Disclaimer: I do not own any of the rights to these characters. All factions and representations of "Charmed" belong to the WB and its writers and producers. I do not make profit from these stories.
This story is fiction and does not mean to imply anything about any Celebrity mentioned and their sexual orientation or personal life.
This story will contain intimate relationships and sex between two males. If this offends you, or you are not allowed to read this story due to age restrictions, please leave.
"Charmed: New Beginning" "Episode Nine: Charmed Catastrophe"
At twelve o' clock that evening, Tristan's phone rang. He was at his desk in his room, looking at a few portfolios. He held his hand out as his phone flew from the bedside table into it.
"Hello?"
"Tristan? It's Alyss. We have a problem. It's about Aric."
"What? What's wrong?"
"Tristan, I need you to be as calm as possible please."
"Alyss, what's going on?"
"I need to speak with you. Is it alright if I come over?"
"Alyss, why can't you tell me now?"
"I'll be over in fifteen minutes."
A click on the phone told Tristan she had hung up. He got up from his desk and went to gather Twila and Tanner.
He knocked at Twila's door as he passed it and went onto Tanner's, where he knocked as well. Tanner came to the door and looked at him quizzically.
"What?"
"Something's wrong with Aric. Alyss just called and she's on her way over. I need you downstairs in a few minutes."
"But, Jonathon just went to sleep." Tanner said, whining.
"Then leave him sleeping." Tristan said, gritting his teeth.
"Alright, I'll be down in a few..."
Exactly fifteen minutes later, Tristan heard the front door open from the kitchen. He rose to meet Alyss, passing Twila and Tanner coming down the stairs as he went. They all hugged Alyss in quick succession, before Tristan pulled away from his hug.
"What's wrong?"
"It's Aric." She began in her high soprano voice.
"What happened?" Twila asked, only now being informed of the situation.
"While you guys were in Cancun, he disappeared. We were supposed meet concerning a few things with the Nexus. He never showed up. I had my whitelighter search for him, to no avail. When he asked the Elders about him, they could give him no answer. We don't know where he is."
"How is that even possible? Can't the Elders find a whitelighter no matter where he is?" Tanner asked, looking at Tristan to gauge his reaction.
"The Elders' powers have limits. They cannot sense in the Underworld, nor can they sense where a powerful cloaking spell has been cast. Either could be likely in this situation."
"But why would they take him? He's our whitelighter. The Elders could just give us another." Twila said, be careful with her words.
"Because. He's our whitelighter. And whoever took him knows that. And they probably know about Aric and I as well." Tristan spoke glumly.
"As much as I don't want to say this, there is more. Charles, my whiteligher, was able to track his pathway of motion that night. We found this." She held out a filing folder stuffed with papers. Tristan took it, and opened it to a picture of a teenage boy about sixteen or seventeen.
"His name is Nate Jennings. He was a pyrokinetic. He was also another of Aric's charges. His body was found the night of Aric's disappearance."
"What do you mean his body? He was killed?" Tanner asked, walking over to look at the file over Tristan's shoulder. Alyss nodded.
"Atheme slice straight to the heart." Twila gasped, looking at the file herself.
"But why? Why would they do this?" She asked.
"Whitelighters can feel their charge's pain. Perhaps it was a method to draw Aric into the open. We're not sure."
"Well, where can we start?" Tanner asked. Tristan took charge immediately, his suddenly powerful voice startling them.
"Alyss, you said Charles tracked his movements that night, right?" She nodded. "Then we need to go to the place where Aric's energy signature was last. From there, Twila, you need to create a spell that will allow us to see what took place. Tanner, I want you to start making potions. Whoever did this must be powerful, and we're going to need firepower."
As Tristan conveyed orders, Alyss heard a creak from the stairs behind her. Swiftly, she spun around, and with a whoosh of water, took a very sleepy Jonathon by surprise, entrapping him in a cube of water.
"Do you know this one?" Alyss asked, her voice relaying the fact she was ready to use her powers to end the stranger. Tanner crept around her and in front of Jonathon.
"Umm... yes. This is Jonathon. He's my, umm...we're kind of...well. "
"He's Tanner's boyfriend from Cancun." Twila cut in. Alyss turned to Tristan with a look of question. He rolled his eyes and nodded. Alyss pursed her lips and let the water evaporate. Jonathan moved to Tanner's side, his eyes open widely.
"Jonathan," began Tanner, "this is Alyss. She's a good friend. Witch, with Hydrokinesis. Alyss, this is my boyfriend. Witch, with Energy Manipulation."
Alyss took charge and walked forward to shake his hand.
"Welcome Jonathon." She said, severely. He showed a small smile before turning back to Tanner.
"What's going on? Why is everyone up?"
"Trouble." Tanner said. He started to continue, before Twila interrupted.
"You know, due to the energy patterns I'm going to be using to recall the events from Aric's kidnapping, it might be a wise idea to bring Jonathon along. I could do it with a spell, sure, but it would be easier for Jonathon to grasp the energy before I begin to play around with it." Tristan thought it through before coming to another decision.
"Alright: Alyss, Twila, Jonathon, and I will go to the site. Tanner will stay here, accompanied by Charles. That way, he's not alone and he can get out if he needs to. Agreed?" He asked, though he wasn't waiting for answers as he was already half-way up the stairs to get changed. Jonathon turned to Tanner again.
"Welcome to the Charmed life, baby."
In a brightly lit cave in the Underworld, Ross was kneeling in front of a throne. He thought he had been done with the Charmed Ones, that he could get out. But then He found Ross and everything changed.
"You've planted everything you need?" A tenor voice asked from the throne before which Ross had knelt.
"Yes, my lord. It should only be a matter of hours." Ross said, his voice shaking.
"Very good. You've served me well. If this succeeds, you will be rewarded greatly."
"Thank you, my lord." Ross said, not looking up from the ground. He heard a shimmer of the light in front of him and his Master inhale deeply. Ross heard Him mutter something, before speaking.
"You must go now. They have arrived. It will only be a matter of time."
Ross stood, bowed again, then vanished into the dark. A bright smile of white teeth flashed from the throne.
A green explosion of sparks illuminated the park as the group of four appeared.
"God, way to blind us Twila." Alyss said, rubbing her eyes.
"Hey, I got us here, didn't I?" Twila asked smiling.
"Enough joking around. We've got work to do." Tristan said solemnly. Twila nodded and turned to Jonathon.
"We think Aric, our whitelighter, was taken from this point when we were in Cancun. There are still energy signatures here, even though they may be old. I need you to find the specific pattern of Aric's orb and materialize it. Using that, I can spell it to make the entire thing visible. Alright?" She asked. Jonathon looked a little dazed, but nodded.
He stepped forward and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they shone with green energy. He looked around, seeing swirls of different color, energy all around him. He saw sunlight from the previous days, flashlight's energies, radios. He looked and looked. He began to dig deeper and deeper, tunneling through all the different waves of energy. His head began to pound, a headache forming. He began to let go, the strain beginning to be too much. But then, there it was! A fire ball, a blast, an orb! He pulled those energies to the front of his mind, making them fresher than all the others in the park. He twisted his hands as an orb of green energy formed. He looked at Twila and nodded.
"Days of past and events long gone. I summon your history to solve this mystery." She whispered. The glowing globe burst from Jonathon's hands and spread around them. Jonathon stepped back, feeling dizzy. Tristan caught him by his arms, noticing the drop of blood that came from his nose.
"Was it hard?" He asked. Jonathon shrugged.
"There was a lot to do. I had to hold a lot back to look for one specific thing."
"Thank you." Tristan said softly before he heard the sound of an orb and blue light filled the area. He looked up, only to find a shadow of Aric's form, as though he were a ghost.
They watched as Aric spotted the spar between his charge and the demon. They saw him tackle the demon to the ground and his vanquish by Nate. Twila watched carefully, looking around. As Shade-Aric began to heal Shade-Nate, Twila slapped Tristan on the arm, drawing his attention to a light a few yards away. They saw a figure begin to walk towards the couple, as they carried on conversation. A few moments later, they head the slice of the atheme, and Twila gasped as the murderer walked into the light. Suddenly, Shade-Ross turned around away from Aric, ending the scenario, and looked straight at Twila.
"Miss me, babe?"
"Soo... you're Charles. That's cool." Tanner said, throwing more beer root into the cauldron. The large black man nodded. "Soo... When were you alive?" Tanner asked, trying to break the silence instilled since Charles had gotten there. An hour ago.
"I lived during the time of the American Colonization." He stated. Tanner just stared at him.
"Well, you must have some pretty interesting stories..." Tanner said, trailing off, hoping Charles took the hint. Charles merely nodded.
"So how long have you known Alyss?" Tanner asked, becoming frustrated with the whitelighter's insistence of silence.
"About ten years. The Elders knew she would be a very powerful witch with a bright destiny from Alyss' youth. As did the Underworld. The moment they knew of her powers was the moment she needed me. I've been with her ever since."
"But Alyss said she's only known about her powers for a few years."
"That's true. Her parents were killed by demons and I took her into my care. Her parents knew about her powers and her destiny, so they left her to me."
"So how did Alyss learn about her powers?" Tanner asked, pouring potion into phials.
"That is a story for another time I think..." Charles said, his voice rumbling through the air.
"Well, what now?" Tanner asked. A voice spoke from the doorway, startling Tanner.
"Now you get your ass kicked." The voice came from a demon in the cliché, signature leather outfit. As he spoke, two more shimmered in. Tanner tightened his grip on the potion as Charles pulled two athemes from his pockets.
The ghostly appearances of Ross and Aric faded, as Ross stepped out, walking towards Twila. Tristan thrust his hand forward, sending a wave of telekinetic energy towards Ross. Rodd waved his hand and the air in front of him shimmered purple. He smiled, never taking his eyes off of Twila.
"As you can see, I got an upgrade."
Jonathon turned to Alyss, who had taken a battle stance. Alyss looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He raised his eyebrow. She sighed, explaining.
"Demon ex. Tried to kill us. We didn't know where he was until now." She sighed again, rolling her eyes. "Halliwell drama..."
Ross looked toward the source of the whispers. He smirked when he saw Jonathon.
"Well, it looks like the Halliwells got an upgrade too. Who's fuck toy is this?" He asked, sneering. Jonathon threw an energyball at Ross, only to find it rebounded on him. Jonathon was knocked backwards off his feet, his head hitting the trunk of a tree. Twila ran to him as his body slumped.
Tristan took hold of several large stones, barraging him with them. Alyss held her hands up over her head, as the sky began to unleash giant hailstones, directly over Ross' area.
Ross just smiled flicked the stones away with his hand. He looked up and the hail was turned to steam. He turned to look back at Tristan, who fell through the earth beneath him. Alyss jumped away in time to escape the ground swallowing her. Tristan lifted himself out of the ground, but roots from the soil caught his ankles, wrist, and neck. He struggled for air, until passing out from lack of oxygen.
Twila, deciding Jonathon was okay, rose again to witness Alyss and Ross sparring. Ross waved his arm as Alyss, sailed through the air.
"Confeveran!" Twila shouted as the dark was lit with a bright burst of yellow. Ross' eyes got wide as he faced the coming onslaught. The crackling energy caught him in the chest throwing him down the hill. Twila rushed to Alyss, who was holding her head as she stood up.
"You alright?" Twila asked. Alyss nodded, then gave a deathly glare in the direction of Ross.
"Let's give him hell."
"How you holding up, Chuck?" Tanner bellowed over the noise being created in the attic. Charles nodded while slicing another demon into flames. Tanner sliced and diced as he froze the demons.
Tanner turned just in time to see a demon retrieve a phial of Wraith's Blood from their stores and light it aflame. Tanner threw his hands up to shield from the gargantuan explosion. The flames spitting towards him only slowed as Tanner tackled Charles to the ground.
The flames sped up, engulfing every demon in the room.
"Woah." Charles said, his bass voice resonating through the attic.
"I can't believe they would try to use Wraith's Blood to take us out. Total kamikaze mission." Tanner muttered, looking at his singed clothes.
"I thought you could freeze. Why didn't that explosion stop?" Charles asked, getting to his feet.
"Wraith's blood is a very powerful substance. It's deadly when caught on fire. The power of the explosion was more than even my powers could stop. But we're lucky they managed to slow it down."
"Agreed." Charles said. Tanner laughed, after which Charles gave him a questioning look.
"Look dude, I know you lived forever ago, but you have to lighten up a little." Tanner said, laughing.
A couple in their twenties walked down the sidewalk, hands entwined. They were returning home to their apartment from a night at out P3. After a few hours of partying there, they decided they should head home, before getting too drunk. As they were walking, they passed their favorite park, just a few blocks from their home. When the blond haired lady turned to look at the dim park, flashed of light pierced the darkness of the night. She stopped, followed shortly by her curious boyfriend.
"Come on, someone must be doing fireworks..." She said, giggling as she crossed the vacant road.
Ross threw spell after spell at the remaining two witches. They were either deflected, stopped in their tracks, or dodged. He was getting agitated. He stopped his onslaught for a moment before pulling the power from within himself to fire another spell.
"Mosmorde!" Ross cried, a glowing black orb the size of a basketball appearing in his hands before launching it at the pair. Twila's eyes got large as she recognized the spell. Swiftly thinking, she lifted her hands in front of her to raise a wall.
The orb made contact, creating a miniature sonic boom. Trees wobbled, bushed were unrooted. The lamp-posts nearby were unearthed, glass shattered.
But when the fog cleared and everything settled, Twila was revealed standing alongside Alyss, even though appearing unstable. Ross twisted his face in frustration.
"See, Ross...things have changed...I'm...not as weak as I used to be..." Twila said, her voice wavering from fatigue.
Just as Ross was about to conjure another spell, two figures on the hillside caught the group of three's attention. A young woman, followed by her presumable significant other, stumbled upon the duel. Ross looked to Twila and smiled, before sending several energy bolts at the couple.
"No!" Alyss cried, plunging her hands forward to protect them. While her guard was down, Ross sent another wave of bolts to Alyss. Though the couple was protected from the attack, Alyss was not. The witch being caught unawares, slumped, defeated.
Twila sneered at Ross before running towards him, atheme in hand. As he caught her hand, they began twisting into the darkness. When they stopped, Twila was on the ground in an underground cave, disoriented.
"There now," Ross began," this is a much better venue. Just you and me."
The woman in the park was on her knees, trying to revive her unconscious boyfriend. Whatever they had just seen had been too much for him and he swooned. Just as he was opening his hazel eyes and sitting up, two figures emerged from a swirl of white and blue lights. Seeing this, he slouched back into unconsciousness. The woman looked to the pair who had just arrived, calling to them for help.
"Umm...excuse me? Could someone help me?"
Tanner and Charles, having just appeared, looked toward the sound of the voice. Tanner head tilted to the side in confusion as Charles took charge.
"They may have seen something. Tend to the wounded; I will see what they know. If they saw something, I will have to wipe their memories." Tanner nodded and went to check on Tristan.
As he got to Tristan, he was stirring. He looked up to Tanner with questioning eyes.
"What happened, Tanner?"
"You tell me. We just got here." Tanner said, looking around. Alyss was moving, getting to her knees from her place on the ground.
"Ross. It was Ross. And he was amped up. Something was definitely fueling his power. He took out Jonathon immediately, then Tristan." Tanner looked around, panicked.
"Where's Jonathon? Where is he?" He asked, his voice jumping octaves as he looked for his boyfriend.
"Here," Charles said, his hands glowing golden above Jonathon's head.
"Where's Twila?" Tristan asked, sitting up. Alyss continued.
"Twila and I fought him off forever. We were doing a pretty damn good job of it too. Then he whipped out a mega-spell, and even though Twila was able to stop it, it really weakened her. After that, those two idiots over there," She said, nodding to the misty-eyed couple sitting on the ground, "appeared. He threw a few shots at them, which I stopped. Then everything goes black. I guess he got me and took Twila..." She finished somberly.
Tanner was helping Jonathon get up. They embraced and Jonathon kissed Tanner on the forehead. Tristan rolled his eyes as he got up.
"Great, so now we're back to where we were a few months ago. Twila with Ross and in danger." Tristan said, dusting the dirt from his jeans.
"Yeah, except this time, Twila's more powerful. She may have been tired, but that girl's still got some fight in her. All we have to do is find her." Tanner said, joining the group. Charles walked over, completing the group of five. The couple was now walking away, hand in hand.
"I sent them home." Charles said. "They won't remember anything."
"Alright, let's get back to the manor. We'll regroup and get our thoughts together." Tristan said.
They joined hands as they disappeared in a flurry of white and blue sparks.
Further away, in a more rural setting of California, a nest of people gathered in a cave. Music played from a violin serenaded their ears, as it mixed with small gasps and cries of anguish. Three naked cadavers were placed in a pile on one side of the cave. On the other, more were being produced. Blood ran down the necks of the victims, their life being drained from their bodies by the parasites.
A woman with a large onyx necklace, clad in a red dress sat at a throne at the back of the room. She smiled, showing her razor sharp fangs as she watched her nest nourish themselves.
After another few minutes, two of the group lifted the empty bodies and put them with the others.
The queen dismissed her subjects, bidding them to do whatever they pleased until it was time to retrieve her meal. As she looked to her lap at the grimoire she held, she heard unfamiliar footsteps cross the threshold of her domain. She looked up to see a beautiful tall man with tanned skin and stylishly shaped brown hair.
"Why did you let this delicious treat into my realm?" She asked her two guards that traveled with him, her eyes traveling up and down his body.
"They had no choice," the man whispered, his silken voice washing over the nest of vampires. "I ordered them to let me in."
"And what gives you the authority?" The vampire queen demanded, now wary of the stranger.
"About two thousand years of power." He said, flashing a stunning white smile. "You see Queen Arya, I need the assistance of you and your coven. I would be honored if you would exercise a few of your abilities for me."
"Who are you?" Arya whispered, confused and curious.
"You don't need to know that..." The man answered, a smile in his voice. "All you need to know, is that unless you cooperate flawlessly, I could kill every single vampire in this place."
One of the queen's subjects hissed at the remark, closing the distance between her and the stranger with a single leap. As soon she landed, she exploded into a wave of dust. The surrounding vampires, now startled, looked to the stranger, who had a stake protruding from his hand.
"Ready to listen?" The man asked, his voice light as ever, as though nothing had happened. Queen Arya looked at the man and nodded. Her voice only wavered slightly when she answered.
"We will cooperate. What would you have us do?" The man smiled again, looking around.
"It involves a group of witches called the Charmed Ones..."
Dust cleared the landing where a stalagmite had fallen, narrowly missing Twila. She and Ross had been battling for at least an hour. She didn't know where he was getting all of his power. She could sense him, pulsing from it all. Twila was weakening, but she wasn't done yet. Not anywhere near close.
She cart wheeled to her right, throwing lightning bolts as she went. Two caught Ross in the chest, sending him sailing backwards.
Twila landed, fire appearing in her hands, ready for his next attack. Ross stood, shedding his shirt that had caught aflame. He smiled and winked at Twila.
"If you wanted me naked again, you could've just asked."
Twila threw the flames from her hand, sending them straight for Ross' torso. Ross twisted his hand sideways and the flames split down the middle, veering off to the sides of him. He straightened his hand and a blast of pure telekinetic energy pulsed through the air, sending stones and pieces of the earth towards Twila.
Twila blinked at the oncoming projectiles, shredding them with her mind. The grainy remains of the disintegrated earth blew past her.
"God, you're sexy when you're fighting, you know that?" Ross said, smiling again.
"You are such a pig." Twila muttered.
"Yeah, but I've got a horse's dic-" Ross began, but was hit in the back with a flying boulder. He grunted as he fell to the ground.
"Idiot..." Twila said, walking towards him.
The group of five returned to the Halliwell Manor, seeking answers. As they climbed to the attic, Tristan's eyes grew large as he saw the destruction.
"What the hell happened up here?" He asked, trying to find some salvageable material. Tanner spoke up.
"Well, we got attacked by demons. A bunch of them. At one point, I had just finished a group off, and when I turned to check on Charles, I saw one of them holding a vial of Wraith's Blood. He set it on fire like it was nothing. I slowed it down and got Charles out of the way. Whoever sent them must've had a good supply of demons, `cause he sent these on a suicide mission."
"They all seem to have just an endless supply, don't they?" Alyss asked, finding a map at the bottom of an enchanted chest.
"Don't talk about it..." Tanner said, retrieving a crystal.
"So where do we start? I seriously doubt scrying would work. It didn't last time, and I'm sure Ross has wherever he took Twila protected." Tristan began.
"That's true. Perhaps someone could write a locater spell. With two of the Charmed Ones plus another witch, perhaps it would do the trick?" Alyss asked, handing a pad and pen to Tanner. He looked up at her disdainfully. "Hey, I'm horrible at writing spells. I'm just firepower. Or waterpower. Whatever you want to call it."
"Alright, that's good, start there, Tanner. Alyss, is there any way The Nexus could help? We could sure use some right about now." She nodded her head.
"I'll step outside and make contact now. Perhaps they could send a Faerie. They could probably track Twila and Ross very easily." She said walking out.
Jonathon walked through the door as Alyss was going out it. In his hands he had another cauldron and ingredients from the kitchen.
"I'll start making some more potions." He said, sitting on a piece of burnt wood, which Tristan assumed was left of another chest, not magically protected.
"The Book is over there if you want some-"
"Nah, it's all good. I've been making some high-powered potions since I was eight. I could probably teach you guys a thing or two..."
Tanner looked up from his pad, engaging Tristan.
"Why don't you go nap? You haven't gotten any sleep since we got back. We'll wake you up as soon as we get something okay?" Tristan began to resist, but Tanner cut him off. "Go Tristan. You need rest."
Tristan nodded and began to walk down the stairs.
Alyss walked into the kitchen, balancing her cell phone between her ear and her shoulder as she looked in the refrigerator for something to drink. She poured some orange juice into a glass and walked outside into the early morning air. Just as the line picked up on the other side, Alyss was pushed off the back porch into the sidewalk, her head slammed into the ground. Shattered glass spread over the concrete as a pair of pale assassins walked to the threshold of the house.
Now that she had Ross unconscious on the ground, she muttered a quick binding spell, before taking a look at the cave. It was the first time she had been able to really examine it. She scanned the large room, trying to look past the destruction. Her eyes caught an opening, from which a pale purple light protruded.
As she cleared the opening, she saw Aric, magically bonded to the wall by purple restraints. Blue sparkles, his orbs, were flowing into the bindings.
Ross had a ring of the same color.
So this was where his power was coming from. He had been draining Aric of his whitelighter powers to fuel his evil onslaught.
Twila's anger flared as she sent yellow light to break the magical chains. The two colors clashed for a moment, as Twila felt a resistance. She pushed a little harder, breaking the restraints with some more effort.
Aric dropped two feet onto the ground, his eyes heavy.
"Twila..." He said, his voice cracking. Twila conjured a bottle of water, pouring some into Aric's dry mouth.
"Aric, it's alright. I'm here. You'll be fine."
"Twila... he's..."
"Shh... I know, he's taken care of. Let me get you to the surface and then I'll come back and finish him off."
She stood and turned, right before she was tackled to the ground. Ross was on top of her, pushing her into the ground with a crazed expression in his eyes.
"You won't be taking care of me any time soon, babe." He said, laughing as he strangled Twila.
Jonathon yawned, looking up from his potion making.
"Crap," he said, "I forgot the rosemary. I'm gonna go grab it from the kitchen. You guys want anything?" Jonathon asked. Charles and Tanner both shook their heads "no," before Jonathon took his empty glass and descended the stairs.
Tanner sighed. He looked up from his pad to the wads of paper, numbering about twenty, around him.
"I'm not good at this! Twila's the one who is good at this! I can't do it. It either sounds retarded or it doesn't work!" Tanner exclaimed, throwing the pad onto the table. Charles got up from his seat, walking over to Tanner.
"You must complete the spell for Twila. You are the one we need to find her."
"But I can't." Tanner said, sighing.
"Tanner, do not belittle yourself. You are a powerful witch. Twila may be better than you at writing spells, but you can still do it. It's in your blood, as a witch, and as a Halliwell. I could tell you things I've seen the Halliwell witches do that you would not believe. You can do things like that too. Now, close your eyes and focus. Twila needs you."
Charles took the pad from the table and offered it to Tanner. Tanner smiled and took the paper. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, concentrating once more.
Downstairs, Jonathon had just come into the kitchen, where he noticed the door was open. He put the empty glass in his hand down on the counter and went outside. He looked around, before his eye caught Alyss' form on the ground.
He rushed to her, turning her over to check her breathing. He heard a movement behind him, before jumping up and conjuring an energyball to face the stranger.
His eyes met a sexy guy, about his age. Jonathon looked into the stranger's dark green eyes, unable to look away. As the stranger spoke his first words, Jonathon's energyball dissipated.
"Do you live here, human?" Jonathon shook his head yes. "Then you won't mind inviting us in?" The vampire asked, turning to the other who had just appeared. Jonathon shook his head no.
"Won't you please come in?" Jonathon asked, his British accentuated voice breaking the protection of the house. The vampires smiled, looking to the door.
"Now, be a good little boy and turn around." The vampire ordered. When Jonathon turned around, the second vampire hit him over the head, the strength of his vampire blood hitting him full force. Jonathon slumped and fell to the ground. The first vampire looked at him as he fell.
"Pity we can't have these. If only Arya would let us..." He began, walking towards the unconscious pair.
"No, Lex. The queen has orders. And you know we'd be killed if they were disobeyed."
The vampire, Lex, shrugged and turned to the house.
"Shall we?"
Tristan awoke in his bed, alarmed as a hand went over his mouth. He was about to engage his telekinesis when he saw Charles, holding his finger to his mouth, prompting Tristan to be quiet. Tanner stood at the door, listening to the outside. Charles withdrew his hand and he was met with a look of confusion from Tristan.
"Vampires," he whispered, "in the house. We must be quiet if we are to catch them by surprise."
Tristan nodded, even though he was more confused.
`How did vampires get in? I didn't even know vampires existed,' He thought, getting out of bed. "Where are Alyss and Jonathon?" He asked in a hushed voice.
"Incapacitated, I assume. Jonathon must have invited them in, otherwise they would not be able to cross the threshold." Charles answered, walking to the door without a sound. He closed his eyes, then looked to Tanner. "Two in the attic, three downstairs. As soon as we engage them in battle, the others will come to join. Are you ready?" Tristan and Tanner nodded.
"Wait, orb us to the kitchen first. There's a stockpile of potions there, one in the sunroom, and another in the attic. Just so you know. Alright, let's go." Tanner said.
Orbs filled the kitchen as the three appeared. Tristan stuffed his pockets with potions and took two large knives from a drawer as Tanner did likewise. Charles took potions from the shelf and put them in his pockets, while he got his own personal athemes from his pocket.
"I will orb into the fray. Surprise them after two minutes."
"Can you handle all of them?"
"I've fought my entire life, enchanted and not. Remember, vampires are five times as fast as humans. Be quick on your feet. Do not be afraid of your powers, as they are your greatest asset at the moment."
Moments later, the foyer was filled with the sounds of a struggle. They heard Charles grunt and a hiss. They heard a piece of heavy furniture, the table maybe, snap. After counting another twenty seconds, the brothers barged into the room.
They were met with the sight of several, five to ten, pale specimen. All of them had fangs protruding from their mouths. Charles was amidst them, swinging punches, his athemes in hand.
Tristan pulled pieces of wood from the stairwell, snapping them to sharp edges. He launched them all as they whistled through the air. Several of the vampires easily avoided them, but one whose' back was turned was not so lucky. The female vampire the improvised stake impaled exploded into a cloud of dust.
Tanner took up precedence in the sunroom, freezing the constant assault from the creatures of the night. He froze one who was running towards him and shoved a knife into his rib cage. When Tanner turned from the dusted vampire, he was too slow to see another coming. The vampire's hand caught him in the chest, thrusting him through the wall connecting the sunroom and foyer.
Dazed, he slowly got to his feet, Charles stepping in front of him, fending off the rabid beasts while Tanner caught his breath.
"You alright?" Charles' deep voice rumbled. Tanner nodded and stood back to back with Charles, slicing and dicing. He heard Tristan cry as three vampires went flying into the dining room, two potions following them quickly. As they landed on the flattened table, the potions met, incinerating the vampires instantly.
"Four down!" Tristan called, turning to face another.
Twila struggled against Ross's hands cutting off her air supply. She kicked with her feet, reaching the back of his head. As his grip loosened, she flipped him off of her, kicking him to the other side.
She got up and got ready to face him again. Ross charged her, his fists flying. Twila blocked the blows with her expert skill, trading punches with him. After a few second it seemed they were equally matched until a punch landed on Twila's jaw, pushing her back.
Twila recovered, blocking more of his punches. She was trying to think of a spell, but he was keeping her mind busy. She searched for another thirty seconds, while landing a punch to his abdomen. As he doubled over, she held her arms to her side.
"Sumperius!" She said, a wave of invisible energy coming from her hands, blasting everything away from her. As Ross was thrown across the room, Twila muttered another spell, binding him with the same purple chains as Ross had bound Aric.
Twila conjured an atheme and walked to Ross.
"Tell me, Ross, who ordered you to do this?" She demanded, holding the atheme to his throat.
"How do you know someone ordered me to do it?"
"You're not that smart. Or that powerful. Someone else more powerful than you would have to cast that binding spell on Aric. I know you're working for someone. Tell me who!" She ordered, her voice elevating in volume as she pressed the atheme to his neck, drawing blood.
"Alright, alright! It was an El-"
Twila jumped back from Ross as flames engulfed his body. Twila recognized them. The flames of Hell, repossessing their property.
Ross was gone.
Twila looked around, searching for the vanquisher. She heard a high laugh, then the cave was once again quiet. She remained in her place for a few more moments, before Aric coughed, reminding her of his presence.
She walked to him and placed a hand on his cheek.
"Let's get you home."
Just as the vampire Lex was about to stab Charles, a whoosh of water was heard and Lex's arm was cut off by a razor sharp blade of H20.
Charles turned to see Alyss, hand outstretched, head bleeding. She smiled and looked around.
Tristan was battling the last vampire, who was gaining the upper hand. Charles picked an atheme from the floor and threw it with precision into the vampire's heart. The vampire dusted, Tristan turned to the group standing in the decimated foyer.
When he didn't see Tanner, Tristan called for him, receiving a grunt from a pile of rubble. Tristan dug through the remains of the connecting wall to unearth Tanner. He grabbed him under the arms and sat him up against the wall.
"You okay, buddy?" Tristan asked as he wiped away dirt from Tanner's face. Tanner winced in pain but nodded. "You guys alright?" He asked Alyss and Charles. They both nodded.
"Where's Jonathon?" Tanner grumbled.
"In the kitchen. When I recovered, I moved him inside and came to see what was going on. Lucky I arrived when I did." Alyss said, looking at Charles. He held a golden hand above Alyss' head, the blood disappearing.
Just as Charles was about to speak, a stream of green sparks lit up the foyer as Twila appeared, heavily battered, with Aric.
Tristan ran to them, taking Aric in his arms.
"Oh, baby, I missed you. Are you alright?" He asked, hugging Aric.
Twila limped to the stairs, her nose bleeding, her body bruised.'
"Did you vanquish Ross?" Alyss asked hopefully.
"I wish. Just as he was about to give me information, he was vanquished. I don't know who or how, but someone, someone very powerful, is pulling the strings here."
"Tell us about it, we just got attacked by an entire gang of vampires."
"That would explain the house. Just another mess to clean up, I suppose." She said. She looked to the grandfather clock, smiling. "Well, at least that's still in one pie-"
She started, but a painting mounted above the clock gave way, falling onto the ancient piece of Halliwell history, shattering the glass of the face of the clock.
Twila looked at the clock for a moment. Then she got up and walked up the stairs. She threw a shattered piece of a small figurine at Alyss and Tristan, who were both laughing under their breaths.
"Whatever."Twila said as she climbed the stairs.
Great! So there's another part. Sorry it took so long. Holidays, finals, boyfriend got in the way. I felt like I wrote on this forever, but it seems short now that I go back and read it.
Some of you have been asking about Ross, and I wanted to bring him back, so there he is. And there he went.
So, another set of people are pulling Evil's strings. Who do you think it is?
Also, I recently made a graphic of the people I envision to be my characters. If you send me an email asking for it, I'll send it to you. No hurt feelings if you don't want it though. I know I've read stories where the author has done the same thing and then my vision of the characters was ruined because they had people I could never see as the characters. But whatever.
Anyway, please write, as I look forward to your emails.
Thanks for reading!
notoriousnick90@yahoo.com
Nick