Chris- The Plan

As Piper came up to the attic, she was struck by the flurry of activity. The Charmed Ones hadn't done anything this big for years, just the occasional demon slaying when the need arose. But now Paige and Phoebe were brewing vanquishing potions, Coop was flicking through a list of magical beings and Leo was hovering over the Book of Shadows like a vengeful ghost. They all looked up as she came in, looking for answers, but she didn't have any.

Leo was the first to speak. "How's Chris?" His tone was carefully neutral, but she knew her husband well enough to see the shadows in his face, the concern behind his eyes. He was worried, and trying desperately not to show it. It had taken him a while, but eventually Leo had accepted the necessity of his being human, but he still hated it when he couldn't help his family.

She shrugged. "I don't know. He's asleep. Or unconscious." She swallowed, blinking back the tears. She hated this - she hated not being able to help him just as much as Leo did! "I'm worried about him Leo, I've never seen him like this. It's like he's obsessed or something, and he doesn't even know her. I only got him to sleep because he could barely stand. I think someone should watch him. Just to be safe."

"I'll go" Wyatt said immediately, orbing downstairs.

"Um" Coop interrupted. "She may be projecting to him, actually. Have a look." He passes Leo the book of creatures he had been flicking through, opens on the page entitled "Hybrids."

Piper took the book in confusion. "What is this?" then she looked down. "What?"

"Yeah. The one at the bottom" Coop smiled grimly.

"What is it honey?" Leo asked.

She ran her fingers down the entries, reading them aloud to herself. "Mermaid-human, mermaid-witch, Witch- Whitelighter/elder, witch- darklighter, darklighter-demon," then she reached the bottom of the page. "Whitelighter/elder-demon. Whoa." She looked up, needing confirmation. "Whitelighters and demons can... reproduce?"

Leo nodded, his mouth a tight thin line. "Yes they can, but it's never consensual. And it's highly unusual, because any demon caught "fraternising" was killed on the spot."

Phoebe looked please. "Makes a nice change - demons actually stopping something evil for once."

Leo looked at her. "Of course the Whitelighter is killed too. No-one wants the child to be born." He paused, looking thoughtful."Actually, I wonder how they managed to hide her for so long."

Piper raised a hand. "Sorry, confused, Why does no-one want a demon- whitelighter child?"

"Because it'll be almost unstoppable." He replied. When she still looked confused, he said "think about it Piper. The ultimate powers of good and evil combined in a child. One with no restrictions or limits like any other young child? And when the child grows up, can control its powers and make its own decisions? The Source ordered any child of a demon and whitelighter to be destroyed, because the good half could surface just as easily as the evil half and kill them all. But judging from Chris' vision, this was the child of an Elder, which makes her doubly dangerous."

"Oh. So she projected into Chris' head." Piper nodded in understanding.

Paige shook her head. "I don't think so. I think she must have sensed he was in a vulnerable state and called to him. And he answered, just not in the way she wanted. He couldn't help her"

"Vulnerable state?" Phoebe asked.

"Sleep. And is it even possible to use magic without knowing it?" Wyatt supplied.

Leo looked at him, smiling slightly as he scratched his head in mock confusion. "I seem to remember a certain little boy who made a dragon entirely by accident, and nearly got himself erased from existence." Wyatt blushed looking away, making them all smile.

Piper jumped slightly as the thought struck her. "It doesn't matter how she did it, because we have another problem. If the evil half is just as likely to surface, what are we going to do? Should we rescue her?" she asked, looking around.

"How can you even say that mom?" It was Chris, who had somehow found the energy to orb upstairs, Wyatt close behind him. "She needs help." He sat down heavily at Wyatt's insistence, and rocked slightly for a minute, eyes rolling back in his head. By now his face was a mass of cuts and bruises, and he winced at every movement.

"I know that sweetie, but think about it. If her evil side surfaces what are we going to do?" Piper asked.

"Well, we can't kill her." Leo put in. "She'll be nearly impossible to kill."

Paige quirked an eyebrow. "Nearly?"

"Well..." Leo looked uncomfortable. "I guess we could do it like a high level demon- with a potion of her own flesh. But she deserves help first. And if what Chris saw is true and they're forcing her than her evil side probably hasn't surfaced or won't." Phoebe attempted to argue, but Leo held up his hand. "How about this. We go rescue her, and if she turns of us we'll use some of her flesh to vanquish her. Sound ok?" Chris and Piper both nodded, though reluctantly. "Now, we need to plan this. We need to find out where she is, how to vanquish the ones protecting her, whether it's a trap, and you, Chris you need to get healed up before you bleed all over the floor. What are you doing up anyway?"

Chris shrugged, wincing as he did so. "I couldn't sleep. I keep seeing her face."

Wyatt began to glow, holding his hands by his brother's head where the cuts were worse as the others began to talk. As they healed, Chris sighed with relief, grateful there were no new ones springing up. They'd stopped hurting her at least.

But that thought bothered him too. He didn't know why he cared so much about this girl he hadn't met, but the voice at the back of his head was screaming for someone to save her, and he couldn't ignore it. Every time he closed his eyes her face appeared, her features barely discernable beneath the cuts and bruises, eyes pleading for someone to help her.

Paige whistled, cutting through the babble of various plans. "Could we scry for her?"

"No, she's in the Underworld, she'll be hidden."

Chris looked up. "I can find her. Just get me into the Underworld and I'll know where she is."

"What?" Piper asked. "You can barely stand, let alone do magic."

"Mom please. I can find her." He was resolute, eyes set, and Piper sighed.

"You're going to do it even if I say no, right?" Piper asked, and he nodded. Wyatt grinned as Leo hugged Piper, who spoke into his chest.

"Why do I have the most stubborn sons in the universe?" She asked, her words muffled by Leo's shirt. His chest rumbled with his laughter, and she couldn't help smiling.

"Fine." Leo said. "We'll do it downstairs, and you'd better be careful."

"Thank's dad." Chris muttered. "Sorry mom. I won't fight, I promise, I'll let Wyatt do it all."

Piper reached out and hugged him. "Just be careful ok?" She said, cupping his face and smiling. "And get it done before Melissa gets back from her trip.