This time I didn't beam, following an anxious Phoebe back home

"Oh, I'm an Empath, am I not?" She asked me for the hundredth time but not letting me answer, "Oh, my God. This is... Is. Huge!"

"Breath" I was amused, hands inside my Jean pockets as we entered the manor. Me with a slight jump in my walk as Phoebe found Piper on the living room

Phoebe shrieked in excitement making Piper jump "Piper! Hi! You're never gonna believe this" Piper just stared at Phoebe and myself confused. Weird. "I think I have a new power. It would certainly explain a lot of my weird behaviour lately like why I wanted to date Chad, why my advice has been so amazingly accurate. I know, this is huge, right? Huge. So what's my new power you ask? Well, I'll tell you. Um, do you remember that empath we helped a couple of years ago? That guy that could feel what other people were feeling?"

Chris walked in. "Uh, Phoebe..."

Phoebe lifted a finger "Just a sec. I think that's what I am now. An empath. I am an empath"

Chris stopped by me, a grimace in his face

"Oh, I know that face" I turned to him, suspiciously "What happened?"

"Spell gone wrong" He replied, watching Phoebe and a still confused Piper

"That's my new power" Phoebe was telling Piper "Or at least an advancement of my premonition power, I don't know"

"Neither does she, I'm afraid" Chris interrupted. "No that is, anything. Paige erased her memory"

Piper looked at Phoebe excited "Can you blow things up too?"

Phoebe laughed hysterically "Oh, boy. Paige!" I cringed, following behind her and Chris.

"Tell me that's the only thing that happened" I pleaded Chris with eyebrows slightly furrowed

Once we entered the conservatory, Chris eyed Wyatt on Paige's lap while scrying "He can now orb things"

My eyes widened, "But.. He's a baby still"

Chris pursed his lips, shrugging

I sighed

"What did you do to our sister?" Phoebe scolded before sucking in a deep breath. Probably Paige's emotions hitting her "Oh, you poor dear. You feel awful about it, don't you? I'm so sorry"

Paige seemed wary, looking up "Thanks, I think"

"That's it? That's all the ass kicking you're gonna go out?" Chris seemed frustrated "You're supposed to be sisters"

Phoebe narrowed her eyes "She's clearly devastated about this"

"But you can't let her off the hook" Chris told her "You need enough guilt to get her to fix it"

Suddenly the crystal in Paige's hands stopped, pointing to the Indian Ocean on the map.

I glanced at Chris, pursing my lips

"I think I just fixed it" Paige blinked "I think we just found Leo"

"We?" Phoebe repeated

Paige stood up. "Yep, Wyatt and me. I mean, nothing's more important to Leo than him, right?" She placed Wyatt down back in a playpen. "There you go, big boy. Let's go"

"Go? Go where?" Chris asked "It's pointing to the middle of the Indian Ocean"

"There must be something there" Paige told us "I trust Wyatt"

I looked away and down at that.

Chris didn't seemed to think the same, but we for obvious reasons. Not one they knew about "No, this is crazy"

"Chris, she's feeling really strongly about this" Phoebe said, standing beside Paige and Paige put her arm around her. "I have a new power. I'll explain on the way"

Paige looked between us "Oh, hey, can you take the dogs back for me? The addresses are in the book"

"No, there's no way..." He didn't finish as Paige orbed out with Phoebe. Chris kicked one of Wyatt's toys across the room. Wyatt's force field appeared around himself

"Chris" I looked slightly wide eyed

Chris ignored me, looking at Wyatt "If anyone should be protecting themselves, it's me from you"

He walked away.

I looked down, glancing at Wyatt.

Wyatt's force field slowly lowered down, still looking at me

"We're doing everything we can to protect you. But.. Not knowing who hurt you, we have no way of saving you. We're trying Wy"

~8~

I was with one of the dogs, scratching it's heads. Only one stayed because no one wanted him. I used to have a dog named Ellis. Dad had gave it to me as a birthday gift.

He had given my older sister a Hamster at her birthday and like he knew I loved dogs, he gave me one.

It was when we were happy, before things got out of control.

Phoebe and Paige were back now, looking through the Book of Shadows.

Chris was eyeing the dog in disgust while I smiled down at the animal. There was something in the dog that was weird. I felt like he understood us.

No, it wasn't another power. There was something in his heart.

I could feel it.

And I could never feel animal's hearts. What was so different from this bulldog?

"You could have been killed, you know that?" Chris was telling the girls, worried after they told us what happened "Huh? What were you thinking?"

"We were thinking of finding Leo" Paige replied "Which we actually did if that matters to you"

"What was up with that skirt he was wearing?" Phoebe asked, scrunching her nose.

"At least the skirt wasn't plaid" Paige chuckled

Phoebe laughed

"I don't believe this. It's like neither of you guys are taking this very seriously" Chris snapped. The bulldog barked at Chris. I patted his head, calmingly, coeeing at him. "Hey, do you mind?"

"He doesn't seem to like you" I told him with an innocent shrug. "We can't help it"

"You were supposed to take him back home anyway" Paige told us

"I tried but the owners weren't there" Chris told us

"He's cute" I commented, giggling. "Sit down Oscar"

Oscar obeyed, laying down next to me and placing his head on my lap.

"Aw, look, Bree, I think he likes you" Phoebe cooed.

I huffed, amused.

"Don't tell me you can read his feelings now too" Paige said annoyed, eyeing the dog in my lap.

I smiled innocently, "There's something about this dog, though"

The dog lifted his head, whining. I looked down at it, tilting my head

Phoebe chuckled softly. She looked around "Where's Piper?"

"I put her in her room hoping that it might jog her memory" Chris answered "Since nobody else seems to be trying to"

I looked back at Paige, struggling with the book. "Need some help?" I asked holding my hand to her. I knew what she was looking for. Valkyries. But I had to make it seem like I didn't know.

Chris gave me a look.

Paige looked back at me, furrowing her eyebrows. "How?"

I gently moved Oscar's head from my lap and stood up, dusting my pants "It's one of my powers. I can find what you're looking for faster. I just need your hand to know what I'm  looking for"

Paige shrugged giving me her hand. I used my other hand and hovered it on top of the Book, concentrating.

My hand started glowing, the book mimicking the glow for a second before starting flipping it's pages with speed. My eyes flickered quickly as if they were reading in a fast pace while gripping Paige's hand tightly.

Phoebe gasped in awe, walking closer. "It never stops amazing me all different powers" she murmured. Something akin to pride filled my chest for hearing that coming from Phoebe and I hid a small smile, even when the book pages started to slow down, stopping right on an entry.

"That's them" Paige told me in awe. I dropped my hand, stumbling back.

Chris was right behind me, knowing this happened always and kept me standing "You okay?"

I breathed heavily. "It was much worse while finding the spell to bring us to the past" I murmured for him only.

"You okay, sweetie?" Phoebe looked back up at me, concerned

"Yeah. I'm used to this. It always happens when I use this power. No matter how large the book is" I told her, pausing a second "You need a lot of stuff to update" Phoebe raised her eyebrows. I shook my head, "What does it say?"

I knew what it said. I had already read about it when I found the entry.

"A powerful race of demigoddesses who scout the battle grounds for dying warriors." Paige read.

Phoebe continued "Then take their souls to Valhalla where they prepare them for the final world battle."

"Valkyries, huh?" Paige looked up.

"Does that mean they're good?" Phoebe asked.

I glanced at Chris huffing silently.

"How can they be good if they've got Leo?" Paige questioned

"Good question" I clapped my hands, giving Chris a sarcastic look

They ignored me, "And how did they even get Leo? He's not a dying warrior, he's an Elder" Phoebe pointed out

Chris knew I was pissed off at him, so he didn't want to say near me "Look, why don't you guys concentrate on helping Piper and I'm gonna go fill in the Elders and see what they wanna do"

"But Chris, we don't have time for that" I told him, crossing my arms. "We have to go back for Leo now"

Chris glared at me "Why? It doesn't sound like he's in any sort of trouble"

"He's only stuck in a cage" Paige said.

"They tried to kill us when we tried to save him" Phoebe told us

"My point exactly" Chris told us, "It's too dangerous, you're not going back"

"Wait, let me get this straight" Phoebe narrowed her eyes "Are you telling me that you'd rather just let Leo rot there? Is that what you're saying?"

Chris hesitated "No, but..."

"He needs our help" Paige told us

"Not to mention, he may be the only way we have to save Piper" Phoebe added

Chris sighed

I smirked.

"You can't orb into Valhalla undetected. The only way to get there safely is with a Valkyries pendant" Chris explained "But that still won't get you close enough to Leo. He's too well guarded now"

"How do you know all this?" Paige asked

"I've crossed paths with Valkyries before. In the future" Chris told them. I looked away in disgust. Phoebe seemed to pick it and looked at me curiously "Anyway, I can get you the pendants but the only way to get close to Leo is by proving to the Valkyries you're one of them"

"How are we supposed to do that?" Phoebe questioned

"Easy" I spoke up. "Just arrive with a warrior's soul"

"Oh!" Paige exclaimed sarcastically "Easy"

"As pie" I added, ignoring her sarcasm

"Where are we supposed to find a warrior's soul?" Phoebe asked us

"Beats me" Chris shrugged before orbing out.

I opened my mouth, but then closed it, biting my cheek

"Is he always like this?" Phoebe asked me. I didn't answer, blinking "Oh, sweetie. You're hurt"

I pursed my lips, "Nope"

"You feel as if he doesn't trust you anymore. You feel betrayed"

I knew she was knew with her powers but I never liked when she used them on me.

Not now and much less on my time

"Can you please... Don't" I snapped, giving her a look

"But, you can't help it do you?" Paige asked me. "Why won't he trust you? I thought you were his charge. Isn't that supposed to make him trust you?"

"The thing is..." I scratched the back of my neck "Chris was never my whitelighter until recently. We used to be friends before that and well... Our relationship is complicated"

"Friends or Family?" Phoebe tilted her head aside. "It may be a blur but I remember you telling us you two were family when we were under the Goddess' influence" 

I grimaced, "Yeah. Being your own family's white-lighter isn't easy"

"And why is he? Isn't that forbidden?" Paige asked me.

I had to think fast on this, but... What. "I had never the chance of being given a whitelighter so Chris swop in, protecting me. He's been doing that since a while now. That's why I traveled with him back to the past" I explained, sighing. "But, lately... I don't know"

"Aw, Bree" Phoebe sighed softly, wrapping an arm around my shoulders pulling me closer into a hug. The gesture was familiar that it made my eyes sting and burn.

I missed this kind of embraces.

I missed my mom.