𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 || 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥

Chapter 8 - Where's Ragnar?

2 hours later of full-on scrying and spell-casting, Leo's location was still unknown to us. And to boot, Piper's memories had been messed with somehow, making it a two-fold problem since we were currently missing the Power of Three. Apparently, the Power of Two-and-a-Half just wasn't the same.

That's when Paige had the bright idea of casting a spell on Piper to recover her lost memories. Except...that didn't quite go as planned. Instead of recovering them, it made her lose them. As in, Piper now had no clue who in the world she was, much less anyone around her.

But thankfully, the girls were able to locate Leo finally. Who knew Valhalla was actually real? Unless of course, you were Ragnar Lothbrok, that is.

However, even after Chris found us some pendants to portal us there - which I was still suspicious about by the way - busting Leo out of there was much easier said than done. In fact...we may or may not have, um...left Piper there...by accident.

So I guess I can't say I was totally surprised at what ensued next as Paige orbed us into the manor.

"Geez, it's about time, I was starting to get wor..." Chris started as he stepped into the living room where we had appeared before stopping short, "Where's Piper?"

Leo let loose an expletive before lunging for Chris and my eyes widened, Phoebe shrieking behind me, as he shoved the young Whitelighter up against the wall, "Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?" Chris asked, confusion evident in his tone.

In reply, Leo tossed Chris halfway across the room. Paige and I shouted at him to stop but just as Chris began to orb out, Leo advanced toward him again to repeat the action. This time, Chris hit the cabinet with a groan, glass shards raining down on him.

"Leo, enough! This hostility is killing me," Phoebe complained, putting her hands up to stop her brother-in-law.

"What is wrong with you? You been playing Gladiator too long?" I arched an eyebrow, feeling unusually protective over Chris.

Leo shot an angry glare towards the Whitelighter as he made it to his feet, "You didn't tell them, did you?"

"Tell us what?" Phoebe asked in confusion.

"That he was the last one to see me. Right afterwards, I was mysteriously trapped in Valhalla,"

A gasp escaped my lips as realization dawned on me - it all made sense now. The cagey way he acted after I saw him talking to Leo, the lies, the evasiveness. This whole time he had been keeping it a secret.

"Oh, so what, that makes me responsible? Is that what you're saying?" Chris shot back, tendrils of brown hair falling across his forehead.

"You lied to me...even when I specifically asked you about it, you said you had no idea what happened," I said quietly, catching his emerald gaze for a split second before he looked down, shame-faced.

"But why would Chris do that?" Paige asked the question that was on all our minds.

"Why else? To get rid of me," Leo stated angrily.

"That doesn't make sense,"

"Doesn't it? He manipulated things so I could become an Elder. Forced me out of the house, didn't he?"

"So you could save the world," Chris countered Leo's accusation, enunciating slowly as if he were talking to a child.

"Alright, Leo, I know how upset you are. And by know, I mean I literally know. But you're way off base here. Chris has been the model Whitelighter since you've been gone. He's done nothing but good," Phoebe tried to smooth things over, playing peacekeeper as always.

"He's sent us after so many demons, if anything, he's been too good," Paige interjected and I nodded in agreement at the 'demon' part.

"He's the reason we were able to save you," Phoebe finished.

Chris spread his arms in mock-humility, "You're welcome."

Leo was silent for a moment, lost in thought, before he spoke again, "Where'd you get the pendants?"

Chris scoffed and Phoebe began to admonish Leo before he eventually got onto the subject of Wyatt's whereabouts. While the three of them talked, I made my way over to Chris who was currently brushing shards of glass from his hoodie.

"You okay?" I asked, trying to swallow down the hurt of his possible error in judgement as I reached out a hand to pick a stray piece of glass from his shaggy brown locks.

He nodded slightly, eyes flitting to Leo's form briefly as he muttered bitterly, "Some thank you, right? Honestly, you try to help people..."

I chewed the inside of my cheek, wanting to ask for clarification on what Leo had accused him of but knowing better. He'd tell me in his own time - if at all. Besides, none of that mattered right now. All that mattered was getting Piper back. She was no Valkryie, she was a Charmed One. Always.

Thankfully, Chris did agree to go back to Valhalla with Leo to help locate her. It did no good though - apparently, all the Valkryies (with Piper tagging along) had hitched a portal to San Francisco. And now they were looting the city at random, making messes wherever they went. Paige and Phoebe had headed over to get her back but I was still apprehensive.

Please, don't let them be too late...