Witches United: Beginning of the Next Generation

Do not own characters just the story

Chapter 2: The Sacrifices of War

It was now 8 am and time to implement Caleb's war plan. Caleb had gotten up very early and began getting his little army ready for battle making sure they knew what their orders were. Right now he was waiting on one last soldier – Chris Halliwell. That kid was trouble since he got here, he's been arrogant and a nuisance, what's worse he and Cornelia are getting closer whilst he and Cornelia are driving further apart.

"Damn it where is that kid? It's already 8:30. He's a half hour late!" Caleb muttered to no-one in particular.

"Talking about me?" Said a voice from the tent opening, Caleb turned around and came face to face with Chris.

"Not so much talking as I am cursing you."

"Well whatever, where's everybody else?" Chris walked forward towards a basket of fruit and grabbed out an apple. As he bit into it he noticed Caleb giving him the evil eye. "What?"

"The others are outside getting into position, just like you should be!" Caleb yelled. Chris had irritated him beyond his tolerance level and now he just didn't care enough to keep up the nice guy act.

"Fine! Where's Cornelia?" Chris asked in between bites

"What?" Caleb asked enraged by Chris's attitude. "Why do you care where Cornelia is?"

"Umm because, you partnered us up for the big demon seal off and round up plan of yours." Chris replied in a matter-o-fact tone that did nothing to ease Caleb's tension.

Caleb just hung his head low and he walked out the tent with his hand tightly clenched into fists – his knuckles going white, and his jaw set hard his muscles straining as he clenched. As he walked out he didn't seem to notice Cornelia walking by.

"Caleb? What's wrong?" Cornelia asked as Caleb walked by. Seeing that he hadn't even noticed she was there she got quite enraged, "Hey don't ignore me like that!" But despite her protests Caleb kept walking still not acknowledging her presence.

Just then Chris emerged from the tent, Cornelia turned around to see him as he smirked at her.

"What are you smirking for angel-boy? Is there something funny about my rage?" Cornelia asked deciding that if Caleb wasn't paying her any attention then she would just vent on the next passerby – in this case Chris.

"Angel boy? Really? Anyway, Captain Dictator over there says we should get 'into position'." Chris said as he walked by not glancing at Cornelia as he passed.

Chris didn't realise the impact of his words until he noticed he was hanging up in the air dangling by his collar. He looked around thinking that maybe a demon had invaded their base camp but he only saw Cornelia, her finger bent in a hook shape. It was then realisation dawned on him, there was no demon, she was using her telekinesis on him!

"Hey put me down!" Chris screeched.

"Not until you apologise for being an arrogant brat and stop ordering me around!" Cornelia screamed back at her floating hostage.

"What? I wasn't ordering you I was just telling you what Caleb told me! And I AM NOT AN ARROGANT BRAT! Besides I don't need you to let me down I can do it myself!" Chris said as he orbed out of his jacket and back onto the ground, he then flicked his wrist and pushed Cornelia back.

Unfortunately he didn't focus and she was flung further than he intended. Realising his mistake he instantly ran to her side.

"You okay? I'm sorry I didn't mean to fling you so far!" Chris kneeled right beside Cornelia and helped her up the concern showing in his eyes. She noticed this and smiled at him then realised what she had done and turned her head.

"Well maybe next time you should control your temper!" Cornelia huffed at Chris.

"What? MY TEMPER? What about yours, you're the one who telekinetically hung me up by my collar!" Chris retorted.

"Yeah well I didn't choke you! Or throw you halfway across the camp!" Cornelia replied.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry ok?" Chris said raising his hands in defeat. He then got up and offered his hand to Cornelia, she took it and they both felt a jolt run through them. They let go of each other fairly quickly and decided it was best to meet up with the others just outside of the camp.

At the dusty cliff edge just a few metres from the camp everyone had gathered and they were just mingling from the looks of things. When Cornelia and Chris made it up to them they broke away from one another to stand with the people they knew best.

Cornelia however couldn't help but look behind her at Chris and his brother and sister and just stare for a while. It wasn't until Irma jabbed her in the sides did she stop.

"Hey, Irma what was that for?" Cornelia asked irked at the unprovoked attack to her sides.

Irma simply looked at her as if she'd gone mad and replied, "Oh nothing Corny we were just discussing the impending battle but if you'd rather stare off into space then don't mind us."

Cornelia scrunched her face up in anger at Irma's comment – somehow that girl always managed to get on her last nerves regardless of the topic they were discussing be it clothes or fighting tactics. Though that didn't mean Irma wasn't Cornelia's friend she was just an annoying friend – the same way her sister Lillian wasn't just her sister but an annoying pest whose simple existence irritated Cornelia beyond belief but still she loved the brat.

"There you go again!" voiced Irma.

"Sorry ok, I just don't get why we're still doing all this, I mean we were like 15 when we locked Nerissa away and what now 5 years later she just pops up out of nowhere and we have to drop everything and work with a bunch of idiotic boys!" Cornelia kept her face and body calm with her words but the girls, having known her for over 5 years, knew that she was highly irritated with the situation. They all were.

They had all thought that after they had beaten all the great evils Meridian had to offer that would be the end of it and they could go back to being normal but alas here they were again facing another evil but this time working with allies they had never known existed, the supposed Charmed Ones.

"Well nevertheless we're here and the sooner I get this done the sooner I can get back to my assignments for college." Taranee spoke, voicing thoughts the girls all had – besides the college work stuff, Taranee was always the more studious of them and that hadn't changed in 5 years.

Actually now that she thought about it, Cornelia couldn't really say much had changed about the girls since they began this whole Guardians gig, they were still the same girls as before. However as guardians they had grown a lot both in power and maturity towards their duties. That's probably why when Yan – Lin had asked them to take on this mission they hadn't argued and just accepted it without a word.

"Taranee's right, well except for the homework stuff…" Will – the group's fearless leader stated. She had actually grown to be a fair and just leader and wasn't as clumsy and unfocussed with her leadership as she was when they began. She had grown into a leader and friend that none of them could see themselves living without.

"Yeah and besides if it weren't for this guardian gig we wouldn't be as close as we are now and mightn't even see each other again." Hay-Lin stated. She was right of course being Guardians had brought the girls closer and introduced Will into their little clique, guess with every cloud there was a silver lining.

"Oh I'm sure that's not true Hay-Lin and besides do you really think I'd give up being an all powerful Guardian?" Cornelia stated sticking her tongue out and smiling. The girls just looked at her and laughed. Behind her she heard Chris laugh too and she internally wondered if he had heard her little rant.

At that moment Caleb appeared at the head of the group and told everyone to get into position.

"Wait what about the Reagents of Earth?" Will said worry in her voice as she had just realised that Matt wasn't with them.

"Who…?" A puzzled Melinda asked.

"She means Matt and the little furry animals." Chris said in his 'I just don't care' tone.

"Oh… yeah where are they?" Melinda asked looking around her to see if she just maybe didn't see them.

"I sent them on ahead as they have to start infiltrating the higher demonic ranks." Caleb said calmly as if it was a sentence he said every day and, on some level, Cornelia thought he probably did with him having been the rebel leader during Phobos' reign as monarch of Meridian.

Caleb caught her staring and just stared into her eyes. Cornelia broke the contact by turning away; she knew that Caleb had heard of her break up with Taranee's brother Peter and ever since he had been Mr. Nice-Guy. Obviously he still loved her and wanted to get back together but Cornelia had no interest in that – it had taken everything she had to get over Caleb the first time and she wasn't going to re-open those wounds.

Having his connection with Cornelia being broken Caleb turned to the crowd and continued, "Okay, so now we enact the next part of the plan. Hay-Lin, Irma, Melinda and I will infiltrate the demon camps and take out as many as we can from the inside. Whilst that's happening Will, Taranee and Wyatt you guys attack the bigger battalions in the central sector of the army and finally Chris you begin taking out the initial wave of demons before they can escape further into Meridian – they are just about over the border and we can't let them get close to any of the villagers. Cornelia you go with Chris and try to create a chasm of sorts to prevent this army from getting further ahead and then join Chris and take out the initial flank ok?"

Everyone nodded and the girls flew up into the sky whilst Wyatt and Chris orbed into position and Melinda – being unable to orb - was lifted up in the sky thanks to Hay-Lin's air manipulation.

At the cliff overlooking the front of the demonic / meridian made army Chris stood and surveyed his surroundings whilst he waited for Cornelia to get into position. He was surprised however when Cornelia landed beside him and upon noticing his confused expression she explained that Caleb had sent a message via Taranee and had told her to stay put for a while. Chris just shrugged and sat down onto the dirt, Cornelia sat down beside him.

For what seemed like hours but was in fact just a few minutes there was an awkward silence between them with each one glancing at one another when they thought the other wasn't looking. Chris had come to realise that over the time since he met Cornelia he had begun to develop deep and intimate feelings for her and eventually he just admitted to himself that he had fallen head over heels for the ravishing blonde. Though he dare not reveal his feelings because he had a feeling Cornelia didn't return them and that she was in fact in love with his brother – his way of explaining all the looks she was giving him and his siblings during and prior to Caleb giving out the marching orders. Everyone loved Wyatt over him so why not this wonderful and gorgeous girl who was not just an airhead as he, himself, had expected but had a fierce fire within her and was in fact quite brilliant. Yep Chris was completely head over heels – little did he know that Cornelia felt the same way.

She hadn't quite believed that she could really like a guy as cocky and arrogant as Chris – and before anyone said anything, yes she did know that Caleb was like that but Chris was different. She thought of him as just wimpy and pathetic and had immediately removed any notion of attraction towards him as rubbish and chalked up her interest in the fact that his brother was the one she wanted. However over time Cornelia had begun to realise that she was indeed attracted to Chris and it wasn't until she felt that shock this morning when they touched, that she confirmed it. He was smart, brave and physically appealing but more than that he wasn't afraid to step on her toes to get his way and yet he still remained as chivalrous as a knight in Camelot. Yep, she was in love with Chris Halliwell.

So here on this cliff sat 2 people in love with one another yet neither knew of the others affections. They glanced at each other one more time but managed to lock eyes.

"Hey…" Chris said seeming unsure of himself which Cornelia took as odd.

"Hey" She replied back just as nervous as he was.

"Umm, about this morning I'm really sorry for flinging you across the camp!" Chris stated looking directly at Cornelia with the same compassion she had seen when he picked her up after the incident, but now there was something else something she hadn't seen in anyone's eyes since Caleb – love.

"Hey, don't worry about it I've suffered worse scrapes and besides I should apologise for almost choking you…" She said whilst looking down.

"Call that choking? I've had worse almost had my head cut off by a demon once." Chris rambled unable to stop the words as they came out.

"Really…? So did you scream like a girl then too?" Cornelia asked a smile playing on her lips.

"What no! I didn't shriek at all!" Chris looked at her and saw her smiling and just smiled back.

It was silent for a bit and then Chris leaned in and Cornelia froze. He kept coming closer and eventually their lips met and they were kissing. At first Cornelia remained froze in place and then she began to return the kiss making Chris moan in return.

At that moment a voice echoed in her head, it was Taranee.

'Cornelia…? Where are you and Chris? We're in a bit of trouble right now!' Taranee's voice sounded urgent and it made Cornelia pull away from Chris. She smiled at his big goofy grin and then sent a message back to Taranee.

'What do you mean where are we? You told us to hold still whilst you guys got into place!'

'No I didn't! Cornelia look down we were ambushed!' Taranee voiced and Cornelia got up and looked down at the field below and almost fell when she saw that a massive battle had already begun to unfold.

Chris watched her get up and asked her what was happening to which he got his reply when he reached the edge of the cliff.

"Oh my god! What happened I thought they were meant to signal us?" Chris shouted.

"I don't know Chris! Taranee just said that she didn't say anything!" Cornelia replied looking down with fear at the scene unfolding below her, she had to go help. She spread her wings out and was about to take off when Chris grabbed her shoulder. "What do you think you're doing?"

"We'll go down together and fight from there ok?" Chris said looking Cornelia straight in the eyes. Cornelia just nodded and Chris orbed them down to the battlefield below where they joined the fight.

That's all for now but look on here for more updates as the days go by

Also note that the next chapter is the last in this little prequel set, so that means from Chapter 4 onwards the real story will begin.

Read and Review please