Chapter Five
Wyatt and Chris appeared in the conservatory.
"Ouch," said Phoebe from the living room.
"Sorry," said Leo. "I was a medic, not a vet."
Chris and Wyatt crept to the edge of the doorway, listening and waiting for their mother to come into the room. Paige entered the living room carrying a pitcher of water in one hand and a cup of water in the other. She put the pitcher on the table and handed the cup to Phoebe.
"Here's your water," said Paige.
"Oh," said Phoebe, taking the cup and greedily gulping it down. "Ugh! Could use a little salt."
"That's about all I can do for it," said Leo.
"Okay," said Phoebe. "Well, good enough. Will one of you orb me back to the ocean, please?"
"Wait, isn't there a demon after you?" asked Paige.
"Demon?" asked Piper as she came down the stairs and entered the room. "Did somebody say demon?"
Leo stood up. "Yeah. One chased Phoebe back home."
"Well, that was nice of it," said Piper. "Welcome home."
"This isn't my home anymore," said Phoebe.
"So, what about this demon?" asked Piper. "Where is it? I'd like to thank it and then kill it."
Chris looked at Wyatt, who seemed to come to the same conclusion.
"Oh, no," Wyatt whispered. "Mom's fearless spell."
"Did you hear something?" asked Paige.
Chris and Wyatt stepped around the corner to face their family. Piper immediately raised her hands and blew the both of them up in an explosion of blue orbs.
"Piper!" Paige exclaimed as Leo stared in shock.
"They're whitelighters," said Leo.
Chris and Wyatt orbed back in.
"Okay…ow," said Wyatt, glaring at Piper.
"Well, serves you right," said Piper. "You don't sneak into a house full of witches and expect there to be no consequences."
Leo looked at Paige, who also looked just as confused as he was.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Paige asked Piper.
"Yeah," said Piper. "Never better. Ready to face my fears...like that painting." She looked over on the far wall where a small painting hung. "I hung it on the wall 'cause I was afraid to tell Leo that it was ugly, but, now…"
With a flick of Piper's wrist, she blew the painting up. Paige looked completely shocked. Phoebe looked just as amazed as she finished up the water in the cup and put it back on the table. Piper moved around the couch to sit next to Phoebe. She put her hands on Leo's shoulders as she passed him by.
"No offense, honey," said Piper, sitting down on the couch. "Now, what are you two doing here? We don't need any more whitelighters."
"We're here to help you," said Chris.
"And why would you do that?" asked Piper. "We already have a whitelighter." She gestured towards Leo.
"Yeah, we know," said Chris. "But these guys are from the future."
"And how would you know that?" asked Piper.
"Because we are, too," said Wyatt. "I'm Wyatt Halliwell. This is my younger brother Chris."
"Halliwell?" asked Paige. "You're related to us?"
"I'd say so," said Wyatt. "Piper's pregnant with me right now."
"No, now you see, you're lying," said Piper. "My baby is a girl. I saw it in the future."
"A future where Prue was still alive, might I add," said Chris.
"Okay, that's it, no one talks about Prue like that," said Piper. She raised her hands and blew them up again.
When they orbed back in, Chris rolled his eyes.
"Okay, first off…" said Chris. "Guided spirits, hear my plea. Annul this magic, let it be."
A glow enveloped Piper and then disappeared. Piper looked up at the brothers in surprise.
"Wait, that was a spell from the Book of Shadows," said Paige. "How did you know it?"
"I told you," said Wyatt. "We're your nephews."
Piper looked up at Wyatt. "You're really my sons?"
"Yes," said Chris.
"And what are you doing here?" asked Paige.
"For that," said Wyatt.
The girls and Leo turned to see the two demons standing behind them.
"Aw, dammit to hell!" said one of the demons.
They both disappeared, and everyone turned to look at Chris and Wyatt.
"What was that?" asked Piper.
"I think they're tired of us," said Wyatt, laughing.
"Who were they?" asked Piper.
"Can someone please get me to the ocean?" asked Phoebe.
"Oh, shush, Ariel," said Paige.
"They were these demons," said Chris.
"And they are hell-bent on killing the three of you," said Wyatt.
"They tried to kill you twice in 2005," said Chris. "I'm guessing they're gonna keep going back in time until they kill you."
"Before they change time, we need to get you back into place," said Wyatt.
"Whoa, why not just go back in time now?" said Paige. "Why wait for them to kill us?"
"The spell we have will only take us back in time if the past has been changed," responded Wyatt.
"And what about getting us back into place?" asked Piper.
"If this plan doesn't have anything to do with returning me to my home, I don't want anything to do with it," said Phoebe.
"If you remember any of this, it'll change time…your future, our past," said Chris.
"Oh," said Piper. She sat down in her original place on the couch. Leo stood next to Piper as Paige stood next to Phoebe.
"Good luck," said Piper. She smiled at her sons as Chris turned towards her.
"You need to do the fearless spell again," said Chris.
"Whoa, wait, what?" said Paige.
"We need to keep the timeline accurate," said Wyatt.
"But, she's—" began Leo.
"Don't worry," said Chris. "Everything will work out. Trust us."
Piper nodded and began reciting. "Locked in, boxed in, full of fear. My panic grows manic till I can't hear. In need of a reprieve so that I can breathe, remove my fear, please make it leave."
A glow enveloped Piper once again, and she looked up at them.
"Okay, come on, get it over with, boys," said Piper.
"Tell me we don't have to put up with her for long," said Paige.
"No, only a day or so," said Chris.
Wyatt closed his eyes and thought back to the memories of the Book of Shadows. He began reciting. "Thoughts, beliefs, ideas, truths, images. All of these you hold onto tightly. What I now mention, you will release."
A glow of lights flew around the heads of Leo, Piper, Phoebe and Paige.
"You will forget about our visit and the demon Brothers," said Wyatt.
The glow of lights entered their heads, and Chris and Wyatt took the time to hide behind the wall in the conservatory again.
"What was that?" asked Paige. "I got a little dizzy."
"No clue," said Piper. "So, uh, what does this demon look like?"
"Tall, dark, and skeletal," said Phoebe. "Shoots electricity."
"Paige, we need the Book of Shadows," said Piper. "Can you orb it down here?"
"You want me to use magic for household chores?" asked Paige. "I thought you had a total fear of personal gain."
"Ah, see?" said Piper. "There's that word again: fear. It's very debilitating. Just do as I ask."
"Book of Shadows," said Paige.
The Book orbed into her hands, and she handed it to Piper.
"Okay, um, I told you everything I know," said Phoebe. "Can I go home now?"
"You are home, and you're insane if you think that I am gonna take you anywhere," said Paige.
"Relax, Paige," said Piper. "Everything will be fine."
"Glad you're so calm," said Leo. "Why are you so calm?"
"Well, I just did as you suggested, and now I feel fine," said Piper. "So can we save Phoebe?"
"Okay, you guys, I don't need saving," said Phoebe. "Okay? All I need are my sea friends and little shiny objects and to lay on a rock and comb out my hair. I need water."
Chris and Wyatt looked at each other, smiling and trying not to laugh.
"Got him," said Piper.
"Mm," said Phoebe. "Yeah, that's him."
"'Necron: A skeletal being who hovers between life and death,'" Leo read. "'Has the power to incinerate any living creature…'"
"Yadda, yadda, yadda," Piper interrupted.
"No wonder he's after Phoebe," said Paige. "If mermaids are immortal and he's stuck between life and death, then immortality would place him squarely in the life column."
"Well, he cannot have my immortality," said Phoebe. "Now will someone please get me back to the ocean before I suffocate? I need the water!"
"You want water?" said Paige. "I'll get you some water. Come on, Leo."
She and Leo walked upstairs, Leo carrying Phoebe.
"And now we wait for something to happen," Chris whispered to Wyatt.
The next second, the manor changed once again.
"And to the attic," muttered Chris. "Haven't they given up already?"
"Well, how about we come up with a plan to kill them the next time we see them?" said Wyatt.
"Sounds good to me," said Chris.