This story is a little idea that's been brewing in my head for a while. This chapter won't have much of Chris/Bianca in it because it's mainly for setting up the world and for Chris and Bianca's meeting. Hope you enjoy reading the story, and reviews would be much appreciated!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Charmed.
"Chris, watch out!"
Chris Halliwell orbed out in a swirl of white lights just in time. The energy ball instead burned a scorch mark on the wall behind where he was just standing.
He reappeared behind the demon, expertly placing his hands around its neck and snapping it with a swift crack.
The demon crumpled to the ground, then became a pile of ash in a flash of flames. The girl who had warned Chris sighed and picked up a broom, sweeping the contents into the trash bin.
"Nice call, Pen," Chris complimented, wiping nervous sweat from his forehead.
Penelope Halliwell grinned. "Anytime, cousin, anytime."
"What happened?" Brian asked, poking his head in from the other room.
"Demon attack," Penelope answered.
Brian nodded sleepily. "So that's the crashing sound I heard."
"Were you sleeping again?" Chris demanded. He meant to be scolding, but when one gets two and a half hours of sleep, it's hard to sound scary.
His friend nodded, "I know, I know. But I was on patrol yesterday and . . ." he trailed off.
"It's okay. We've all been tired lately. Next time, try to be awake just in case we need you."
Brian nodded and disappeared into the other room.
Chris scowled. "How the hell did the demon even get in here? Has Wyatt found us?"
His cousin shrugged, then shook her head. "No, I don't think so. The demon looked too surprised to see us. He must have found some hole in the protection and accidentally shimmered in. He's probably one of the renegade demons that are running away from Wyatt."
"You're probably right," Chris agreed, "But we have to fix the hole he came in. We can't risk one ofWyatt's demons finding us."
Pen grabbed Chris's arm urgently. "You're bleeding."
Chris stared stupidly at the blood on his arm. "Must have gotten fazed by the energy ball."
"Do you want to go to a whitelighter?" she asked, "I can orb you there in a flash."
"I can orb myself," Chris snapped. Immediately he regretted it. It wasn't Pen's fault. After all, she was the only family he had left. The daughter of Paige Halliwell, Penelope was also part whitelighter, therefore possessing the power to orb. She has also begun to develop healing powers too, a power her mother hadn't had.
His other aunt, Phoebe, also had a daughter, Melinda Halliwell. Except she wasn't with them anymore. Melinda was the second youngest of the Halliwells, and was easily impressionable. Chris and Penelope hadn't been able to save her from Wyatt's grasp. Now she worked with Wyatt, and thought of her cousins as the enemy.
So it was a dreaded situation whenever they met Melinda in battle. It's a miracle neither of the cousins has died so far.
Phoebe also had another daughter, Melinda's younger sister, Prudence. Nobody knew where Prudence had gone. She had simply disappeared, and neither Wyatt nor Chris was ever able to find her.
Wyatt. Chris's teeth clenched whenever he thought of his older brother. All of this, living in this place, hiding from Wyatt's henchmen, hiding from the probes, constantly having to be afraid, never having a moment's peace and safety: all because of Wyatt and his crazy strive for power.
It was that damned sword, Excalibur.
Wyatt's power and Wyatt's weakness. And of course, something else. He didn't know what, but some demon or something turned Wyatt.
Immersed in his thoughts, Chris didn't notice the popping sound of a wine bottle. He winced as the alcohol was dabbed onto the wound on his arm. Pen wrapped a white cloth around his arm and tied it.
Can I do it? Pen asked herself. She put her hands over her cousin's wound, willing herself to heal Chris. A pitiful, faint glow of gold appeared from beneath her fingertips, but it was gone as soon as it had come.
"Damn," she cursed. No matter how hard she tried, Pen hasn't yet discovered the trigger for the power. She's been getting help from the underground whitelighters, but they told her the trigger is for her to learn.
It sucks. Even when some of the resistance fighters have mortal wounds, Pen couldn't even heal them! They would have to get them to the real whitelighters and hope they can heal them.
Some healer I am, Pen thought bitterly.
The door loudly swung open, and Andrea, their best scryer, burst through.
"There's an attack on a witch!" She announced.
Chris got up immediately to answer the call, but Pen pushed him back down. "No. You're staying here. I'll lead the team."
He gave her a defiant glare. He after all, was decided to be the leader of the resistance, though they had never had an official vote or anything.
Penelope gave him a sharp look. "I can do it. You know that. Besides, someone needs to hold up the fort."
Chris stared coldly at his cousin for a moment, conflicted on whether or not to let Pen lead the mission. She's been on missions, but have never lead one before.
Against his better judgment, he gave way to the determined look his cousin was now giving him. Chris knew that he had to stop protecting his younger cousin someday. She needed to assert independence, and prove to herself to be the asset Chris already knew her to be. She wasn't very confident, and is a perfectionist, and doesn't seem to realize how important she is to the whole resistance.
Every one of the witches in the resistance was important. With their unique powers and specialties, Chris knew that without them, he and the rest of their small original group wouldn't have survived the first year.
"Go, but find out if Andrea knows any info on the demon's powers. Then pick your task force,"
"I know Chris. Thanks. I won't screw up, I promise. We'll get the witch back here safely."
Chris waited until Penelope had exited through the doors to whisper, "I know, Pen, I know."
"Is everything in order?"
"Yes, mistress," The demon reported.
Melinda Halliwell waved at him dismissively, signaling for him to leave. She trailed over to the cauldron, her long red dress flowing behind her gracefully. Waving a slender hand over the sticky blood-like mass, she stared at it.
She was thoroughly disappointed when she saw Penelope leading the charge. Damn. She had so hoped it'd be Chris. That was the ideal target. No matter. Penelope would still prove to be a good catch and sufficient bait for Chris.
In her Seer's cauldron, she spotted Penelope and several other resistance witches. She could sense Penelope's excitement and seriousness for this mission. It was ironic really, for this mission would be her last.
"Come to me, dear cousin, come . . ." she urged Penelope, a mischievous smile curling on her lips.
Oh, we are going to have some fun.
Penelope and five other witches arrived on the scene to see a female witch frantically tossing potions at a flaming demon, who kept on coming, the potions having no effect on him. The demon was literally covered in flames, and the face was burnt and barely even recognizable.
She signaled to the other witches to attack the demon. Penelope orbed out, and took her position behind the demon. The others also set themselves up, the preparation determined by whether or not their power could be used long range or short range.
One male witch shot water at the demon, dousing some of the flames and igniting a sickening hissing sound and smell of burnt tires.
Another witch used her telekinesis to fling the demon to the wall, where Penelope leaped, wrapping a thick chain around the demon's neck, attempting to choke it. The demon shrieked in rage, flames reignited.
Penelope screamed in agony as the flames licked her skin, finally orbing out.
She orbed in close to the victim, saying, "It's okay now, we'll get you out."
"Actually, I'll be getting you out." The witch replied, her voice icy cold. She turned around and grabbed Penelope roughly, revealing a phoenix birthmark on her arm.
Penelope was about to orb out when she found herself being knocked out by a Phoenix bounty hunter.
Andrea burst in yet again, this time much more frantic. "She's gone off the map!"
"What are you talking about?" Chris asked wearily. He'd been trying to get some sleep.
"Penelope!" she answered impatiently, not believing Chris didn't understand, "I can't find her anywhere! Xander and Ken are gone too, which means they're either in the Underworld . . ."
"Or the Manor," Chris finished for her. "Shit."
Damn it, Penelope, I shouldn't have let you go. Now I've put you in his hands.
Penelope woke up in a warm and soft bed. She stretched out and faced the ceiling. This was her room. Her old room, before her mom and aunts were vanquished, before Wyatt went power crazy and took over the world. Before she was forced to live in hiding.
But maybe that was all a dream. Maybe Wyatt isn't a mad dictator over the world. Maybe Melinda would have a normal adolescence without who knows what Wyatt's done. Maybe they wouldn't have to guess if Prudence was alive or not. Maybe Mom would still be alive . . . as well as her beloved aunts.
Perhaps Penelope and Chris haven't been fighting for their lives from demons directed at them from Wyatt.
Penelope turned around, and screamed.
She tried to orb out of there, but found she couldn't.
This room must have some kind of spell so I can't orb out. She thought.
Penelope frantically leaped out of the bed, searching her nearby area for anything she could use as a weapon. She found a picture of herself, Chris, Wyatt, and Melinda in happier days. The picture frame had a sharp edge on it; it will do. It pained her to have to use this picture, a picture she hated to have to leave behind to attack her cousin.
"Now, Penelope," Melinda laughed, "Do you really think you can kill me with a picture frame?"
"I don't need to kill you," Penelope hissed, keeping one eye on her cousin and the other on the door.
Again, Melinda laughed, a harsh, yet girly laugh. It made Penelope shudder at the strange mixture of the two.
"Of course you need to kill me. You think it's easy getting in and out of the Manor? I am one of the defenses," Melinda spread her arms out wide. "Go on, kill me!"
Penelope gripped the picture frame tightly in her palm, not noticing the trickle of her own blood now falling onto the face of Melinda's picture. "No."
"Why not? I'm the enemy, am I not?" Melinda smirked.
"No, you're not. You're my cousin," she said slowly, trying to restrain herself. She needed to get the heck out of there, but not this way.
Melinda laughed again. "Oh! So I'm your cousin now? Have you forgotten all those other times? Before the Charmed Ones died? You were so jealous that I, as the almost youngest Halliwell, got all the attention. And everything you did? Like when you orbed me to some park and just left me there?" With every word, she was getting closer to Penelope, now practically spitting in her face, her face contorted in rage.
"W-what are you talking about?" Pen stuttered, absolutely baffled. "Is that what Wyatt told you? It's not true! I loved having a younger girl cousin! It was a nice break after two older boy cousins."
"Guess you're the one doing the lying."
In a blink of an eye, Melinda flung something at Penelope, a small sharp knife. It wasn't aimed to kill, but it ripped the sleeve of Pen's shirt. Penelope winced and clutched the small cut across the arm.
The minor wound burned painfully. Penelope's eyes widened when she actually saw steam rising from the cut.
Melinda smirked smugly. "An invention of mine. I worked for months perfecting it."
"Guess . . . it must be boring . . . polluting the family name," Penelope spat between winces of pain.
Her cousin scoffed. "Polluting? More like rising. For years, Aunt Piper, Paige, and Mom worked hard to save the world. And what did they get in return? Nothing. Investigators snooping in their business. Demons constantly attacking them. It caused the death of Aunt Prue, who we never got to meet alive. They received nothing. So we made their accomplishments known in this Manor Museum, where they can finally be appreciated. Demons no longer plague us; now, we control them."
"Demons still plague me and Chris," Penelope corrected bitterly.
Melinda rolled her eyes. "That's because you and Cousin Chris both try to ruin everything we've built."
"What you've built is wrong. What about all those witches you've killed? What about them?! This is not what they would have wanted! You haven't helped people respect the Charmed Ones and witches . . . you've caused people to fear us!" Penelope raged, suddenly flinging the picture at Melinda. She moved to the side, but a sharp star that stuck out of the frame cut her cheek.
Melinda stood in shock, putting a hand up to touch the blood that ruined her porcelain complexion.
Penelope was breathing hard, but her gasps for breath became more infrequent. Whatever Melinda put in that knife, it was wearing off now.
She looked over at where the picture had smashed into the wall. The frame had broken into many pieces. Just like their broken family. The picture itself had actually managed to stay together. Hopefully, our family can be whole again, Penelope thought.
But her musings were distracted by Melinda suddenly attacking her. With an angry scream, Melinda slammed Penelope into a wall, landing a loud slap on her face. Penelope's face stung as she tried to recoil, bringing her knee upwards into Melinda's abdomen.
Melinda punched Penelope in the face, causing blood to flow from Pen's nose. Penelope grabbed the small knife from behind her and was about to stab her cousin with her own invention when someone orbed in from behind her.
Wyatt grabbed her arm in mid-throw, crushed her wrist so that she dropped the knife in pain, and then shoved her towards Melinda, who caught her and threw her onto the ground. Melinda put one knee onto her back and forced Penelope's head down with her hand. Pen was completely crushed underneath Melinda.
Wyatt chuckled. "Looks like you got the wrong one, Melinda,"
Penelope was trying to say something, but it was muffled by the carpet.
"What's she trying to say?" he snapped.
Melinda allowed her a little head room, to which she spat, "She doesn't deserve to be called Melinda. Anbitch like her doesn't deserve to have the name of the witch who started our line. She was a powerful, but good witch."
"Oh, and I'm not?" Melinda shrieked in fury before burying Penelope's face back into the carpet.
Wyatt sighed. "Who I wanted was Chris."
"And you'll get him. He'll come for his cousin, guaranteed. And with his capture, the resistance and all of his witches will be put to justice." Melinda assured her cousin.
Wyatt frowned, but didn't say anything else.
He was about to leave the room when Melinda's eager voice asked, "What about Penelope?"
After a moment's hesitation, without turning around, Wyatt replied, "Do whatever you want, short of killing her."
Then he left Penelope alone with Melinda, in their childhood sanctuary, where they used to play dress up and perform skits in their own magical world.
"Goody," Melinda said gleefully, not even bothering to hide the evil intentions laced in that one single word.
Once outside of the room, Wyatt called, "Bianca,"
She appeared in front of him. "Master," The word had a slightly grudging and sarcastic edge to it, but Wyatt decided to let it go this time.
"I want you to find Chris. Bring him here, directly to me."
Wyatt noticed a slight spark of fire in Bianca's eyes. Obviously this order pleased her. Wyatt waved it aside, merely assuming that this was because of her natural born thirst for the hunt.
"If you don't mind me asking, sire, but how will I find him? We've never figured out the site of the resistance's main headquarters."
Wyatt turned to the beautiful bounty hunter, reaching out to touch her silky dark hair. Bianca couldn't help but flinch slightly at the touch. This only made Wyatt smile mischievously.
"You are my best assassin and bounty hunter. Use your skills, and your imagination. Actually, it should be easy. He'll have to come out in the open to get here, so just wait for the opportune moment." Wyatt moved closer to Bianca, now a few inches from her ear, "Don't disappoint me."
Bianca drew away. "Yes, master." She shimmered out.
Wyatt smiled. It looks like I'll be seeing you soon, brother.