Post by StoryGirl83 on Apr 21, 2010 18:07:54 GMT -5
Chapter Sixteen – Good Intentions
Flashback
“Does anything sound familiar, Dad?” Chris asked as he reached his dad’s side.
Leo looked at his younger son with a fond smile. “I hear you’ve been causing mischief.”
Chris groaned. “Ah, Dad. I had to help her. Would you have had me let her get knifed, possibly fatally?”
Leo shook his head. “I didn’t mean that. I meant the truth spell. It’s not really a wise idea to use that spell.”
“I asked her permission before I used it.”
“I suppose you think that makes it better,” Leo asked.
“Yes,” Chris replied indignant.
Leo sighed. “It is not wise to use magic to force someone to do something, to take away their free will.”
Chris bit down on his lip. “I changed the wording so it did the same to me,” he informed his dad. “Did they tell you that, too?”
Leo nodded. “That perhaps makes it a little better, but it still isn’t a good idea to use that spell.”
“Then, why is it there?” Chris asked, both curiosity and a little annoyance in his eyes.
“Not every spell in the Book was put there with the right intent,” Leo reminded him. “It is a collection of spells passed down through the years by the Warren witches. Not all of them had the best of intentions. Some of them were downright selfish and self seeking. And sometimes in the family line there have been witches who turned to the other side completely, became warlocks. Not many mind you, but you should bare that in mind when you look at some of these spells.”
“Wouldn’t the Book have protected itself against them writing in it?”
Leo shook his head.
“Why would it?” Melinda asked, joining the conversation. “The Book is affected by those who own it. I’ve seen spells that Mom, Aunt Prue, and Phoebe put in there when I was young, spells that couldn’t be seen as anything other than personal gain spells.”
Chris and Bianca walked up to a holograph of the The Book of Shadows. Bianca swiped her hand slowly through the hologram. “Sure you can summon the real book?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Chris replied in a soft voice with a slight nod of his head.
Bianca looked up and in a more unrest voice added, “Away from him?”
Chris smirked a little and that. “Yeah.”
The remembered conversation hurt a little. Chris remembered meeting a very different and somehow so very the same Bianca only a few weeks before while Wyatt was still in the hospital. The words of this Bianca though had been the words of someone his other self had loved, loved and lost. That didn’t make the point within them any less real. Chris sighed. “All right, I see your point. Any type of magic can touch the Book so long as that magic is the rightful owner of the Book.”
“It’s more than that,” Leo commented. “There was a time, when the power of the Charmed Ones was new, not as practiced when even demons could touch the book. They couldn’t take it from the manor, but they could touch it.”
Chris raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I didn’t know that.”
A clock in another apartment loudly announced the hour through the walls.
Leo looked at the clock in the living room wall and blinked in surprise. “I hadn’t realized it was so late. I have some people I would like to check with about this, but they won’t welcome someone at this hour, so I think I had best just get some sleep.” He turned to look at Melinda. “You are welcome to come home with me. Your mom will be glad to see you and it beats sleeping on your brothers’ couch.”
Melinda smiled. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll take you up on that.”
Leo looked at Seth, who squirmed uncomfortably.
“I guess I’d better go home, too,” Seth admitted. “If Dad finds out I’m home from anyone other than me, he’s going to be more annoyed at me than he no doubt already is.” He looked at Wyatt. “I’ll be looking for more information on this tomorrow and I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
Wyatt nodded. “I’ll keep an ear open, too. I don’t exactly have magical contacts, but you never know what you will find. I have that doctor’s appointment to deal with, so I have the rest of the day open.”
“One week.” Chris sighed. “It doesn’t seem long enough.”
“We’ll find him,” Seth assured him. “We will find him and we will stop him before anyone else gets hurt or killed.”
“I hope so,” Chris looked over at him, “but I don’t know where to start and tomorrow I have to face Emily at work again with her knowing all about this and the spell still in effect.”
“That should prove interesting,” Seth retorted. “I think I’ll stop by and try out your cooking.”
“Mom’s cooking tomorrow,” Chris replied. “I’m just waiting tables. . . with Emily.”
Seth just grinned. “Better still.”
Chris scowled at him.
Wyatt chuckled.
“Boys,” Melinda huffed out almost as a curse.
Leo joined his older son in laughter. “Good night, Seth.”
Seth looked at him surprised. “Night? Right. Good night, Uncle Leo.” And then he shimmered out.
Melinda shivered as the image lingered in her vision. “He may be you two’s friend, but I don’t like it.”
“He’s a great guy,” Wyatt informed her. “Don’t worry. You’ll love him when you get to know him.”
“Maybe,” she gave him a doubtful look, “but I don’t think I’ll be around him enough to get to know him.”
Wyatt shrugged. “Your loss.”
She shrugged back. Changing the subject she said, “I walked here from the bus station. Do either of you want to lend us a car or orb us to the manor?” She yawned. “I’m starting to feel the effects of being awake for so many hours.”
Wyatt and Chris looked at each other. Wyatt held out his hand. “Come here. I’ll get you two home.”
With Leo and Melinda hugged to him Wyatt orbed out.
Chris glanced around the room and walked over to the coffee table. He closed his laptop and headed to his room hoping that they would find this demon in time.