Post by StoryGirl83 on Aug 27, 2008 21:44:04 GMT -5
Chapter Ten – The Other Me
and Archemneme
Flashback
Flashback
Back at the manor, Chris was sitting at the table with a pad of paper and a pencil in hand. Victor was sitting at one side of Chris with Piper on the other. Wyatt was sitting on the opposite side of the table directly across from Chris. Leo was next to him.
Piper looked at her younger son, confusion written on her face. “Explain, again where this spell came from.”
Chris looked up. “The other me defeated this demon when I was seventeen with help from Aunt Phoebe. There was no power of three and Wyatt wasn’t about to help at that point, so no twice blessed powers either.” The memory caused Chris to shiver, again, any control over his emotions rather gone for the present time.
Seeing Chris shiver, Piper hugged her son tight.
Chris gave her a smile and forged on. “That means he doesn’t require either.”
“I’m on your side now, Chris,” Wyatt assured him. “I will never be that person.”
Chris looked at Wyatt. “I know. A lot is different. It’s hard to sort through it, but I will.” Chris smiled. “I’ve got a good thing this time around; a brother who’s good, a dad who spends time with me, and a mom who’s alive. To top it off the only place that looks like a war zone is Wyatt’s room.” Chris breathed in deeply.
“Are you sure you want to deal with this demon, Chris?” Leo asked concerned. “You can tell us what you know and we’ll deal with him.”
Chris grinned at the offer. “Thanks for the offer, Dad, especially seeing as you have no powers, but he’s coming after me. He attacked me. I have to face him.”
Wyatt looked across the table at Victor. “How about you, Grandpa? Do you want to get somewhere out of the way when we take on this demon?”
Victor exhaled and looked his grandson in the eye. He shook his head, his expression fixed. “I will not let it be said that a whitelighter, even a former whitelighter, was braver than me.”
“Grandpa,” Chris protested, “there is nothing you or Dad can do. Potions won’t work and you can’t say spells. I don’t want you hurt.”
“I don’t want you hurt either, Chris,” Victor said looking at his younger grandson. Turning to Wyatt he repeated, “Or you.” He turned to his daughter and again repeated his words, “Or you.” Victor looked at Leo.
When Victor said nothing Piper reached over Chris and slapped her father playfully. Chris started laughing. Wyatt and Piper joined him. Then, Victor started laughing, and finally Leo laughed.
When they stopped laughing Chris ripped the top paper off the pad and handed it across the table to Wyatt. He started writing on a second piece of paper. As he wrote on the second paper he spoke. “Don’t let him touch you. He messes up and gave me this head ache, but next time he might erase someone’s memory instead. I don’t recall any way of reversing that including defeating him. Believe me, we tried.”
The other four nodded in agreement as Chris handed Piper a copy of the spell.
“Do we wait for him,” Wyatt asked, “or do we try summoning him?”
Chris frowned. “He knows we’ll go after him. He’s smart. Perhaps we should prepare a backup plan.”
Wyatt looked at his brother, incredulously. “How do we prepare a back up plan for someone who doesn’t notice potions?”
Chris’ shoulders slumped and her sighed. “I don’t know.” Chris frowned as his thought went to another time and place.
“Just throw it, Chris,” Phoebe yelled from across the room.
Chris looked at the strange demon, his green wiry hair falling around his face, the question marks he had for irises twirling.
“Chris!”
Chris nodded as he grabbed a potion off the table and threw it at the demon. Only the tiniest flinch gave way the fact that he felt anything, but it was there. With such a small reaction, potions were never going to be enough. Chris threw another potion as his aunt worked on yet another spell.
Coming back to the present moment Chris smiled slightly. “I think he does notice potions. I think he’s just good at pretending.”
“Obviously if he’s still around,” Piper commented looking down at the spell, “the potions didn’t defeat him.”
Chris frowned as he scribbled down the spell on the paper in front of him, just in case. He looked up at his mom. “Maybe they weren’t strong enough.”
Without warning Wyatt raised his shield just as Archemneme shimmered in with three manticores. All four demons had vials on belts.
Piper looked at her younger son, confusion written on her face. “Explain, again where this spell came from.”
Chris looked up. “The other me defeated this demon when I was seventeen with help from Aunt Phoebe. There was no power of three and Wyatt wasn’t about to help at that point, so no twice blessed powers either.” The memory caused Chris to shiver, again, any control over his emotions rather gone for the present time.
Seeing Chris shiver, Piper hugged her son tight.
Chris gave her a smile and forged on. “That means he doesn’t require either.”
“I’m on your side now, Chris,” Wyatt assured him. “I will never be that person.”
Chris looked at Wyatt. “I know. A lot is different. It’s hard to sort through it, but I will.” Chris smiled. “I’ve got a good thing this time around; a brother who’s good, a dad who spends time with me, and a mom who’s alive. To top it off the only place that looks like a war zone is Wyatt’s room.” Chris breathed in deeply.
“Are you sure you want to deal with this demon, Chris?” Leo asked concerned. “You can tell us what you know and we’ll deal with him.”
Chris grinned at the offer. “Thanks for the offer, Dad, especially seeing as you have no powers, but he’s coming after me. He attacked me. I have to face him.”
Wyatt looked across the table at Victor. “How about you, Grandpa? Do you want to get somewhere out of the way when we take on this demon?”
Victor exhaled and looked his grandson in the eye. He shook his head, his expression fixed. “I will not let it be said that a whitelighter, even a former whitelighter, was braver than me.”
“Grandpa,” Chris protested, “there is nothing you or Dad can do. Potions won’t work and you can’t say spells. I don’t want you hurt.”
“I don’t want you hurt either, Chris,” Victor said looking at his younger grandson. Turning to Wyatt he repeated, “Or you.” He turned to his daughter and again repeated his words, “Or you.” Victor looked at Leo.
When Victor said nothing Piper reached over Chris and slapped her father playfully. Chris started laughing. Wyatt and Piper joined him. Then, Victor started laughing, and finally Leo laughed.
When they stopped laughing Chris ripped the top paper off the pad and handed it across the table to Wyatt. He started writing on a second piece of paper. As he wrote on the second paper he spoke. “Don’t let him touch you. He messes up and gave me this head ache, but next time he might erase someone’s memory instead. I don’t recall any way of reversing that including defeating him. Believe me, we tried.”
The other four nodded in agreement as Chris handed Piper a copy of the spell.
“Do we wait for him,” Wyatt asked, “or do we try summoning him?”
Chris frowned. “He knows we’ll go after him. He’s smart. Perhaps we should prepare a backup plan.”
Wyatt looked at his brother, incredulously. “How do we prepare a back up plan for someone who doesn’t notice potions?”
Chris’ shoulders slumped and her sighed. “I don’t know.” Chris frowned as his thought went to another time and place.
“Just throw it, Chris,” Phoebe yelled from across the room.
Chris looked at the strange demon, his green wiry hair falling around his face, the question marks he had for irises twirling.
“Chris!”
Chris nodded as he grabbed a potion off the table and threw it at the demon. Only the tiniest flinch gave way the fact that he felt anything, but it was there. With such a small reaction, potions were never going to be enough. Chris threw another potion as his aunt worked on yet another spell.
Coming back to the present moment Chris smiled slightly. “I think he does notice potions. I think he’s just good at pretending.”
“Obviously if he’s still around,” Piper commented looking down at the spell, “the potions didn’t defeat him.”
Chris frowned as he scribbled down the spell on the paper in front of him, just in case. He looked up at his mom. “Maybe they weren’t strong enough.”
Without warning Wyatt raised his shield just as Archemneme shimmered in with three manticores. All four demons had vials on belts.