Twenty- Three

The darkness took over and consumed him.

It felt like tar coursing through his veins until there was no more of Christopher Perry Halliwell left. Instead stood this boy that he didn't recognise. The feel of slitting their throats was almost euphoric. To have such power and control felt liberating. There was no guilt and no shame in this moment. No feeling of worthlessness or that he wasn't good enough. He felt like a god!

She never left him! She stood watching him the whole time. Eyes glued to him in wonder, shining brightly as she observed with fascination. He could see the passion burning in her eyes, dancing seductively for him. Smiling coyly, she beckoned him closer with her finger. He was like a moth to the flame as his feet moved on their own towards her.

She placed her hands against his chest as he pushed forward searching for a kiss. "You haven't earned one today,"

Pouting, Chris shook his head feeling her rejection. "Please," he pleaded "I'll do anything,"

"Anything?" she asked hopefully

"Yes anything," he repeated with conviction.

"Well!" she placed her index finger to the side of her face and looked upwards pretending to ponder the question. Grinning at him she pulled closer by his shirt and kissed him with all the passion she could muster. Chris could feel himself drowning in the kiss, consumed by everything that was her. For that one moment he was no longer powerful, he no longer held the cards. That god like feeling that up until moments ago he possessed had quickly disappeared and in it's place was the shy young boy craving attention.

Pulling away, she took him by the hand and led him through the cold, dark warehouse towards the outside world. Reaching it, she tugged him into the night and he blindly followed. She was so beautiful that he craved her, he knew that she could bend him to her will.

The night was so cold that he could see his breath as they walked further away from the building. His arms were littered with goosebumps and he shivered.

"Not much farther," she reassured him pulling him across the deserted industrial estate and into an alley between two units. Pushing him against the nearest wall she kissed him so hard that his lips felt bruised.

Withdrawing, she held his gaze, her eyes darkening momentarily. "Are you still willing to do anything for me?"

"Yes," he answered passionately.

"Would you kill for me?"

"Yes," he repeated.

Seductively she put her lips to his ear and whispered "Would you die for me?"

He looked at her confused but didn't have chance to answer. All he felt was pain from the blade as she plunged it into his side. He felt so sick he thought he was going to pass out from the pain.

"Why?" he asked, his voice shaking from both shock and the agony spreading through his body.

She grinned smugly at him before responding "Because it's your fault he killed me," A scream left Chris' mouth as the world went black!

His screaming quickly woke the Halliwell house in the early hours of the morning, making Piper bolt out of bed and run to her youngest son's bedroom. The sight that awaited her broke her heart. Her baby was sitting in the dark bolt up right up in bed, sheets pooling around his waist, his t-shirt soaked in sweat. He had this haunted look on his face that terrified her. The limited light coming from the hallway made the tear stains visible on his face.

"Shhh…..Shhh," Leo soothed having orbed to his son before she got there "It's ok! I've got you," Sitting on the bed behind him, Leo had drawn him into his arms and was stroking his hair, in an attempt to calm him. Kissing his sons head, he looked up at his ex wife with pained eyes. He had been through this himself before, he was the only one who truly understood his pain.

"Make her go away!" Chris begged between sobs "Please dad make her go away!"

"Who son?" Leo asked sharing a look of confusion with Piper as her sisters joined them.

"What's going on?" Paige asked rubbing sleep out of her eyes

"Another nightmare," Piper sighed.

"Looks like he's still in it," Phoebe chimed in.

The three sisters turned there attention back to Chris who was staring at the wall in a trance like state. "Chris what are you looking at?" Piper questioned.

"She staring at me, I've asked her to go but she won't leave me alone," Chris was again becoming visibly distressed.

"Peanut," his mother began concerned "There's no one there,"

"YES THERE IS!" he yelled

"Buddy calm down," Leo soothed kissing his head.

"SHE WANTS ME DEAD. SHE WANTS ME DEAD,"

"They don't believe you," she gloated "They think your crazy,"

"I'M NOT CRAZY!" Chris screamed, flinging him arm out in an attempt to knock her off her feet. She stayed still unphased.

"That won't work on me Chris," she answered flatly.

"Why are you doing this?" he whispered. His family looked on at the one sided conversation transpiring before them concerned.

"Because you're the reason I'm dead,"

"I'm sorry," he apologised "I didn't mean for you to end up dead. I wanted us to go away together like we planned. I didn't want you to die,"

"But I did," she simply stated "And now were both paying the price,"

A sickening realisation hit Chris like a sucker punch to the stomach. He was never going to escape his past, he was never going escape his crimes. Laney stood in the corner of the room smirking at him. She was haunting him, plaguing not only his dreams but his waking moments.

He was never going to be free.

Not until he was brave enough to face the enemy within.

Authors note: Well that's it! Fourteen years after starting this fic, it's finally complete. The idea for this story came from this final scene. That was all I had and it grew into twenty-three chapters. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to carry on with this story.