fire. The fireball crashed against his back and she sprang back as Wyatt exploded into flames, screaming and disintegrated into a pile of ash on the floor.

"Wyatt!" Reese wailed, the skin on her face and arms blistered from the heat of the flames. Racking sobs caught her attention and she swivelled in time to see Melinda's broken body on the edge of the stairs, blood soaking her shirt and trickling from her mouth. She was crying and screaming, dying when there was nothing Reese could do.

"Melinda, it's okay. You're gonna be okay!" Reese tried to reassure her, placing a hand over her wound, causing Melinda to cry out.

"Oh god. Chris! Chris!" Reese yelled to the roof but when she looked back down, Melinda had stopped crying and her glassy blue green eyes stared up at Reese, tearing her heart apart. She looked up when Chris appeared in orbs before her and the look that came across his face tore her apart. His family, all dead and his girlfriend left in the middle of it, sobbing, her hands covered in blood and her face blistered and bleeding.

"Oh god." Chris wailed, falling to his knees beside Melinda, stroking her hair as tears sliced down his face. Reese was so focused on Melinda's still form, her lips now a slight blue and her eyes staring and vacant but when Chris cried out in pain she turned, seeing Barbas grinning menacingly behind him as he removed a sharp athemae from Chris' back.

"Chris, no!" She grasped him tightly as he fell into her lap, his breathing ragged and his mouth filled with blood.

"You'll be okay...okay?" Reese said in a whisper even as her lip quivered and tears fell from her eyes.

"Baby I'm so sorry." Chris breathed, touching her cheek briefly before he closed his eyes, dead in her arms.

"No! No, no no, Chris! Chris!" Reese shook him, sobs racking her frame, a complete numbness overcoming her.

"Chris, please don't go please! I love you, godamnit. You can't leave!" She shrieked, at once turning when a demonic chuckle escaped Barbas' lips. She had completely forgotten he was there in her grief.

"This all could have been avoided, Reese. You had to do it the hard way. Had to bring the Charmed family into the mix. Look what you did...so sad." Barbas said, a fake pout crossing his lips and he licked them hungrily, obviously enjoying the sight of the Halliwell family decimated all over the floor.

"What do you want!?" She shrieked, rage overcoming her, still clutching Chris' rapidly cooling body in her arms. Her whole life destroyed by him. And for what?

"I only want you. Come to me and I'll spare their miserable lives." Barbas said, his voice sing song and cruel. He gave her a rotten grin and began to laugh, his voice dimming and fading and blackness overtaking...

Reese breathed in a startled intake of air, shooting upright in bed, the room dark and her whole body covered in a cool sweat, her hair stuck to her head in a clammy mess.

"Baby, I'm here, it's okay!" Chris soothed, having been woken up by Reese's outburst. He hugged her tightly around the shoulders as she tried to steady her breathing and Chris added, "It was just a dream, you're okay." Reese sunk back down on the pillow and brushed sweaty hair out of her eyes before finally getting her thoughts in order. Barbas was after her, not the Halliwell's. All she had to do was stay away, all she had to do was keep them safe and go to Barbas and she would save there lives, all there lives. Reese drifted back into a restless sleep, finally having made her decision.