Reese groaned in frustration and flipped another page, seeing nothing of use at all. She looked up to the ceiling of the attic, putting her arms out with a flourish and demanding, "A little help!"
She expected the pages of the book to flip by themselves like they usually did or a magical 'wind' to blow and the book to land on the page she needed but instead white lights swirled in an ark before the apparition of Penelope Halliwell was standing in front of Reese, hands on hips and looking mightily impressed with herself.
"Well it's about time you called for me!" She said with a smile and the corners of Reese's mouth curled up into an amused smirk.
"Penny Halliwell, is that you?" Reese asked, knowing it could be no one else for no one else could be that exuberant when they were dead.
"The one and only. Now, let me have a look at you." Penny said, coming to stand in front of Reese, touching her hands to her cheeks and smiling brightly down at her.
"I can't believe you fell in love with a Halliwell. Do you realise what you're getting yourself into?" She said, the acceptance in her eyes plain even as she spoke. Reese let a grin cross her face before replying, "I already know."
She let her head drop to stare down at the floor but she felt Penny's strong hand raising her chin almost immediately and she saw the tears in Reese's eyes and knew the pain she had had to deal with.
"Reese, I'm here for a reason. So that we can figure this out and so I can help you to defeat that awful witch." Penny said, her eyes turning into angry slits at mentioning Bianca.
"Awful, awful witch." She muttered to herself, shaking her head as she began to flip through the pages of The Book of Shadows. Penny stopped at the page on Phoenix witches and read the entry before shaking her head and grimacing.
"Barbas must have promised her something pretty powerful to gain her allegiance." Penny said before sighing and closing the book with a loud thud.
"Or Chris is her eventual bounty after everything has played out." Reese explained, her voice cracking as she said the words, anger filling her heart to the brim as thoughts of Bianca killing Chris consumed her mind.
"I don't think we're going to find the answers here this time. Bianca isn't a demon, she's a witch and a human just like you." Penny said, gesturing at her with a flick of her hand before tapping her finger against her lip in thought.
Reese wasn't about to give up on The Book after all the information it had provided her with in the past. There had to be something she was overlooking. She stopped on the Enchantment Spell page and bit her lip, mulling over a plan in her head that had begun to spawn before looking up at Penny who was still thinking, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"I think I have an idea."
"Chris! Chris!" Reese called out, hands on hips and her head raised to the ceiling as she tried to reach out to the person she wanted to see the least. It had been just that little bit easier to regain her life without Chris around to shake up the balance again. Her feelings for him continually clouded her reason without her even realising it until she was back where she had started and still so in love with him. A flurry of blue and white lights appeared in the attic followed by Chris' concerned face staring about the attic, seeing Phoebe, Penny and Reese standing beside each other and looking at him expectantly.
"Is everything okay?" Chris instantly asked, thinking something was terribly wrong if Reese was calling him after having said she wished to never see him again. Just seeing her made the familiar pang in his chest grow. Her hair was longer than he remembered, un-kept and tied loosely at her neck with a few wisps straying across her shoulders and her eyes were still dark and filled with a haunted quality that Chris often thought about at night when he lay so close to sleep beside Bianca, though ever wondering about Reese.
He couldn't help the emotions that continually welled up inside of him when he thought of her. She had been everything to him, his life and his future but she had been torn from him in the most horrible way possible and it had taken him a long time to get passed that. And finally he had rearranged his life, picked up the remaining pieces and all with the help of Bianca. Whether he would admit it or not, he owed her a lot. She had been the one constant in his life, always there to listen and to help, never judging his duties as a witch, understanding its importance all too well. Chris was startled out of his reverie when Phoebe spoke, saying, "I think there's something you need to see."
Chris let a confused expression cross his face, worried by Penny's watchful eyes and unusual silence and the way Reese couldn't stop fidgeting, biting her lip and twisting her hands together nervously as she tried to look at anything but him.
"What do you mean?" He asked simply, not taking his eyes off of Reese as she continued to squirm beneath his gaze. Finally she looked up when Phoebe took her hand and gestured for Chris to join their circle.
"There's something you need to see that only I can show you." Reese said, finally finding the courage to speak up though still avoiding his eyes.
"Reese, what is going on?" Chris asked forcefully but his eyes were soft and touched with concern and when she finally looked up at him he saw guilty tears in her eyes and a pain that made the pang in his chest grow.
"Do you trust me?" She asked, barely above a whisper. Reese extended out her hand to him and he took it without question before nodding simply. He felt her hand shaking involuntarily and he squeezed harder, trying to reassure her.
"I need to show you what I saw. It's something you need to see for yourself." She explained before closing her eyes. Chris and Phoebe mirrored her actions before white light glowed around the three of them and Phoebe helped patch a connection between Chris and Reese before removing herself from the circle and joining their free hands so they stood toe to toe, hand in hand, eyes closed and breathing as one. Reese let out a deep breath as tears filled her closed eyes, the feeling of Chris' rhythmic heartbeat thrumming through his warm hand causing a surge of uncontrollable emotion to burst inside of her. She tried to breathe normally, tried to focus as visions clouded her mind.
"You shouldn't be here!" Barbas snarled, turning to face the woman before him. Bianca curled up the corners of her full lips and stared down at the witch at Barbas' feet, spluttering and dying in a pathetic heap.
"I wanted to make sure your plan had worked." Bianca snapped back, her dark eyes blazing with impatience.
"Go now, foolish girl. They're coming! I can't have them destroy this for me." Barbas ordered and Bianca took one last look at Reese, her eyes closed and her chest still before she disappeared in a swirl of particles.
The scene changed as a haze of cloud formed over the previous vision and was replaced with something entirely different.
The walls were hot to the touch and trickles of sweat beaded across Reese's back, the salt stinging the open gashes across her spine as she huddled into a heap on the uncomfortably hot stones beneath her. The sound of tortured screams filled the space around her until all noise was blotted out by the hands clamped tightly over her ears. But the whispers never ceased, increasing in intensity until they formed into a voice she knew all too well.
"Baby? Baby, I'm here, it's okay." Reese felt the soothing arm around her shoulders and the feel of his lips against her cheek, his smell intoxicating and the sweetest thing she had ever smelt.
"Chris?" She mumbled though didn't look up, the pain too much for her to bear.
"Look at me, Ree, please. I love you so much, I need you. Come with me." At those words Reese looked up but what she saw wasn't Chris at all but a faceless soul, its skin burnt and blistered, the scull bulging from beneath gristle and sores as it screamed in her face, causing Reese to cower further into a ball and cry as the hell around her continued.
By this point tears were streaming down Reese's face as her legs quivered and it took all her strength to stay upright, not to sever the connection. He had to see and he had to know the hell she had been through and the person who had helped bring that fate upon her.
Reese's instincts told her to scream and she instantly felt the terrified wail filling her throat, making her ears ring with its deafening sound. She pushed her hands against the lid again, trying desperately to lift it high enough so she could slip out but the soil above was blocking her way. She was trapped. Reese screamed again and again, fear overwhelming her til she felt her knuckles covered in blood as she pounded with everything she had, trying desperately to get free. Finally a crack resonated from the wooden lid and she felt her powers consume her, its sweet thrill felt so old and unfamiliar yet almost as if it were only yesterday that she had used them. She threw her hands out, focused her mind entirely on shifting the lid of the coffin. Again and again Reese threw her hands out until a loud crack filled the small space. She screamed again as moist, heavy soil consumed her.
And then the last vision filled Chris' mind and he felt tears come to his eyes also as guilt, disbelief and sadness overcame his every thought and feeling.
"The truth? I was never at peace, I was never in heaven. Barbas destroyed my world and sent me to hell to suffer eternally. Kalais freed me and brought me back to life, to my grave. I had to dig my way out of there! And all the while I thought of you and only you." Reese saw the shock wash over Chris' face, saw his skin go pale and his eyes fill with pity and sadness and regret. Her voice stammered as tears soaked her face and her heart broke entirely before she whispered, "And now I don't know why I bothered."
Reese felt the last vision like a punch in the gut, her heart exploding all over again and grief and fear washed over her. Who had she been kidding to think she could get passed this? Reese had been and still was so desperately in love with Chris that not being around him had only delayed the inevitable. She felt the room spin around her as the glow enveloping them both dimmed then died completely and she opened her eyes. The room shifted with her as her legs gave way and she landed with a loud thud against the attic floor, her whole body shaking as she brought her legs up to her chest, burying her hands in her hair and pulling, the pain distracting her mind from the horrible visions that had engulfed her just moments before.
"Bianca?" She heard the disbelief in Chris' voice as he struggled to come to terms with the woman he loved being one of the reasons that Reese had suffered so. But what she didn't expect was the soft hands against her cheeks as tears ran freely down her face, her whole body rocking back and forth as her buried pains finally came to the surface. She looked up then, her vision consumed by concerned green eyes glistening with tears as he gazed down at her, completely transfixed at how right this felt.
"I am so sorry, Reese. Oh god, what have I done?" Chris said in a quiet voice, shaking his head and letting tears streak his face.
"I don't blame you." Reese said simply, barely above a whisper.
"But you know what needs to be done." Penny said from behind them, finally speaking up after too long in silence. Chris looked up at her, seeing the concern and determination in her eyes mirrored in his own and he nodded simply.
"I'm sorry, darlings but I have to go. I've been down here too long as it is." Penny explained simply, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Thank you." Reese said simply and Penny smiled at her warmly before blowing Phoebe a kiss and waving at her grandson before she disappeared in white lights.
Everything after that happened all at once. Bianca shimmered into the attic, her eyes blazing with rage and she threw out her arm, sending an energy ball straight at Phoebe who ducked, rolling into a corner just in time before the ball crashed against the wall. Reese was immediately on her feet, using her telekinesis to send Bianca flying back into furniture as Chris stood from his kneeling position and went to throw his arm out as Bianca stumbled to get to her feet but she shimmered out just in time, appearing behind Chris and sending a powerful kick to his jaw. He tumbled to the ground in a limp heap and didn't move.
"Sorry my love." Bianca said with a smirk before turning back to Reese, her eyes brimming with fury as she rushed at her, bringing her arm into Bianca's face with a powerful blow, knocking her back slightly before she responded with a sharp kick to Reese's jaw. She fell to the ground, rolling once before flipping back to her feet and throwing Bianca to the ground with telekinesis. Bianca turned from her position on the floor, conjuring a knife and throwing it through the air. Reese pivoted out of the way just in time before the knife plunged deep into the wall at the other end of the attic. Phoebe joined in the fight, throwing a high kick at Bianca's head, surprising her from behind but she was experienced and fast and she sent an energy ball at Phoebe which collided harshly with her shoulder, forcing her back into the wall of the attic with a loud thud, rendering her unconscious. Now the fight was down to Reese and Bianca, both knowing eventually that it would come down to this one moment.
"You are an able fighter." Bianca said, her breathing heavy from the fight but she was anything but tired. They both stood in fighting stances, light on their feet and ready for any attack coming at them.
"I guess I'm not as easy to get rid of as you thought." Reese said in a deep growl, grounding her legs into a low, centred stance and preparing herself for her next attack.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure." Bianca sneered before lunging at Reese once more, both of them matching each other blow for blow as their fight became increasingly more heated as the minutes wore on. Bianca pushed backwards, aiming an energy ball at Reese's head which she dodged only just in time, falling to her knees and producing an enchanted athamae from beneath her shirt and throwing it with all her might. Bianca anticipated her attack, shimmering further back in the room and catching the dagger by its hilt with an amused smirk.
"So predictable." She said, looking over as Chris groaned and stumbled to his feet.
"If I can't have him then no one will." Bianca said, grinning evilly before twirling the dagger in her hand once and threw it at Chris.
"No!" Reese bellowed, her hands thrown out in alarm.
The scene before her ceased, the lights overhead dimming and all sounds both inside and outside of the room no longer seeming to be there, a deathly silence surrounding her. Reese looked over at Chris, the dagger frozen just in front of his face and his eyes filled with fear. She turned and saw Bianca, unmoving and her hand thrust out, eyes evil and determined.
"What the?" Was all Reese could think to say. She could feel the power exploding inside of her, slowly felt it beginning to zap her strength and knew she needed to act fast. She grabbed the hilt of the knife and tried to move it but it was frozen in motion as if stuck in thick mud and it took all of Reese's strength to turn the dagger, her hands grasping the hilt and the blade as blood ran freely between her fingers. She pushed hard until the dagger was facing the opposite way and heading straight for Bianca's chest.
Reese let out a long breath and closed her eyes, focused hard on willing time to turn again and sound suddenly rushed back to her ears and when she opened her eyes Bianca was letting out a startled scream as the knife stood out from her shoulder, blood staining the bare skin. She looked up in disbelief as Reese used her telekinesis to remove the dagger from Bianca's shoulder. When the hilt was safely in her hand it glowed a fiery red momentarily, enveloping Reese in light. Bianca put out her hand, awaiting the blue ball of electricity to appear in her palm but it never did and Reese couldn't help but let a pleased smile cross her lips, aware that Chris was watching the entire display in shock and confusion.
"Looking for this?" Reese asked, cocking her head to one side as she put out her hand and instantly felt the crackling of electricity against her palm. Bianca's face turned sheep white, alarm and fear glittering in her eyes. Reese threw the ball of electricity and Bianca screamed in pain as it consumed her entirely. Reese instantly felt the floor beneath her as dizziness overwhelmed her, her strength and powers zapped by such a powerful attack. She closed her eyes momentarily, forcing back the black spots dancing in her vision.
"Reese! Reese? Are you okay?" Reese opened her eyes as Chris' concerned voice filled her ears and she saw him gazing down at her in worry, a bruise forming across his temple but otherwise unharmed. She tried to sit up, her head still swimming and her ears ringing as she said simply, "I'm okay."
Reese smiled then, smiled up at Chris for the first time in what seemed like forever before pushing herself into a sitting position, Chris' protective arm wrapped across her back supporting her.
"I am so confused right now." Chris replied with a shake of his head though his eyes were clouded with an emotion that Reese couldn't quite read. She thought she saw loss, hurt and grief flickering across his face and she felt the all familiar pang in her chest grow once more as her eyes again turned cold and haunted and her body closed off to all emotion. Chris had just lost his new love, someone important to him and all Reese had been able to think about was the hope flaring in her chest at him being so close to her and so concerned for her.
But it had all been a dream. A horrible dream that never ended, never ceased, even in the bowels of hell this hope had only granted her sorrow and bitterness. Reese got to her feet, absently brushing Chris' hand from her arm, all the while keeping her eyes downcast and her face straight, no wanting him to see the emotions ravaging her heart on the inside. The anguish in her heart was becoming too great and Reese didn't have any more answers, any more explanations that would give her just a spark of hope to continue with life the way it was. If she couldn't have him then her life was destroyed, utterly desolate and eternally forlorn.
"I should go." Reese muttered in a soft voice and Chris barely caught her words as she stumbled weakly toward the attic door, her eyes cold and black and the bitterness radiating from her in waves. He watched as she checked on Phoebe's still form by the door, propping her head with a pillow and once reassured that she was going to be okay she went to leave. But Chris could not let her go.
He felt strange. Different. Almost as if a cloud of mist had lifted like fog from thoughts and emotions, as if his heart's true desire had been tamed for so long that the explosion of feelings that filled his heart and soul made him weak at the knees. The loss he thought he should be experiencing was void and the only thing he felt in his heart was passion. And it was all for her. Reese Lawson.
His heart tore apart as he watched the defeated slump of her shoulders as she grabbed her bag from the floor, silent tears glistening in her eyes as if she were afraid to let Chris know how she truly felt. How much pain he had caused her and how much grief and loss she had experienced and he hadn't been there to comfort her. In all the woes he had seen her go through, all the fear, the pain and torture, the heartbreak of losing him to Bianca and he had not been there. He had stayed away and he couldn't comprehend why.
Chris took the few steps to the attic door quickly, grabbing her hand firmly and turning her around to face him. Guilt washed over him at the defeated look in her eyes and the tears welled up in their depths as he touched her face gently.
"Don't." Reese choked out, the tears finally spilling over onto her cheeks as her lip quivered.
"I can't do this. Not again." She continued and Chris grasped her face more firmly between his palms and forced her to look at him. In his eyes she no longer saw grief or loss but an overwhelming passion and love, as if it had been there all along hiding beneath the surface, clouded by something else entirely.
"I can't lose you, Reese. I don't know why I ever let you slip away. Everything just seems so much clearer." Chris explained but Reese only shook her head, her face filled with anguish and tears flowing freely down her face. He brushed the tears away with his thumb and leant in, resting a gentle kiss against her lips, feeling her quiver against him with the desire to give in, to give up to him and be hurt all over again or to stay away, safe and heart broken but forever to remain emotionally void, blissfully consumed by fighting and loneliness.
"Chris.." Reese breathed against his lips, trying to protest, trying to stop her heart's desire while she still had control. Chris cupped her face tighter and kissed her more passionately, the taste of his mouth so sweet and so familiar yet so new and exciting all over again. Reese's thirst for him had been unquenchable and now to be so close with his lips against hers it was hard for her to even breathe, let alone comprehend the emotions tugging at her heart. Love, happiness and the fear of loss against bitter resentment, cold heartedness and the lust for something more. Always something more.
"Chris, I can't do this." Reese protested, pushing his hands from her face and turning away.
"You loved her, Chris and now she's dead. How can you be okay with that, even if she was evil?" Reese wondered, keeping her eyes downcast as the feeling of heartache began to consume her once more. How could she have been so selfish to let her emotions take control when so much was at stake?
"Because she Enchanted him." Both Reese and Chris looked up to see Kalais standing over them, concern washing across her face at the tears glistening against Reese's cheeks and the tugging of her broken heart. She instantly stepped towards Phoebe and let the golden glow of healing envelope her until Phoebe sat up with a groan and rubbed her eyes.
"What did I miss?" Phoebe asked, smiling up at Kalais in thanks before seeing Reese and Chris in close proximity on the floor of the attic and decided it was best if she left them to figure things out.
"Who wants coffee? Coffee it is!" Phoebe said quickly with an energetic smile and jogged out of the attic. Reese let an amused smile cross her lips before turning back to Kalais.
"Kalais, what are you doing here?" Reese wondered out loud, pushing herself to her feet and facing her.
"I have come to give you the answers you seek. Both of you." Kalais explained, her voice its usual calm melody.
"What do you mean, Bianca Enchanted me?" Chris asked over Reese's shoulder and when she turned momentarily she saw him standing behind her with a confused look across his face.
"Barbas and herself combined their powers to Enchant some form of medium. It could have been anything and all she would have to do was keep it on her at all times and the falsified feelings of love, friendship and happiness it expelled would bend you to her will, no matter how strong a witch you are. That is why when Barbas was finally vanquished you may have felt your true heart's desire begin to tug against the Enchantment as it lost strength." Kalais explained in depth, her face calm and yet concerned all at once. At the mention of Chris' heart's desire, she had stared pointedly at Reese, raising her eyebrows which only made Reese roll her eyes in disbelief at Kalais' obvious lack of subtlety.
"But that doesn't explain what their plan was to begin with." Chris said and Reese turned to him, sighing deeply before saying, "A foothold in the Halliwell family. To bear your child and to bend it to evil so it could rule the Underworld. The usual demon stupidity." Reese spat the last words as anger coursed through her just thinking of anyone but her marrying him, bearing him children and raising them in such a horrible manner. It was unthinkable.
"What was she?" Chris asked in a quiet voice and Kalais smiled at the loving exchange between her and Chris though neither of them noticed the affection radiating from their hearts, colliding so they stood as one once more. Apart they were powerful but together they were unstoppable.
"A Phoenix, a witch assassin. And for all intensive purposes, a human." Reese explained before bowing her head as guilt washed over her. Though Bianca had been evil and plotted with Barbas to destroy her and Chris' world, not to mention the Halliwell line, she still felt a tinge of remorse at having to resort to killing a human, no matter what evil they had committed.
"A fault which was not your own, my dear. Using her power for evil was her first mistake and she paid for it dearly. You cannot and must not blame yourself, Reese. You did only what you had to, to protect your loved ones." Kalais said, touching a firm hand against her shoulder in understanding.
"You two are meant for great things, Destiny is the path before you and you both must take it together, as it should be." She continued, bowing her head slightly as a smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.
"You are one subtle Elder." Reese muttered with a roll of her eyes and Chris stifled back a laugh and smiled at her.
"I speak only what glimpses of the future I have seen. What may come in your Dreams can only be decided by you." Kalais continued, looking straight into Reese's eyes as she said this and finally she realised why. Her dreams had been filled of late with the future, with love and happiness, with her and Chris' children and the start of the most powerful line of witches ever seen. They had been happy, she had been happy.
"In time the Elders wish to speak to you about your new power and the rules that apply to it. This was one future event they did not anticipate." Kalais smiled as she said this, obviously amused by the fact that the Elders had not been all knowing for once. Even though Kalais was an Elder herself, Reese could tell she was different.
"New power?" Chris asked, stunned, staring at Reese in silent awe.
"Temporal Stasis. A power mastered by very few magical beings and a dangerous magic at that. Used frivolously, it can be very perilous indeed." Kalais made clear, her voice serious and obviously having had some past experience in the matter.
"You used temporal stasis!? How?" Chris wondered out loud, completely shocked and very proud of Reese for having such a powerful gift. She deserved it after so much had happened. He had always know she was different. He had always know she was special. Reese nodded and said, " I don't know how but I saw the dagger and I wanted it to stop and it did." Reese said with a shrug, clearly not understanding the importance of such a powerful gift.
"This gift is usually only cast upon those of great strength and ability. Those with the perception to see consequence before action. Those with a pure heart." Kalais continued and Reese couldn't help but smile and when she turned to look at Chris she saw his admiring eyes watching her closely and felt her heart opening up once more.
"I must go, dear one, I have stayed too long. The Elders grow anxious awaiting my news. Be safe, both of you. Remember, Destiny is waiting." Kalais said all at once before she disappeared. Reese turned back to Chris, keeping her eyes down cast as she fidgeted with her hands and asked, "What now?" in a small voice. She felt his warm hands caressing her face and when she looked up she saw in his eyes what she had been willing herself to see for what seemed like an eternity. His love and nothing more.
Simple, powerful and unending and for once since her return to life, Reese gave in to her emotions, stared loving back up at him and even let a small, peaceful smile cross her face before she felt his tender lips crashing against hers, pouring all his passion and love into her, wanting her to know exactly how he still felt about her.
That he had never stopped loving her and that she would never lose him. Chris pulled back slightly and stared into Reese's eyes, a playful smile tugging up the corners of his mouth before he said, "Now we continue from where we left off."