Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:21:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Nick Richards Subject: "Charmed: New Beginning: Part 7" 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. Writer's note: I'M REALLY SORRY GUYS! I know it's been like a month and I was all like "I'm gonna update every week." Sorry. I got really busy with a lot of stuff in my life... Anyway, I'm back and I'm gonna keep writing, although I think I'm gonna branch out with some other stories as well. Be on the look out on nifty for "Crushing on Nick". I also want to write another story. Here's the main arc: Five teenagers are the embodiment of guardians of the universe (kind of cliché, I know). There have always been guardians in every generation, but they were never needed. Until now. They are now re-awakened to face a new rising threat. Each guardian has a name and special ability (obviously). Anyway, it's a whole lot cooler in my mind and I know that since this story was a success, the new one will be too. Okay, now back to what you guys have been waiting for for the past couple of weeks. "Charmed: New Beginning" "Episode 7: Nexus Nuisance (Pt. 2)" The city of San Francisco was no longer the highlight of life in California. Ten years of constant magical warfare, the result being planet Earth being transformed into a living hell for those still occupying it. Now, what was once the lively and beautiful bay area was a desolate wasteland, abundant with fire and sulfur. It was now filled with witches and whitelighters alike, struggling to survive and protect the innocent. A group of whitelighters and witches were scattered across a street, taking cover from a demonic ambush behind cars and corners of buildings. As the demons began to advance on the witches when a blue force field erected in the middle of the street, sealing off the witches from the humans. A tall man with a scar on his right cheek in the midst of the demonic hoards looked on a grimaced. `God, when will these witches ever learn?' The man thought, watching from afar as a witch who stayed in front of the force field, as if there was a chance, was impaled with an atheme, and another breathing his last breath from a brief skirmish with a Celerity Demon. `What do they think they will accomplish?' thought the man. On the other side of the force field, orders were being issued very quickly in hopes of keeping the Source's right hand at bay, and if possible, escaping. The tall scarred man who appeared with the demons smirked as he thought of how the Nexus' officials were frantically rushing to make preparations. `This just will not do..." Thought the man, as he began to think of the spell to banish the shield that blocked him from what was rightfully the Source of All Evil's. "Enchanted Aromas, fill the air! Destroy all but the heir's", the man cried, as black fog filled the area and the blue force field crumbled underneath the mist, as it rushed through the Nexus' ranks, peeling the flesh off of the pathetic witches' bones. The man smiled as he watched the last one of them being destroyed. He loved when he could REALLY use his magic. He heard whispers coming from behind a car. Had his spell missed one of them? He walked to where he supposed the whispers were coming from and found a small woman chanting what he guessed was a protection spell. It was an old spell, he could tell, but she must have had power. It had protected her from his magic. The woman looked up at him, her eyes full of fear. "Hi there," the man said, smiling a sinister smile. The woman didn't give him a chance to go further. She lifted her palm towards him as a silver light riveted from her hand, toward the man. Before it made contact with his physique, he waved at the light, diminishing its power as it disappeared. He shook his head and made a hand gesture of his own as a wave of bright light ran through the woman, dissolving her into nothingness. "It's funny when they think they have a chance..." said the man, known as Tanner Halliwell, as he turned back from where the woman once existed. He held his hand out and one of the demons on his left gave him a cloth. He wiped his hands with it grimacing. "I hate it when they use their powers on me. They make me feel dirty." The demons nodded in agreement, before a Scavenger Demon came running up, a rather large stone in his hand. Tanner's eyes widened as he realized this stone was what the Source had sent him here for. And that this pathetic demon was holding it. "How dare you touch a belonging of the Source! Filthy imbecile!" Tanner cried, the demon disintegrating into nothing just by the sheer force of Tanner's cry. The demon faded away, and Tanner caught the precious stone in his hands. He held it as though it were his own heart. Tanner's scar distorted as he smiled. Finally, they had what they needed. Finally, the Source would be able to overcome. Finally, they would destroy the Nexus. "Okay, if we're this powerful, we should be able to storm right into the Source's chambers and get Tanner back..." Tristan said, looking back and forth from Twila to Aric. Twila looked uncertain, but Aric just shook his head. "This is what you guys don't understand: Tanner has grown in power just as much as you have. Probably more. Twila, you can harness magic, but somehow Tanner has found a way to write new spells the proportion of which has never been rivaled. And his powers..." Aric trailed off, noticeably disturbed. "Is it really that bad?" Tristan asked. "His control of molecules has become frightening to behold. There haven't been many things that could stand up to one of his attacks. He can still freeze molecules like he used to, but now, it's more than that. He can control molecules at the level that your Uncle Wyatt could. His "signature move" I guess you could call it, is something I've only seen your Uncle Wyatt do, although had your Great-Aunt Prue lived, she would have had a similar attack. He practically re-arranges molecules within the subject of his attacks that they disassemble. The subjects of his attacks are disintegrated into nothingness. It's really frightening." Aric said. "Wow. We've all really changed haven't we?" Twila asked. Aric nodded. "And Tanner's the worst part. He no longer has that innocence and joy. He's cold-hearted and sadistic. The only thing he cares about now is the work he does for the Source." "So how can we get him back? If the only thing about Good he cares about is destroying it, how are we going to reach him?" Tristan asked, hurt in his eyes. "You guys are still his family. You can still touch his heart." "Let's hope so. I don't feel like getting disintegrated today." Twila said dryly. Madame Jinx, now known as the Source of all Evil, smiled as she saw her best servant draw near to her. She thought how naïve her past self had been, thinking they could just kill the Charmed Ones. But she knew better. All she had to do was make one tiny adjustment to one of their chants, and it threw the whole thing off. She knocked out her past self and took advantage of the situation. And now she controlled one of them. A Charmed One. As Tanner drew close, he bowed and held the treasure up in his hands. Madame Jinx smiled. She knew he wouldn't let her down. She took the precious stone in her hand and smiled. The Gem of Azar. With this demonic stone, they would be able to crush the Nexus and take back the world which was rightfully theirs. All that was standing in their way were her pet's brother and sister. The remaining two Charmed siblings. They were an ever-present thorn in her side. "Very good. Now that we have it we can begin the assault. You know what to do." She said, smiling. He nodded. "It shall be done my Queen." Alyss walked down one of the hallways in the perfectly protected Nexus HQ. She was pleased at how Twila had been able to come up with the spells needed for camouflaging it to look just like another desolate building in this hell of a world. And even if the demons did find the headquarters, it would take them at least a month to break the foundation of magic Twila and the spellcasters had woven into the building. She walked into her office and took a seat. She wasn't sure what she needed to do. Twila and Tristan had come to the future to change Tanner. But it's like they expected just to be able to talk him out of it. There would be some serious mojo that would have to take place, and the two weren't even aware of their present powers... She began to type into a computer, when there was an urgent knock on her door. Alyss sighed and gave the affirmative to enter. She recognized the man at the door as one of the floor-walkers, a messenger within the building. He rushed forward with a piece of paper and handed it to Alyss. He left without a word, leaving Alyss to the message. Her mind flooded with horror as she read the words from the page: WE HAVE FAILED. THEY HAVE IT. THEY ARE COMING. In the Underworld, a group of demons were huddled around a woman they had just kidnapped from the world above. The demons were teasing her and playing their pesky little games with her when one of the demons saw a cloud of light and two figures appear. The rest of the demons soon took note as a man and a woman stepped into the light. Twila looked from the demons to the woman and sneered. "Dislovar!" She cried, thrusting a hand forward as the group of demons was blasted against the wall. "Wow, I was only aiming for that one." Twila said, pointing to one of the crumpled demons. "Remember, our powers are nothing like we know them to be. They're not just different, but they're obviously more powerful..." Tristan said, observing the woman. "Are you alright?" he asked. The woman nodded. "I can't believe it. Those demons killed my husband as we were going back to our house." The woman cried, sobbing her answer. Twila looked to Tristan, hoping he would hear her thoughts. `She's human. How does she know about Demons?' Tristan made eye contact with Twila, recognizing her voice. The concept of telepathy was still abstract to him. `From what Aric said, the Magical Community isn't a secret anymore. Humans have had to turn to Witches for answers because the Demons started to attack the Human race.' He told her, before turning to the woman. "We're going to get you out of here, alright? We're going to send you to the Nexus. They'll be able to take care of you there." Tristan said, looking at Twila. "Can you get her there?" He asked. "I can try. My mind recognizes what I have to do. I've just never done it before. Well, I mean, I have, but, you know what I mean." Twila said, crouching to draw a symbol in the sand. When she finished, she stood back up and placed her hand on the woman's forehead, and muttered, "Discada Porementum" The woman vanished in a cloud of light. Tristan looked at the symbol and raised his eyebrow. "It's an Aramaic symbol. Some languages are easier to weave magic into. Others languages are more difficult. In the more difficult languages, there are certain symbols you can use to lighten the magical load I guess you could say." Twila said, as she and Tristan turned to the path in front of them. They began to walk, taking in their surroundings. It didn't take long for the path they were following lead them to where they needed to be. Bablyonia. Supposedly where the Current Source was reigning. The ancient demonic city was now the platform of operation for the Source. It had been transformed into a citadel of black magic and sin. This is where they would find Tanner. "Lah-Shei Sei Fremenium contorum en Corum!" Tanner said, holding his hand over the Gem of Azar. Madame Jinx smiled when Tanner gave her the stone. "It has been completed. The enchantment is executed." Tanner said. "Very good, my pet. Are the soldiers in place?" She asked, stroking the side of his face. "Yes. They are awaiting my command." He said, leaning into her touch. "Good. I expect you to do you-" "Aghhh!" The sound of wind and fire came from the entrance, as the two guards burst into flame. Coming through the door, were Tristan and Twila. "Well, this is a surprise." Madame Jinx said, grimacing. She motioned at two swords hanging on the wall, and they came to life, rushing towards the two siblings. "Vinicire!" Twila said, the two swords coming to a dashing halt in mid-air, bound by an invisible force. Madame Jinx winced at the force exerted on her magics. The witches had become strong. Twila blinked at the swords, a final wave of magic delivered, and the swords disappeared. "I think that's quite enough Madame Jinx." Tristan said. "We're here for our brother." Quiet filled the room. Then, a mad, bone chilling laughter filled the room. Madame Jinx laughed at the eldest sibling of the Charmed Line. "You did? Well, this is a surprise. You wait ten years, and then decide to do something. Charming really. No pun intended." She said, laughing again. She stumbled when she saw the glare coming from the two siblings. "You're serious? Well then, I must confess myself defeated. How could I ever stand up to the likes of you?" She asked before laughing again. Then, as quickly as it had come, the laughter vanished. "You were fools to come here. You really expect that I would just hand him over?" She asked, her voice taking on a warped pitch, and her eyes growing darker. The air even seemed to grow colder. "You want him, you'll have to fight for him. But if you think you can defeat me, you are sadly, deathly mistaken!" She said, thrusting her hands forward as a wave of dark light and energy crashed into the siblings. Tristan and Twila didn't have time to prepare. They were both thrown against the wall, crushed by the wall of energy. Tristan slowly got up, looking to Twila. She had been knocked out. `Damn. This isn't good.' Tristan said, rolling to avoid another sword that was thrown at him. Madame Jinx was now in the air, levitating above the room. Her power was flowing from her like water from a river. Tristan did a back-flip, the skin of his shoulder being grazed by a spear. It had been to close. His eyes wandered from the floating Madame Jinx, to one of the side walls. He saw Tanner, watching the scene. His eyes were stone cold, his arms folded across his chest. A hideous scar on the right side of his face gleamed in the firelight of the tavern. This Tanner was a foreign sight to Tristan. Tristan had allowed himself to watch Tanner for too long, because when he refocused on the approaching missiles, a dagger pierced his arm, bringing him a new wave of pain and misery. He cried out in pain, falling to his knees. Madame Jinx lowered herself to the floor. She walked over to Tristan, and took his face in her hands. "You are nothing compared to me. I am power. You can't stand in my way." She stated in a cold warped voice. She pushed him onto his back and walked to her throne. Tristan breathed hard. Madame Jinx had somehow lowered the temperature so rapidly. He could see his breath. He willed himself to get up. He brought himself to his knees, and stood, struggling against the wall. Twila began to stir, as she lifted her head, taking her surroundings in again. "Pet, these imbeciles are beginning to agitate me. Take care of them won't you?" She asked, her sickly sweet voice returning. She waved her hand, and she was gone. Tanner turned from where Madame Jinx had been, to his brother and sister. "Tanner, it's us. Don't you remember?" Twila said, her voice shaking. Tanner scoffed. "Of course I remember. I'm not an idiot." He replied in a cold distant voice. "Tanner, all we have to do is break whatever spell that bitch has on you." Tristan said. Tanner chuckled. "You think she's controlling me? She hasn't placed a spell on me in five years. I finally saw what she saw." `She's brainwashed him.' Twila thought to Tristan. "I finally saw, that Good had nothing for me. What good is all my power if I can't use it?" "You can use it. We are supposed to use our powers for good Tanner, to protect people!" Twila said. "That's just a way that the Elders would control us! We have the power, not them!" Tanner said, his voice elevating. "Tanner, we love you. We just want you back. We can change all this, it doesn't have to b-" "Don't pull that crap on me! This is the first time I've seen either of you in eight years. After the initial attempt to free me from her power, you both just gave up. You went back to your petty lives, not even thinking about me again!" Tanner said, his voice becoming louder with each sentence. "That wasn't us Tanner! We're from the past! We came back for you!" Twila said. Tanner glared at her, as a wave of orange light hit her. She stumbled back. "Lies! They're all lies! You don't really care about me!" He said, his voice straining. "But I've had enough of it! I've had enough of you!" He cried, waving his hands as more orange light came from them. Tristan held his hands up as the waves of light hit his telekinetic shields, protecting him and Twila. "Tanner! We don't want to fight you!" Tristan yelled over the sounds of Tanner's projections. Tanner just laughed as his molecular attacks burst through the fields Tristan had erected. `Twila! Can't you neutralize him or something?!' Tristan thought, struggling to keep them protected. `It's not that easy!' Twila thought, racing to produce a spell. "Enemies, Fly and Fall! Circling Arms, Raise a Wall!" She said, a blue orb encircling them both. Tanner smiled, as the attacks stopped. "You really think a shield can stop me?" He asked, chuckling. His eyes began to glow the same shade of orange as his malevolent attacks, as he produced another wave of light, originating from his chest. The wave made contact with the shield and slowly, the blue began to give way to the orange. As the shield dissipated into nothing, there was silence. Tristan and Twila looked at Tanner. He looked back. With a sudden burst of energy, Tristan threw his hand forward. An invisible wave of telekinetic power grasped Tanner, and held him to the wall. "Tanner, I don't want to hurt you." Tristan said. Tanner's eyes started to glow again, as the air in front of him began to glow orange. Tristan felt a jab of pain in his mind. Then another. Soon, it became a full-on assault on his mind. He sank to the ground, his telekinesis melted. "Tristan?!" Twila said, rushing to his side. "What happened?" "When our dear brother tried to use his famed telekinesis to incapacitate me, I disintegrated the molecules of the air that held me to the wall. Because his mind was linked to those molecules, his mind felt the same effect." Tanner answered, smiling. "You could have killed me!" Tristan said. Tanner threw his head back and laughed. "Do you really think I care anymore!? I don't need the "Power of Three" to make me powerful anymore! I have leveled cities! I have destroyed mountains! I have killed anyone who has stood in my way, and now, I am All-Powerful! And I don't need you!" Tanner said. With a final thrust of his hand, Twila saw the familiar orange wave come toward her and Tristan. Then there was darkness. Twila awoke, what seemed to be days later. She sat up on the sand floor. They hadn't been moved from where they had been knocked out. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She looked to her side, to find Tristan, bleeding from more than one place. "Prosperpexa" She whispered, his wounds closing up as magic weaved into his veins. Tristan gasped for breath and he regained consciousness. "So much for our plan." He said, holding his head. "What plan? We didn't even have a plan. Not that it would've mattered." Tristan was about to respond when he felt a pulse of energy through the air. He looked up, and around the room. He looked to Twila, who was doing the same thing. She must've heard it too. They got to their feet in time to see a white light jetting for them. Instinctively, Tristan held his hands up, making a shield. The light went right through his telekinetic projection and began to take shape. Soon, a picture of Alyss was standing before them. "Where the hell have you guys been? I've been scrying and searching for hours!" The Alyss-projection said. "We were knocked out by our baby brother." Twila said. "You actually went after him? Did you guys even tell anyone?" She asked. "We told Aric." Tristan said. "Well, sorry to interrupt your naps, but we have major problems here! There are armies outside our walls. I don't know how they even found us! Our spells scramble our location every day! I've got all of our shields up, and I've got our people ready to fight." "What happened?" Twila asked in confusion. "I don't know! All I know is that they were able to get the Gem of Azar from our grasp. I have reports saying that the Source herself is on her way with it! "This isn't good..." Tristan said. "Isn't good? That's the understatement of the century." Alyss said, annoyed. "I can give you guys a one second window to teleport into the facility. They'll be expecting that, but we'll be ready to vanquish the demons that will be able to get in." "Alright, sounds good. Open it in exactly two minutes." Twila said. The Alyss-projection nodded and faded away. "Alright, so we have to teleport, then be ready to defend the premises with our lives. There are things in that building that we cannot let them have Tristan." Twila said, taking his hands in hers. He nodded. "Alright, I guess we don't have a choice." He said. Twila counted down the seconds in her head and nodded, her teleportation spell taking effect when she counted zero. When Twila and Tristan appeared in the front lobby of The Nexus HQ, the sound of a battle immediately met their ears. Once they could take in their surroundings, they saw two witches in combat with a Celerity Demon and a witch and whitelighter team fighting a darklighter. There were scorch marks all around the main area, presumably from other demons that had gotten through the shield. Twila sent an energy ball into the demon, and Tristan telekinetically pried the darklighter's bow from him, shooting him with an arrow of dark poison. The groups that were battling turned to look at the siblings, whom, even though The Nexus knew they were coming, looked shocked to see them. Alyss made her way through the small crowd of make-shift warriors and hugged Tristan and Twila. "I'm glad you're alright. But you've looked better." Alyss said, motioning to Tristan's arm wounds and the bruises on Twila's head. "Yeah, it wasn't exactly a walk in the park" Twila said. "It never is." She replied. She motioned for them to follow her, leading them up the stairwell. "Madame Jinx was able to intercept a party that was sent to another one of our bases to retrieve the Gem of Azar. Tanner completely obliterated every soul there and took the Gem." Alyss said, leading them down a hallway. "We thought we would at least have a little time, since they had to magically enchant and sway the crystal to the Dark side of Magic. But, Tanner was able to do it quicker than we anticipated. So, here we are. Twenty-four hours from when the Gem was stolen, and the entire Underworld is at our front door." She said, stopping at a door. "How were they able to find it? Isn't the building heavily cloaked?" Tristan inquired. "Yes, but with the Gem they were able to amplify their Seer's sight. They've found us, and they're not leaving until we're destroyed." Alyss opened the door, leading into a room filled with all kinds of equipment. In the center, was a large, holographic view of the building. There were people scurrying about, papers in hand, talking into walkie talkies. Around the center table, stood Aric. He was dressed in, what appeared to be, battle armor. He was issuing orders to a holographic image of another whitelighter on the screen. Alyss saw Tristan's confusion, and answered his mental questions. "Aric is the commander of the whitelighters we have in The Nexus. He heads up that front. His armor is a set of Angelic Armor. It shields from magical and physical attacks alike. The armor was actually his idea." Alyss whispered, putting Tristan's mind at ease. "But it's not like they actually fight, right. Regular whitelighters don't have powers like the Elders did." "Actually, that has changed as well. Before the Elders were exterminated, they were able to imbue their powers to a few whitelighters. They were able to bless five whitelighters with powers. Aric is one of them. He actually is the most powerful. The other whitelighters, though, also have weapons. Under Aric's instruction, they were able to forge swords, shields, and bows and arrows from enchanted ores The Nexus recovered from the Underworld. They serve them very well." "Wow." Tristan said. It was all he could say. They walked towards the center of the room, where Aric was still issuing orders. "I want Alpha Team ready to attack in five minutes. Make sure they have some spellcasters with them. I want Zeta Team ready to back them up." Aric said, authority in his voice. He turned and saw Alyss, Tristan, and Twila, and bowed. "Ma'am, all is ready for the first strike." Twila wasn't sure who he was addressing. Alyss spoke first, saving Twila from embarrassing herself. "Good. Tell them to do what they can, but to fall back when they are overwhelmed. I don't want anyone to fall in the first strike." Alyss said, her tone firm. Aric nodded and began distributing orders again. As he turned we winked at Tristan. "The issue here, obviously, is that we won't be able to do anything once Tanner or Madame Jinx hits the battlefield. We believe we can take care of the others." Alyss said, walking away from the Main Operations Table, into a side office. "And that's why you need us." Twila said. Alyss nodded. "I could fight one of the two, but not for long. I'm a powerful witch, but I'm not near as powerful as you guys. I know I'll eventually have to take the battlefield, but I won't be any help if those two are out there. We need you guys." "But he's still our brother. Spells or no spells, we can't kill him." Tristan said defiantly. "I know. That's why we've come up with a plan. We think Madame Jinx was able to split the Gem in two. We know she's got one half of it, because one of our seers has spotted her with it. We assume that Tanner has the other half. That's why you guys had issues fighting him earlier. He had the Gem amplifying his powers." Alyss explained. "If you guys can separate Madame Jinx from her half of the stone, you should be able to reverse the spell on Tanner. She's cast a very long term spell on him, it nearly killed her when she cast it a couple of years ago. She had to go into hiding." "Okay," Tristan started, "So even if we find a way to get the stone from the Source of All Evil, who's going to be distracting Tanner. The second we start to attack her, he'll be all over us." "That's where I come in. Aric and I will distract Tanner. We'll try to incapacitate him as best we can, but we will defend ourselves. We should be able to hold him off." Alyss said. "I don't like it." Twila said. "You both could get hurt, very badly." Alyss shook her head. "We're both willing to sacrifice. In the years I've helped you run The Nexus, I've grown stronger. I have faith that Aric and I can do this. We just need you guys to have faith as well." Alyss said, her voice almost in a whisper. "Alright, we'll do it. But we'll need some major firepower. More than what we have." Twila said. "I've got you guys covered." Alyss said, leading them from the side office to another room. "It's not necessarily firepower, but it'll do the job." She held up two bracelets. They were silver, with a rich blue sapphire in the middle. Tristan looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "What are we supposed to do with those?" He asked. "These are Factotum Bracelets. They have several functions." She handed the bracelets to them. "As you see, there is a dial around the sapphire. Turn the dial to a specific notch and it'll do something different." She said. She took the bracelet from Tristan and set it to the first notch. She hit the sapphire and a small blue force field, the color of the sapphire, appeared, covering from her hand to her elbow. "This one is good for hand to hand combat. Since demons with super strength would shatter your arm if you tried to block a punch, this is obviously a good method of protection." She took the dial and turned it to the next notch. She hit the sapphire again, and a dark blue force field surrounded her. "This function is good if you're surrounded, or if there are multiple projectiles being fired at you." She hit the sapphire again, the shield disappearing. "However, the full force field drains the stone of power more quickly. If you use it for too long, the stone will be dead." She set the sapphire to the next notch, and hit the button again. A sword of dark blue energy appeared in the hand the bracelet was on. "Since the darklighters picked up on out idea of armor, they'll be using swords too. These will shatter their swords after a few hits. Depending on the demon or darklighter, it may even vanquish them if you run them through with it." She deactivated the sword, then set the next setting. "This one's my favorite." She said, smiling. She held the bracelet to where the stone was facing outwards, and hit the top of the bracelet. A blue energy blast erupted from the stone, punching a hole in the wall. "Again, it depends on the demon or darklighter, but it may vanquish them. If not, it acts as a hell of a concussion blast." She said, giggling. "We'll take them." Tristan said smiling. "It's not like you guys will need these, but they might come in handy." She said, handing a new bracelet to Tristan. "They've been charged really well, but if you use them a lot, they'll need a rest. We've placed spells on them to recharge automatically, but if you use them too much, they won't even be able to do that." Twila nodded. "Thanks, Alyss." Alyss smiled. She turned and picked up two bracelets that looked similar to theirs, except hers had rubies in them. "Why do you get special bracelets?" Tristan teased. "These are the second level bracelets. They're less powerful than yours. We figured you guys would need more of a punch." "Oh..." Tristan said, silenced by her serious answer. There was a knock on the door as a man entered. "They're ready for you." The man said, addressing Alyss. She nodded. "Let's go..." She said, opening the door. "They'll be able to get you in about halfway. You'll have to fight your way from there. Remember, don't engage Madame Jinx until Aric and I have enticed Tanner into battle. Once he's begun fighting us, he won't be able to sense you fighting Madame Jinx. Besides he's got a score to settle with me anyway." "Why?" Twila asked Alyss. "Because the last time we met, I gave him that scar." She said, smirking. Twila was about to inquire about the last time they met, when Aric appeared at Alyss' right side. "We're ready," he said. She nodded and turned to Tristan and Twila. "I won't say good-bye, but I will say good luck. I hope you guys get back to your time." She said. With that, they disappeared in a flurry of white and blue. Alyss and Aric landed in the middle of the street. There were battles going on, on either side of them. Alyss looked Aric in the eye and nodded. He drew his sword and she hit the ruby inside her bracelet, also conjuring a sword. They rushed to help their allies in ridding the place of the filth they knew as demons. Swords clashed and blood ran, as the forces of the Underworld met the returned attacks of The Nexus. Alyss pulled an ice spear from a demon, when she felt a pulse of magic behind her. She quickly activated a full force field from one of her bracelets. As soon as the ruby force field was conjured, it was met with a wave of concussive force. She turned and her gaze met someone she once considered a friend. The face she saw was one that she dreaded to see, because she knew it had the potential of bringing pain. Tanner had finally appeared in the battle. "Nice to see you again Alyss." Tanner said, nonchalantly. "I wish I could say the same Tanner." She replied, withdrawing her force field. Tanner was about to respond, before he saw a cloud of orbs, and Aric appeared. Tanner sneered. "Of course, you wouldn't want to face me alone. You had to have someone holding your hand. My brother and sister are probably hiding, too, waiting for the perfect moment to interrupt our battle." He said, chuckling. "There wasn't anyone with me when I put that scar on your face, Tanner." She said, smiling sweetly. He scoffed at her. "This won't be like last time Alyss. This time, I will end you." He said. "We'll see." She said, sending razor sharp icicles at him at a blinding speed. He waved his hand and they disintegrated. He laughed. "Like I said, it won't be like last time..." Twila and Tristan watched from a monitoring screen at The Nexus. Alyss and Aric were faring well helping their comrades. Then, Tanner had appeared. Twila shouted a warning to Alyss, though she couldn't hear. However, Alyss must have felt his presence, because she quickly erected a shield from one of her handy bracelets. They watched as Alyss and Tanner exchanged brief conversation, then began sending attacks at each other. Twila sighed. She knew what they had to do now. But she wasn't afraid. After all, they weren't just doing it to be doing it. They had a reason. Tanner was their reason. That scarred, twisted, spell bound man that was attacking her best friend was their reason. She longed for the days when they would converse about their lives, or go shopping, or just hang out. They would have those days back again. And that's what she was fighting for. "I want to know of Tanner's status in battle constantly. I don't want that petty little ice bitch to put another scar on him. This won't be a fair fight. If they seem to be getting the upper hand, send in someone. I want them to suffer." Madame Jinx said, watching Tanner battle the angel and the witch from a crystal. "Now that's not very sportsman like." Madame Jinx turned and saw the personifications of Good Magic. Tristan and Twila Halliwell. Just the sight of them made her sick. "Well, I'm surprised you survived. Usually my pet doesn't show much mercy." She said, not even bothering to rise from her throne. "Well, he is our brother..." Twila said. "And we're here to get him back." Tristan finished. Madame Jinx rolled her eyes. "Like I said before, I no longer hold him in my power. He is free to do what he wishes." "Cut the act. We know about the spell. And once we kill you, we will put an end to it." Tristan said. "You're funny. You think you have the power to stop me?" She said, her voice beginning to warp again. "Wrong..." Alyss wove her magic around her, creating her signature protective orb of water. Waves of orange hit the water with no avail. She looked at Aric's limp body sprawled across the hood of an abandoned car and turned back to Tanner. She had to do something. Alyss pushed her hands toward her sphere and slices of razor sharp water went sailing through the air towards Tanner. Tanner froze some of the waves, and dissipated others. One single sliver of deadly water escaped his sight, coming into contact with his chest. It ripped through his armor, showing a bloody cut across his heart. Tanner touched a hand to the wound, revealing blood. Alyss smiled, and Tanner growled, blasting her with another wave. Alyss, enjoying her small victory, was too slow to shield herself. The wave shoved into her, throwing her into a neighboring building. Tanner chuckled slightly. Seeing her in pain brought him joy. While he was distracted by turning to see Alyss struggling to get up, Aric lifted his head up. Aric looked around groggily, but realized quickly the situation. He pushed off the car with his hands, flying into the air. He conjured a crossbow with his newly-imbued powers and shot an arrow of light into Tanner's back. Tanner was launched forward, landing face-first into a windshield, the glass shattering from the impact. Aric flew to Alyss, helping her up. She had blood coming from her right temple. She took his hand as they both turned back to Tanner. He wrenched around, blood dripping from his face. "This is nothing!" Tanner shouted, pointing to his wounds. "I will destroy you!" Aric conjured a lightning bolt and Alyss created a beam of ice, sending their combined attacks at their assailant. Tanner held his fists up and blasted through their onslaught. Twila sent a fireball towards the advancing Madame Jinx. The attack met the Source head-on, sending the Evil Witch flying in the air. Before Madame Jinx could make impact with the wall of her operations tent, she caught herself, allowing her power of flight to take over. Gliding through the air, she shot several blasts of light at them. Tristan flung his hand at the oncoming attacks and they reversed their course, flying back to Madame Jinx. Tristan's eyes widened in shock when Madame Jinx copied his action and sent the orbs back towards the siblings. Tristan activated the smaller force field from his bracelet, successfully deflecting the attacks. Twila wasn't so lucky. The attacks hit her with accelerated force, knocking her down. She screamed in pain, scorch marks appearing where the spheres of light had struck her. Tristan reached within himself and triggered his power of Astral Projection. His projection appeared on the other side of the tent, slightly confusing Madame Jinx. In that moment of hesitation, both Tristans mentally assaulted her, telepathically invading her mind. Madame Jinx wailed in pain, her mind suffering from the mental force. She dropped from the air, no longer able to support herself. Twila struggled to her knees, running over to the real Tristan. He was wincing, competing against Madame Jinx's mental protection. "Get the stone!" He said through gritted teeth. She nodded, whispering an incantation to magically separate her from the Gem. `Well, this isn't fair..." Alyss thought, going hand-to-hand with a demon, while Aric was defending himself from Tanner. It had been like this for a while. At some point in their battle, demons had begun to appear, getting in Aric and Alyss' way. They had lost track of time. It felt like they had been battling for days, even though the sun hadn't seemed to move. Alyss pierced the demon with an atheme, turning to track the progress of Aric. She wasn't sure where Tanner had found a sword, but the two were dueling, swords clashing. She conjured a spear of ice and threw it like a track star towards the two. "Aric!" She shouted, warning him. He looked up, and seeing the spear, orbed away, narrowly missing a strike from Tanner's sword. As soon as Aric landed, he was engaged in combat with a Noxon Demon. The spear caught Tanner's right hand crushing two of his fingers. He groaned in pain, turning to Alyss. "You bitch!" He said, his eyes beginning to glow the same shade of orange as his lethal attacks. He sent a large wave rifling through the air. Alyss met it with a wall of water, the powers neutralizing each other. Tanner sent wave after wave, taking a step closer with assault. Soon, Tanner and Alyss were a mere few feet from each other, mixing hand-to-hand combat with their powers. Alyss punched, her fist cased in ice, but Tanner swiped it away, orange light encircling his palm, shattering the ice. Alyss punched again, but this time Tanner caught her hand. She twisted away from him, preparing to flip away, but Tanner was too quick. He pulled an atheme from his belt and lodged it directly beneath Alyss' ribcage. She grunted in pain and slowly fell to her knees. Tanner pushed the magical blade further, enjoying the sounds of pain coming from Alyss' mouth. Her blood began to flow from her side, running over Tanner's hand. He smiled, and withdrew the blade from her. He got up from his crouch and wiped his blade on his pants. Aric blasted the demon he was engaged in battle with and went soaring towards Tanner. "Good," Tanner thought," One down. One to go..." Madame Jinx's head spun as the wretched Charmed One encased her within her own mind. She felt her precious stone being separated from her. She wouldn't stand for this. She began to fight, harder than ever at the prison walls the witch had put her in. Twila levitated the stone above her hand, quickly chanting the spell that would sway the stone from Evil to Good. Tristan and his Astral twin stood over Madame Jinx, pinning her down with telekinesis, reinforcing their telepathic assault. `Just a few more minutes...' Twila thought to Tristan. He nodded, confirming the thought. Just as he turned to Madame Jinx again, she burst through his telepathic intrusion, thrusting her hands into the air, throwing Tristan back. Twila turned to Madame Jinx, not stopping her chant. Madame Jinx conjured a fireball, about to throw it at Twila, when Tristan tackled her, throwing them both to the ground. Tristan punched Madame Jinx, his fist making contact with her face. She lifted one hand and lightning streamed from it, surging into Tristan. After several seconds of being electrocuted, Tristan fell forwar, his body limp. Madame Jinx got to her feet again, walking towards Twila. She had only walked a foot when her body came in contact with a field of energy, sending a jolt of energy into her body. She gasped, stepping back. "You think this field can protect you?" She asked Twila, sending clouds of black energy into the shield. Twila flinched at the energy, but never stopped chanting. Madame Jinx sent one final bolt of energy at the shield as it fell. She prepared to attack Twila, when Twila turned to face her, the Gem of Azar glowing white, proving Twila triumphant. Twila swiped her hand at Madame Jinx, sending her sailing through the air. "Enemies, Fly and Fall! Circling Arms, Raise a Wall!" She said, trapping Madame Jinx in a bubble of blue light. Madame Jinx was on her feet before Twila could blink, and was attacking her field. "Dah mih vim!" Twila said, strengthening the shield. She rushed over to Tristan, and placed her hands on him. Minutes later, he was gasping for air, in pain from the magical onslaught. Twila continued to heal him, sending magic through his body. "You alright?" She asked. "I will be. Can you summon him?" Tristan asked, sitting up. "I think so." She said, going to draw symbols on the ground. When she stood up again, she took Tristan's hand and they began to chant. "Power of the witches' rise., Course unseen across the skies. Come to us, we call you near. Come to us and settle here. Blood to blood, I summon thee. Blood to blood, return to me" White orbs of light soon filled the space before them, as a bloody, sweaty Tanner appeared. Even though he looked surprised, he quickly returned to his rugged hating demeanor. Before he had the chance to speak, Tristan and Twila took hands again, their half of the Gem glowing white brilliantly. "Powers and emotions tied, a witch's heart is where it hides. Undo the spell that once was cast, restore Good's power from the past!" The Gem glowed brighter until everyone in the room had to look away. When the light faded, Tristan and Twila looked at Tanner. Tanner looked at his hands and touched his face. He looked at his brother and sister, confusion on his face. "Is it over?" He asked. Twila smiled and nodded. Tanner ran to hug his siblings, holding them in a tight embrace. Twila held Tanner out from her, her eyes gleaming with tears. "Tanner," She began, "I- Ahhhh!" She suddenly cried, out dropping to her knees. Tanner went to help her up, but Tristan turned to Madame Jinx, who had made Twila cringe in pain by forcing her way through Twila's shield. "You fools! You ruined everything!" She screamed. "Yeah, us and our meddling dog." Tristan said, joining Tanner and Twila. Madame Jinx threw a fireball towards them, but Tanner waved his hand at it and it burst outward, exploding. Twila pulled a piece of paper from her pocket, and held it out so Tristan and Tanner could see it. "Demon from present and past, destruction finds you from this spell cast!" Madame Jinx slumped, her face contorting in pain. She fell to one knee and was consumed by fire. The heat of the blast brushed against the siblings, who covered their faces. "Wow..." Tanner began. "Yeah." Tristan finished. They looked at each other and began to laugh. "Let's go home." Twila said, tightening her grasp on her brothers' hands. "The Bond which was not to be done, give Us the power to see it undone, and turn back time from whence it begun..." Alyss paced back and forth in the Halliwell's attic, silently praying for a good outcome. She was about to call for her whitelighter, when white lights began to fill the room. The figures of the present Charmed Ones appeared, smiling, hands entwined. "Tanner!" Alyss said, running to hug him. He hugged her back tightly. Even though he didn't have any control over what he had done in the future, he still remembered what he had done. The fact that Alyss was alive and well brought tears to his eyes. He was very glad she was okay. Alyss pulled back and turned to look at the other two. "Everything okay?" She asked. Twila nodded and Tristan grinned. "It will be." Tristan answered. Alrighty then. That's it! I briefly considered splitting this in half, but since you guys had to wait for so long, I figured I would give to you in one hit. Again, I'm really sorry about the major delay. Also, I noticed that I kind of skipped a generation. Since the show Charmed came on from like 1998- 2006, that would put another generation in there from like 2010-2050. So they really should've been in like 2060, or something like that. But I'm not really concerned with that because the present time in my story is now, 2010. Confusing, sorry. So, because this was such a large chapter, I'm not sure when the next story will be up. However, I'm working on two other stories: "Crushing on Nick" in the "High School" section, and "The Legendaries", which will probably be appearing in the "Sci-Fi/ Fantasy" Section. Anyway, feedback is always appreciated, and I especially want some now, because this was my first time writing an "Epic Battle Scene". So yeah. I also wanna thank one particular fan for keeping me going. You really kept me focused on the story, and gave me some good advice! (You know who you are) Anyway, thanks again guys! Suggestions, Questions, and Comments! notoriousnick90@yahoo.com Nick