#i'm not totally sold on this but i have a migraine need to shower and its almost midnight so we're posting

[paigemathews]

Ok im resubmitting all of those pairings separately now please bear with. starting with:

chris and bianca in the past

Pairing: Chris Halliwell / Bianca Atwood

It ached to be here again. It'd been years since it had been this perfect, long before Bianca ever stepped foot there. It'd only been in the After - after magic was exposed, after the supposed paragon of good became the worst tyrant the world had ever seen, after Bianca betrayed every one of her coven's ideals for a witch with green eyes - that she had ever been in this garden.

It had been easy to make sure that no one came, a subtle spell redirecting their desires elsewhere. Bianca's mission had been clear but her parameters had been even more so: death encouraged. It would be... undeniably easier if she relied on her base abilities. He had been a spy, no stranger to innocent blood on his hands for the sake of the mission.

But he was, and always would be, a Halliwell witch first, even if he denied it. So, yes, she could gain his compliance with the lives of innocents, but she knew the Twice-Blessed. (Years and years of his being his favorite, his personal bounty hunter, his. And less than a year of being his prisoner, but, like any real occupant of their world could tell you, death was a mercy and the Twice-Blessed shed that a long time ago.) She would not let him twist her further than he already had, not as long as she had a chance to retain herself.

So instead of relying on her prey's instincts, she relied on her own. He had loved her enough to bring her into the inner sanctum of the Witches' Rebellion, make her a core part of the inner council that opposed the Twice-Blessed, gave her access to his family. He would come for her, whether he consciously knew it or not.

All she had to do was wait.

It didn't take long. With her power interrupted, he would continue bleeding out magic. It was an agonizing way to die, and she'd have turned herself over to the Charmed Ones before letting him die like that. (She wasn't sure if it was because she knew she could escape or she knew that they'd kill her. Everything was so twisted now that she couldn't be sure.) But he knew her, knew that they'd watched each others' backs for years, knew that she loved him.

It was something she'd been taught in her training: if a witch retreats, it will be somewhere they feel safe and protected.

It ached that he found her, when it had been her that had hurt him. But she had a mission to do.

Locking down her emotions was an innate response from years of training, missions, and apocalypses. Striding forward, she caught the shaky breaths as he materialized, pain in every gasp.

"You really shouldn't try to orb anymore, y'know? It could kill you."

"Is that what you want?"

Bianca couldn't help but scoff. He couldn't have forgotten that quickly. "If that's what I wanted, you'd already be dead."

It'd have been something his brother would have encouraged. Eye for an eye. Magic for magic. Pain for pain. He'd always confused his perspective with the Phoenix's.

The Phoenix held vengeance in their hearts, but this wasn't vengeance. This was pointless cruelty, a game that Bianca had never seen much point in playing.

"All I want is to bring you back."

"How did you know I'd be here?"

Circling him like a cat stalking its prey, she noticed his refusal to meet her gaze. It showed weakness, one they both knew he had.

"Same reason you knew I'd be waiting here. This is still our spot... Isn't it?"

Finally coming to a stop, she waited as he shook his head and met her gaze head on. There was a familiar steely determination, never broken over the years. It brought her no pleasure to know that she'd be the one to crack it, despite the many who'd tried.

"No. This is what we hoped it would be. This is what we were trying to preserve for our future. You remember?"

She couldn't totally contain the swell of anger at that, nearly cutting him off as she said, "We were naïve to think that we could change anything. To stop him."

"You don't believe that. Or at least you didn't." He looked away from her.

"Well, I do now." She'd been one of the Twice-Blessed's favorites, but she'd never known the full depths of his power. Not until it had been turned on her in combination with his rage. She'd only survived because he didn't want to give up his favorite prisoner.

She and Chris both decided that she would be left behind. He needed time for the portal to close, and she was the one who could best defend it. She could escape the Twice-Blessed, or at least hold out against him, they thought. They had been wrong.

"What happened to you, Bianca? How did you turn you back?"

"How did he turn you?" a mocking voice asked, uncaring of the answer. She couldn't have answered anyway-

Leaning on the bench, she said, "That's not important. What is important is that I was interrupted of stripping you of your powers. And if I don't finish what I started, you'll die soon."

She meant more than just her attack. She had one chance to bring him back, or Wyatt would send others. None of whom had a vested interest in keeping Chris alive, or bargaining for his safety, like she did. He was all she had left.

"Think of it as... an infection. And I'm the only one with an antidote."

"Here or there, I am dead anyway."

"No." Bianca had sacrificed enough to make this deal, and she would ensure that it was upheld, no matter the consequences. "He gave you his word he wouldn't hurt you. Please, Chris. Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

He looked at her, and Bianca knew already that she'd lost him. He dissolved into orbs right as she lunged forward, only feeling the light brushing her hand as they disappeared.

He didn't understand, damn it. And she couldn't lose him. Not again.