Chapter 150: Chris-Crossed
At Payson's P5, Paige walked up to Piper, Buffy and Phoebe all of whom sat at the bar.
"Hey, Paige, where ya been?" Piper asked. "You're late."
"I know. I'm sorry. I got tied up," Paige said.
"Where?" Buffy wondered. "At Richard's?"
In the last couple months Paige had started dating Richard, who she, Buffy, Piper, Phoebe and Dawn all helped when his deceased fiancée was trying to kill his family.
"No!" Paige said with a shake of her head. "I was at work. Get your mind out of the gutter, missy."
"Hey," Phoebe said, "you're the one that orbs home to find lingerie."
"Two times," Paige said as Buffy tried to stifle a giggle. "I did that twice."
"Yeah, it's about the only time we ever see you anymore."
Paige sighed. "Why did I come here? To get picked on?"
"Because we love you," Buffy said as she pulled Paige into an embrace.
"We kind of miss you," Piper agreed.
"I am not at Richard's that much," Paige said as Buffy, Phoebe and Piper raised their eyebrows at her. "Fine. Ok, maybe I am, but, you know, I am just an orb, flame or shimmer away if you need help."
"Yeah, the thing is," Piper said, "we just gotta be careful, because if we stray too far away from each other, demons take advantage. We've learned that lesson the hard way a few times."
"I know. I know. I get it," Paige said. "I just really don't want to think of us living together in fifty years."
Buffy laughed. "Nah! Twenty, thirty years tops."
"We could always move to Hong Kong," Phoebe suggested. "So I could see Jason whenever I want to."
Buffy sighed. "You know I can't leave San Francisco, Pheebs."
Phoebe sighed. "I know, Buffy." She looked at Piper. "And what about you, Missy? Spill it!"
"Spill what?" Piper asked.
Phoebe smiled. "Come on. You and Greg - put out any fires lately?"
"Is that supposed to be a subtle fireman reference?"
Phoebe nodded. "Yeah, you like it?"
"Wait a minute," Paige said as she looked at Piper. "You're going out with a firefighter?"
"See what happens when you're not around much," Piper said as Paige rolled her eyes and shrugged.
"Let's see," Phoebe said. "They've been seeing each other for about three weeks, and someone - I won't say who, although it's not the fireman—is avoiding taking it to the next step."
"I am not avoiding," Piper said. "I'm just a little reluctant. That's all."
"My dear, it is time to get back in the saddle," Paige suggested.
"Now a cowboy reference," Piper said with a shake of her head.
Buffy smiled. "Piper, you just need to relax and let it happen."
"Yeah, easy for you to say," Piper said. "You weren't the one sleeping with an angel for three years."
"Uhm, Piper," Buffy said. "You do remember who my first boyfriend was. And what happened on my seventeenth birthday?"
"Oh, right," Piper said.
"So, I understand that you are a little nervous," Buffy said. "You know first relationship after getting back into the dating scene. Besides I seemed to remember that you used to freeze Leo during all the good parts, right? Hey, maybe you should, uh…"
Piper shook her head. "No. I'm not freezing Greg. I'm so nervous I'd probably blow him up."
Buffy smiled. "Well …"
Piper glared at Buffy. "Gutter, gutter, gutter."
Buffy smiled at Piper just as Chris walked by. "What are you guys talking about?" he asked.
"Stuff," Buffy replied.
Not wanting to spare the time, Chris walked on past them and headed for the back room.
"Hey, where you going?" Paige called after Chris.
"I'm gonna go work on the next demon ... stration!" Chris said.
"Chris, why don't you relax and come have a drink with us," Phoebe suggested.
"Thanks, but I didn't come here to relax," Chris said as he continued on into the back.
Paige rolled her eyes as she turned to face the others.
"That is one bitchy Whitelighter," Phoebe said.
"You're telling me," Piper agreed.
"I swear there is something he's hiding," Buffy said.
"Hey, Piper, why don't you, uh, go talk to the guilt machine over there," Paige suggested. "Mmmm?"
Piper slipped off her stool to follow Chris seconds before she felt Buffy's arm on hers.
"I'll do it," Buffy said as she made her way towards the back she opened the door to find a woman with her hand stuck in Chris's chest. "Hey, Chris, you know, all work and no—hey!" She powered up a fireball as the woman pulled her hand out of his chest and flamed out.
Chris slowly slid down the wall, gasping and clutching his chest in pain.
"Are you ok?" Buffy asked as she knelt next to Chris.
Chris sat there a moment, gasping for breath and stunned. "Yeah. I think so."
"What happened?" Buffy asked Who was she?"
"I don't know," he said.
In the alley behind Payson's P5, the woman flamed in. She looked at the back door of the club determined to finish what she had started. She then turned and walked out of the alley, flaming out mid-stride.
Later at the manor Paige stood in front of the Charmed Book as she flipped the page. She pointed at the picture of the demon. "Is that her?"
Buffy shook her head. "No, how many times do I have to say she was in human form," she said as Dawn shimmered in.
"So what's the emergency?" Dawn asked.
"A demon attacked Chris," Buffy said as she glanced over at Chris who paced nervously, trying not to make it a big deal.
"Just keep looking," Piper said.
Dawn nodded and walked over to hers and Buffy's book and began flipping. "What did the demon look like?"
"She was in human form," Buffy said. "Which means upper level demon. And she flamed out. Oh I remember she had blonde hair."
"Guys, I'm telling you, I'm fine," Chris said. "Don't sweat it."
"You sure she wasn't a Darklighter?" Leo asked Buffy.
Buffy nodded. "I'm sure. Now that I think about it, she did look familiar like I had seen her before."
"What else would be after a Whitelighter?" Phoebe asked.
Leo shrugged. "I don't know. That's what worries me."
"She's gone," Chris said with a sigh. "She flamed away when Buffy powered up a fireball. She knows not to mess with a Charmed One, okay, so what's the big deal?"
"The big deal is someone tried to kill you, Chris," Phoebe said.
"Look at me. Not a scratch. Nothing."
"Yeah, how did she get that close to you anyway, if you didn't even know who she was?" Leo wondered.
Chris resumed his pacing and stepped on a squeaky floorboard. He glanced down at it. "You really ought to fix that, you know."
"Come on, Chris," Dawn said. "Who's after you?"
Chris sighed as he motioned towards Dawn, Buffy, Phoebe, Piper and Paige. "Has it crossed any of your minds that maybe she wasn't after me? Maybe she was trying to get to them."
Dawn looked up from hers and Buffy's book. "Kind of makes sense. Either that or come after Celia or Wyatt."
"Finally! Somebody's listening to me," Chris said as Leo looked at him with a doubtful expression. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some work to take care of." He turned and walked out of the attic.
"He's not telling the truth," Leo said.
Paige shook her head. "Leo, maybe there's nothing to tell."
"Could you sense anything?" Leo asked with a glance to Phoebe.
Phoebe shook her head. "From Chris? No, I can never sense anything from him."
"What are you thinking?" Piper wondered.
"I'm thinking that if we figure out who she was, we might be able to figure out who Chris is," Leo said.
"Well, we're not gonna find it in here," Paige said as she slammed the Charmed Book shut, "... at least not until we have more to go on, so you guys know where I'm gonna be if you need me." She turned and headed for the door.
"Yeah, I gotta go, too," Phoebe said as she followed Paige out of the attic.
"I ought to go also," Buffy said as she too headed out of the attic. "I have an appointment at the university. See if I can get back in."
"Wait, you're just gonna let 'em go?"
Piper sighed. "What do you want me to say? They have lives, too. Besides, what more can we do?"
"Well," Leo said as Dawn sat next to Piper, "we can try and figure out who the demon is and make sure nobody else is after him." Just then the doorbell rang and Piper got up heading downstairs. "I'll get it. You two just keep checking the books, ok?" He then orbed out.
Piper sighed. "No, Leo, really, I'd rather you…" she said.
Downstairs Leo orbed in the foyer in front of the door. He opened it to find Piper's date, Greg, standing on the front porch. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, is Piper home?" Greg asked.
"Uh, Who's asking?" Leo wondered.
Greg smiled. "I'm Greg. She's expecting me," he said as he looked behind Leo to see Piper and Dawn coming down the stairs.
"Leo, I got it. Sorry," Piper said. "I'm running a little late." She grabbed her bag and jacket as she headded out the front door. "Dawn, you have my number, don't forget to call me if you need any help with Celia or Wyatt? Chris?"
"I will," Dawn said as she closed the door.
"Does she …" Leo said as he looked at Dawn.
"A date, yes," Dawn said.
Upstairs in the bathroom Chris checked the festering wound on his chest. He stared at it in the mirror for a while, then slowly buttoned up his shirt. He bowed his head for a moment and sighed heavily. He lifted his eyes to the mirror, dug into his pocket and took out a Carolingian cross and looked at it.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Twenty five years in the future a flying transport crossed the skies and disappeared in the distance as a large video screen on the side of a building showed the latest entertainment.
Chris and the woman, who in the past had her hand stuck in his chest, sat at an arboretum, a damaged Golden Gate Bridge behind them. The arboretum itself appeared to have at one time been damages as well. As they sat there they heard sirens in the distance.
Chris smiled as he looked at the Carlingian cross dangling from the woman's throat. "So Celia, you still wear it, even now."
"Of course," Celia replied. "Mom gave one each to me and Aunt Dawn just before she died. Because of him, it and you are the only thing I have to remember of our family."
"It is good that you remember them," he said as a whirring sound could be heard in the distance.
Celia glanced around. "What's that?" she asked seconds before they saw a probe flying over the arboretum wall. She powered up a fireball and threw it, destroying the probe. She looked to Chris. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah," Chris said. "I don't think it had time to transmit. Though I cannot believe he is sending probes after us now. I'm gonna kill his ass."
Celia got to her feet to calm her cousin down. "No. No, you're not. You're gonna stick to the plan."
"But he knows," Chris said.
Celia shook her head. "If Wyatt knew, he wouldn't have sent the probe. You have to go back, Chris. It's the only way to stop him. It's the only way to change all this."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Chris looked away from the Carolingian cross and sighed heavily, then tucked it back into his pocket.
The next morning Paige orbed into the conservatory wearing nothing more a robe. She noticed Leo, Dawn, Celia and Wyatt sat with both Book of Shadows open on the table in front of them.
"Paige, when I said I needed you, I meant a fully-clothed you," Leo said
"Oh, please, Leo, what's the big emergency?" Paige scoffed.
"What would you say if I told you whoever attacked Chris was called a Phoenix?" Leo asked.
"Well, I would say," Paige said, "What's a Phoenix? And then you'd probably tell me."
"They're a family of assassin witches who are very elite, very powerful, and who were born with a distinct birthmark symbolizing their rise from Salem's ashes," Leo said.
"I'm not a hundred percent convinced myself these witches are what we are dealing with," Dawn said. "Buffy said nothing about a birthmark after all. But it's the best lead we have so far as it fits the m.o. for the one that attacked Chris."
"Okay," Paige said. "What do the books say what they want?"
Leo pushes the Charmed Book toward Paige so that she could read about it herself. "Just whatever bounty they're after, which, in this case, is Chris, which means they're still after him, and they won't stop until they succeed."
"Did you call Buffy, Phoebe and Piper?" Paige asked.
Dawn shook her head. "Buffy and Willow came back late, she patrolled with Willow last night. I don't want to disturb her."
"Phoebe is at work," Leo added, "and Piper came in late also, and like Dawn, I didn't want to disturb her."
"Oh!" Paige said realizing that Piper had been out with Greg. "Did she, um, come home alone?"
Leo shrugged. "I don't know."
Just then Piper walked into the Conservatory dressed in her robe. "Hey! Talking about me?"
"Morning. Hi. No. Uh ..." Leo said nervously.
Dawn nodded. "Sorta."
Leo stood and carried Wyatt over to Piper. "Listen, Wyatt's been fed," he said as he handed Wyatt to Piper. "And I'm gonna get some coffee and Paige and Dawn will fill you in." He turned and walked out of the room.
"What's going on?" Piper asked as she gave Paige and Dawn a look.
"Leo found a possible match for the demon that attacked Chris. I'm not hundred percent convinced but it does fit their m.o.. Anyways he thinks that a coven of assassin witches called the Phoenix are after Chris."
"So that's what you guys were talking about?"
"Yeah, in the beginning," Paige asked, "and then I just kind of asked Leo and Dawn if you'd maybe come home with anybody."
"I see," Piper said as Wyatt made a gurgling noise which drew her attention to him.
"Did you? " Paige asked.
Dawn rolled her eyes. "I want to know also, but don't you think it should wait?"
"Oh, come on. If a girl can't ask that, what can a girl ask?" Paige asked.
Piper sighed. "No, he did not come home with me."
Paige and Dawn glanced at each other. "I think we're both sorry," Dawn said. "Maybe he's just not the right guy."
"No, it's not Greg," Piper said. "It's just me. It's just weird now that I'm a mom. I feel like I'm betraying Wyatt somehow."
"I wonder if Buffy feels that way," Dawn said. "Anyways I think you're just betraying yourself."
"Yeah. I know. It's just weird," Piper said as she glanced at Dawn. "So, uh, coven of assassin witches."
"Yeah."
"Maybe we should call Buffy and Phoebe," Piper suggested.
"Let's wait on Buffy," Dawn said. "She and Willow went out to patrol last night, came in really late. She's probably still asleep. And Phoebe I think has this big day at work, so let's wait on her."
"Well, what if we need the Power of Four or even the Power of Five after we find them?" Piper asked.
"I've been reading up on them, seems mine and Buffy's book is more detailed than yours. Mom must have come across one after mom's estrangement from Grams," Dawn said. "They resurrect, hence their name to a degree."
"To a degree?" Paige said.
"As Leo told you, Paige. They also take their name literally because the beginnings of their coven rose from the ashes of the Salem witch trials."
"Okay," Paige said. "So let's do a little reconnaissance here, find out if these are the ones that are after Chris. So I'm gonna go get the scrying crystal." She turned and left the room.
Piper thinks about Paige for a moment, then turns to look down at Wyatt. "Hmm."
At the arboretum Chris orbed into the garden in front of the angel statue. Barely reformed, Chris gasps in pain and manages to sit on the concrete bench as Celia stepped out from behind the angel statue. "You really shouldn't try to orb anymore, you know? It could kill you," she said.
"Is that what you want?" Chris asked.
Celia sighed. "If that's what I wanted, you'd already be dead. All I want is to bring you back."
"How'd you know I'd be here?"
Celia smiled. "Same reason you knew I'd be waiting here. I mean, this is the spot where I always went for my private time with mom and Aunt Dawn ... isn't it?" She looked around. "It's beautiful isn't it. I can see this definitely was the right place to mourn."
"This is yes," Chris agreed. "This is what we hoped it would be. This is what we were trying to preserve for our future. Do you remember?"
"We were naive to think we could change anything ... to stop Wyatt," Celia argued.
"You don't believe that," Chris said as he looked hard at his cousin and saw in her eyes she did truly believe it. "Or at least you didn't."
"Well, I do now."
Chris sighed. "What happened to you, Celia? How did he turn you?"
Celia smiled. "That's not important. What is important is that mom interrupted me while I was stripping you of your powers, and if I don't finish what I started, you'll die soon. Think of it as... an infection. And I'm the only one with the antidote."
"Here or there, I am dead anyway."
Celia shook her head. "No. He gave me his word he wouldn't hurt you. Now, please, Chris, don't make this any harder than it has to be."
Chris looked at his cousin and then orbed out.
At the Manor Piper, Paige and Dawn have returned from checking on the assassin witches it didn't pan out. Just then Chris orbed into the room and promptly fell to the floor, weakened by his ebbing powers.
"Chris!" Paige said as she, Piper and Dawn rushed over to him.
Paige turned Chris over.
"Celia ..." Chris mumbled nearly delirious.
Just then Buffy, Phoebe and Leo came down the stairs.
"What happened?" Leo asked.
"I orbed in and collapsed," Dawn replied.
Leo and Buffy carefully moved Chris to the couch and Leo opened Chris's shirt to reveal the infected wound on his chest.
"Oh … my … goddess," Buffy said. "Is that from whatever she was doing to him? It's in the same spot."
"I don't know," Leo said.
"Doesn't matter. Just heal him," Piper said as Leo tried to heal Chris.
"Why didn't he tell us about that?" Paige wondered.
"Why doesn't he tell us about a lot of things?" Piper agreed as she noticed Leo was having a difficult time healing Chris. "What's the problem?"
"He's not healing. Something's draining his powers and blocking mine," Leo said "It's like a virus."
"A virus named Celia," Piper said.
"Celia?" Buffy asked.
"He mumbled the name," Dawn said.
An idea began to form in Buffy's mind. The woman had blonde hair, appeared to be in her early twenties about the same age as Chris or a little older. "Celia Prudence Halliwell! Show yourself!"
"What do you think that will accomplish?" Piper asked.
"The woman," Buffy said. "Is Celia, my Celia. All grown up."
"Why would Celia do that to him?" Dawn asked.
"I don't know, I promise to find out though," Buffy said.
Piper sighs, "Well, somebody had to have sent her. She's a hired gun."
"Whoa," Phoebe said as she moved forward and knelt next to Chris.
"What is it?" Leo asked.
"Oh, my god," Phoebe said. "He loves her."
"Loves who?" Buffy wondered. "Celia?"
Phoebe nodded. "Yeah," she said as she looked down at his hand and saw that he's holding a Carolingian cross. She eased it out of Chris' grasp. "Buffy, isn't this …" She held up the cross for them all to see.
Buffy nodded. "I bought two," she said as Dawn showed them the one Buffy had gotten her, dangling at her throat. "One for Dawn and one for Celia. Either Dawn gave him hers or he got that one from Celia. But the question is why?"
Piper reached for the cross in Phoebe's hand. "Well, at least we have something to scry for her now. You guys work on the vanquishing potion in case she's not in the mood to help."
The Charmed Ones turned and walked out of the room leaving Leo alone with Chris. Leo sympathetically looked down at Chris hearing him call out the name of the woman he loved. Little did Leo know how far off base he was.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Twenty five years in the future a Tour Guide leds a group into the foyer of the Manor. "Welcome to the Halliwell Memorial Museum a tribute to magic, and, of course, The Charmed Ones. Please remember there is no digi-capturing, no holographing, and most certainly, no magic allowed while inside the museum. That's a big one. Don't worry about those probes, folks. They are merely scanning for witches," she said as the probes she had mentioned scan the group. "Now, as we pass through the foyer, note the family portraits hanging on the walls which date all the way back to the witch trials, including one of the grand matriarch herself, Melinda Warren, the woman who literally gave birth to the storied legacy..."
Chris and Celia trailed behind the group and with a wave of his hand Chris moved moved the probes away from them to scan the mannequin in the corner.
Celia smiled. "Nicely done, cousin."
As the tour made their way into the conservatory Celia remembered when the conservatory had been filled with furniture instead of the museum displays it now had.
"Around you, you'll notice just a few of the many mythological creatures the legendary sisters transformed into in their demon-fighting heyday," the tour guide said. "Now I said sisters, while Buffy and Dawn were in reality the cousins of Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Paige. They had come to think of themselves as sisters to the Charmed Ones. Which is what led them to becoming Charmed themselves." She then hit hits a control as the lights dimmed. "Now, the time is 25 years ago. Imagine yourselves standing here on this very floor when The Charmed Ones were reborn."
A large holographic screen appeared with Buffy, Dawn, Paige, Phoebe and Piper depicted on it. Bright lights shown down on the give consecrating them. When the light dies, Paige let go of their hands.
"Ok. What was that?" Holographic Paige, whose obviously freaked out, said.
"I think that means you're supposed to be here," Holographic Leo replied as the front door crashed open.
A wind blew threw the front door, pushing the girls to the floor. Seconds later Shax materialized out of the wind.
The Tour Guide was amused at the scared reaction of a few of the tour guests as she turned the hologram off. "Scares 'em every time. Ok, let's head over to the kitchen where many of the sisters' classic potions were brewed. Some of which are available for purchase in the gift shop on the way out." She led them into the dining room heading into the kitchen. "Of course, the attic was the preferred spot for potion-making, principally, because that's where they kept the famed Book of Shadows which is where we're headed next." She walked out of the kitchen as the group followed her. "A little background on the manor itself. It was actually destroyed in the earthquake in 1906, but..."
As the tour group left, Celia and Chris lingered in the kitchen and waited. They didn't have to wait long as a demon appeared behind them.
"Hey, you two, move along"
"Wait for it," Celia whispered as she powered up a fireball.
The demon stepped forward. "Are you deaf? I sa…" the demon said as he stepped towards them.
Celia turned quickly and toss the fireball at the demon who was quickly vanquished.
For a moment, Chris stood there with a stunned look on his face at the viciousness and efficiency of the kill.
"I know," Celia said as she looked at her cousin. "But he was a demon." She walked over to the basement door and opened it. "Come on." She and Chris headed down the stairs. "We should be safe here until the museum closes." She then let out a small sigh. "Then, we'll go get the book." She turned to look at Chris. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," Chris said. "It's just ... sometimes I forget who you really are."
Celia sighed. "You mean the damphir thing," she said as Chris nodded. "I was built to kill. I was born to be a Champion." She looked down. "That ended with mom." She looked back up at Chris. "But its still inside me, all the time."
"I know," Chris said. "I just forget sometimes. So ... what do we do now?"
Celia looked at him thoughtfully. "Hmm. We say good-bye."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Back in the present the girls walk into the room where Leo is tending to Chris.
"We found Celia," Buffy said. "She's at my house."
"Now you're sure …" Leo said.
Buffy nodded. "I checked while Piper scryed. Celia has been in my room the whole time."
"Here something for Chris to remember her by," Piper said as handed the cross to Leo.
Leo looked at it for a long moment then slowly put it to the side.
"Got the binding potion, so after we orb over there, we're gonna ..." Dawn said as something comes over the sisters.
"You're gonna ... what?" Leo asked when Dawn didn't continue.
"I'm gonna move into Richard's house," Paige said.
Piper smiled. "Are you? Good for you."
"That's a great idea," Phoebe said. "And I think I'm gonna go check out what's going on in Hong Kong."
"Cool," Dawn said.
Leo, who didn't like their sudden turn around, got to his feet. "Wait. Hang on a second. This isn't you guys. You must be under some kind of spell. You have to fight this."
"How can you fight your heart?" Buffy asked.
"Or your hormones?" Dawn wondered.
"Yeah," Paige agreed.
"Or love?" Piper chimed in.
"Will you drop me off on the way to Richard's?" Phoebe asked Paige.
Paige smiled. "I would love to."
"I'm going to go see what Will is doing," Buffy said.
"Hey, that sounds like a good idea," Dawn agreed.
"Paige, Phoebe, Buffy, Dawn listen to me," Leo said.
"Zay jen," Phoebe said in Chinese as she smiled.
"Wait."
Phoebe and Paige orb out of the room. Piper nodded a so there to Leo, then turned and walked out of the room. Buffy walked over to Dawn and then they flamed out.
Leo looked down at Chris as he groaned. "What do I tell them?" Chris mumbled.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Twenty five years in the future Chris and Celia stepped into the attic of the Manor. "Don't tell them anything," Celia said. "Just stick to your cover story. The less they know about the future, the better."
"Well, what if they find out who I really am?" Chris asked.
"They won't ... not as long as you can pass yourself off as their Whitelighter."
Chris sighed. "And you're sure I won't lose my powers when I go back?"
Bianca nodded. "Yeah, not with this spell. That's why we need it. Look, just remember: Protect Wyatt, and you protect our family. Keep them alive for our future."
"Great. No pressure there," Chris said as he stepped toward Celia, a loose floorboard creaking under his feet.
"Chris, you know you're the only one who can do this," Celia said. "I can't go it, I would recognized. You're the only one who can save us."
"If I make it back," Chris said skeptically.
Celia smiled. "Cuz, you have to make it back..." she said as she smiled at him. "Who else am I going to torment growing up? Wyatt?" She led Chris over to the podium that at one time held the Charmed Book of Shadows. She passed her hand through its holographic representation. "Sure you can summon the real book?"
Chris nodded. "Yeah."
"Away from Wyatt?"
"Yeah. But we won't have much time once it gets here. His demons will be all over us."
"We won't need much time," Celia said. "Just long enough to send you back to them." She dug into her pocket and walked over to the far attic wall. Using a thick piece of white chalk, she drew a quinquetra on the wall.
"Hurry ..." Chris said wondering when his family had stopped using the triquetra as their symbol and started using the quinquetra.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Back in the present Chris is mumbling, still caught in his delirium. Next to him Leo paced.
"Paige? Buffy? Phoebe? Dawn?" Leo said as he paced back and forth. "Get back here right now! That's an order!"
Just then Piper walked down the stairs dressed to go out. "Both Wyatt and Celia are sleeping, and the both of their monitors are in the kitchen," she said.
"Ok, Piper, but you can't go anywhere. What about Chris?" Leo wondered as he rushed over to Piper.
Piper smiled. "Wish me luck!" she said as she headed out the door.
As Leo went back to check on Chris and he was kicked backward. "Hello, Uncle Leo." Celia said as Leo fell to the floor unconscious. She moved over to the couch and sat on its edge. "Come on. We're going home." She put a hand on his chest and flamed them both out of the room.
Later upstairs in the attic in Willow's bed. Dawn and Buffy are kissing Willow under the blankets.
"Wait. Hold it," Willow said as she pulled away a bit.
"Why?" Buffy and Dawn asked.
"Because I just want to make sure that you both are sure about this," Willow said.
"What's the matter?" Dawn asked. "Are we not acting sure?"
Willow nodded. "Yeah, it's just that ... well, you both have been my friends and before not you never really showed any interest. So I guess I'm just curious why the change?"
"Um ... who knows?" Buffy said. "Who cares? All Dawn and I know what we want ..."
Suddenly on the otherside of the curtain partition they heard footsteps. Leo pulled back the curtain and looking sheepishly at the trio before throwing a potion. The vial broke and a blue-white glow washed over both Dawn and Buffy
Buffy and Dawn looked around, confused. "What's going on?" Buffy asked. "What am I doing here?"
"I have the same questions," Dawn said. "What are you doing here, Leo?"
"What I am doing here," Leo said, "is counteracting a spell that Celia apparently cast on you two, Piper, Phoebe and Paige."
"What kind of spell?" Buffy asked.
"One that lowers your inhibitions," Leo said.
Buffy and Dawn looked at Willow. "Were we?" Dawn asked.
Willow sheepishly nodded as she who lifted the blanket just enough to show them that under the blanket the three of them were naked. They turned and looked at Leo.
"Oh-h-h-h, boy!" Dawn and Buffy said as they blushed.
"So did she get Chris?" Willow asked.
Leo nodded. "Yeah, and now that the spell has been counteracted on everyone. I'm hoping that we might be able to get Chris back ..."
"Right," Willow, Buffy and Dawn said as Leo left the attic so they could get dressed.
"We should talk about this," Dawn said. "Later though. After we've dealt with Celia."
"Agreed," Buffy and Willow said.
At Buffy's house, the one she had gotten the deed from Dracula for, Celia was finishing what she had started. "Just let me finish what I started. You'll feel better soon. I promise," she said as Chris lay flat on his back on the couch while she had her hand in his chest finishing what she had started. "That's it. Easy does it." When she's finished, she removed her hand and sealed the wound. "Slow breaths."
Chris took the slow breaths as he looked at his cousin. "What'd you do to me?"
Celia smiled. "I just saved your life."
"By taking away my powers?" Chris asked.
Instead of answering, Celia picked up a piece of chalk and walked over to a wall. She looked at the picture that hung there. Even though her mother and Aunt Dawn had yet to move in, Buffy had already begun decorating. She smiled at the photo of her in a stroller in front of Buffy and Dawn. She reverently took the photo down and placed it on the table.
"How are you gonna bring me back, anyway?" Chris asked as his cousin began drawing the quinquetra on the wall. "That spell's a one-way door. It only goes backwards in time."
Celia glanced at Chris and smiled. "I wrote another spell just for you, one that works both ways."
Chris sighed. "I'm touched."
"You should be," Celia said. "Wyatt has gone through a lot to make sure I bring you back."
"Yeah. I see that."
"You know, you don't have to believe me, Chris, but this really is for the best," Celia said.
"Oh, really? How's that?"
"Because this is your only chance to live. If I don't bring you back. Wyatt will get the spell from my mind and then send an assassin back. I pursaded him to let me bring you home myself. It's why he doesn't know the spell, he trusts me to do what I promised. But if I don't. He will rip the spell from my mind, kill me, and then send someone back to kill you."
"Doesn't matter," Chris said as he reached into his pocket. "There's nothing left in the future anymore anyway." He tossed his cousin's Carolingian cross on the coffee table between them.
Celia stared at the cross, hurt more than anything by that simple action. She lifted her hardened eyes and looked at Chris who settled back on the couch.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Twenty five years later in the attic of the manor Celia finished drawing the quinquetra on the attic wall. She turned around to look at Chris and sighed. "It's time."
"I don't want to go," Chris said as he moved toward Celia. "I don't want to leave you."
Celia smiled as she removed her Carolingian cross and placed it firmly in the middle of Chris's palm. "Here," she said as she folded his fingers over the cross. "This'll remind you of why we're doing this, of what will be waiting for you if you succeed, our family, whole."
Chris reached up and brushed Celia's hair. "You just make sure you take care of the guards, ok?" he said as he looked at her. "Then get out of here. Because if he finds you, if he knows you betrayed them ... he'll kill you. It won't matter if you are his cousin, or not."
"Don't worry," Celia said. "Come on. I can take care of myself."
Chris nodded as he leaned forward and gently rested his forehead against Celia's. "I love you."
"I'll always love you," Celia replied.
Chris nodded as he moved over to the podium in front of the holographic Charmed Book of Shadows. He exhaled and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and read from it. "I call upon the ancient power to help us in this darkest hour. Let the Books return to this place, claim refuge in their rightful space."
A second later both the Charmed Book and Buffy and Dawn's Book fell from a portal onto the podiums.
Chris smiled. "It worked."
"The spell!" Celia said. "Find the spell."
Chris opened the Charmed Book and started turning pages rapidly looking for the spell. "Found it," he said when he stopped on a page. "Hear these words. Hear the rhyme. Heed the hope within my mind. Send me back to where I'll find. What I wish in place and time."
Suddenly the chalk-drawn quinquetra glowed white as the time portal opened. Chris and Celia turned and looked at each other and then Chris walked toward the portal. As he stood at the cusp of the portal, he looked back at Celia.
"Celia!" he yelled just as a demon shimmered in.
Celia powered up a fireball and threw it vanquishing the demon. "Go!" she yelled as several more demons shimmered in.
The demons grabbed Celia as Chris turned and walked in to the portal leaving everything he loved behind so that he could save the future.
As the portal closed behind Chris the demons shimmered out with Celia.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Back in the present in Buffy's house Chris and Celia stood before the quinquetra. "You really expect me to jump into this thing like before?" he asked.
Celia smiled. "Not without a fight, no."
Chris sighed and stepped away from Celia toward the window. He then turned and looked accusingly at Celia. "How can you be so cold? How can you just stand there and pretend that our family doesn't matter?"
Celia sighed. "I don't have a choice."
"Celia ... please don't do this. Don't give up on everything that we fought for."
For a brief moment, Celia's cold demeanor slipped. "I'm not," she said. "I'm just hoping we can find another way. I'm sorry, Chris. Truly I am. If I didn't do this, I would have lost you. Please …"
"Why would you have lost him, Celia Prudence Halliwell?"
They turned to find Buffy, Dawn, Piper, Phoebe and Paige standing behind them.
"Hi, mom," Celia said.
Piper threw the binding potion vial at Celia, who powered up a fireball and threw it at the potion incinerating it.
"Sorry, Aunt Piper," Celia said as she flamed out and back in behind Piper grabbing her aunt by the neck as she powered up another fireball in her free hand.
"Celia," Buffy said. "Why are you doing this?"
"I can't tell you mom," Celia replied. "I wish I could. Put the vials down slowly, I don't want my powers stripped anytime soon."
Buffy motioned to Paige, Dawn and Phoebe and they all put their vials on the floor.
"Celia, don't. Let her go, and I promise I'll go with you," Chris said.
"Chris, what are you doing?" Dawn wondered.
"If you kill Piper," Chris said, "there won't be a future for either one of us to go back to, and you know it."
"What are you talking about?" Phoebe asked.
Celia sighed knowing Chris was right. If she killed Piper, Chris would never be born. She released Piper and stepped toward Chris. "We can't tell you," she said again.
"Piper, freeze them," Paige suggested.
Piper knew what Paige was suggesting. She knew she could not freeze Celia, but Chris, on the otherhand. She raised her hands and froze everything. But its obvious Chris did not freeze.
"Aah! Ok, I get why Celia didn't freeze, but why didn't he freeze?" Piper asked.
"Un-unless he's—he's a …" Dawn started.
"I'm a witch, too?" Chris finished for Dawn. "That's right. Part witch, part Whitelighter. Just like you; Paige."
"You lied to us?" Piper asked.
Chris sighed. "I had to. It was Celia's plan so that I could get you to trust me."
"Trust you?!" Phoebe said with a shake of her head.
"Never mind. It doesn't matter anyway."
"So that's it? You're just gonna leave?" Piper asked.
"I don't have a choice. She's stripped my powers," Chris said. "Looks like Leo's gonna have to fix that floorboard without me."
Chris casually turned to Celia. "Let's go," he said as she waved her hand and the portal formed.
Celia looked back at her family one last time and then led Chris through the portal.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Twenty five years in the future the portal opened up in the attic of the manor as Celia and Chris would out of it.
They are greeted by a half dozen demons and Wyatt.
"Welcome home, Chris," Wyatt said as he stepped out of the shadows.
Chris smiled. "Hello, Wyatt," he said as he glared at his brother.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
In the present Phoebe and Dawn stood in front of both Book of Shadows flipping pages, searching for something-anything to help. Out of the corner of their eyes they saw Piper and Paige sitting on the couch as Leo paced in front of them.
"Wyatt is with Celia in the playpen in your room, Piper," Buffy said as she entered the attic.
Piper smiled. "Thanks, Buffy."
"There's gotta be a spell in here somewhere," Phoebe said.
"To take us to the future?" Paige said. "I don't think so."
"Well, Celia is a witch. She could do it," Dawn said.
"How could she do it?" Buffy wondered. "When we don't know how."
"How did we do it five years ago?" Piper asked remembering when they visited she, Buffy, Phoebe and Prue visited the future where Phoebe was burned at the stake.
"The Elders made that happen, remember?" Leo said.
"Well, you're an Elder," Buffy said. "Make it happen."
Leo shook his head. "That was a unique situation."
"And this isn't?" Buffy said incredously.
Leo sighed. "Hey, I don't like this either. Don't you think I want to save him, too?" he said as the floorboards squeak underneath him.
"I don't know if I want to save him or kick his ass," Phoebe said.
"It still doesn't change all the good he's done," Leo said.
"What about Celia?" Buffy wondered.
"I don't know," Leo said. "Something must have happened after he came back."
"Okay," Paige said as she glanced at Leo. "You're certainly singing a different tune. You've come a long way, baby."
"Ok, despite all his secrets," Leo said, "I still believe that he came back to protect Wyatt, and that is enough for me to want to save him. And maybe even by saving him, save Celia."
"The question is: How?" Buffy asked.
As Leo continued to place the floorboard kept squeaking.
"Leo," Piper said as he stepped on the squeaky floorboard again.
"What?" he said.
Buffy smiled as she realized what Piper had. "Fix the floorboard."
"Of course he was trying to tell us something," Paige said.
"Who? What?" Leo asked.
"Maybe. Maybe that's where Celia was taking him ... to the attic in the future," Dawn said.
"But that would still be there in the future, wouldn't it?" Phoebe asked.
"Yeah, unless we fixed it," Paige said.
"Or USED it to send him something ... something that he needed," Piper said.
"Like what?" Dawn asked.
"His powers," Paige said as they all looked down at the attic floor.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Twenty five years in the future Wyatt walked across the attic toward Celia and Chris and stepped on the squeaky floorboard. "They're no threat to me," he said as the demons shimmered out of the room. "Et tu, Chris?" He turned around and walked back across the attic. "Of all the people to betray me."
"I didn't go back to betray you, Wyatt," Chris said. "I went back to save you."
"Save me?" Wyatt said. "Ha. From what?"
Chris sighed. "From whatever evil it was that turned you."
"That's always been your problem, Chris. Stuck in the old good-versus-evil morass. I'm so past that. It's all about power. It's as simple as that."
"And whoever has the most power wins," Chris said. "Is that it?"
"That's it," Wyatt said. "That's why I keep this museum and the one at P4 intact. To remind everyone the power from which I was born and that which I possess."
"Too bad the rest of the city isn't faring as well as your little shrine here," Chris said as he stepped toward Wyatt.
"You know, if anyone else tried what you tried, I'd kill them on the spot. But you ..." Wyatt said as he gaze shifted to Celia. "I've forgiven Celia. I can forgive you, too, if you promise never to cross me again."
"I think you know me better than that."
Wyatt frowned as he glared at Celia. "I thought you said you could talk some sense into him."
"Leave her out of this," Chris said as Wyatt made a fist, magically cutting off his air supply.
Celia gasped and glared angrily at Wyatt as Chris slowly sank to his knees, clutching his throat and gasping for air.
"Pardon me?" Wyatt said and with a slice of his hand, he tossed Chris into the wall.
"Chris!" Celia said as Chris hit a cabinet hard, breaking it.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Back in the present day Dawn rushed to write a spell.
"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" Phoebe said.
Dawn sighed. "I'm trying, Pheebes. I'm trying. Here," she said as she finally ripped the paper off the pad and handed it to Phoebe.
"Ok," Phoebe said as she rolled up the paper and handed it to Buffy. "Here you go."
Buffy put a rubber band around it as Leo lifted the floorboard high enough for her to toss the spell inside.
"Got it," he said.
"Quick," Piper said. "Put it back."
Leo snapped the floorboard back into place and covered it with the carpet. Now all they could do is wait... and hope. The rest was up to Chris.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Twenty five years in the future Chris crashed into a table.
"You promised you wouldn't hurt him!" Celia said as she glared at Wyatt.
"True I did," Wyatt said. "Just as you promised you'd turn him, just like I turned you. At least, I thought I had."
Celia smirked. "You should know the damphir can never be turned, Wyatt. How many times did you try before I told you exactly what you wanted to hear." She ran over to Chris and knelt down next to him. "Chris ... please. I didn't bring you here to die."
Chris glanced toward the squeaking floorboard. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," he said before turning his attention back to Wyatt who stepped on the squeaking floorboard. "I think." He got to his feet and let out a raging war cry and ran tackling Wyatt, who easily tossed into the table.
"Have you lost your mind?" Wyatt asked as Chris looked up at him. He raised his hand and lifted Chris telekinetically up off the floor toward the ceiling. He smiled at Chris. "I don't ... need you." In his free hand he powered up an energy ball.
Unable to bare it any longer, Celia got to her feet and attacked Wyatt from behind, her hand sank deep into Wyatt's back, paralyzing him where she stood. As Wyatt froze he released his hold on Chris who fell to the floor. "Whatever you're gonna do, do it fast. I can't hold him for long," she said.
Chris got to his feet and scrambled for the squeaky floorboard. He pushed the carpet aside and lifted up the board. Inside, as he knew it would be, was the spell Dawn had written. He unfolded it, dust and dirt falling from the aged paper. "Powers of witches rise, come to me from across the skies. Return my magic, give me back all that was taken from the attack!"
Chris glowed blueish-white as his powers returned to him. He took a deep breath.
Wyatt frees himself from Celia's hold. Without turning around, he kicked out sending Celia flying backward across the room and onto a piece of broken table.
"No!" Chris yelled as he watched Celia flying across the room and he lashed out at Wyatt.
The force of the blow sent Wyatt crashing high up against the wall knocking him unconscious.
Celia took takes short panting breaths, her eyes on the piece of the table sticking out of her chest.
"Celia!" Chris said as he knelt down next to her. "No. No. No. No."
Chris could tell that even though Celia was smiling at him, she was in incredible pain. "Haven't we been here before?" she asked.
Chris returned her smile sadly. "Maybe we will be again."
Celia nodded. "Maybe."
Chris whimpered helplessly and rested his forehead on her shoulder. "No."
Celia reached for Chris's hand and placed her Carolingian cross in it. "Give this to mom, tell her I'm sorry." She took a shuddering breath. "If you can finish what we started..."
Chris knew what she was trying to say. If he succeeded she would not die, not like this.
"Hurry," she said as Chris noticed that Wyatt was regaining consciousness. "Take the spell so he can't send anyone else."
"What about yours?" Chris asked.
"It's not written down anywhere, it dies with me," she said. "Go!"
Chris ran to the Book of Shadows and flipped through the book to the spell he needed. He ripped it out as he began to read from it. "Hear these words. Hear the rhyme." With deadly intent, Wyatt who had regained consciousness pulled back his hand and powered up an energy ball. "Heed the hope within my mind." Out of a corner of his eye he saw Wyatt hurl the energy ball at him and he ducked out of the way. "Send me back to where I'll find what I wish in place and time."
The quinquetra on the attic wall glowed as the portal opened. Chris turned and dove through the portal.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
In the present attic wall glowed as Chris flew out of the portal landing at Leo's feet.
"Whoa!" Piper said.
"Oh, my god. Are you ok?" Paige said as they all moved over beside Chris.
Chris nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine," he said as he stood up. "Nice spell."
Dawn smiled. "Thanks, it was my first."
"But we just put it in there, like, two seconds ago," Phoebe said.
"Well, you see, the way time travel works…" Leo started to explain.
"Yeah, I don't wanna know," Phoebe interrupted. "I already have a little headache, thanks."
Piper sighed. "You have some serious explaining to do, young man."
"I have to agree with, Piper," Buffy said. "Especially about Celia."
Chris nodded. "I know. Listen, I'm sorry I lied to you. I really am, but …"
Piper shook her head. "No! No buts. It's about time you tell us the truth. Now."
"I can't," Chris said. "But not because I don't want to, but because there's only so much I can tell you without the future being changed too much."
"Um, isn't that your whole point?" Dawn asked. "To come and change the future?"
Chris nodded. "Yeah, but that was supposed to be more like a surgical strike."
"To save Wyatt," Leo said.
Chris thought about his brother and nodded. "To save Wyatt."
"What about Celia?" Buffy asked.
Chris sighed sadly as he held out his hand and dropped the Carolingian cross into it. "She wanted me to tell you that she's sorry. In the end she saved me. And if we can save Wyatt, her future will change too."
Buffy nodded as she turned and headed out of the attic clutching the cross tightly.
"So you guys still all right with me hanging around here?" Chris asked.
Leo looked at Paige, Phoebe, Piper and Dawn and then answered for all of them. "Absolutely," he said noting the relieve look on Chris's face. "But the next time you're in trouble, you've got to tell us. Trust works both ways."
Chris nodded. "Ok," he said as he left the attic. He walked down the stairs and stopped at Piper's bedroom door and saw Buffy sitting in the rocking chair with Celia next to Wyatt in his playpen. And he sighed as he headed down the stairs vowing to himself that he will either save them or stop Wyatt.
The next day Piper walked into the dining room and sat down next to Buffy, Dawn, Phoebe and Paige at the table.
"Hey," Paige said.
Piper smiled. "Hey."
"What's going on?" Phoebe wondered.
"Uh, well, I've been thinking," Piper said.
"Uh-oh. Does that mean I'm in trouble?" Dawn wondered.
"I think it's time we make some changes around here," Piper explained.
"What kind of changes?" Phoebe wondered.
Piper smiled as she looked to Phoebe. "Like I think you should move to Hong Kong with Jason. She looked to Paige. "You should move in with Richard." She glanced at Dawn and Buffy. "You two should move into your house and maybe or maybe not see what may come with Willow."
"I never said I wanted that," Paige said.
"And I never said I was interested in Willow that way," Buffy said.
"You two didn't have to," Piper said. "The spell did that for you." She looked at Phoebe. "And you, too."
"Well, we can't leave you alone. We have to stick together," Phoebe said.
Piper nodded. "No, I know. Believe me, I know. But you can't keep sacrificing your lives forever. And neither can I. Mom did that. Aunt Joyce did that. Grams did it, and even Prue, and look what happened to them. It's not a legacy I want us to inherit."
"What if it doesn't work out, us going our separate ways?" Buffy asked.
Piper smiled. "Well you and Dawn are just a flame or shimmer away. Paige is just an orb away and of course one of you can always go get Phoebe."
"You sure about this?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah. I am," Piper said as Phoebe, Paige, Buffy and Dawn reached out for Piper's hands.
Author's Note: Okay before you all say hell no. This is not going to be a Buffy and Willow ship. I'm still looking at making Tara a Whitelighter. But I am also looking at Dawn, and Dawn's pairing is one I have not worked out. In Slayer Reborn I have Buffy, Willow and Tara together in a polygamous relationship. I'm debating slightly doing that here but with Dawn, Willow and Tara. In the end I am just bouncing ideas around.