Demonic Fever

When Chris gets sick, Leo offers to stay in and take care of him...

Dedicated to SchwuppDiDupsi

"Trust me, Piper, we'll be fine," Leo had said just that morning to his wife as she frantically wiped mashed bananas from Melinda's face. "It's not like I haven't done it before."

"Sure, Leo," Piper had said, distracted. "I know you've done it before, but this is different. He's sick, for God's sake! What if something happens and I'm not here to help?"

Leo shook his head. "What could happen? It's just the flu, and remember, I used to be a doctor myself." Piper looked at him meaningfully, and Leo sighed. "Also, I have the pediatrician's number. It's in your book. But nothing is going to happen." Leo was used to Piper being overprotective, but this was honestly getting ridiculous!

"Fine," Piper had acquiesced, to Leo's relief. His wife was a bit of a handful sometimes. "But you'll call me if anything happens, OK?"

"Yes, Piper. Now go."

That had been earlier, though, and after cleaning up the room when Chris had been sick (twice), Leo wondered whether he'd actually taken on more than he could handle.

Phoebe was having a birthday party that day for little PJ, and Piper had promised to bring her entire family. It was tradition to have everyone there, everyone celebrating. Chris, however, had picked up some sort of bug from school and had been sick over the past few days. The poor boy's eyes were constantly glazed with fever and his face was pale from the constant nausea that assailed him. Piper had nearly been driven frantic watching over him, which was partly why Leo had wanted to take care of his son that afternoon, to give his wife a much-needed break. He'd convinced Piper to take Wyatt and Melinda with her to the party, and leave him with Chris for the day. He figured he'd dealt with much worse.

Leo hadn't counted, however, on how hard it was to watch over his own son when he was so obviously miserable. Leo had managed to convince the five-year-old to swallow a few crackers and half a cup of juice, only to see it all over again half an hour later... and then an hour after that. Chris had just sniffed and cried. Leo had cleaned everything up as well as he could, which wasn't well by Piper's standards at all, but it would have to do. For a moment, Leo wished he could just magic the mess away, since he knew how Piper would react when she returned.

Only now, after several hours of holding his son and rocking him gently, had Chris finally fallen asleep. Leo sighed with relief, leaving his son on the bed and standing. His joints popped as he stretched, his muscles were tight after having sat for so long. It was a relief now that Chris was asleep. At least now the boy would get some rest and hopefully would feel better when he woke.

Leo knew better than to go far when Chris wasn't feeling well. There was a chair out in the hallway, and Leo settled down into it, telling himself that he would only be resting his eyes for a moment.

The next thing he knew, he was opening his eyes as he heard a noise nearby. Leo frowned as he checked his watch. It was still too soon for Piper to have come back. Leo stood, peeking into his son's room to see that Chris was still asleep. The noise had come from downstairs anyway, so it couldn't have been the little boy.

A bad feeling stole over Leo, and he crept down the hallway and to the stairs. He didn't climb down them, though. Instead, he peered through the spaces in the banister, hoping to see what the noise had been.

His heart leapt up into his throat as Leo witnessed three demons walking around downstairs. They obviously didn't think anyone was still in the house, as they weren't even making an effort to be silent.

"Hurry, I don't like this at all," the scrawniest demon was saying. "The witch could be back at any moment."

One of his companions rolled his eyes. "I told you, they won't be back until late. Plenty of time to set the traps."

"Coward's plan, if you ask me," the large one grunted. "All this skulking around... I like a frontal assault better."

"And look at how well those have turned out for everybody else!" the reasonable demon shot back. "This way is better."

"Fine, but let's hurry," the smallest demon repeated. "I don't want to be here any longer than I have to."

The other demons rolled their eyes but continued. Leo watched them carefully, trying to figure out a plan of action. There was a small whimper heard behind him, and Leo froze as he realized that Chris was awake. Praying that the boy would stay quiet, Leo watched the demons to make sure they didn't suspect anything.

"What was that?" the small, skittish demon was asking. "I heard something!"

"Just your imagination, you idiot," the biggest demon replied. "There's nobody here."

Leo sighed in relief and crept back to Chris's room. His son was sitting up on the bed, looking at him with teary eyes. "Daddy, I don't feel good," Chris whimpered.

Leo ran up to Chris. "Shhh," he said, holding his finger to his lips. "We have to be very quiet now, can you do that?"

Chris nodded, too miserable to question what was going on. Leo wrapped his son up in blankets before picking him up and cradling Chris in his arms. The little boy put circled his father's neck with his arms, hiding his face in the man's shoulder, moistening the shirt with his sweaty, feverish, face.

Leo stood at the door, listening carefully. Hearing no sounds other than the ones downstairs, Leo left the room and began to quietly walk down the hallway and up the stairs to the attic. He skipped the fourth step, knowing it creaked (he hadn't yet gotten around to fixing it), and then continued. He opened the door carefully, grateful that he'd gotten that fixed, and then let himself and his son into the room.

The Book was on its stand, its aura of goodness filling the attic. Leo walked over to it, shifting Chris slightly in his arms so he would have full use of his right hand, and began to flip through the pages.

He considered making the portal and going to Magic School, but he knew that sooner or later Piper and his other children would be back, and there would be traps waiting for him. Despite Chris being ill, the best thing Leo could do now was somehow get rid of the three demons downstairs.

Chris turned and looked at the Book of Shadows. "Daddy, what's wrong?" Ever perceptive, Chris knew when his father was worried about something.
Leo smiled reassuringly at the boy, but knew better than to lie to him. "There are some demons downstairs waiting for Mommy."

The little boy's eyes widened but he didn't say anything. He stuck a finger in his mouth. Leo gently pulled the boy's hand away from his mouth, and then continued perusing the Book. Chris glanced from the Book to the door. "Daddy," he whispered, "they're outside."

The squeak from the fourth step was heard, and Leo froze. He looked at the boy in his arms and cursed. There was no time to do anything else. He went over to one of the drawers and opened it, still trying to be quiet, and pulled out a few potion bottles. Piper always made extra. He only prayed that the potions would be strong enough. Then, he put Chris down. "Chris, I need you to do something for me, OK?" Leo asked his son. The boy nodded solemnly. "I need you to hide. Orb to your Aunt Phoebe's house and tell your mom."

The poor boy's eyes filled with tears again. "Daddy, you'll be alone," Chris told him.

By then, Leo could hear the demons standing right outside. He knew Chris was right, but the boy wasn't yet powerful enough to take other people with him. He had to at least get Chris out. "I'll be all right, I promise." He handed Chris a potion. "Take this, just in case." Leo patted his son's hand, closing it around the bottle, and then watched as the boy disappeared in a swirl of orbs.

The door opened as the last of the bright lights vanished, and Leo found himself facing the biggest demon of the three. Without hesitation, Leo threw a potion at it. The demon exploded, having been too surprised to avoid it. The demon behind it, the smart one, however, was more prepared. He shot an energy ball towards Leo, who ducked. The ball just missed him. Leo threw another potion. The demon ducked just as the smallest one came up behind him.

"Boss, what's goi-" The small demon broke off with a shriek as the potion hit him and he exploded.

Hoping the clever demon was still distracted, Leo threw the last bottle in his hand. The demon jumped out of the way, and the potion harmlessly spilled over the wooden floor. Leo looked at it, dismayed. He eyed the door, but it was blocked by the demon. He had no way out. The demon grinned, knowing that Leo had lost. It created an energy ball in its hand. "I'm going to enjoy this," it growled.

Suddenly, the demon jerked and began to scream. He exploded, and Leo shielded his eyes. Once the demon was gone, Leo looked up to see what had killed it. To his surprise, Chris, still wrapped in his blankets, was standing in the doorway. His eyes were wide and his hand empty. He'd thrown the bottle his dad had given him.

"Chris!" Leo exclaimed. "I thought I told you to go to Aunt Phoebe's!"

Chris nodded, his lower lip trembling. "I didn't want to go," he said.

Seeing that his son was dangerously close to crying, Leo hurried over and picked him up in a big hug.

"Are you angry?" the little boy's voice asked in Leo's ear.

"No, of course not," Leo said. "You should have listened to me, but you did a great job." He held his young boy carefully, feeling his warmth.

Leo frowned. He put his hand on the little boy's forehead and then looked into his eyes. The fever had finally broken.

(A/N) Hey guys! I know it's been a while, but I've finally posted a new chapter! Sorry it took so long. Anyway, I want to thank everyone who added this to their Alerts or Faves, but especially all my reviewers: SchwuppDiDupsi, annaangel23, Fanycharmed, Miss Anonymous hp, Charmed Ravenclaw, Bry Elizabeth M, SuperSamNatural, Sexy Seren, and Crystalzap. You guys are the absolute best and the reason I had to continue this little oneshot series! Hopefully you enjoyed it. This story is based on a review submitted by SchwuppDiDupsi, hence the dedication. I do intend on writing more and more of these little oneshots, and hopefully will update as soon as next week! See you soon, hopefully! And please review!