It had been a strange couple of weeks in the Halliwell household. Stranger than usual, you may ask? Well, who's to say, really? Strange was just another synonym for normality in this family.

But dealing with alternate universes, rogue demons, and suspicious-acting Whitelighters was a little much - even for us. Not to mention my heart was pretty much still broken after that awful Buffy finale. Seriously, though, why didn't she choose Spike? I still can't wrap my head around that one.

All in all, I really couldn't be that surprised that I found myself mixing up potions in the attic with Chris. Things were, um, well, still awkward between us after everything. I couldn't say it was entirely his fault though because if I was being honest, I hadn't really spoken to him much since.

I didn't know what I felt towards him really. All I knew was that my heart beat just a little too fast, my cheeks got a little too warm and my thoughts a bit too blurry whenever he walked in the room. Did he feel that way too? But, no, how could he? He was our Whitelighter. Why would he?

"I'm sorry, are we daydreaming here or can we get back to working at the problem at hand?" a sharp masculine voice interrupted me and I couldn't help but let a sigh emit from between my lips.

I bit my lip so hard that I tasted the familiar metallic tang on my tongue but I ignored it. Then again, that was the other side of the coin. He just annoyed me so much. Sometimes I truly wondered how one guy could be this temperamental. I rolled my eyes before continuing the brewing.

But not before Leo appeared before us, gracing us in all his jingly Elder glory.

"We need to talk," Leo cut to the chase, eyeing Chris warily as he always did these days.

Chris didn't even glance up as he kept stirring, "Sorry, not now,"

"Oh, yeah, now," Leo snapped as he held out a pendant nestled in his palm, "Look familiar?"

"I don't have time for this,"

"You had time to kill a Valkyrie. Whitelighters don't kill, or did you not read the manual?"

My mouth gaped before I spluttered out, "You killed a Valkyrie?! How-"

"But it's alright for an Elder? You had Valkyrie blood on your hands too," Chris countered, not bothering to answer my unfinished question.

"Fighting to protect the sisters. You went out, hunted a Valkyrie to steal her magic," Leo shot back.

"Oh, so that makes you the noble one, right?"

"Face it, Chris, I got you this time. This is enough to get your Whitelighter status stripped and your soul sent back down to earth for recycling,"

"You do what you have to do,"

"I already did. I arranged a hearing with the Elders tonight. I expect this to be your last day as a Whitelighter," Leo told him, a little too smugly I might add.

Chris was silent for only a beat before he replied, more calm in his voice than I expected, "That's quite possible. Excuse me,"

"Why are you making a vanquishing potion?"

"To help the sisters,"

"Why aren't they making it?"

"Because they're busy," Chris snapped, exasperated with the interrogation.

I didn't blame him really, Leo was starting to get on my nerves as well. We didn't have time for questions, we had to save the girls. Nothing mattered more than that right now. I frowned then, realizing Leo had gone quiet.

"I can't sense them..." he said softly, frowning himself.

"Don't worry, I'm on it," Chris told him, evading the obvious question.

I coughed, shooting Chris a pointed look. His green eyes locked on me once before rolling them, amending, "Sorry, we're on it,"

"Much better," I patted him on the arm condescendingly to which he only shrugged me off with another eye-roll.

"You know, if I can't sense them it means they're not in this world," Leo stated, turning his suspicious gaze on me now, too.

Well, that's just great. Now Leo didn't trust me either. Gee, thanks, Chris. Great having you in this family.

"I said I'm on it," Chris said through gritted teeth before attempting to push past Leo.

I followed behind but Leo quickly blocked us, clearly not trusting our intentions here.

"Where are you two going?" he asked.

"To bring them back, now lay off, Leo!" I snapped, finally feeling fed up with the third degree.

Leo's eyes widened in surprise only to be swiftly replaced by that of slight hurt. Suddenly, I felt guilt rush up inside of me. I knew he was only trying to help - still, though, it was a bit annoying. I'm not saying Chris was the most trustworthy person around - there were many questionable things that he'd done both in the past and present. But he always came through for us in the end - no matter what.

"Until I find out what's going on, I'm not gonna let you out of my sight," Leo told us both, his voice quiet in the otherwise stillness of the attic.

"You don't trust me. Fine, I get it," Chris snapped at him, green eyes hard as flint, "But get this, if I don't show up where I'm supposed to be alone, they'll die. Your call."

That stopped Leo short - and me, as well, successfully pulling me back into the conversation at hand.

"Alone?! Excuse me, who said anything about going alone?!" I asked, eyebrows hitting my hairline as I fumed.

"Yes, alone, do I need to spell it out for you, Mattie?" Chris bit out, rounding on me, "I'm the Whitelighter, this is my job. Let me do it."

With those final words, he started to orb away, the familiar blue-and-white swirls already having begun fading him away from the attic.

"Oh, no you don't! Not without me!" I snapped, anger coursing through my veins as I reached out a hand in just the nick of time, fingers sliding around to grip his wrist that was already beginning to feel less solid.

And then we were gone, tumbling through the cosmos in between time and space to whatever horrible place this demon called home.