Chapter Thirteen

As the enormous doors shut, the Source and Chris stared at each other, carefully calculating what to do next. The Source wasn't too worried, seeing as he was a great deal more powerful than this pathetic Charmed witch, and thought that he'd easily be able to vanquish the kid. Chris's mind was racing, trying to find a way out of this situation. Quickly, he tried the first idea he came up with.

Calling on his orbing power, Chris channeled it through his body until he felt the familiar sensation of dissolving into many white lights. Smiling internally, he quickly headed towards the ceiling and in the direction where he could feel his home. For a moment, he thought that escaping from the sinister room would be easy, before he felt himself banging against something hard.

Surprised, Chris released his orbs and solidified. He landed on the ground with a nasty thud, cringing as he felt his back hit the dirty floor.

A low chuckle was heard across the room, and Chris turned to see the Source standing nearby.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" he asked the young witch, amused.

Chris got back to his feet and faced the demon once more, this time a lot less sure of himself. This chamber had wards on it preventing anyone from magically leaving, so there was no way to escape other than the door, which had just ominously clanged shut. Desperately, Chris wondered whether his family would be able to sense him and orb in to save the day, and him, as well.

As if hearing Chris's thoughts, the Source smiled menacingly. "This room stops all magic from coming inside or going out, which means that your family will not be able to save you. They probably won't even be able to find you."

The demon's words had exactly the impact he'd desired. Internally, Chris was crumbling. What held him up was the knowledge that his family was always there for him. Now, he'd been cut off from them, which meant that he was doomed. There was no hope.

Still smiling, the Source made his fireball reappear. When the witch had orbed, he'd snuffed it out, not seeing any use for keeping it in his hand until the kid discovered what was going on. But now, the boy had such a helpless look in his eyes, which meant that it was the perfect time to move in for the kill.

Chris had been so focused on his thoughts that he barely noticed the fireball that suddenly came into being in the Source's hand. Instinctively, he ducked out of the way. Even if he felt like he was dying inside, he was still the son of a Charmed One, of Piper Halliwell, no less, and he would do absolutely everything to survive and to get back to his family.

The Source was surprised by this sudden act, but he swiftly recovered. His lips curling into a sneer, he murmured to himself, "Well, it wouldn't be any fun without a fight, would it?" He proceeded to form another fire ball, and threw it at the witch, who sent it flying back his way at the very last second. It was followed by a mental shove, sending the leader of the underworld a couple of steps back.

His lips turning into a snarl, the demon formed another of his special attacks. He hadn't expected this much resistance, not after having said to the boy that it was so hopeless. And sure, a little battle was always fun, but now, the Source was getting frustrated. He needed to get this kid out of the way soon, if he wanted to get to his brother.

His objective firmly in mind, the Source sent another fireball Chris's way, hoping the witch wouldn't dodge it this time.

-)-(-

"It's not working," Paige's voice called to her older sisters, who were standing at the Book, rifling through its pages in search of a spell to help them bring Chris back. The youngest Charmed One was currently moving a crystal over a map of San Francisco, as she'd been doing for the past ten minutes. She'd known it was probably hopeless, but she'd had to try nevertheless. However, now that her search had yielded no results, it was becoming very obvious that her efforts were futile.

"He must be in the underworld," Phoebe said to her, as she watched Piper furiously turn one page after another. They'd tried a few spells, as well as scrying, but nothing had worked so far. Piper was searching through the book once more, trying to find a way to bring her son back, but Phoebe knew that it wasn't going to do any good.

Before she dared say that to Piper, Wyatt orbed into the attic, ignoring the stairs as usual. His hair was messed up, his face projected worry, but his eyes showed a strong feeling of determination. Instantly, the sisters stopped what they were doing and looked at the Twice-Blessed.

Wyatt had heard the very last comment his Aunt Phoebe had made, and had made up his mind in an instant. Quickly, he announced his plan to the Charmed Ones. "I'm going down to the underworld to try and sense him there."

The Charmed Ones saw the logic in his plan, and, without any hesitation, Piper went to stand next to him. "I'll come with you," she said quietly but forcefully, letting her tone of voice tell everyone that she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Wyatt nodded at his mother. He'd expected as much.

However, he hadn't been so sure about his aunts, who were now moving his way.

"We're coming too," Phoebe proclaimed, not even having to ask her younger sister her opinion. She knew Paige well enough to assume what her actions would be.

Wyatt smiled slightly, before setting his hand on his mother's shoulder and orbing down to the underworld, where he would hopefully be able to find his little brother. His aunts followed them there.

Just a couple of moments later, they arrived in an empty corridor, one of many in the underworld. Piper and Phoebe sneaked over to peek into the rooms, to keep watch, while Wyatt and Paige closed their eyes and searched for Chris. As they were both half whitelighter, they were usually able to sense not only their charges, but their family members as well. This power had come in handy very often, especially in their line of work. Now, they were putting it to good use trying to find Piper's younger son.

After a short while, they both opened their eyes. Piper, not missing the slight movement, instantly turned around to look at them.

"Where is he? Have you found him?" she breathed out, barely daring to hope. Phoebe turned to look at the two whitelighters as well.

Paige shook her head sadly, while Wyatt looked stunned. He couldn't believe that his powers, his almighty amazing powers, weren't helping him when he needed them the most. His little brother was out there, somewhere, probably dying, and there was nothing he could do about it.

For the first time in his life, Wyatt felt worthless and helpless, unable to help his endangered brother.

-)-(-

Chris was beginning to get tired. He'd dodged fireball after fireball, and more just kept coming. The Source seemed to be perfectly refreshed, as if he'd just drunk a cup of extra strong coffee, and was still full of energy. Chris, however, couldn't avoid the attacks forever.

A stinging burn suddenly burst in his shoulder, and Chris screamed hoarsely in pain, realizing that he'd tired so much that he'd taken a blow. Luckily, the fireball hadn't had as much power as the first ones had, so he wasn't dead. Unfortunately, he was now incapacitated by his wound, which meant the Source would have a clear shot.

"Prepare to die." The demon stated the phrase as if it was not a tired cliché, and formed another fireball in his hand. This time, he made sure to make it strong enough to vanquish the witch.

Chris closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. It was hopeless… he was about to die.

(A/N) Oooh! Yet another cliffie! Yup, I tend to like those, they're fun. Anyway, what do you guys think will happen next? Chris is now injured and in the Underworld, and nobody can find him! Will Wyatt find a way to save him, or will Chris find a way to save the day?

BTW, I have good news about this story... we have now reached 10,000 hits! Isn't that exciting? I know I'm excited!

Thanks once more to my lovely reviewers: Patry (who still makes me laugh so much!), and Funnie! Love you guys! You make my day and (quite possibly) my week! Trust me, I've had a pretty hellish week... ugh...

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I will see you next week, with the very net one, which will hopefully be as awesome, or even better! Read and Review, please! Reviews make me the happiest person in the world!