Meanwhile in The Underworld...

"Duck!" Piper hollered as another fireball descended down upon them. Chris and Phoebe dropped to the ground just in time to see a ball of fire whiz over their heads before it exploded against the wall of the spacious cavern. Piper reappeared around the corner and threw up her arms, instantly enveloping the demon in a fiery explosion. The last demon, a lower level demon cowered into the far corner of the chamber, blood running from his nose and mouth and a blistered wound across his chest, making him pant as he tried to breath in, tried to sliver away unnoticed but the Halliwell family had him surrounded. The demon grasped at his chest with his arm, attempting to squeeze further back into the hollow of the wall, fear clearly written in his eyes before he blurted out, "You're too late!"

Piper walked calmly across the room, arms folded across her chest and asked simply, "Too late for what?"

The demon didn't reply, only squeezed his lips together stubbornly and let out a breath in a low hiss. Piper sighed in agitation and froze the demon before unfreezing his head, smiling slightly at the startled expression that had come across his face at his sudden inability to move.

"Wh-what are you doing?" The demon cried out, his voice filled with fear despite himself.

"Tell us what we want to know." Piper engaged dangerously, her voice hot with impatience and her eyes glowing in the fire light.

"Or what? You'll kill me? That is nothing compared to what Barbas would do to me if I betrayed him." The demon replied, spitting out the words like venom, his mouth turned up in a sneer.

"Or this." Wyatt answered simply before raising his arms and blowing off the demon's hand, sending a chorus of agonising shrieks through the spacious cavern as Chris came to stand beside his brother, his eyes fiery and his jaw set stubbornly.

"Okay, okay!" The demon cried out in alarm, clearly giving in.

"Barbas twisted the premonition, so you'd come looking for him here. He wanted you out of the way." The demon explained quickly, his breathing ragged as pain swarmed through the remnants of his hand.

"That's not possible. I saw Reese die, I felt her pain!" Phoebe argued, her eyes afraid and unsure as Paige took her hand comfortingly.

"He only twisted it so you would come here. The rest of the premonition was correct." The demon explained in an impatient growl before the weight of his words finally sank home.

"She's dead and there's nothing you can do to stop it! You're too late!" The demon spat, sucking in aggrieved gasps of air through his teeth. Piper turned to Chris, seeing his face a ghostly shade of grey and his hands clenched into tight fists before he dissipated into blue and white lights with Wyatt following close behind him.

The Halliwell manor was soundless. The ticking of the grandfather clock the only meagre noise shattering the deadly silence surrounding him. Chris let his echoing foot falls lead him down the front hall of the manor as time seemed to pass like an eternity, his feet faltering as he made his way around the corner, hearing the familiar jingle of orbs joining him in the corridor. The soft sound of weeping made his stomach sink and when he finally peered around the crook in the wall, the sight before him made Chris fall to his knees.

Melinda lying unconscious across the room, a pillow propping her head and purple bruising marring her temple. Glass was shattered across the floor and the rug was upturned and spattered with blood. But the one thing that tore Chris apart was the sight of his Dad against the wall, stroking someone's face and they were pale and unmoving, lips blue in death and covered in blood. Chris felt his knees hit the floor as nausea instantly washed over him, his head swimming and his voice choked up and useless. He grasped at the wall for support, crawling the distance between him and his father as tears spilt from his eyes, his breathing hollow and loud in the quiet room. He touched her face and flinched back at the coolness of her skin, her eyes closed and a thin line of blood trailing across her lip and down her chin.

Chris let out a devastated sob, taking her face in his hands, remembering the softness of her hair and its sweet scent and the feeling of her lips against his own, the feel of her against him, how they loved and how the fought to keep that love alive. The smell of metallic filled his nose and stung his eyes as more tears slid down his face until he couldn't see straight. Chris pulled Reese's body close, touched his lips to her forehead, placed a hand across her wound, his soul ripping into pieces at the sensation of fresh blood against his palm and he rocked her back and forth as his heart exploded in his chest, sobs overtaking him until he heard nothing else but the loud thudding of his heart in his ears and his forlorn howling.

He felt a hand against his shoulder, its presence almost indistinguishable against the numbness overwhelming him but when he looked up he saw his Mom's tear streaked face, saw the heart ache in her eyes and he let his father take the love of his life into his arms, his face similarly streaked with sorrow as the world collided into one great big mess. Chris let himself be tugged into his mother's arms as he let out all his sorrow.

Elsewhere in the room Wyatt sat in a heap with his legs up to his chest and his head tilted downward, his whole body stirring with racking sobs and Paige and Phoebe sat crying beside Melinda's unconscious form, Phoebe stroking her hair softly. The Manor was eerie that evening, the usual feel of warmth and happiness gone, replaced by a heart wrenching chill and the bitterness of bereavement. The Halliwell family had been undone and their sorrow had left them more vulnerable than they had ever been before.

Please review!! I'd really appreciate some feedback on these two new chapters, I know they're a bit of a downer but there's still more to come if people are interested!!

alae-megallen