Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 09:25:38 -0800 (PST) From: Augie Gil Subject: "Charmed: New Beginning: Part 5" 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 any profit off of these stories. This story is fiction and does not mean to imply anything about any Celebrity's sexual orientation or personal life mentioned in it. This story will contain intimate relationships and sex between two males. If this offends you, or if you are not allowed to read this story due to age restrictions, please leave. "Charmed: New Beginning" "Episode 5: Birthday Surprises" "Good Morning."Tanner said, seeing Tristan come through the kitchen door. "Good Morning," Tristan said groggily. He looked over at Tanner, who was sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of eggs, and a cup of coffee. Always the early riser. "Do you want any eggs? I made coffee. Or I could whip up some biscuits and gravy or something." Tanner said, almost too energetically. "Umm, toast for me. And coffee." Tristan said. "I can get it Tanner." Tristan said, stopping Tanner from getting it for him. "Why are you so awake at 9:30?" "I don't know. I'm just happy this morning." "Alright." They saw the door open again. Expecting it to be Twila, Tanner got up to get another cup. Tristan was about to say `Good morning', when he saw it was Ross, Twila's fiancé. "Oh, um, good morning Ross. I didn't know you were here." "Yeah, well, I was out with Twila last night, and I ended up staying the night." "Oh, well that's, uh, good I guess." Tristan said. "Do you want coffee Ross?" Tanner said, offering him a cup. "Yeah. That would be great. Thanks bud." Ross said, taking the cup from Tanner. Tristan rolled his eyes. He didn't like Ross. He never did. There was just something about him that rubbed him the wrong way. Tanner on the other hand, liked Ross. Tristan thought that was annoying too. "Well, I have to get going," Tristan said, getting up. "Alyss and I are going to one of the markets downtown. She says that they've got some really great magical suppliers there." Tanner looked over at Ross. Twila had told Ross about the siblings being witches a few weeks ago. And to think, when she first started dating Ross, she thought the biggest test of Ross' character was how he reacted when she told him that both of her brothers were gay. But surprisingly, Ross had responded well. Well, he hadn't really responded. He just let it happen. Ross seemed to be tuning out the fact that they had just said anything about magic. "Alright. That's cool. We've been low on rosemary and beer root." Tristan was just about to get up from the table, when the door opened again, Twila coming through it. "Oh, well look who decided to grace us with her presence." Tristan said, smiling. "Good morning Twila." Tanner said, bringing her a cup of coffee. "Good morning Tanner. Hey honey, I was wondering where you went to." Twila said walking over to Ross and giving him a kiss on the lips. "Alright well, I gotta go." Tristan said, pulling Tanner with him into the dining room. "Wha-" Tanner said, giving Tristan and inquisitive look. "I want you to keep an eye on Twila, okay?' Tristan asked. "Yeah, okay. Whatever." "Alright, well I gotta go. I'll call you later." Twila's birthday was only a day away, and Tristan still hadn't gotten her anything. But, he had really been busy. Alyss and Aric kept the siblings on their toes. The witch and the whiteligher had kept delivering more and more news about some things that the witches had been missing out on. Crystals being one of them. Aric had told them how it was imperative to keep crystals in the house. They found the crystals that the original Charmed Ones had used, but Aric said that their power had faded, and it would be good to get new ones. Aric. Tristan sighed. Tristan obviously thought he was amazing. But, he was shocked at the dreams he was having about Aric. He had never had dreams like that before. It was almost scary. Tristan pulled into the parking lot, where he and Alyss would be meeting. He saw her vehicle and honked. He thought she was in her car, until he saw her throwing a spear of ice into a demon. `Crap', he thought, putting the car in park and jumping out of the car. Alyss was surrounded by demons by the time Tristan reached her. She was encircled in a giant orb of water that protected her from the demons' attacks. He ran over to where she stood, and picked up two demons, throwing them into different cars. Alyss looked over to where he was and looked relieved. "It's about time you got here. " She said, flourishing her arms so that her protective circle of water covered him. He thought he would get wet, but when he felt his clothes, they were dry. "How long can you keep this up?" Tristan asked, pointing to the orb. "A while. But it would be easier just to vanquish them." She replied, throwing spikes at another demon. "Give me some of those." Tristan said, pointing to more spikes that she had created. She conjured more spikes, and Tristan took them into his telekinetic grasp. Tristan threw them into several demons, vanquishing them on the spot. Alyss' spikes hit the remaining demons. After looking around, she let the orb of water around her drop, splashing as it hit the ground. "Well then, that was easy." Tristan said, smiling. "Yeah, thanks to you." "Are you ready to go?" Tristan asked. "Yes. This is the address of the magical supplier. Apparently, she has great quality products with low prices, but I've always gone to the one on Birch Street." "Yeah, well, we'll see." Tristan said, as they started back to Tristan's SUV. "There is one among them that will soon strike." Viper said, standing among the Covenant in the depths of Babylonia. "What do you mean?" "I have an agent that is with the Charmed Ones. They will soon strike, hopefully, going for the kill." "Well, I believe you have surprised us Viper," said a female voice that came from a hooded figure. "We did not know you were planning this." "Well, I've been planning this for a long time. I just recently set it into motion." "When will they strike?" asked a male voice. "Soon. But I can't ruin the surprise, my friends. I can only promise you that soon, the Charmed Ones may be no more." "So, when is the date again?" Tanner asked Ross. They were both still in the kitchen, eating. Twila was making potions with Aric. "Well, we haven't really set one yet." Ross said, a little uncomfortably. "And why not? You know Twila is like living for the wedding, right?" "Well, we're both really busy. And this new development kind of got in the way." Ross said, not making eye contact with Tanner. "New devel... Oh right. The witch thing. Yeah, well, we can't run from our destiny." Tanner said, finally figuring out what was making Ross so uncomfortable. Tanner reached for the bag of flour. Pulling his hand back out of the bag, the bag got caught on his hand, knocking the bag over. Before it could hit the floor, Tanner froze it with his other hand. Tanner smiled at the bag, frozen in mid-air. He looked back over to Ross, whose eyes were open wide. "Yeah, pretty cool huh?" Tanner said, smiling. "Ummm, I'm gonna go check on Twila. Where is she again?" "Uh, she's with Aric. In the attic." Tanner chuckled as Ross left the room. "Aric in the attic. Aric in the attic. That's fun to say." "Well, how do you know when it's too much?" "When it explodes." Aric and Twila had been working on making potions all day. She had actually learned a lot from Aric. The Charmed Ones, she found out, had been making some of their potions the wrong way. Seeing Ross at the top of the stairs, she greeted him. "Hey honey, what're you doing?" "Uh, nothing. Your brother was just getting a little too chipper for me. And he did something to a bag of flour..." Ross said, his voice trailing off. "Oh, he froze it didn't he?" Twila said with a giggle. Ross just nodded, then looked to Aric with a look of disapproval. "Who are you again?" "Oh, my name is Aric Masters. I'm working with the siblings. I'm kind of like their guardian angel." Aric said, putting his hand on Twila's shoulder. "Okay, so I think that's it." Twila said, throwing one last ingredient into the potion, which made a small puff. "Alright, that looks about right. Good job." "So, honey, I was thinking that we could go out tomorrow night. You know, for dinner. Since it's your birthday." "Sure sweetie. That's nice. But I'm sure my brothers will want to do something as well. Especially Tanner. He's always been excited about birthdays." "Well, I might just have to snatch you away from them, won't I?" Ross said, snatching Twila up in a hug. They laughed, and Aric walked away, smiling. He walked downstairs, headed for the kitchen. Aric walked into the kitchen, watching Tanner, mixing something in a bowl. He was mumbling something like, "Aric, addict," but her couldn't quite make it out. "Umm, having fun?" Aric said, breaking Tanner's concentration. "Oh? Oh, yes I am. I'm making Twila's cake. Piper always made her a three layer cake. Last year I started making it for her too. And it has to chill overnight. So, it's kind of a process." Tanner said, still mixing. "Oh, that's cool. You know, I'm really impressed with you guys. You're really close. It took the original Charmed Ones a couple of years to get this close again." "Yeah, well, we've always been close." Tanner said, his mind starting to wonder. "So, Paige said that you've been a whitelighter for someone else in our family. Who was it?" "Oh, I'm afraid I can't tell you that Tanner. Elder's rules." Aric said, pointing to the sky. "Oh, well, whatever, I guess." Tristan had never seen so many magical objects in one place. Shelves filled with pig's feet and monkey brains and eye of newt (which he thought was quite ironic).He turned to ask Alyss a question, but when he did, she was nowhere in sight. He could have sworn that she was right behind him. He looked around, and saw her on another aisle, talking on her cell phone. He walked over to her, planning on silently asking her a question. He was about to ask her a question, when he heard something she said. "Yes, I know. Well, they are extremely powerful witches. I mean, hello, they're the Charmed Ones. I can't just do that without them noticing. Alright, fine. You don't have to tell me to be careful. Yeah. Bye." She hung up her phone and turned around, bumping into Tristan. "Oh, Tristan I didn't know you were there sorry. Um, how long have you been standing there?" She asked, trying to hide her nervousness. "I was just getting ready to ask you a question. What do monkey brains have to do with potion ingredients?" "Oh," she said, looking relieved, "well, they catalyze the reaction speed of blood root and thyme. Also makes for a better impact against demons." She replied, walking past him, looking at a shelf. "Okay. Just wondering." He said, following her. "So who were you talking to?" "Oh, just a client. Nothing big." She said, walking into another row. Tristan eyed her closely. She looked nervous. He was still confused. Why would she be talking about the Charmed Ones on the phone? Who could she have been talking to? Tristan walked over to the checkout counter and asked the cashier where the crystals were. She pointed to a corner of the store. Tristan followed her finger and walked to the crystals. If he remembered right, each crystal did something different. Aric said they needed at least five of every color for the crystals to be effective. He grabbed a bag that was close by and put five of each color in it. "Ready?" Alyss asked, coming up behind him. "Yeah, got what we need right here." "Okay then, let's go." They walked up to the counter, paid, then left the store. They got in the SUV and drove back to the parking lot where they had left Alyss' car. "Now, put the crystals in a circle around me. Depending on the crystal, you will either have to assemble them in an "east-to-west" fashion, or in a "pentacle" fashion. For these, you just need to put them in a pentacle." Aric said, instructing the siblings on where to put the crystals. After Tristan got back, Aric had them all come into the attic. He said they were going to assemble a crystal cage. Twila got really excited, but Tanner and Tristan just looked at each other. "It's a containment field. It's able to contain almost anything, or protect something. It depends on how you charge the crystal." Tristan was still a little confused, but he went along with it anyway. "Now, in an intense battle situation, Tristan will probably be your best shot in assembling the crystals, because of his telekinesis." Aric said. Tristan jumped when he heard his name being called by Aric. "As soon as the crystals are set where they need to be, they will activate, creating the crystal cage. It's also been activated when someone commands the crystals to form a cage, but either method will do. "Okay, so let's say I'm a demon," Aric said picking up the crystals from around him, and handing them back to Tanner. "I shimmer in, and immediately throw Twila into the wall. She's not knocked out, but she's disoriented. I throw a fireball at Tristan." Aric said, making the motions as he did them. "Easy, I deflect it back at the demon." Tristan said, holding his hand out in front of him, imitating the move. "He's un upper-level demon, so it doesn't faze him. He throws and energy ball at Tanner..." "And I freeze it. And then get out of the way." "The energy ball doesn't freeze. It hits you in the arm." "I throw a table at him," Tristan suggested, becoming a little frustrated that this scenario was so difficult. "He shimmers out of the way, and tackles you," Aric said, orbing in front of Tristan and tackling him, ending up to where Tristan was on the floor, with Aric on top of him. They looked in each other's eyes for a second. It felt like an eternity. Tristan looked into his beautiful green eyes, hypnotized. "And I jump back up and stun the demon." Twila said, loudly to bring their attention back to the scenario. Aric looked away, his attention focused back on the scene. "And I am now back in the middle of the room." Aric said. "Tristan or I use our powers to put the crystals around you," She said. "Peirtotum Convrel" she commanded as the crystals assembled themselves as she directed them into a pentacle. The crystal cage activated, leaving Aric in a prism of light. "Then we get a potion and vanquish you with a spell." Tanner said, satisfied. "Well, good job. Although, you should know that sometimes, demons might be able to move a crystal. But otherwise, you'd have `em trapped." Tristan was still on the floor when Tanner went over to him. He helped him up. Tristan shrugged it off, as he saw everyone looking at him. "I'm good. We're good." He said. Aric smiled and looked up into the sky as he heard the Elder's call. "Well, I gotta go. They're calling me. So if you would be so kind as to..." He said, motioning to the crystal cage. Tristan held his hand open and one of the crystals came flying into it. The cage dissipated, and Aric orbed away, smiling at Tristan. The siblings stood there for a moment. "Well, aren't we getting a little googely- eyed for someone?" Twila said. Tristan just smiled. [The next day...] Tristan woke up at 10:00 in the morning. It was Twila's birthday today. He should probably get her something. Tristan was always on time and precise about everything. Except for birthdays. He was really bad about birthdays. Tristan got up, and walked out of his room. He walked down the hall to the bathroom, where the door was closed, and walked in. "Tristan?" Twila had been woken up that morning by a kiss on the lips from Ross. She opened her eyes to see him lying beside her. She didn't remember him staying the night. "Happy birthday, sweetheart." "Ugh, don't remind me that I'm getting older." She said, burying her face in the pillows. "You're only 24," Ross said, his hands on Twila's waist. "Besides, you look amazing." He said, snuggling into her. "You're a little excited this morning," she said, pointing out Ross' obvious hard-on. "Yeah, well you excite me," he whispered into her ear. "Well, I need a shower." Twila said, getting out of bed. "But, I don't think we should waste water. Why don't you come with me..." Twila said, taking Ross by the hand. They made their way to the shower, kissing as they went. They turned on the water and started to take off each other's clothes. Once they had disrobed, they got into the shower and began kissing again. Twila's hand went to Ross' 8 inch erection. Then they heard the door open. "Tristan?' Twila said, trying to see through the steam. Tristan looked around the room, not quite awake yet. He looked at the bathroom floor, where Twila and Ross' clothes were strewn. The shower door had not yet steamed up, so Tristan could see Twila and Ross' naked figures. Tristan saw Ross' hard-on as Ross and Twila tried to cover themselves. "Oh, sorry. Uhh, happy birthday Twila." Tristan said, rapidly walking out the door. Twila turned back to Ross, and put her head on his chest. "Sorry about that. We don't really get enough privacy around here." Twila said. "Well, maybe that's why you should come live with me." Ross said. "The invitation always stands" Tanner found himself out of bed, in front of the stove, spatula in hand, before he even had time to think his first thought of the morning. He cracked some eggs, listening to them sizzle in the frying pan. He rubbed his eyes, not yet awake. Tristan walked in the door, rubbing his neck. "Good morning Tristan," Tanner said. "Eggs coming right up." "Good morning. Uhh.. that's good, I guess." Tristan said, pouring himself some coffee. "You okay?" Tanner asked, flipping one of the eggs. "Well, I kind of walked in on Twila and Ross in the shower. It looked like they were in the middle of something." "In the middle of something, or "In the middle of something"?" Tanner asked, swinging his hips back and forth as he said the second phrase. Tristan chuckled. "More towards the second one." Tristan said, taking a sip of his coffee. "You know, I don't remember him staying the night. And his car isn't here." Tanner shrugged. "Well, maybe we need locks on the doors," Tanner suggested, applying his suggestion to both things Tristan said. "No, the last time you locked your door, you were getting fucked to death." "Well, I mean, the privacy factor isn't that great around here," Tanner said, turning red. "We'll just have to make do, for now." Tristan said, walking out of the kitchen door. He was half-way up the stairs, when two demons shimmered in. "Uhh, Tanner!" Tristan said, as he jumped over the rail onto, the floor to avoid a fireball. Tanner, in the kitchen, sensing the urgency of Tristan's call, moved his frying pan to an eye that wasn't on. He opened one of the cabinets, grabbed a potion, and ran out the kitchen door. Tristan was holding one of the demons in the air when Tanner appeared in the doorway of the dining room. Two more demons appeared. Before they had time to notice him, Tanner threw his potion at the two that had just appeared. They exploded outward in flames. Tristan threw the demon he had in his grasp into the grandfather clock. `Twila's gonna kill me for that.' Tristan thought. Tanner froze the demon that remained, when another two appeared. They all looked the same. Tristan telekinetically grabbed the two demons that had just appeared, and flung them into each other. Another four appeared, and they looked the same as well. Tanner and Tristan looked at each other in confusion. Tanner froze them, and grabbed another potion from a cabinet in the dining room. He threw it at the four demons, vanquishing them. Another four appeared. Tristan ran over to Tanner, grabbed him by the shirt, and pulled him behind the wall that separated the solarium and the dining room, narrowly avoiding several energy balls. "Are you noticing something?" Tristan asked Tanner. "They're cloning. Every time we use our powers on them, more appear." "So what do we do?" Tanner asked, freezing another onslaught of energy balls. "We need to vanquish the original demon." Tristan said, peeking his head around the corner to look at them. Tanner grabbed another potion from the solarium. Its label said, `Highly Explosive.' "This should do the trick," Tanner said, holding up the potion. "Good thinking, by the way. About keeping potions in different areas of the house in case of emergency." Tristan smiled. "Something Piper suggested. Besides, looks like we'll have to restock now." Hand in hand, Tanner and Tristan ran through the dining room, reaching the bottom of the stairs. Tristan telekinetically focused on all the demons, held his hands out in front of him, clenched his fist, and brought them up to his chest. The demons were all telekinetically thrown together, as though gravity was centered on that point. Tanner threw the potion at the nest of demons. Immediately, the demons exploded into oblivion, creating an inferno in the middle of the room. Tristan fell to his knees, panting. "That, was awesome!" Tanner said, rubbing Tristan's back, "I didn't know you could do that." "Neither did I. It was just a theory. I guess it's a good thing it worked. Even though, it took a lot out of me." Tristan said, panting as though he had just run a marathon. Twila and Ross, fully clothed this time, came running down the stairs, hearing the noise from the battle. Tristan saw their silhouettes from the corner of his eye, and, still in the heat of the battle from the demons, waved his arm at them. Twila, being their sister, was immune to Tristan's powers, but Ross was telekinetically flipped over the stairwell. Tanner saw all this as it went by, as though in slow-motion. He brought his hands up to freeze Ross before he hit the ground, but it was too late. Ross slammed into the wooden floor forcefully. They heard a crack, and blood spilled out onto the wooden floor. Tristan gasped, as Twila ran down the stairs to Ross. "Aric!" Twila screamed frantically. She took Ross into her arms, putting pressure on the back of his head to decrease the blood flow. Aric appeared in a shower of orbs. He was about to say hello, when he saw Ross. He ran to him and put his hands on Ross' head. "What happened?" Aric said in alarm. "I could ask the same question!" Twila said, glaring at Tristan. "It was an accident! We were being attacked by demons, and I saw them out of the corner of my eye-" "So you attacked my fiancé?" Twila said, her voice elevating. "I can't take this!" She said, running up the stairs. Tristan, Tanner, and Aric heard her door slam. "I..Is he going to be okay?" Tanner asked feebly. "Yeah, he'll be fine." Aric said, not making eye contact with Tristan. Tanner got up from beside Ross, and ran up the stairs. Tanner knocked on Twila's door softly. "Twila?" He whispered. He could hear her moving in her room. She was opening doors and drawers. "Twila? Can I come in?" He asked again. He opened the door and walked inside. "What is it Tanner?" Twila asked, a duffel bag in front of her. "Where are you going?" Tanner asked in sudden alarm. "I'm taking Ross back to his place. Then, I'm gonna stay with him for a while. I just...I need some time away from it all, Tanner." Tanner looked at her with sad eyes. "I won't be gone forever. I just need some time with me and Ross. I'm sure he's freaked out. And, I don't know, I just need some time Tanner." She zipped up her bag, and walked over to Tanner. She gave him a long hug, and walked out the door, leaving Tanner to his thoughts. Ross was sitting on the couch, drinking a glass of water. Tristan kept asking if he was alright, and Aric was standing behind the couch, watching them. Twila came down the stairs, duffel bag on her shoulder. She went over to Ross, and took his hand. "Are you okay?" She asked tenderly. He just nodded. "Alright, let's go." "Where do you think you're going?" Tristan demanded. "I'm taking Ross back to his house. Then, I'll be staying there for a few days." Twila said, as she took Ross' hand and got her keys. "You can't stay with him. What if we need the Power of Three? Or what if you get attacked?" "Well, you and Tanner seemed to have a pretty good handle on it this morning. And I am a big girl, who knows big spells. I can protect myself." She said, walking out the door and slamming it behind her. Tristan was about to follow her, when Aric grabbed both of Tristan's arms. "Let them go. She'll be okay. She just needs time." Aric said, still holding Tristan. "I didn't mean to... This wasn't supposed to happen." Tristan said, breaking down into tears. Tristan collapsed into Aric's arms. Aric held Tristan to his chest as he cried. "It's not your fault Tristan. It's okay." Aric said, as he cradled Tristan on the floor of the foyer. Tristan cried into Aric. He felt safe. "I'm sorry for this happening Ross." Twila said, driving down the road. "Well, I wish I could say that things like this happen to me all the time, and you don't have to worry about me." Ross said, smiling. Twila smiled. "I'm sorry about your brothers." He said. "It's alright. I just need some time away. I was kind of hoping I could stay with you for a while. " "Absolutely honey. You can stay as long as you want." They drove on in silence for a while, before finally reaching Ross' house. "Home, sweet home." Ross said, getting out of the car. He grabbed Twila's bag from the back seat and got out of the car. Twila followed him up to the door, as Ross unlocked it. He lead her inside. She was struck by the beauty of his home again. She never could believe just how pretty it was. "Well, I'll go get us something to drink. Do you want anything?" Ross said, before disappearing into the kitchen. "Umm, I'll have some water. Thanks." Twila said. "Are you alright?' Tanner asked Tristan. Aric handed him a glass of water. Tanner had come down the stairs to find Twila already gone, and Tristan in Aric's arms, crying. Aric, with surprising strength, pick Tristan up, and put him on the couch. Tanner had gone into the kitchen to get Tristan a glass of water. "Yeah, I'll be fine. It, just, wasn't supposed to happen like this. Well, none of this was supposed to happen period. I just, feel like a failure. I let our family drift apart. Well, more like rip apart." "I've seen this happen before," said Aric. "It'll be alright. Twila just needs a little time. If she gets in danger's way, she'll call for me. "Aric said, reassuringly. He wiped a tear from Tristan's cheek. "I've got to go now. The Elders need me. But I'll be back if you need anything. Okay?" Tristan nodded. Tanner caught Aric's eye and motioned for the kitchen. Aric nodded and orbed away. "I'll be in the kitchen, okay, Tristan?" Tanner walked back to the kitchen, where Aric was waiting for him. "Thanks for that. I've never seen Tristan like that before. He's always been the strong older sibling, you know? Anyway thanks for talking to him. You really care, Aric." "It's my job Tanner." Aric said. "It's more than that. You really care for him, don't you?" Aric nodded, looking down. "It's nothing to be ashamed of Aric. If you care about him, let Tristan know that." "Whitelighters are forbidden to have relationships with charges." Aric said, painfully. "So? Our grandparents knew that. And they got together. Obviously." Tanner said. He kept looking at Aric, with an intense look. Aric made eye contact and orbed away. A few hours later, Tristan found himself at Alyss' loft. He didn't know why he came here. He just needed to talk to her. When arrived, he got out of the car, and walked up to the door. He was about to knock, when he saw the door was ajar. He slipped his head in the door, and looked around. "Alyss?" He said, pushing the door open with his hand. He heard voices coming from further inside the house. "We told you to befriend the Charmed Ones, then we could work on the next plan." A male voice said. "And I have befriended them. They trust me. They trust my expertise, and they believe my powers are a good asset." This voice sounded more familiar. It was Alyss. "Well then, why haven't you completed your mission then?" Asked the male voice again. "Because, I will have a better chance if I can put myself in their lives more. If I can get closer, it will be easier. I'm becoming good friends with the older one, Tristan. We're actually going to dinner later. You see? My mission is becoming successful. I'm only asking for another couple of weeks." Alyss said. "Very well then, you shall have two more weeks. But if the task isn't completed by then, we'll send someone else." "Alright, that's all I'm askin- Wait. I think I heard something. "Alyss said. Tristan knew that she was coming his direction, so he quickly and quietly ran out the door. He pulled the door shut all the way, and ran to his SUV. He was holding the door telekinetically, so if anyone from the other side pulled on it, they wouldn't be able to open it. He started the SUV and drove back in the direction of the manor. Tanner was eating a bowl of Cookie Crisp for lunch as he watched the T.V. The weatherman was talking about the temperature finally dropping to what it should be during October. "Those temperatures were really something strange," said the weatherman. Tanner scoffed. "You don't know the half of it, buddy." Tanner said, changing the channel. Tanner finally found a good movie on T.V. He watched it for a while, before Aric orbed into the kitchen. "Hey, Aric. What's up?" "Where's Tristan?" "Uhh, he went out. Why?" Tanner said. He could see alarm in Aric's eyes. "You guys might be in danger." "Well then, must be Tuesday." Tanner said, laughing into his cereal. Tanner and Aric heard the door close, and heard Tristan's voice as he came into the kitchen. "Tristan, it's good that you're here. We all need to talk." "What about?" Tristan asked. "The Elders have received intelligence that there's a new organization in charge of the Underworld. It's called the Covenant. They're a collection of very dangerous demon and warlock leaders. They've been able to organize almost the entire Underworld into their power. " "Wow, sounds pretty important." Tanner said. "This is more than important, Tanner. The Elders believed that the last organizer of the Underworld was the Source of All Evil that reigned when Piper and her sisters were the Charmed Ones. The fact that Evil has organized again is not a good sign. It means they're getting stronger." "Well, I mean, that's horrible news, or whatever, but what can we do about it?" "That's not the only news I brought. We've learned that an agent of the Covenant has been trailing you guys. This person might have assimilated themselves into your lives recently." Aric said. Tristan closed his eyes as he came to the painful revelation. He quickly told Aric about Alyss, and what he had seen and heard that day. "This is not good. The fact that they were able to come so close to you isn't good. We have to find a way to vanquish her." Aric said. "I have a meeting with her later. We're supposed to have dinner tonight." Tristan said. "Dinner?" asked Tanner in confusion. "Business, Tanner, business. Anyway, if we can get a potion together, you and Aric can follow me, and we can vanquish her then." "Wouldn't we need the Power of Three?" Tanner asked, hesitantly. "We can't bother with that now. We'll just have to make a stronger potion, write a spell, and hope it works with the two of us." Tristan said. They walked out of the kitchen, and went up to the attic. A few hours later, the phone rang. Tanner was in the middle of making the potion, so Tristan answered it. "Hello?" "Oh, hey Tristan. This is Alyss. I was just checking to make sure that we're still on for tonight. I have some things I need to discuss with you about a new photo shoot." "Yeah, we're still on. I'm getting ready right now, actually." "Oh, well, you don't have to go and get all spiffed up for me. Just make sure you're there by seven. See you later." The phone clicked, and Tristan put it down. He walked over to where Aric and Tanner were making the potion. "Is it ready?" Tristan asked looking into brew. "We just need the mandrake." Tanner said, as Aric handed it to him. Tanner added the mandrake root, and the potion produced a small puff of smoke. "All done" Tanner said. He began to put it in bottles. "Make sure you pack a couple of extra." "Yeah, yeah." Tanner said, putting the three bottles of the potion in a pouch. Tristan took one of them, and got up, heading for the door. "Alright, well, I gotta go. I'll see you guys after a while. Once we get back to her apartment, I'll throw this," Tristan said holding up a different potion," which will stun her. I'll call for you guys, then we'll throw these," Tristan held up the other potion, "read the spell, and voila, we have a vanquish." Tanner nodded. It seemed like a good plan. Tristan just nodded at Tanner and Aric, and turned back to the doorway. "Tristan," Aric said, his voice ringing out through the attic. Tristan turned around to look Aric in the eyes. "Be careful." Aric said. Tristan nodded again, and walked out the door. There was silence in the attic before Tanner broke it, saying, "Gosh, I wish you guys would just go make out somewhere. You've got my head spinning with all this passive-aggressive stuff." Twila smiled as her fiancé pulled her chair out for her. He was always such a gentleman. "Thank you very much, Ross." Ross had cooked a special birthday meal for her, and they were to eat it out on the patio, enjoying one of the last bearably cool nights in October. "My pleasure." He said, smiling. He went back inside for a moment, then came back out with a bowl of salad, and a plate of lobster. "Wow Ross. You didn't have to do all this." "Of course I did. It's your birthday." Twila smiled again, and picked up her glass of champagne from the table. She was about to take a sip, when her phone rang. She put her glass down, and took her phone from her pocket. The caller ID said `Tanner'. She debated on answering it. Before she could press the answer button, Ross' hand took the phone from hers, and put it on the table. He kissed her neck, making her forget about Tanner. "Come on Twila. Pick up the phone." Tanner said, frustrated. `Hi this is Twila. Sorry I can't get to the phone...' Tanner heard from the other end, Twila's voicemail picking up. "Twila, listen, I know that you need your space and stuff, but I just needed to let you know that there's a demon after us, and we're going to vanquish it. But still, I want you to be careful. Just, keep your eyes open, okay?" Tanner hung up the phone. "Well, that was nice." Alyss said, opening the door to her loft. "Yeah, it was." Tristan said, closing the door behind him. "So what is it that you wanted to talk about?" Tristan asked, pulling the stunning potion from his pocket. "Oh, just a few things involving the photo shoot. Just because we're witches, doesn't mean that we can neglect work." "Yeah..." Tristan said, letting his voice trail off. "Do you want anything to drink?" Alyss said, walking to the kitchen. "No, I'm fine. Thanks." He looked down at the potion. He knew the moment was getting closer. He could feel his heart beating faster, and faster. When Alyss stepped back into the living room, Tristan looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry." He said, as he threw the stunning potion. Twila and Ross had decided to lose themselves in each other later, and lose themselves in the food now. They had already eaten the lobster, and were now headed to dessert. Ross, went back into the kitchen to get the dessert. He came back out with a brownie, smothered in chocolate syrup and ice cream, and another two glasses of champagne. She gave him an inquisitive look. "Well, we already went through a couple of glasses. I figured we could finish off the bottle." He said, smiling. She took the glass from him, and took a sip. It tasted a little funny. She made a face. Ross laughed. "What was that for?" Ross said. "It tastes funny. Different." She said, looking into her glass. "Well, it was the bottom of the bottle." Ross said. "Yeah, maybe." Twila began to feel a little funny. She started to feel dizzy. "What's going on?" Ross sighed. "I must admit, it was a little too easy. I met you, we started dating, and then I asked you to marry me. All before you even knew you were a witch. Then all I had to do was continue to act the part until your birthday. We planned the attack on your house this morning. I knew I could get you here somehow. Then, all I had to do was drug you. We can put a check next to that one on the list." Ross said, getting up from his chair and walking over to Twila. He knelt beside her chair. "Viper had this planned all along. All I have to do is take you to him. Then he'll take your lovely magic for himself, and dispose of you. And then get my reward." Twila couldn't believe what she was hearing. She couldn't believe her fiancé was a demon. Her body may have been slowing down, but her mind was going at full speed. If she could knock him out, she could call for Aric. "Hy- Hyme-" Twila tried to speak the spell, but she couldn't muster the strength. "Aww. Isn't that sweet. The little witch is trying to spell me. Don't worry, love, the potion will soon take its full effect." And with that being said, Twila slipped into unconsciousness. Tristan threw the stunning potion. Alyss' eyes got big, and she flung her hand at the potion. The potion became encased in an orb of water, floating in the air. "Tristan, what is the meaning of this?" Alyss asked, alarmed. "Crap." Tristan said, looking at Alyss. "Uhh, Aric." Aric and Tanner orbed in. Tanner had the spell and potion in his hand already, prepared for the vanquish. Tanner just looked at Tristan when he saw the predicament. "What happened?" "She's faster than I thought she would be." Tristan said, making his way over to Tanner and Aric. "What is going on Tristan?" Alyss asked. Tanner scoffed. "Like you don't know, demon-lady. Just drop the act. We know you were hired by the Covenant to take one of us out." Tanner said. Alyss just looked at Tanner. "What? I can't believe this. I fight against the Covenant. I don't work for them. That is an insult." Alyss said, drawing up to her full height. "And you, Mr. Whitelighter. I would expect that you would ask the Elders about another witch, before you let your charges attack one. They would have told you that I am under their protection." Alyss said, turning to Aric. "Imagine, if I didn't stop that potion. They would have vanquished me without another thought." She said. Tanner was shocked. But even though this was a shock, he was getting tired of the lecture. He thought about what Piper had said. About her not being able to freeze witches, but he might be able to. He thought about it for another second, then lifted his hands, and froze her. "Oh my goodness, thank you." Tristan said, turning to Tanner. "Alright, recap," Tanner said, turning back to Aric and Tristan. "We just about vanquished a good witch, and meanwhile, the real demon is still on the loose." "We need to get Twila. I know we're not exactly on the best of terms right now, but she's not safe." Tristan said. Aric closed his eyes, trying to sense her. "Oh, crap, this is not good." He said, opening his eyes. "I can't sense her." "What does that mean?" Tanner asked. "She's not here anymore. She must be in the Underworld." Aric said, not even considering the other possibility. "Alright, let's go back to the Manor. We need to get some other things if we're going there." With that, Tanner, Tristan, and Aric orbed back to the manor. As soon as they were gone, Alyss unfroze. "Wha-?" She said, looking around. Twila woke up in a circular room. It was dimly lit with 5 torches. She was sure they somehow made a pentacle. She was chained to a stone table. She could feel the cold of the stone. She heard whispers, but soon they were drowned out by chanting. She couldn't see who was chanting, but it sounded like it was all around her. She could barely make out the words; it sounded like Aramaic. That surprised her. She only knew one or two spells in Aramaic, because it was the most difficult magical language. It was a difficult language to weave magic into. "Alright, I think we're ready." Tristan said. "Yeah, as ready as we'll ever be." Tanner replied. Tanner, with difficulty, was able to write a spell to locate Twila in the Underworld. They were ready to leave, when Alyss appeared with her whitelighter. She told them she knew what was going on, and if they were going into the Underworld, they would need her help. Aric knew they were right, since their powers wouldn't pack as much of a punch in the Underworld. It was lucky that Alyss' whitelighter was willing to come along too. "All right, let's go." Alyss said. Twila felt herself getting weaker and weaker. It felt like days since she had been here. Her body was tired. Viper just smiled. He was glad that his plan worked so well. Now all they had to do was retract her power from her body. But that was turning out to be more difficult than they thought. They had tortured the witch, through many different means, and even though they were close, the process was taking longer than they had expected. "My Lord, it is almost complete. We only need a few more minutes." Said a demon, who spoke for the Demonic Priest that was leading the chant. "Good. When it is ready, we will transfer her power into my ring." Viper smiled. "The Charmed Ones will be no more, and I will have one of their powers." "Think again," said a voice behind Viper. Viper whirled around, and saw the other two Charmed Ones, and three other people. Four males, one female, all together. Viper snarled at the witches, conjuring an energy ball and throwing it at them. It traveled until four feet in front of them, where it hit a wall of water, and disappeared. Alyss and Tristan ran to the center of the room, to where Twila was. Tristan threw Viper across the room, his head hitting the stone wall. Alyss erected her orb of water around them, as Tristan tried to loose the chains. Tanner pulled two athemes from his pockets, and began to stab demons that were in range. The two whitelighters were able to disarm two of the demons guarding the cave, and take their weapons. They now joined Tanner in fighting the demons. "We have to find the Priest that's leading the chant." Aric shouted over the commotion. The entire time they had been fighting, the demons had not stopped chanting. Tanner froze the demons and stabbed them, remembering what Twila had taught him. Tristan was pulling the chains apart with his telekinesis. It was proving to be a difficult job. Alyss just held her hands, reinforcing the protective sphere around them. Demons were throwing their unique attacks at the orb, giving Alyss something to worry about. "How're you holding out?" Tristan said, pulling apart another shackle. "I've never been attacked by so many before. It won't be long before they get through." She said, her voice strained. "Not too much longer." Tristan said He finally broke the last shackle. Twila gasped as she sat up. The chanting stopped. Tristan turned to look at the five priests around the room. They all turned their heads to look at the witches. The priests conjured fireballs and shot them at Alyss' water force field. It shattered, the water dropping to the ground with a splash. Alyss dropped to the ground, exhausted. Tanner ran over to Tristan and Twila, reaching for the spell in his pocket. The siblings read, simultaneously, "Powers of Three, combining in time. Vanquish these fiends, ending their crime!" The priests contorted in pain, as they all exploded outward in flame. Tanner and Tristan just looked at each other, as Twila collapsed between them. "Happy birthday to me..." Twila sang deliriously to herself, after Tristan put her on the couch. Tanner and Aric chuckled, glad to see her getting back to her old self. Even Alyss smiled. "Is there anything else we can do?" Tristan asked, looking at Aric. He just shook his head. "Besides brewing another potion that might help ease the ache, we can only make her comfortable." "Well, comfort would be great right now," Twila said, holding her head. Tanner rushed over to her, putting another pillow under her head. "Well, I suppose we had better be going." Alyss said, standing up and walking over to her whitelighter. "You have a lot to explain you know." Tristan said. "I have a lot to explain? You're the one walked into my house, uninvited and eavesdropped on my conversation. Then jumped to conclusions." Alyss said, her blue eyes seeming to freeze Tristan's heart with every word. "But, I know. I do owe you an explanation. And you will get one. But not now. You and your family have a lot to talk about. And you need time to heal. You can have as much time you need off of work. Call me when you're ready." With that, Alyss and her whitelighter disappeared from the sitting room. Tanner whistled. "Mysterious much?" Tanner said. Everyone laughed. "Well, I think it's safe to say that I am worn out. I'm going to bed. We'll talk tomorrow." Twila said, getting up. She winced in pain. Tanner looked at her worriedly. "I'll be alright. Good night." She climbed the stairs up to her room. "Well , I'm pooped too. I'm gonna go up to bed. Night." Tanner said, getting up, despite Tristan's obvious motions for him to stay. Twila closed the door behind her. She hobbled over to the mirror. She had a bruise on her left cheek. ` I don't think anyone will find it comical if I say my fiancé was evil.' She thought. She walked over to her bed, where she found a note, a package, and a plate covered in aluminum foil. She picked up the note, and read it. `Happy Birthday Sis! I know it didn't turn out to be the best, but it is still your birthday. I found this online. I had to go through a lot of trouble to get it, and a whole lot more trouble to see if it was authentic. Haha But no troubles. It was all worth it. I also made the famous three layer cake. This is a slice of it. I figured you wouldn't want to go downstairs to get some, so I left one here. I love you! Tanner' Twila smiled as a tear ran down her cheek. Tanner was always so thoughtful. He was so full of that child-like energy. That innocence. She looked at the package, and pondered. She took it in her hands, and felt its weight. It was probably only three or four pounds. She took the wrapping paper off. It was a book. A black leather book, that latched shut using a belt buckle. It looked ancient. She carefully opened the book. She gasped at what she found inside. Pages and pages of spells. There were so many different sections. There were sections in languages, power levels. She couldn't believe it. It was amazing. She looked from the book, to the cake. She stuck her finger into the icing and put in her mouth. She smiled. This was the best birthday ever. "Well, thanks for helping out today Aric. We wouldn't have been able to do it without you" "I'm just here to be your guiding light." Aric said. "Well, good night." Tristan said, going over to hug Aric. They hugged for a few seconds before Aric drew back. Aric held Tristan in his arms for a few more moments, looking into the brown pools that were his eyes. Tristan reached, closer and closer. The space between them was painful. Aric's mind was racing. He knew he shouldn't be doing this. It just felt so right. With that thought, Aric closed the space between their lips, pulling Tristan into a soft kiss. Yay! So that's it! I know a TON happened in this episode. If it were on TV it would probably be 2 hrs. haha So, Tristan's powers continue to develop, as does his relationship with Aric. Alyss is a mysterious character. What is she hiding? Twila now has a book of spells. You'll have to watch for her development as well. I know my stories are long, especially this one, but when I start writing, I CAN'T STOP! I just don't like stories that have incomplete thoughts, and I think a lot, so I have to keep writing and writing. If you don't like it, don't read it. There. Anyway, I love getting feedback from you guys. So keep it coming. So, as always, comments, suggestions, and questions are always welcome! notoriousnick90@yahoo.com Nick