Harsh Realities
- Author: Sensue
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Summary: Chris knew he didn’t have any time left. He was coming for him. A Chris revelation fanfiction
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Timeline: AU - Right after Chris-Crossed from the moment that Chris falls from the time portal. But with one slight difference, Chris DID NOT grab the spell from the book before entering the portal for the second time. Obviously, you see where I’m going with this.
- Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed, any of its characters (drat) and am not making any kind of profit from writing this story.
- Rating: TV-14
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Chapter
One
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Most
movies, books, and television shows described time travel as a cold,
hard, swirling leap into a science fiction worm-hole. A person would
get dizzy and arrive, usually without clothing,
in a deserted area in the middle of nowhere. The first thing they’d
usually do is find clothing and the nearest newspaper to find out
what the date was. They would usually meet a kind person of the
opposite sex, who took them in and fell in love with them until the
time when the traveler needed to return to their own time period. To
Chris, it was nothing like the movies. The portal was a warm inviting
heaven that was like being in a fuzzy cloud. It didn’t fling you
around, there was no swirl; it just opened and allowed you to walk
out to a whole new world. A better world than his own—a world that
he would risk his very existence and soul to preserve. He didn’t
need to find a newspaper; he arrived at the same time that he’d
left with Bianca. They—the sisters and Leo—were waiting for him
and ran over to help him off of the ground where he’d collapsed. And
unlike the movies, no one fell in love with him. Not even his mother.
When he first arrived, he’d feared that Piper would take one look
at him and know exactly who he was to her. After all, the one phrase
he’d heard all of his life was “You look exactly like your
mother.” Even though he was relieved that his secret wasn’t
discovered, he was disappointed as well. Wasn’t a mother supposed
to know her child anywhere and any time? Paige
was the first to reach him, “Oh my god, Chris, are you okay?” Chris
lay face down on the cold attic floor, a groan flying from his lips
without his permission. Wyatt, his big brother, had thrown energy
balls at him in attempt to stop him from returning to their past.
He’d felt the blast push him through the portal as it hit him in
the back, making his entire body jerk in pain and shock. It was low
energy, this he knew for a fact; else he’d have been vaporized
before he’d made it back. The
pain was incredible. His back felt as if he’d been fried in vat of
oil, sending his senses into overload of sensation. Everything was
suddenly too loud and too bright. Chris could feel himself losing
consciousness, closing his eyes quickly and taking a deep breath in
hopes of preventing it. Leo
quickly ran to his side and began to heal him, his hands glowing
warmly. “God, Chris. What happened over there? Where’s Bianca?” With
a hiss, he answered tersely, “She’s not a threat anymore.”
Gulping, he pushed himself off the floor, pulling away from Leo when
he tried to help him. Piper,
Phoebe, and Paige stared at him, open mouthed as he ignored them and
walked back over to the Book of Shadows and started to flip through
the book frantically. They
were staring at him as if he’d lost his mind, he knew without
looking. It was the way they’d always looked at him. Well, that or
when they were annoyed at his “neurotic” tendencies to destroy
the evil that had turned their small baby into a monster. It
was something that they would never understand; something that Chris
prayed that they would never need to. It was the reason why he came
back, so that they would never know of the horrors that would be
caused by a Halliwell, their son and nephew. Page
after page was flipped with an almost hysterical quality. His hands
started shaking violently, making the engagement ring that he’d
held with a gorilla grip fall to the floor with a metallic ping-ping.
The reality of what he’d already known hit him suddenly, forcing
Chris to stop and lean against the stand for a moment. There was no
spell, no potion or chant that he could do to stop Wyatt. It
was hopeless. The
thought made his head spin around rapidly; it was his last conscious
thought as he met the ground again with a resounding thump, wincing
as he heard the sisters screech before blacking out completely. --------- He’d
felt a cool hand touch his forehead, then run down his cheek before
resting at his neck. His heart was pounding; he could feel the
thumping under the fingers taking his pulse. Another hand was placing
a damp washcloth on his brow. His
mother’s voice, coming from above his head, was unusually soft as
she spoke to someone in the room. “How’s he doing, Leo?” Leo’s
voice was to the right of his ear, making him the person who’d been
taking his vital signs. Chris fought himself for a moment, telling
himself that nothing had changed in his relationship with his father;
the man was simply using his medical training to verify his
condition. Leo didn’t give a shit about him; he couldn’t—there
was no way that his identity was discovered. “Piper,
I think he’s starting to regain consciousness.” His voice was
closer now, slapping him lightly on the cheek. “Chris? Chris, wake
up, now. Come on. You’re starting to worry your charges, huh? I
mean, what kind of Whitelighter sleeps on the job? It’s time to
wake up.” The
flinch that he’d made at the joke was taken by the others as a
positive response in their attempts to rouse him. Chris’
voice was gritty and broken, but he answered with a sarcastic, “Yeah,
now you want me to do my job, before it was ‘give it a rest, Chris.
We need social lives and don’t have time to vanquish demons.’ I
mean, can you be more of a hypocrite?” Opening his eyes, he caught
Piper rolling her eyes before walking away from him to go up the
stairs at the sound of Baby Wyatt crying. Looking
around, Phoebe and Paige were not within sight. Leo remained by the
couch where he assumed that Leo had orbed him to rest. Leo
smiled at him gently, “I think you’ve had enough work for one
day. You know Chris, I know that you’re trying to save the future
and all, but you need to take a break. You are running yourself
ragged and it’s not healthy. When you start passing out from
exhaustion, it’s a sign that you need to slow down. Relax a little,
you know?” He rubbed his hand across his jaw before continuing,
“Chris, you know you can ask for help, right? We would help you…”
He let the sentence trail, waiting for Chris to respond. Chris
swallowed with an audible gulp, before nodding slowly. “Alright,”
he whispered. Leo
stood up, gesturing towards the kitchen before commenting, “I’m
going to get you something to eat. I’ll be right back.” Turning
his back towards the young Whitelighter, he didn’t see the tear run
down his face or his despondent expression. Piper’s
footsteps and childish chatter alerted him that she was coming
downstairs with the baby. Quickly, he replaced the depression and
pain with a mask of arrogance and sarcasm. “Look, Wyatt. Who’s
that?” Piper playfully asked the two year old
half-witch/half-Whitelighter. The
boy giggled up at his mother, giving her a toothless smile before
saying “K-wiss” with a little giggle. Piper kissed him and hugged
him proudly before turning towards the man in question. “How are
you feeling, Chris? You gave us quite a scare.” The
scene before him made him hope once more, his little big brother was
still innocent in this time line. He could still be saved. Licking
his lips, he stood up to face her, “I’m fine, thanks. Glad I’m
back. Listen, this isn’t over—” His
sentence was cut off by Leo, who’d walked back in with a tray of
food. “Chris, sit back down! You just passed out. If you keep
pushing yourself you could end up in the hospital next time.” When
it was evident that Chris wasn’t going to sit down as he’d asked,
Leo put the tray down on the coffee table to confront him. Chris
stared at the man in shock. He had never seen his father look at him
that way before—with a loving concern. A look he’d only seen
intended for Piper or Wyatt, both in the past and the future. Leo
stepped in front of him and placed his hands on his shoulders in
order to gently push him down. He
resisted. “Chris,
what’s the matter?” Leo sounded confused and worried. His brow
matched his tone as it was scrunched up into a distressed frown. Chris
pulled away, leaning against the back of the couch for a second
before straightening to stare at Wyatt. The baby was pulling at his
mother’s hair as he chatted in baby talk that no one understood.
Running a hand across his mouth, he couldn’t help but be afraid.
“He knows, Leo. He knows why I’m here and he’ll try to stop me
from stopping him. He has the spell… and now—there’s nothing in
this world that’ll keep him from coming for me.” Suddenly, Chris
snapped his head up to search the room, “Where are Phoebe and
Paige?” Piper
and Leo looked at each other in uncertainty. “At work, Chris. They
left a few minutes ago, once Leo told them that you’d be okay,”
Piper answered him quietly, as if she was speaking to an injured
child, bouncing Wyatt up on her hip before asking the question that
she and Leo had been thinking. “Chris, what are you talking about?
Who’s going to come for you? I thought you said that Bianca wasn’t
a threat anymore. And who’s He?” Panic
flared. “Shit! Leo you have to get them. We need the Power of
Three. Now! Hurry, before he comes!” Leo
looked at him strangely, “What?” “Hurry!”
Chris shouted, his panic and fear finally infiltrating past his stoic
mask. It
was that—the fear—that forced Leo to act. Orbing away, he raced
to get the other two witches, leaving Piper fearfully clutching her
baby to her chest in worry. “Chris!
For God’s sake. Tell me, what the hell is going on?” Piper
screeched at him, making Wyatt cry. He
didn’t get a chance to answer. THUMP. It
had come from the attic. And
suddenly, he knew. Time had finally run out. He
felt it, had and would always feel it. His
presence. – They were linked, had always been linked from the
moment of his birth. His
Brother. – The one who’d taken care of him as a child. Who’d
become the only constant in his short life. And the one who’d
destroyed everything in his path to power. The
thumping became louder—footsteps that he would know anywhere. Chris
ran to Piper and Baby Wyatt in order to orb them away. He could feel
his heart skip a beat after he realized that he’d been rendered
unable to orb by his big brother’s stronger magic. Seconds
later, Leo had orbed back to the manor with Paige and Phoebe in tow.
Chris screamed, “Run! Take them all and run!” He pushed them all
towards the door using his telekinesis, running closely behind them,
knowing that Wyatt’s magic would prevent them from orbing away from
him. A
magically shield came up around the manor a split millisecond before
they’d all reached the door. “CHRIS.”
The shout came from behind him, using the voice of his once-beloved
brother. Putting
up his mask, he slowly, using his body to shield the others
purposefully, turned to face him once more for the second time that
day. There he was, in all of his glory—the source of all Evil—Wyatt
Matthew Halliwell, no longer a baby, but a deranged power-hungry
maniac without a single qualm about killing the ones that he’d once
loved. Coldly,
he glared at the dark man in front of him, “So, you’ve come to
finish what you started, have you? Well, you’re in for a fight. I
swear it on my mother’s grave, that I’ll stop you, even if it
kills me.” I was a vow. He held up a hand behind his back,
motioning for the others not to attack. It was his fight. “Oh,
don’t worry, Christopher. It will.” Wielding the power that he’d
been twice-blessed with since he’d been born, he flung his little
brother across the room and dropped him in front of his feet. Kneeling
down, he smiled darkly. “Chris, Chris, Chris. Now, don’t you wish
that you had joined me when I asked you?” With
a flick of his wrist, he sent Chris flying across the room, his head
and body hitting the wall hard enough to crack the drywall. Blood was
now dripping down his face and into his eyes. He
watched as Wyatt turned his back to him to walk over to others, his
hands poised to make the kill.
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Chapter
Two
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Chris
crawled to his hands and knees, watching the drops of blood drip from
his forehead to stain the carpet under him. The dizziness that he’d
felt earlier returned with a vengeance, making the room spin as if he
was riding a merry-to-round. Lifting
his head up, he watched as Wyatt approached the sisters. Chris took a
deep breath while blinking away the spots in front of his eyes. When
he reopened his eyes, the sight of this brother telekinetically
strangling their Aunt Paige would be forever burned into his mind. Using
an end table as a brace, he levered himself up onto his feet. Chris
stumbled as he sped over to reach them, screaming at Wyatt to
“Please, Stop. Don’t do this.” Wyatt
just glanced at him before tightening his hold. Paige was struggling,
trying to focus her powers but unable to fight back. Phoebe and Leo
were pinned to the wall, unable to move, leaving Piper and Baby Wyatt
the ones left free from Wyatt’s murderous hold. Baby Wyatt in his
mother’s arms, screaming uncontrollably. It only added to the
precarious atmosphere. Wyatt
was harsh, nothing like the big brother that Chris adored as a child,
“Don’t do what, Chris? Paige is supposed to be dead; the Titans
were to have killed her. I’m merely rectifying that situation.” Piper,
with one hand, since the other cradled the baby to her chest, flung
an energy ball towards her family’s attacker; unknowingly trying to
kill her son—the same son that she was cradling. The
energy ball bounced off Wyatt’s shield and ricocheted near the
stairwell, blasting a hole into the wall. Once
Piper realized that her powers were useless against him, a cry flew
from her lips, pleading with desperation, “Oh, god. Please, stop.” It
was as if Chris’ worst nightmare had come true. And it was just as
he had imagined it; they were all helpless against Wyatt. The powers
that he’d gained yielding Excalibur made him nearly unstoppable. As
he watched Paige’s lips turn blue and the tears that streamed down
the sisters’ faces as they watched Paige try to breathe. Chris
decided in that moment that he would do whatever it took to stop him.
Whatever it took. Wyatt
started talking—taunting him. “This is all your fault, Chris. If
you would’ve just been as loyal to me as I’ve been to you, I
wouldn’t have to do this. I already told you that I’d forgive you
and what do I get for my leniency—your betrayal! Did you think I
wouldn’t find out what you were doing behind my back? That you’ve
been spying on me—helping my enemies?” The hold he’d had on
the family tightened again, making Paige squeak softly, while Leo and
Phoebe groaned in pain as they were pushed further into the wall. “I
trusted you! I did everything for you; I built that world for you, to
protect you and to ensure that our lives were better than theirs. We
shouldn’t have to hide who we are, Chris. You should’ve been by
my side; it’s where you belonged. I loved you – and you organized
a resistance against my rule!” Leo’s
eyes widened as he continued his struggle. “What!” He looked
towards Chris who was walking slowly towards Wyatt, hands against his
side in a non-threatening manner. “Are you saying that the only
reason that you came back to ‘fix the future and save Wyatt’ is
because of a lovers’ spat!” Chris
glared at their father, thinking that he was an idiot. “Stay out of
this, Leo,” he hissed as he stepped closer to Wyatt, standing in
front of him. Wyatt
stared at him, smiling gravely, and seemingly waiting for him to make
a move against him. “Yes, Leo, please, do stay out of it.” He
tilted his head monitoring Chris’s motions toward him. “So, what
now, Chris? Play possum until I lower my shield? Or will you finish
what you came here to start?” The
baby was still crying despite Piper’s weak attempts to sooth him.
Wyatt looked at the child, then with a gentle voice spoke, “Wyatt,
come here.” He lifted his arms to allow the child to orb to him.
Piper shrieked as her baby was taken from her and given to the man
who was holding their lives at bay. “This
is your chance, Chris. The only chance that I’ll give you. You came
here to stop me. Well, Chris, the only way to stop me is to kill me.”
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Chapter
Three
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The
shield came down with a bright blink as Wyatt held his miniature self
out in front of his body; holding him out to Chris. At the same time,
Paige was dropped abruptly and without warning, her body slamming
into the ground. An audible snap was heard right before she screamed
and clutched at her leg, all the while taking gasping breaths to
re-fill her lungs with much needed oxygen. Leo and Phoebe were
released just as quickly, dropping to the floor with a thud. Phoebe
reached Paige in record time, grasping one of her hands and rubbing
her back to encourage her to breathe with the other. Leo walked over
slowly to the two sisters, not for one instant taking his eyes off
the time travelers who now held his son. Placing a hand over Paige’s
leg, the warm glow healed the broken bone. As soon as he knew that
she was completely healed, Leo inched towards Piper taking a hold of
her wrist to pull her to his side, then blocking her body from the
threat with his own. Shooting
a look at the three sisters, he silently motioned that they needed to
use the Power of Three to stop them. Piper wiped her eyes, then for
the sake of her son, nodded her agreement before going to her
sisters. Wyatt
glanced half-heartedly at them, laughing to himself—no matter what
spell they came up with, they would never be able to stop him. He was
the twice-blessed child of the prophecies; he himself had the full
Power of Three, and was the only one on Earth, since King Arthur to
yield Excalibur. Their power could not compare to his; before their
deaths, they had taught him well. He
turned to his little brother, still waiting for his answer. The boy
was now pale and sweating, obviously afraid of him. Wyatt shook off
the split-second guilt—erasing the memory of his younger brother
looking up at him with nothing but awe and admiration with the
knowledge that Chris had come to the past to stop him; to kill him. Chris
swayed as he stared into the faces of his brother. One was an
innocent baby who did not understand what was happening and the
other—the other was pushing him to murder. He looked towards his
family, the ones rustling to try to save Baby Wyatt and then looked
at the man he called brother. “No, you know I won’t do that.”
It wasn’t a whisper. Taking
the last two steps to reach them, he gently took the baby out of
Wyatt’s arms and settled him down to the floor, allowing him to
crawl back over to his mother’s welcomingly open arms. Now the two
stood like two cowboys about to draw their weapons. Wyatt
drew first, raising his hand in-ready to attack the group on the
ground. Chris, however, made no move, letting his arms rest at his
side, his face a complete mask—blocking any emotion completely from
his expression. Wyatt’s eyes flew back to his, questioning him
silently with a squint. –What are you up to, Christopher?,
they said. Slowly,
as if reaching into a viper’s cage, Chris gently placed his hand
lightly on Wyatt’s raised hand, not in any way restraining him. He
felt his chin tremble and his eyes pool with unshed tears, tears that
he couldn’t shed for Bianca, his mother, his aunts and the
countless lives that he was unable to save throughout his life. His
voice shook as he spoke, a tear slipping from his eye with shame,
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You’re right.” Leo
gasped at him, approaching them with closed fists in anger. “I
can’t believe this! He wants to take you back and you forget about
your responsibilities as a Whitelight--.” Wyatt did not let him
finish the sentence, blasting him with an energy ball strong enough
to knock the Elder unconscious. “LEO!”
The women screamed, as they ran to his side. Baby Wyatt cried for his
‘da-da’ in between his hysterical sobs. Wyatt
glared at the man—completely disgusted with him. Chris tightened
the grip on his brother’s hand slightly, still not enough to be
seen as a threat. He lifted his other hand to touch Wyatt’s face,
making him look back into his eyes. “You said that you’d forgive
me—I need you to.” Wyatt
pulled away from him, confused. “What?” It came out in a hopeful
whisper. “I’m
giving you what you want. I—I give up. I have nothing left to fight
for—everyone’s gone. You’re the only thing that I have left—the
only family I have left. I swear to you, the only reason that I came
back is to save you.” He looked back at the baby still crying, but
safe with his Aunt Paige. Piper cradled Leo’s head in her lap,
tears streaming down her face. “Wyatt,” their eyes lit up as he
said the name, “I just—I lost everyone. And the thing is that—I
could deal with that, you know? Because I had you—because I trusted
that I’d always have my big brother and as long as I had you,
everything would be okay. I—I would’ve died for you, Wyatt.
But—somewhere along the line, I lost you too, Wyatt. I don’t even
know who you are anymore and I thought that if I went back—came
here, I could change that. That I could stop you from hurting all of
those people—from killing Bianca, Lizzy. All I wanted was my big
brother back. But I give up, Wyatt. I can’t fight everyone anymore.
They just—they don’t trust me anyway.” He said this with a
glance at the sisters, his mother and aunts. He laughed hysterically,
the last few seconds sounding suspiciously like a sob, “Wyatt, they
hate me…” Chris straightened suddenly, “It doesn’t matter
anymore. I’ll do whatever you want, Wyatt. Just—please, leave
them alone.” Piper’s
eyes were wide as she stared at them both with a new light. Phoebe
and Paige fared no better, looking as if they were going to pass out
at the revelation. “Oh, god, you’re—you’re my son?” Piper
gasped out quietly. “You’re both my sons? Oh, my god…Wyatt?”
Paige gripped the little boy closer to her chest, afraid. Leo
was starting to come to, blinking rapidly. He took a gasping breath,
before suddenly leaping up to his feet to shoot electricity from his
fingers at Wyatt. The Elder was enraged; that was evident at his
action. “No!”
Piper screamed, too late to stop him. Chris
without hesitation stepped in front of his brother. And as his body
fell to the ground, he reached towards his brother to whisper
something into his ear. “I—I would’ve died for you, Wyatt.” They
were the last words that he said before the world spun and darkness
overtook him.
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Chapter
Four
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“You
bastard!” Wyatt howled, “Do you know what you’ve done? Do you
have any clue in that pathetic brain of yours who he is? I would kill
you in a heartbeat if it wasn’t for Chris!” Instead, he stalked
his father as if he was prey, growling. Leo,
ignoring the sisters in his deep anger, circled him. He was ready to
end the man, Elder or no Elder. “Funny. I thought he was an ally.
Now, I discover that he’s been after my son this entire time. He’s
put his life in danger for the last time.” He raised his hand to
Wyatt, energy sparking between his fingertips as he gained power from
the Powers-That-Be. Piper
grabbed her ex-husband by the arm with a tight grip, pulling him to
face her. “Leo, please, stop! You don’t understand! That’s
Wyatt!” Leo’s
head spun from the darkly dressed figure standing in front of the
fallen Whitelighter to Piper. “What?” He huffed with complete
shock, not understanding. “LOOK
AT HIM, LEO!” This time Paige inserted. “I can’t believe it.
It’s Wyatt…Oh, god. And Chris is…” Staring at the little
angel she held in her arms, she would’ve never imagined him doing
the things Chris hinted about in the future. Phoebe
had her hands placed over her mouth repeating, “oh, my god, Chris”
over and over and over again. “No.
No, that’s not my son. I know my son and that’s not Wyatt. It’s
some sort of a trick. Chris must’ve planned it somehow.” Leo
denied him completely. Piper
was crying now. “Leo, please. You need to heal Chris.” “No.
He doesn’t.” Wyatt snapped. “He’s not going to put a single
hand on him. I won’t allow it.” Piper
was sobbing in earnest now; never in her life had she felt more
sorrow as she stared into the eyes of her son. They were the eyes of
a monster. His brother had sacrificed his life for him and he was
just going to let him die. “Wyatt, please. Let Leo heal him.” When
she didn’t receive an answer from either man, she felt her heart
break into a thousand pieces. Turning her back on the both of them,
she went over to her youngest son, the one who lay dying on the
ground. Lifting him up so that his shoulders rested on her legs, she
smoothed his hair as the tears dripped down her face onto his. The
boy was barely breathing, his lips blue and his skin was colorless. Chris.
Christopher Perry. There were so many things that should’ve clued
her in—so many things that she was blind to. The things that she’d
said to him, the horrible way that she treated him. And now, she’d
never have a chance to tell him that she was sorry. So
this was to be her future? A future in which the man she loved let an
innocent die by his own hands, never knowing that it was his son that
he murdered. A future in which the child she’d thought of as a
miracle killed, ravaged and tortured without a single pang of
conscience because he didn’t have one. This was the baby she’d
raised. Paige
orbed the baby to his playpen, knowing that his shield would protect
him from harm. He didn’t need protection from himself, she thought
sadly before going to her sister and nephew to wrap her arms around
both of them, not knowing who needed the most comforting. Phoebe
looked at her ex-brother-in-law once more with hope, her voice
shaking with desperation, “Leo, please. Please. Listen to me. Chris
isn’t evil. He didn’t want to hurt Wyatt. He tried to save
him—LEO, he tried to save his brother!” His eyes darkened, not
quite understanding, so she pushed further, raising her voice, “Leo,
YES, Chris is your son! And he’s dying! Leo, you are killing your
own SON!” Wyatt
had been quiet the whole time, just watching Leo’s expression as he
finally got it through his thick skull. He was sure the ramifications
of his actions would haunt him for many, many years, if not forever.
He smirked at his father, “Now you understand, don’t you?
Everything that he’s done was to protect you from knowing about me,
father. I suppose that he didn’t want you to think you were a
failure as a father.” He
chuckled once again, the sound of his laugh stabbed at their hearts
harder than a knife through the chest. Leo’s
face fell like he’d been doused with a bucket of ice water. The
sheer coldness of the statement took his breath away, making him feel
lightheaded. He stared at the young man once more, the harsh truth
was flooding in his mind. The boy was his son. His hands were shaking
as he dropped to his knees gasping with reaction and shock. “Oh, my
god. What have I done?” He started panting, hyperventilating as he
watched Piper and her sisters with his son.
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Chapter
Five
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Realization
hit him hard, “Chris,” he whispered, “Christopher; my father’s
name. Oh, god.” He put his hand over his mouth, unable to grasp the
situation for what it truly was. Wyatt
on the other hand, seemed smug watching everyone with amusement.
“What’s the matter, Dad?” He stressed the name, enjoying
the effect it had on the older man. He crouched down to his father’s
level and spoke to him as if he was ‘slow’, “You don’t get it
yet, do you? He never told you who he was and you didn’t care
enough to ask him. Why else would he come here? Why else would he
make it his mission to save your son? Why else would he CARE,
YOU MORON?” He got up and walked over to the young man lying on
the ground. “And now, you’ll never know.” Reaching
out a hand to pat his little brother’s head, he wasn’t surprised
when Piper pushed him away. “What the hell is wrong with you? He’s
your brother! God, what the hell’s the matter with you! What did
we do? What did we do!” She started crying, staring up at Wyatt,
her eyes pleading with him, trying to understand. “You can heal
him! Why don’t you!” Quietly,
he kneeled in front of the women who had raised him before their
deaths, “Of course, I could heal him. It’s within my power.”
Fluttering a hand over Chris’s chest, he caught the eye of his
mother, his lips curled into a smirk. “But then, how would his
Resistance learn? If I healed him, let him go—they would know that
I accepted my brother’s betrayal. It would encourage them to attack
me and my allies. They wouldn’t learn their lesson—that NO ONE
betrays me. Not even my little brother.” Suddenly,
without warning, he stood up and used multiple energy balls to blast
Leo across the room. The Elder slumped against the wall, his head
twisted uncomfortably. When Wyatt spoke, it was cold practically
turning the room to ice, “No one is going to heal him! He will die
for his betrayal.” Paige
stood slowly, “Wyatt, please. If there is anything good in you at
all, you’ll stop this. You’ll heal Chris.” She tried to touch
him, tried to reach out to his humanity, but found nothing. “That’s
the kind of thinking that will lead to your deaths. I don’t need
him. And the future will be better off without his interference;
Without his leadership, the Resistance will crumble before me and I
will destroy anyone that opposes me.” Ignoring them, he walked over
to where the Book of Shadows lay on the ground and picked it up.
“This is my legacy. You should keep it safe. I’ll need it to
create my world.” Without another word, he carried the book up the
stairs with the assumption that he would put it back on its alter. Phoebe
gasped, whispering, “Our deaths… Oh god. That’s why—that’s
why Chris couldn’t tell us… It’s like when we met Mom in the
past.” Lifting her tearstained face, she turned towards her
grieving older sister. “Piper, we can stop this. We can stop him.” Piper
stared at her in shock, barely breathing as she watched her son—her
baby gasp to take in air into his struggling lungs. “We can’t
Phoebe. We’re not strong enough. He has the Power of Three. His
power equals ours. Chris was-is the only one who could’ve helped us
stop him.” Paige
grasped Piper’s shaking hand, silently nodding. “Piper’s right,
Phoebe. Wyatt knocked Leo unconscious…He’s the only one that can
heal--.” She cut off her own sentence, eyes growing wide as she
discovered the answer right in front of her. Taking
a breath, she shot a glance at the stairwell, then ran to get Baby
Wyatt from his playpen. Gently speaking to the little boy, “Wyatt,
baby. We need you to heal Chris, okay? Heal Chris,” she encouraged,
resting the toddler on the prone body of his future brother. Piper
sat up and rubbed the baby’s back. “Wyatt, you’re such a good
boy. Please, do as mommy asks, heal Chris.” Soon, the little boy
patted his playmate’s chest and with a little giggle his hands
started their healing glow. Chris’s
eyes flew open as he gasped for air. Piper placed her fingers on his
mouth, happy yet afraid that they would alert Wyatt to their plan.
“Oh, god Chris. I’m so sorry that…” She whispered. He
wouldn’t let her continue. Chris
fought her, pushing away and gently moving the baby off his chest and
in his arms. “Where is he?” He was frantic, voice tense with
anger and panic. Paige
pointed to the attic, letting a ghost of a smile through her deep
sadness and fear. Chris motioned for them to come closer to him, then
whispered his plan. “We need to stop him. I know that you don’t
believe me—or trust me right now, but the only way to stop him is
to bind his powers. I’m not strong enough to do it on my own. I’m
strong, but not as strong as Wyatt.” Paige,
Phoebe, and Paige all nodded in agreement. “We need the book,”
Phoebe blurted. Chris
looked at them, shaking his head before looking at the child resting
in his arms with sad eyes. “No, we don’t. I know the Spell—I
know all the Spells. I have the Book memorized—I memorized it
before he had a chance to corrupt everything in it. It was the only
way that I knew how to keep a piece of—history from being destroyed
by Evil.” It
took a lot of energy to shake free from his current emotions, but he
forced them down until he was stone. One day, he feared, he would
lose them completely. “We need to be quick, the instant we start
that spell, Wyatt’ll know and he try to stop us. I’ll protect
you—but we need to do this now.” Taking
a defensive stance near the stairwell, he told them to repeat after
him: “I
take your hands in mine
And with this string I will entwine
Your
powers I'll forever bind
From now until the end of time.” A
roar came from above them; the house seemed to shake with its
ferociousness. “CHRISTOPHER!” They could hear him running down
the stairwell. “HURRY!”
Chris screamed as they repeated the spell for the second time.
Panicked, the sped up their recitation, their voices shaking with
desperation for it to work. Wyatt
came flying down the stairs, and with a wave of his hand sent his
brother across the room. This time, Chris fought back, fighting
harder than he ever thought that he could. “I won’t let you do
this, Wyatt!” Using telekinesis, he threw everything in the room at
him, sending chairs, books, lamps—everything and anything within
his reach was flung at incredible speeds towards his brother. “…From
now until the end of time.” The sisters finished the third
reiteration. Wyatt’s
screams echoed throughout the manor, with a spectacular burst of
light that emanated from his body and small body Chris held in his
arms, the power escaped him, draining him and causing his ultimate
collapse. At the end, he lay unmoving and beaten on the ground; the
very women who had given him his powerful gifts had now removed it
from him. The baby cried in his brother’s arms, yet settled after a
few comforting pats on the back. Chris
stared at his unconscious brother. He spoke to him as if no one else
was in the room. “All my life, I wanted to be like you. I looked up
to you—and now look what you’ve become.” He shook his head in
disgust, finally blinking to take in the destruction of his home and
family. He
handed Baby Wyatt over to Piper—not his mother, he reminded himself
yet again. Leo was still knocked out on the ground. He closed his
eyes for only a second to rest. That was all the time he would allow
himself. With a huff, he gained his momentum then went over to where
the ruminants of the desk drawers spilled on the ground. Grabbing
one of the markers, he quickly began drawing the triquetra on the
hardwood floor where Wyatt still lied. With an efficiency that to
some may have bordered on panic, he recited the Spell he’d used to
travel through time and space. “In
this place and in this hour, we
call upon the ancient power,
open the door through time and
space. Create
a path to another place.” The
portal opened with a whoosh and without a second thought or doubt,
pushed his brother’s body into its depths, staring at it until it
closed and only the floor remained. He didn’t move for several
minutes afterwards; not a single muscle. Not even when he’d heard
Leo wake or Piper and the girls run over to him. It
was over, wasn’t it? Chris thought. Wyatt
was defeated. He was sent back to the world he’d created without
any power. He was weak now; His followers would destroy him based on
his own principles. He
felt Piper’s breath against his ear as she pressed up against him
gently. “Chris?” Chris closed his eyes; She was soft, sweet and
for a moment he could’ve pretended that she was his mother. His
eyes flew open; the emotions that he’d restrained for nearly a year
erupted. Abruptly, he pulled away from her, from all of them. They
all looked worried. Leo’s brow wrinkled as his eyes looked at him
in concern. He had motioned them to back away. “Chris, are you
okay?” Chris
saw red. The anger was pulsing and had a mind of its own. His fist
flew into his father’s face, his body falling to the ground with a
hard thud for the third or forth time that day, breaking the silence
that had now filled the room. “Am I okay? Am I OKAY? Now, you give
two shits, huh? Now that you’ve seen it with your own eyes. Now
that you’ve seen the monster that you HELPED CREATE. I asked you to
help me! I asked all of you! I practically begged you. I told you
that Evil was after Wyatt and instead all you could do was argue with
me, distrust me! I watched my brother kill my friends, my fiancé.
And now, NOW, you ask me if I’m okay?” His breath came out in
gasps, unable to breathe in his fury. “You nearly killed your son.
You almost killed me! Hell, I was trying to STOP HIM and you still
couldn’t trust me. You thought that I would hurt him,” pointing
at the crying child, “You thought that I would hurt—kill an
innocent child?” They
stared at him. The raw pain, the anguish in his eyes stopped them;
freezing them faster than even Piper’s powers were capable of. Chris
was unable to keep a tear from sliding down his cheek. “Why
couldn’t you trust me? Why—Just once, didn’t you just trust me?
What was it about me that you hated so much?” Turning away from
them, he suddenly wished that he could go invisible. Taking
a deep breath, he once again forced his emotions away; In his heart,
he knew that this would be the last time he would feel anything. He
laughed with a tight tone, it seemed one of his brother’s lectures
finally hit home. ‘Emotions were a weakness. A true leader had
no need for them. They weren’t necessary.’ Wyatt’s words
echoed in his mind. Wyatt
finally got the little brother he’d wished for. Too bad for him
that he probably wouldn’t live to see how he would use his new
philosophy to cleanse the world from the evil his own brother had
created. Chris would return to his life—he’d lead the Resistance
and he’d make a better world—a safer one. One that his parents
and aunts would be proud of. And
once he was done—there would be no need for his life to continue. For
Christopher Perry Halliwell was dead. They—all of them: Wyatt,
Piper, Leo, Phoebe, and Paige—had killed him. And the only thing
that remained was Chris Perry, the neurotic Whitelighter.
----------------------------------------
----------
Chapter
Six
---------
A few days later It should’ve been over, Piper thought. After all, they had now bound Wyatt’s powers as an infant—if he didn’t have his powers, then no one would be able to turn him evil. But it wasn’t. In a way, things had never been worse. She now knew why Chris kept his life a secret from them; why he didn’t tell them the truth. Why he manipulated their lives in order to prevent his older brother from destroying the world. And as she stared at her dark haired son frantically flipping through the Book she’d considered their magical legacy, she wished that they could all revert back to her previous state of ignorance. Piper had seen the monster her eldest had become—watched him as he tried to murder his Aunt Paige and his own brother. She sat back in horror as her pacifist husband used his Elder powers—the powers that Chris had maneuvered Leo into receiving—against his own flesh and blood. It was as if her entire world had tilted on its axis. If she was the only one affected, then perhaps it might not have been so bad, but the experience had shaken the Halliwell family to its core. It was an experience that would leave scars; ones that would probably never fade, even over time. As a mother, she had never felt as much of a failure as the moment she failed to realize that Chris was her son. Guilt was eating away at her—gnawing at her heart. Especially since that son had sacrificed everything in order to save his brother and his family from the evil that consumed it. All Piper wanted to do was wrap her arms around her little boy, comfort him and tell him how proud she was of him. The loving family moment that she pictured in her mind was just exactly what it was—a dream. From the moment Chris’s true identity was revealed, from the moment he’d just—exploded with rage at all of them, Chris had changed. The boy—man who had shown up in their attic to rescue Paige from the Titans definitely had an attitude problem, but he did respect them. She had thought the respect emanated from their roles as the Charmed Ones, but he’d never ignored them or treated them poorly. It was a far contrast to the Chris that had taken up residence in their attic now. He had become robotic—not speaking unless asked a direct question, no emotions, while working non-stop to ‘protect Wyatt’. His quest had been the main focus throughout his time in the past, yet now, it had become Chris’s obsession. Nothing else mattered to him.; It had become an obsession that had taken over his entire life and it scared her. She stared at him for a few more minutes, watching as he took notes and pinned them to the cork board with a fury. He stared at the board a few minutes, muttering to himself before turning back to the book to look up his newest ‘theory’. A gasp escaped her lips as she noticed his condition. He was wearing the same clothing that he’d been wearing the day of Wyatt’s attack on their family and it looked as if he hadn’t showered or shaved since then. The dark stubble only served to make his skin appear pale and the dark circles under his eyes proved his exhaustion. “Chris!” Piper cried, practically running over to him. “Oh, my god.” Her cry made him jerk his head up. “Piper? What’s the matter?” He asked as he leaned against the podium to stop his swaying. Blinking up at her, he looked surprised to see her right in front of his face. Reaching out to him, Piper cupped his face in between her hands. “What do you mean, what’s the matter? Chris, are you okay?” He pulled back, away from her touch. “I’m fine. I’m just busy trying to find the demon who turns Wyatt. Did you need something, Piper?” He turned back to the Book of Shadows, flipping a couple more pages, ignoring her concerned glances. “Chris, please, look at me.” She waited until he did ask she asked and almost cried at the blank look he gave her. “Have you taken a break since…you know your brother—left?” She waited for him to roll his eyes, to argue that his mission was important, that he needed to save the future—one of a million responses that he had always seemed to use since his arrival. What she didn’t expect was for him to immediately stop what he was doing and to sit down right where he was on the attic floor. He sat there and looked up at her, “I’m taking a break. Are you happy now?” It was said without a single emotion crossing his face; as if he was asking about the weather. Kneeling next to him in shock, Piper did the only thing that she could think of. She screamed for Leo. --------------- “Up There” Leo stared down at the clouds under his feet, just thinking. He must’ve been the world’s worst father to his boys if one became the ruler of all evil and the other hated his guts enough to strand him in Valhala for weeks. How had things gone so wrong? Was it only a few months ago when he and Piper were happy? When the only concern he’d had about Wyatt was his use of magic in public places? Chris had appeared out of the blue, using his future knowledge to save Paige’s life—save the Charmed Ones—and help promote him to Elder status. It had sparked his suspicion and made him believe that the young man intended malice towards his family. He bit his knuckles to prevent a sob from escaping, why hadn’t he just told him the truth? Why couldn’t he—a Whitelighter and his FATHER—see who Chris really was? It was obvious now. Chris Perry was nothing if not a Halliwell—nothing if he didn’t look almost exactly like Piper. Everything from his hair to his chin was all Piper, but his eyes, they were definitely inherited from his father. If he could’ve cursed at the heavens, Leo would’ve. It was all his fault and it was completely undeniable. The only thing he could do now was to try to prevent Chris’s future from coming to be. The only problem was that Chris was the only one who knew exactly what horrors the future held and he refused to speak of it because of so-called ‘future consequences’. The other Elders glanced at him with concern, but left him alone. And there he stayed for days, just staring down at the world that would no longer be the same in the future. All thanks to Wyatt Mathew Halliwell. “LEO!” He opened his eyes, quickly, panicking. Hastily, he orbed down to the manor to where Piper had screamed for him. He had imagined horrors—a demon attack, a kidnapper, one of the sisters hurt or dying—or perhaps even his son was hurt. The sight that filled him as he materialized into the attic filled him with both a sense of relief and of dread. Yes, no one was hurt, bleeding or dying. That was a positive. Unfortunately, that was the only positive.
----------------------------------------
----------
Chapter
Seven
---------
Leo
stared at his son in quiet shock for several minutes. Chris was
sitting on the attic floor, pale and minutely trembling, filthy and
obviously malnourished. Leo
had been a doctor in his previous life; he’d seen men bleeding with
lost limbs, children suffering with incurable disease, and some of
the most atrocious crimes man committed against his fellow man. But
he’d never seen anyone he loved look as ill as Chris did. Yet, it
wasn’t just the illness that made Leo freeze; it was the absent
look in Chris’s blue eyes. It was as if he was staring at an empty
shell. Taking
a breath, Leo inched towards both Piper and Chris. His ex-wife sat
next to their son, the concern evident in her face as she wringed her
wrists. Once he was close enough, he reached out a tentative hand to
Chris’s shoulder. He
took it as a positive sign that he wasn’t immediately pushed away.
Speaking softly, Leo could only hope that he would be able to reach
the boy. “Chris?” He lowered his head, so that their eyes would
meet. “Can you hear me?” Chris
didn’t even blink, his voice taking on a robotic-type tone. “Yeah.
I can hear you.” He just stared at the area behind Leo. Leo
turned his head to try to figure out what he was staring at, but
found nothing but old boxes and furniture. Nothing miraculous about
it at all. “Chris,
please…Please, talk to me. Talk to us. I know that we treated
you—well, all I can say is that you’ll never know how sorry we
are. But you can’t keep up like this. You’re slowly killing
yourself and we can’t just stand by and let it continue. You’re
my son.” Leo pleaded with him. Piper
was praying that he’d respond. “Please, Chris. I’m so sorry.”
Her words came out in sobs, no longer able to keep the tears at bay.
“Please, forgive me. I didn’t know…” She threw her arms
around him, holding him against her chest tightly, not wanting to let
him go for fear that she’d lose him forever. Leo
joined her loving embrace, wrapping his arms around the both of them
and placed his chin on top of Chris’s head. Chris,
thus far, made no comment—made no move, so when he suddenly pushed
away from his parents, they stared at him in shock with wide eyes. He
didn’t bother to look back at them as he walked out of the attic. ------------ As
a child, Chris remembered the attic being full of adventure and
mystery. After all, it was a place of history—a place his
great-grandmother Penny created for the future, for the Charmed Ones.
There were times that he felt that even the walls murmured their
stories to him. Great
stories about mermaids, wizards, fairies, trolls, and leprechauns
were told right in the very spot where he had sat. Chris remembered
looking up at his big brother with wide eyes, begging him silently to
get to the good part—to the part where the Charmed Ones defeated
the evil creatures and lived happily ever after. It was captivating
and there were times when he never wanted the stories to end. Yet,
for its entirety, it wasn’t just the stories that kept them
huddling together for hours. It was the company; It was knowing that
Wyatt was the only person in the entire house that wasn’t going to
send him away. He wasn’t a bother to Wyatt, he was a playmate—a
companion—and most of all, his brother. As
he grew, the attic became evolved and became the educational center
of the house. It was a place where the boys learned about their
magical legacy. It was the place that planted a slow growing
metastasis of evil in his older brother. And like a deadly cancer, it
had grown without a single sign of its presence, that was, until it
was too late to stop it. Chris
had to swallow hard, pushing past the memory of his mother dying in
his arms, in order to focus on the facts. The first and foremost
being that with the death of their mother, there was absolutely
nothing to hold back Wyatt Halliwell from becoming the most evil
being the world had ever seen. Looking
back on it, the signs that he’d been ignoring all of his life were
becoming so clear. It was unfortunate that he was the only one still
alive that was now aware of that. He’d
come back to the past for one reason: to SAVE Wyatt. To keep him from
turning evil and destroying all of the good left in this world. “I’m
going to kill that son-of-a-bitch.” Those
were the words he’d angrily told Bianca after Wyatt had sent a
probe after them. Even though he’d said those words, there was no
real threat behind them. He wasn’t Wyatt; he wasn’t a killer. For
close to five years, Chris had lived in hell. Bianca was the only
light in a world filled with unending darkness. He fought, struggled,
and lived for survival—and the small hope that one day, their
future would once again be bright. Closing
his eyes, he’d dream of their wedding…Bianca in a wedding dress,
wearing his grandmother’s (and mother’s) engagement ring as her
own, marking the day when she’d join the Halliwell family. He
dreamed of their child, a little girl as he held her in his arms. The
words he’d uttered to Wyatt before their father unknowing attacked
his own sons were true. There was nothing left. Every hope and every
dream he’d made was now gone—they had all faded away like a
snowflake in the desert. Bianca
was dead. She had died in his arms; his own brother had murdered his
only love. He
had never wanted to kill Wyatt, not even afterwards. Yet, ultimately,
it was Chris that had sent him to his certain death. The demons—ones
breed by Wyatt—would tear him to shreds. They would destroy the man
slash monster who’d made even the Source himself tremble in fear. It
was the one thing Chris didn’t think that he could live with.
Knowing that he was responsible for killing his brother. Leo
and Piper, he huffed silently in his own mind, they had no idea what
horrors their child had caused—will cause in the future. Even with
the knowledge that a demon was after their twice-blessed, charmed
baby, they had done nothing to help prevent the future events Chris
depicted. There
were many times that he feared for his life, in both present and past
forms. Leo had attacked him numerous times, Piper standing beside him
threatening to ‘blow him up’. It was a near miracle that the man
finally gave up his insane jealously and started to trust, just a
little bit. And
now, after they had inadvertently discovered the truth; that he was
their son, did they want to open up. They
held him in their arms and told him that it would be okay. He wanted
to laugh, but he couldn’t. It seemed as if he could barely move or
speak at times. The only thoughts in his head focused on one thing:
Save Wyatt. It
had become an obsession; this he knew. It was a fixation that was
wearing down his very soul and yet he couldn’t stop for fear. For
even though his own future was gone; the futures of millions of lives
hung in the balance. It was a fight of good and evil. He
pulled away from Piper and Leo, ignoring their surprised expressions
as he walked down the stairs towards Wyatt’s bedroom. He stood at
the toddler’s doorway, watching him as he slept peacefully. Evil
had won once; destroying an innocent child and leaving behind
something that Chris didn’t recognize. It wasn’t going to happen
again. He
wasn’t going to let it. Even
if it killed him.
----------------------------------------
----------
Chapter
Eight
---------
Later…
Chris stood on the edge of the bridge, his eyes closed as he felt the breeze and cold rain fall on his face, so high in the air. For a moment, he could pretend that he was alone; that there was no responsibility, no fear, no hate; that he was in the past—a past where his brother loved him and took care of him. That his parents were alive—and even though he didn’t see his father much, he could still hope that one day, he’d be just as important as Wyatt in his eyes. The last few weeks had been hell; time was running out—this he could feel in his bones. There was only so much he could do; the secret he’d hid for so long was out in the open now. It was harder for him to escape the searing eyes of his ‘family’. Leo had fallen back to his previous habit of following him—arguing that it was only to make sure that he was ‘safe.’ The man would not stop pleading with him to talk. The thought alone made a harsh laugh escape his lips. Now he wanted to listen…Now they all wanted to listen to him. Now that they knew that he wasn’t an evil threat to Wyatt. Piper hadn’t left Wyatt’s side for over a week, determined that she’d protect him every minute of every day to keep him from becoming that—monster she’d seen from the future. The tinkle of orbs appeared before him as he opened his eyes to blink away the bright light his father emanated before solidifying, the rain quickly soaking his dry clothing. “Chris,” Leo spoke softly, as he’d been doing for the last few weeks, “What’re you doing up here? It’s freezing rain; you’ve got to be cold.” Turning away, for a moment, he thought of not answering. “Chris? Are you okay?” Leo walked in front of him, forcing him to face him. “Yeah. Did you want something, Leo?” Leo rubbed his chin, the way Chris remembered him doing so as a child. Usually it meant that he was thinking hard about something—trying to figure out how to word things correctly so he didn’t upset Piper. “Chris, please. Just come home. You’re worrying your mother—and me. You can’t keep doing this: you’re going to get hurt. I mean—look at yourself, Chris. You’re completely exhausted. You haven’t stopped hunting demons since—well, since Wyatt was sent back to the future... Son, you can’t keep doing this.” Chris pulled away from him; a small huff of air escaped his lips. “Son, huh? Now I’m your son—a son that you didn’t want.” Leo immediately shook his head, “No!” He looked him directly in the eyes, “Yes, Leo. I was a ‘mistake’—a temporary lapse in birth control. You didn’t plan me and you never wanted me. It’s okay, though. I’ve gotten over it. I understand my place in your eyes. I’m second to Wyatt, I always have been. You know, when I first arrived here, I was so afraid that you or Piper would just look at me and know who I was. I’d never really considered that you’d distrust me from the start—hell, Leo you nearly killed me in Valhalla. You fought me every step of the way—you questioned every demon I vanquished, every decision that I made with the Sisters. I told you—I only wanted what was best for Wyatt. That I’d come to save him from a great evil, and that’s what I’m going to do, Leo. Even if it kills me. I’m not going to quit—not until I know that the future is safe.” With a shake of his head, Leo grabbed him by the shoulders and forcefully orbed him off the bridge and back to the mansion. Leo pushed him from the hallway to the bathroom. “You know what Chris. I’m your father—and it’s time that I acted like it.” Leaning over the tub, he quickly set the temperature of the water to hot and then pushed his son—clothing and all—into the warm spray. Chris fought to escape, trying to duck past his father. Leo countered by getting in himself and wrapping his arms around his body and forcibly keeping him in the shower. “Let me go, Leo!” Chris screamed and he fought, now punching and kicking his father. “No, you’re freezing cold and this is the fastest way to warm you up. So, shut up and hold still. After you get warm, you’re going to sit down and eat something and then get some rest.” “You can’t tell me what to do!” All of the shouting alerted Piper, who’d run in to see about the commotion. “Leo! Chris! What are you doing?” Her cries distracted Leo. Chris used it as an advantage, pushing his father away and climbing out of the shower. “You bastard.” “Chris!” Piper screamed. “He’s your father! Stop it! Both of you, just stop.” Her voice broke, a few tears sliding down her face. It was enough to make Chris stop in his tracks. He never wanted to hurt his mother—that was never his intension. “Chris—just—let’s get you out of those wet clothes, alright?” She led him past Wyatt’s nursery to her bedroom. She helped pull the wet shirt from his body. A gasp flew from her lips as she saw his chest. “Oh, god, Chris.” Piper ran her hand gently down his chest, “You’re skin and bones. How much weigh have you lost?” Leo came up behind her, his breath caught in his lungs. “Oh, god.” “I’m fine!” Chris argued. Piper stared at him in shock, “No. You’re not fine, Chris. You’re killing yourself.” “I’m trying to protect Wyatt! Don’t you understand? I’m running out of time—I only have a couple more weeks. I can’t stop.” Leo shook his head, trying to understand. “What do you mean, Chris?” “In the future, whatever turns Wyatt will happen before I’m born. In this time, if you two don’t—get back together soon, I’m going to cease to exist. I only have two more weeks to stop it.” Piper’s mouth flew open, sounds escaping but not forming actual words. Leo rubbed his forehead. “Chris,” he started, “you’re going to cease to exist in a couple of weeks—and you’re worried about Wyatt?” How could his son be so self-sacrificing to a man—a brother who’d come to the past to kill him. Chris looked at him, confused, “The future…” “No, Chris,” Piper stopped him, “What about you? You’re trying to save Wyatt—but you’re not willing to save yourself? Why didn’t you tell us about your…birth date?” “I figured that neither of you were in the mood—you’re getting a divorce.” “Wait a minute! You broke us up!” Piper yelled, “Why would you do that, Chris? Why would you risk your life like that?” Chris looked completely blank, “I don’t matter. Wyatt is the only one who matters; he’s the most powerful being in the world. The Twice-Blessed son.” “Oh, Chris.” Piper moaned, “You matter. You’re my son, of course, you matter to me.” He tried to pull away, but was stopped by both of his parents. “Chris, listen to your mother. I just don’t understand why you feel like you have to die in order to protect the future.” Chris turned away, his back to the both of them. “Because, it’s my fault.” “Huh?” He turned again, eyes downcast. “The evil that turned Wyatt, it happened before I was born; but it was gradual—he didn’t completely turn until--.” “Until what, Chris?” Piper’s soft voice encouraged. “Until I killed you.” “What?” Leo and Piper chorused. “You die, Piper. You died because of me and that was the event that turned Wyatt.” They both stayed silent, absorbing the new information. Piper licked her lips, “So, I die. Okay… but how did you kill me?” “I can’t tell you—future consequences. I could’ve stopped it from happening—but I was too weak. I wasn’t fast enough, and you died because of me.” Piper pushed him down to sit on the edge of her bed, wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, then pulled him into her arms. “You didn’t kill me, Chris. I know that in my heart. It wasn’t your fault, baby. Please, stop blaming yourself. Please.” Leo sat next to them and let his arm rest over the both of them. “Listen to me, Chris. Things are going to be different, I promise you that. I promise you that I’m going to be a better father to you. I’m never going to let you grow up believing that you don’t matter to me.” Chris’s eyes were blood shot and he was trembling. “I don’t know…I don’t know if I can believe you after all of these years.” Leo placed a small kiss on his head, “Trust me, Chris. Things are going to be better.” “What about Wyatt? I have to stop him from turning evil.” “We will, Chris.” Piper promised as well. “This family is not going to fall apart! We’ll stop any demon, witch, warlock, or the Source himself from hurting any member of our family. We’ll work together, Chris. You don’t have to be alone anymore. You have a family and together we’ll create a better future, Chris. A future where you don’t have to be afraid of your brother. Okay?” He looked at them both, silently judging the both of them. “Okay.” Leo gave him a small hug, “Okay, let’s get you warm and feed.” They stood together, hand-in-hand. Piper hugged him tightly. “Remember, Chris. We’ll do this as a family.” “Yeah,” Chris nodded, “we will.”
THE END
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