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Post by Meluivan Indil on Nov 19, 2007 21:57:24 GMT -5
Disclaimer: Nothing in the Charmed universe belongs to me and no copyright infringement is intended.
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Chapter 29 ~ Surprise Attack
“I promise, Mom, we’ll be back as soon as we can and besides we are about to go see the younger version of you again. Don’t tell me you didn’t worry when you never heard from me again after I left,” Chris chided her knowing exactly how worried she probably had been wondering for years if everything had turned out okay for them. He had wrapped her in a tight hug and could feel the tension in her, knowing how great her fear must be at that moment.
“Of course I worried," she scolded him slightly but gave him a large smile knowing they were gonna do this with or without her blessing. "Just be careful, okay,” Piper said hugging him back, resigned to the fact that her son was once again gonna go back and try to change time. Correction, both of her sons were.
Paige gave them each a hug as well shaking her head the entire time, but not saying a word.
“What?” Chris asked tired of waiting for her sarcastic comment, which he knew she was dying to say.
Paige scowled. “I thought I told you that you only got one goodbye. Now if you count the last one and this one and you’ll have to come back here again, that will make three. You are seriously pushing it, kiddo.”
Chris couldn’t help chuckling at that. “Aunt Paige, I’ve always been the pushy type, you know that.”
She rolled her eyes and slapped him playfully on the arm. "Yes, I remember all those late night demon hunts you insisted we go on. The only way to shut you up about it was to just give in and go."
Wyatt couldn't quite smother his laughter under his breath with that one. "That's one thing that has never changed."
Phoebe had just given Wyatt a hug and wished him luck but when she turned to Chris she couldn’t help making an observation. “You do realize that if you pull this off, you’ll now have three sets of memories floating around in that skull of yours and Wyatt will have two.”
Wyatt really hadn’t taken that part into consideration. “Yeah, how confusing is that exactly?” he asked Chris seeing as he already had two sets himself.
Chris shrugged. “For me it’s not that bad since I have a good grasp of how time travel works but, Wy, well you never were the bright one, so you might be in some trouble.” Chris had adopted an impish grin with that statement and waited for his brother to explode.
Wyatt nodded once and then it struck him. “Hey! Oh you just wait till I get you back here. You are gonna pay little brother.”
Chris smiled broadly, “ Now that’s the Wy I’m used to.”
Wyatt also smiled rolling his eyes right along with it. “Yeah, and you’re the Chris I’m used to too. No doubt about that one.”
Chris nodded and turned to the Triquetra symbol on the wall, “Let’s say we do this.”
Wyatt joined him and Chris pulled out the spell and a pencil to make a few changes. “Okay, it’s ready. Say it with me, Wy.”
The both began to chant together.
Hear these words, Hear the rhyme, Heed the hope within our minds, Send us back to where we’ll find, What we wish in place and time.
With that the Triquetra glowed blue and the brothers stepped into the portal and back through time again. When they stepped into the attic back in 2004 no one else could be seen around.
“So I wonder where they are,” Chris asked but it wasn’t long before they got their answer. All three of the Charmed Ones orbed into the attic and Piper’s hands were up ready to defend before she realized that her sons were standing before her.
“Whoa, Mom, chill! It’s just us,” Chris yelled as Wyatt’s shield automatically rose around them.
“Chris!” She immediately moved forward wanting to grab him in a fierce hug but she was stopped by Wyatt's shield. When she got within a few inches of the shield she noticed Wyatt with him. “Wyatt, is that really you?” she asked staring at the very different version of her grown son than the one she had most recently seen.
Wyatt had been slightly shocked to see his mother looking so young and so very pregnant. “Sorry, forgot the shield,” he said as he let it drop.
Piper walked forward nervously. She glanced at Wyatt and then at Chris, who was smiling from ear to ear with that 'look what I did' look. She reached out a hand and softly touched Wyatt’s cheek and could see the smile that that elicited. “My baby boy. You look so good to a mother’s heart,” she whispered as tears collected in her eyes.
Wyatt knew that this version of his mother had only seen the evil grown version of himself from Chris’ other timeline so he also knew that she’d need to be reassured that he was good now. So he reached out wrapping her in a hug, making sure not to squeeze her too tight. “You are looking pretty good yourself, Mom. Not to say that you don’t look awesome in the future that is, because you sure do.”
With those words he had told her what she wanted to know. He was good and she was alive and very much loved by her sons. He held her for a very long moment and then let her go so she could greet her other son.
“And you, young man, had me scared to death,” she said wrapping Chris in a tight hug too. “You never told me how I was supposed to know whether things were good or not in the new future. I guess I was just supposed to wait twenty years or so to find out.”
“Sorry, Mom. I was so caught up with Wyatt and seeing you and the aunts alive and trying to incorporate an entire new set of memories into my head,” he answered returning her hug. He really had hated the idea that he hadn't been able to let them know everything was okay but this little trip would make up for that.
As she hugged him though and heard his words one thing seemed to be missing from what he said. “And your father?” she asked pulling back biting her lip nervously.
Chris just shook his head and then admitted what he knew would hurt her to hear. “The Elders have pretty much wiped his memories. Wyatt and the other version of me orbed ‘up there’ about a year and a half ago. It didn’t go well.”
Piper took a deep breath willing herself not to cry at the thought of never seeing her husband again. “So, you came back here to try to change it.”
“With Wyatt here, I think maybe we can,” he admitted giving his brother a small smile. His confidence was at an all time high with his brother there beside him. It had been a long time since they had fought on the same side but it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
“Yeah, you never did tell me what the game plan was, Chris. I think maybe it’s time,” Wyatt suggested caught up in his brother's excitement.
Chris nodded and they all took seats as Chris started to explain what they were gonna do.
“And what about us?” Paige asked hearing that his plan seemed to only consist of he and Wyatt.
Chris shook his head. “You three are gonna be right here waiting for Mom to go into labor,” he explained motioning to his mother’s rather large stomach. “Which by my calculations should be sometime tomorrow morning.”
“Hello, tomorrow morning. You guys are going to do all this tonight. Why can’t we help?” Phoebe griped seeing the error in his figuring.
Wyatt and Chris looked towards each other and knew they were about to piss the aunts off. “Because we can’t risk anything happening to you two," Chris explained in a reluctant voice.
“Excuse me, you’ve been risking us for a year and a half now, Chris. What’s so different about this time?” Paige asked an angry scowl darkening her face.
Chris didn’t want to answer that but Wyatt knew what his brother was thinking so he did for him. “Because in Chris’ original timeline you were already dead. He didn’t want you to die any earlier but if it happened he wouldn’t be changing things as much. But now in the new future you are very much alive. We can’t risk anything jeopardizing that now. We are too close to having the future we want to risk blowing it now.”
Phoebe and Paige looked at each other and neither of them liked the explanation. But before they could comment several demons shimmered into the room along with two Darklighters. They had been taken slightly by surprise but between Chris, Wyatt and Paige they managed to fend off the first volley of energy balls and arrows as the family scattered.
The fight seemed to drag on and on, as several more demons appeared to replace the ones that they were vanquishing. For a few brief minutes the Halliwells all managed to duck behind the couch to take a breather. Phoebe was doing everything in her power to just keep Piper down, who was having none of that. She wanted to defend her family just the same as the rest of them. None of them wanted to risk her at that moment though.
“What the hell is this? Mom never said anything about an attack on the day before you were born.” Wyatt asked Chris as he popped up and sent an incoming energy ball back at the demon that had thrown it.
Chris also popped up just as a Darklighter arrow sped towards his head. Paige saw it and orbed the arrow away. “Thanks, Paige. Wy, I’m not sure. Maybe someone sensed that we came back in time. The amount of magic you possess on top of the time portal could have alerted someone that something big was up in the Manor today.”
“But who?” Wyatt asked standing and deflecting a fireball this time, frying the Darklighter that had shot at Chris.
Chris hated to admit what he was thinking. But something just seemed to click in his mind. “Well, Gideon did try to kill me once before.”
For some reason Wyatt seemed surprised by that. “Wait, that Elder that we saw with Dad in the future. You said a demon tried to kill mini-you, not an Elder.”
“The demon was working for Gideon. He admitted it before he took Dad. And remember he was holding mini-you with an Athame on you at the time. That is one Elder who is anything but a Pacifist,” Chris explained popping up and tking the last demon against a coat hook on the wall. The demon imploded sending demon goo all over the attic.
They all stood and looked around at the mess that was left in the attic. “Wy, you get clean up duty this time,” Chris said grimacing at the amount of nasty demon innards that was spread though out the room.
“Nope, you know the rule. Last one to vanquish, is first one to clean,” Wyatt countered teasingly at his brother.
“Not to interrupt you two but I’m thinking the mess is gonna be a little worse this time,” Piper said grabbing a hold of Phoebe’s arm and bending over in pain.
“What’s wrong, Piper?” Phoebe asked sensing her sister’s fear and pain.
“I think my water just broke,” she answered gritting her teeth.
Both Chris and Wyatt’s eyes widened in horror. “What you can’t. It’s not time yet,” Chris said in fear. He knew for a fact that his mother wasn’t supposed to go into labor until the next morning. She would have told him if it had been any sooner. As it was she only mentioned the twelve hours of labor she suffered at least on every other holiday and birthday to embarrass her son in front of the rest of the family.
“Tell that to him, or you, oh whatever, you know,” she said trying to stand straight again. “Phoebe, I think I need to go to the hospital.”
“Right away.” Phoebe was very concerned. She couldn’t see any reason why the baby would come early, unless the shock of the demon attack had something to do with it.
“I’ll get Wyatt, or baby Wyatt I mean,” Paige said orbing away to the nursery.
Chris was very frightened. What if in coming back in time again he had somehow endangered himself or his mom? “Mom?” he asked his voice trembling slightly.
“I’ll be fine, Chris. Just get your dad, okay. I don’t want him to miss your birth,” she said reaching out and squeezing his hand. “He’d never forgive himself.”
Chris nodded but he still was afraid of leaving her. He was beginning to wonder if they were somehow being punished because he was fooling with time. Had he come back to save his father only to lose his mother in the process?
Piper could see the hesitency in her son. "Chris, babies come early. And you always were the impatient type. It'll be fine. I'll be fine," she assured him knowing that he was probably more concerned with her then he was himself.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A/N: Allrighty then. I know that chapter wasn't as exciting as some of the others but I promise next chapter will be.
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Post by Meluivan Indil on Nov 19, 2007 23:06:42 GMT -5
Disclaimer: Nothing in the Charmed universe belongs to me and no copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Okay yeah I know. Last chapter was sort of lame but I certainly had good reasons for writing it which you will see in the next chapter, not this one. But anyhow, this is the beginning of the really good stuff, so enjoy.
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Chapter 30 ~ What Did I Do?
Chris stood staring out the front door as they disappeared down the street in Phoebe’s car. He so wanted to be going with his mother right then but he knew that just wasn’t possible. He and his brother had a mission to complete and it wasn’t getting done while he let his thoughts dwell on his mother.
“She’ll be okay, you know? Whether she realizes it or not she’s the strongest Halliwell woman there has ever been, Chris. She won’t leave us again,” Wyatt wasn’t sure how he knew it but somehow in his heart he was sure that his mother would survive.
“Yeah, you’re right, Wy. It’s just after the seven years I spent without her, it’s just hard to let go and trust in everything going right.” Chris shut the door and turned back to his brother plastering a look of determination on his face. “But, right now we have bigger fish to fry. It really is about time we do this.”
Wyatt smiled at that seeing the strong willed brother he was used to and walked over grabbing his brother’s arm. “Time to go.” With that they orbed out.
When they appeared both of them were surprised to find themselves in the library at Magic School. “Where are we, Chris?” Wyatt asked in confusion. He had expected to go ‘up there’ when he tried to sense his father.
Chris had forgotten that since Gideon ran Magic School that this version of Wyatt would have never had the opportunity to attend, so of course he would not recognize it.
“You are somewhere that you shouldn’t be,” a cold voice spoke up behind them. They both swung around to see Gideon and their father standing near one of the bookcases. The only other person in the room was a witch, whom Chris had been told was named Sigmund during one of his many visits there with his father. “Sigmund, go send a message to the other Elders. I’m afraid I might have to take care of this problem myself,” Gideon said placing the book he was holding back on the shelf where he had found it.
Sigmund immediately left the room and Chris tensed at the malicious look Gideon gave him. He could see with that one look that this was not going to be easy. “Gideon, nice to see you again,” he said nodding with a matching look of malice.
Leo had a look of confusion on his face. “Gideon, who are they?”
Gideon smiled ironically as he lied without missing a beat. “They are evil, Leo, and it’s up to us to stop them.”
Leo’s eyes widened in surprise. “I thought evil couldn’t enter the school,” he questioned.
“They can. They are very strong Warlocks from the future and they’ve found a way around our defenses,” Gideon explained never taking his eyes from Chris and Wyatt.
Wyatt turned to Chris with a look of extreme rage on his face. “He didn’t just say what I think he said, did he? Elders aren't supposed to lie, are they?”
“He’ll tell any lie to get his way, Wy,” Chris answered moving slightly apart from his brother. He could feel the tension escalating in the room and knew it wouldn’t be long till powers started to fly. “That was a nice little welcoming committee you sent to the Manor earlier, Gideon. Since when do Demons and Darklighters take the orders of an Elder?”
“I have no clue what you are talking about, Warlock,” Gideon said in an innocent tone.
Too innocent as far as Chris was concerned. What a hypocrit. “Don’t you? You tried to have my unborn self killed five months ago by a demon, so this wasn’t the first time you’ve been caught working with them,” Chris wanted so dearly to talk to his father but he knew that with Gideon there they’d never be able to convince him of anything. They needed to neutralize the Elder or somehow get Leo away from him, but how?
“I certainly did no such thing, but it is a pity that the demon did not succeed, seeing what you are now,” Gideon couldn’t help but to jab at Chris just a little no matter how unpacifistic it might sound.
“You know, Chris, I’m already tired of this,” Wyatt said pulling a hand up and trying something that he’d only dreamed of being able to do. Within seconds an energy ball appeared in his palm and Wyatt looked as if he’d accomplished the greatest thing in the world.
“No, Wyatt. He’ll believe him if you …” But Chris’ words were cut off as Wyatt threw the energy ball at Gideon striking him dead center in the chest. Gideon flew back and landed hard against the bookcase behind him. Leo was at his side immediately.
"Wyatt, why did you do that? He'll never believe us if he thinks you are a demon or something," Chris complained looking nervously at his father.
"Hey, you were the one that wanted me to have that power, so don't complain when I figure out how to use it," Wyatt countered slightly miffed that he was being lectured by his little brother.
“Leo, help me defeat them,” Gideon said pushing himself forward trying to get up. “The dark haired one is the brains of the pair. Defeat him and the other will crumple in defeat.”
“But we are Pacifists, Gideon. We are not supposed to kill any living being, whether good or evil,” Leo said helping his friend and Mentor to stand again.
“They will kill us if we don’t defend ourselves, my friend, and all the other Elders once they are through,” Gideon lied yet again putting as much remorse into his voice as he possibly could. “We have to do it for our fellow Elders. We cannot allow those two to live.”
Leo nodded making the decision of what he must do to defend the Elders. They both stood and Chris could see the look in his father’s face. He started shaking his head as his father’s hands came up and electric arcs shot from them hitting Chris directly in the chest. At the same time Gideon had tried to do the same thing to Wyatt but he was able to deflect the blow back on the Elder who went flying again.
Chris staggered backward from the low energy blow. He was very thankful that his father was hesitant to use the full force of his Elder powers but how long would that last? Chris held both his hands up in a submissive gesture. “Please don’t,” but Leo, expecting another attack, let loose with another bolt of electricity.
Wyatt turned to see the bolt strike his brother and swiped his hand at the arc sending it flying towards the wall. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, you B*st*rd? Do you want to kill your own son?” he screamed in rage, seeing Chris sink to the floor his entire body shaking from the current that had went through him.
The electricity in Leo’s hands fizzled out as he heard Wyatt’s words and a strange look crossed his face as he looked from one young man to the other. “But I don’t have any…”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that one before, but believe me, you do. Two of us as a matter of fact. They just wiped your memory so you wouldn’t remember us,” Wyatt was keeping a wary eye on Gideon who had started moving again and soon would be back on the attack.
“But…” Leo wasn’t sure what to say. He was beyond confused. They were claiming to be his children but he had no recollection of ever having children. Then he looked down to the boy on the floor, Chris, he had heard the other call him. Chris was his father’s name and the other one was called Wyatt, his last name. Could it be? Chris looked up to him his face etched in pain but his eyes begging him to listen and believe. Leo gasped when he saw those crystal green eyes that were so much like his own. He moved forward slowly and kneeled in front of the boy searching his face. “It can’t be,” he whispered.
“Leo, don’t listen to them. It’s all lies,” Gideon called out standing again and sending another energy bolt at Wyatt, who easily deflected it then sent an energy ball flying through the air at his attacker.
Chris reached out one hand hesitantly and touched his father’s arm. “Wyatt, take care of Gideon.” With that he and his father orbed away and Wyatt blinked in surprise. He wasn’t sure what Chris was doing but he had to trust him. So the fight continued.
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When Chris and Leo appeared in the silent room Leo stood and backed away immediately with Chris standing slowly still grasping his stomach, feeling as if he would be ill at any moment. “Why are we here?” Leo asked turning around and recognizing the Tribunal Chamber surrounding them.
Chris winced before he started to speak. He still felt as if a thousand watts of electricity were pouring through him tearing up his insides. He knew he really should see about getting that healed soon but for now he had a father to save. “Because this is where it all began for us,” he said quietly.
Leo looked at him in confusion and Chris went on. “This is not the first time I’ve traveled through time. I came back a year and a half ago to fix my families future. A future that the Elders had unknowingly created. A future where my older brother was evil, my mother and aunts were dead, and my father hated the very sight of me.”
Leo could see the amount of pain those words were costing the young man but he was still suspicious of him. “You say that I am your father, so who is your mother?”
Chris smiled at that as he thought of his mom. “Piper Halliwell, oldest living sister of the Charmed Ones. I’m sure you’ve heard of them even if you don’t remember them. You were only their Whitelighter for nearly six years.”
Leo snorted at that. Of course he knew who the Charmed Ones were. Everyone in the magic community had heard of them but he sure didn't remember being their Whitelighter. That only leant to him disbelieving Chris’ story more.
Chris could see the disbelief in his father’s eyes. “You saw what my brother did. Do you think any other Wiccan family could produce an offspring capable of the power he holds?”
Leo shook his head. No he didn’t know of any. “Okay, so maybe you are a Halliwell, but that still doesn’t explain how you can be my son. Neither Whitelighters nor Elders are allowed to be involved with Witches.”
“True, but do Witches orb?” he countered. “We had to get that power from somewhere now didn’t we?”
Leo knew that there had to be hundreds of explanations why the two Witches could orb. Maybe they had stolen the power or their father was another Whitelighter. “This can’t be true,” he denied angrily scowling at the young man. The Elders couldn't have lied to him.
Chris could see that denial and realized just how far gone his father truly was and the only thing he could think of to do flashed through his mind. “I guess you leave me with no choice then do you?” Chris asked groaning in frustration at what he knew he had to do. This was going to hurt.
“What do you mean?” Leo asked just before Chris dove at him pushing him backwards and landing on top of him.
Chris knew that he was no physical match for his father but he hoped that he could hold him down long enough to get him where he wanted him. Unfortunately Chris just didn’t have the strength to do it and Leo soon flipped him over so he was poised on top of him and to Chris’ horror Leo lunged out with a fist striking his jaw. “You are lying. I don’t believe you,” he said his anger spilling forth as he struck out again and again feeling the rage that was building inside him. All Leo could imagine was that somehow this trickster had managed to make him believe in a dream, one that he had to admit was very tempting but nevertheless a dream. It had to be a trick to get to the Elders, just as Gideon had said.
Chris hadn’t expected the fists to fly no matter what else he had expected. He raised his hands to fend off the blows. “Please, Dad, stop,” he pleaded unable to fight back knowing he could never strike his father again, no matter how much pain he caused him. “Please, you promised you’d never hurt me again.” His voice was filled with all the pain he had felt throughout his lifetime and the sound of it gave Leo pause.
Chris had managed to wrap his hands around Leo’s wrists and was holding them just inches above his face. He didn’t dare let them go as he looked up into his father’s face his eyes misting with unshed tears. “Please, Dad, I don’t want to lose you again,” he whispered his voice breaking.
Leo shook his head and frowned as if something was trying to pull at his mind that he wanted to keep out but then again it was so tempting to just let it in. Chris glanced from side to side and realized that they had somehow rolled into the center tile. “What did the Elders do to you to make you want to hurt someone you loved?” Chris asked knowing the tile would pick up the memory if it were still there.
And just as he had hoped a memory projected above them and Leo quickly rolled off of Chris as they both stared up at the vision from where they lay on the floor.
“You tried to have my unborn son killed and now you are threatening the life of my other son. How have the Elders fallen so low?” Leo asked his voice a wave of pure pain.
“We must survive,” was the only answer Gideon would give. “Now, Leo, if you would come over here and stand by me, we shall leave and both your sons will be left untouched. That I promise you.”
Leo had no choice. For Wyatt he’d have to comply, so he stepped over next to Gideon and waited to be orbed away.
Gideon laid one hand on Leo’s shoulder and as he orbed them away he dropped Wyatt.
They then appeared in a swirl of blue and white orbs ‘up there’ and were immediately surrounded by dozens of Elders.
“Gideon, I will not let you get away with this. You can not tear apart my family just because you see fit to do so,” Leo said pulling away from Gideon trying to orb away from them but nothing happened. They were blocking him.
“Leo, it is for the best to prevent the catastrophe that your future self will bring upon your family,” Gideon explained as if talking to a small petulant child.
“I will bring upon my family! No, you you are the ones that will bring it upon my family with your petty jealousy! You all will destroy my family just to keep me in the fold! That is inexcusable! You have all been corrupted by your own power!” Leo was screaming by then, not caring if every Elder there heard him.
“That may be the way you think now, Leo. But I promise you this is for the best.” With that all of the Elders present began a chant in a language that Leo did not recognize.
He immediately felt a splitting pain shoot through his head as he collapsed on his knees and then fell to the floor writhing in pain. The last coherent thought Leo could form was the image of his two sons. “Chris, Wyatt,” he called softly as if he could somehow bring them to him to fend off what he felt was destroying his mind.
Leo stared numbly at the empty air as the memory faded away and it was as if a dam had broken inside him. Everything that had happened, everything that had been done to him just seemed to flow back into his mind. He grasped his head with both hands holding it tight as he felt it might explode at any moment.
Then the images of his family flowed back into place and tears started to pour down his face as he realized what he had almost lost. He sat there for several minutes that way, as the memories found their rightful place in his mind. When he was sure his head wasn’t going to fall from his shoulders Leo turned to his son and saw the concerned look on his face. “Dad?” he asked hesitantly.
“Chris,” he said in a half sob as he reached out grasping his son’s hand. “Oh, god, Chris. What did I do?”
Chris sighed deeply and was struck with a coughing fit. He immediately sat up leaning forward covering his mouth with one hand. Leo moved forward placing his free hand on Chris’ back patting it softly. When Chris pulled his hand back it was covered in blood. Yeah, he really did need to see about getting that healed, he thought again.
“Oh my god, Chris!” Leo said his face going white as a sheet. Then what he had just done to his son struck him like a lead weight. He had tried to kill him; if Chris hadn’t pleaded with him to stop… “I’m so sorry, Chris,” he said wrapping his arms around his son. Both of his hands began to glow as his healing powers took over and healed the injuries he had caused to his youngest son. “Please, Chris… I don’t want to hurt you. I love you. Please forgive….” His voice was choked with sobs and he couldn’t finish his plea for forgiveness.
Chris felt the healing touch soak into him like a wave of warm water overtaking him. It healed the hurt in his body just as his father’s words healed the pain in his heart. “Dad, it’s okay. I’m okay,” he said wrapping his arms around his father and burying his head in his chest as the tears began to flow down his face. It didn't matter. He had his father back. The man that he had come so far with, from hate to trust to love in a year and a half's time.
Leo heard the words but knew that he’d never forgive himself for the pain he had caused his son yet again. “I nearly killed you,” he whispered, his voice full of pain.
Chris pulled back and looked up at his father. “You couldn’t, Dad. I knew you couldn’t. I trusted you to pull back and you did. That’s why I knew I had to get us away from Wyatt and Gideon. Wy would have never stood back and let me do that.”
Leo blinked and a look of amazement crossed his features as if he just realized something. “Wyatt, he’s in this time and he’s good.”
“Yeah, Dad. Yeah, he is. Now we need to get out of here and go help him,” Chris said standing quickly and grabbing his father’s hand pulling him up too.
Leo shook his head stopping Chris from orbing them back to Magic School. “Chris, there is only one way that I’m gonna completely free myself from the Elders and we both know it.”
Chris’ breath hitched, as he knew what his father was suggesting. “I know, Dad,” he whispered in a pained voice.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A/N: Yes, evil cliffhanger there but that’s just the way it goes. This is a two-chapter thing. Besides, I’m sure a lot of you are gonna realize what Leo’s planning anyway. And no, I haven't forgotten Wyatt or Gideon. They aren't done yet.
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Post by Meluivan Indil on Nov 19, 2007 23:14:54 GMT -5
Disclaimer: Nothing in the Charmed universe belongs to me and no copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Okay this is a huge chapter. The largest I've ever written but it seems only fair that the most important chapter of the story should be the largest. So without further ado...
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Chapter 31 ~ Twice Charmed
Wyatt could sense it the minute his brother and father orbed to the bridge but then again, he noticed, so had Gideon. He had to admit the Elder was a tricky one. He had managed to dodge most of the attacks that Wyatt threw at him and was pretty good at giving them back too. He knew he had to give his brother some time so he threw up his sheild effectively blocking Gideon from orbing out. "Ah, ah. No orbing allowed," he said as Gideon slammed back to the floor.
"Do you think Chris can actually pull this off?" Gideon asked standing and dodging yet another energy ball.
"He is very resourceful actually," Wyatt commented smirking at the Elder as he blocked another attack. "Don't Elders have any other powers worth using? That one's getting old. Heck, when Chris told me that my evil self killed all the Elders in his original timeline it was hard to believe but now that I've fought one, yeah maybe not so much." Wyatt knew he sounded cocky but he knew how to play mind games too and if anyone deserved to have their head messed with it was Gideon.
"Ah, but if you kill me you'll be commiting a great act of evil. Doesn't it worry you that you might still turn into that monster your brother fought so hard to save you from becoming?" Gideon knew he had hit a cord with that one. Wyatt was still afraid of becoming evil and his hand faltered and dropped. Gideon used the distraction to his advantage sending yet another bolt of electricity flying through the air and striking Wyatt in the shoulder. Wyatt pulled away and dove behind one of the couches in the room. 'Damnit, concentrate,' he scolded himself as he gripped the painful scorched spot. It was a minor wound but still enough to make him very angry at himself. He should know better than to give any heed to the sadistic B*st*rd's words.
"You do realize that your brother nearly died trying to keep you from becoming that monster. I should know, since I'm the one that sent the demon after your mother." A loud cackle of laughter left Gideon's mouth at that and Wyatt felt his stomach turn at the thought. "And it wasn't the only time. Demon after demon your brother hunted down and vanquished. There were many times he was so close to dying and you're willing to throw all of that away just so you can kill one measley Elder. Funny, I thought maybe your brother deserved better."
"You don't know anything about my brother!" Wyatt yelled in anger and immediately orbed from his hiding space. To Gideon's surprise he reformed directly in front of him with his hand wrapped around the Elder's throat. "And you certainly know nothing about me." His voice sounded callous and harsh as he lifted Gideon and shoved him into the bookcase directly behind him. He knew he could easily use his powers of telekinesis on him to do the same thing but it was so much more satisfying to feel the Elder's throat being crushed between his fingers. "I would die for my brother, and I will kill for him too."
Gideon began to gasp for air trying to force words from his mouth. "Can't... kill... at... Magic...School."
Wyatt had no way of knowing whether the Elder lied or not about that one. Chris would know, but Chris was busy with their father. But then again, could an Elder even be killed by mortal means? He highly doubted it, so with a disgusted look he let Gideon go and watched as he crumpled to the floor. "We shall see," he said raising his hand as an energy ball formed there.
Just as he was about to thrust the ball of destruction into the Elder's head Gideon spoke up in a final desperate action. "Go ahead and finish it. Take my life and watch everything you fear come to pass as you become what you most fear. You will become just as evil as you believe I am and history will repeat itself. Just remember in Chris' original timeline The Charmed Ones were dead. It's such a pity that your revenge is worth their lives too."
That statement made Wyatt pause. That couldn't happen. He knew it couldn't. He would never do anything to harm his mother and aunts, no matter what type of person he became. But did he want to risk going down that path? Would he risk ruining everything that his brother had fought and almost died for? Without conscious thought the energy ball fizzled and vanished from his hand as he stared at the bookcase before him lost in his own indecision.
In his moment of distraction Wyatt hadn't even noticed when his sheild faltered. Gideon had done his job well in making Wyatt doubt himself and the Elder disappeared into orbs leaving Wyatt seathing at his trickery. "d**n you, Elder!" he screamed orbing out behind him.
When his orbs reformed he could see his father and brother standing as far away to one side of the bridge as they could. Leo was standing slightly in front of Chris in a protective manner as he faced Gideon with a look of hate covering his face. His father had just said something as he was orbing in that made Wyatt want to scream in relief. “You B*st*rd, where’s Wyatt? What have you done with my son?”
“Right here, Dad,” Wyatt called from where he stood behind Gideon. He couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips at his father's words. It wasn’t every day that you won your father back from evil. And he truly did believe that Gideon was evil. Somewhere along the way the Elder had changed into something that he was never meant to be. But he was still an Elder so did the thought of killing him make Wyatt wrong or not? There was such a fine line between good and evil and right and wrong. Wyatt just wasn't sure how far he was willing to go yet.
Gideon swung around realizing he was in between two very powerful beings that could rip him apart at any moment. At that moment he used his final trick and became invisible.
Leo looked around in fear knowing the Elder could appear anywhere, but where he finally did appear shook him to his very core and he raised his hands to attack immediately.
“Ah, ah, ah. Now, Leo, you wouldn’t want to sacrifice your second born for your revenge, now would you?” Gideon said pressing an Athame to Chris’ throat. He had managed to appear right behind Chris with one arm wrapped around the witch a deadly looking Athame held to his throat. “The blade has been blessed by both an Elder and a powerful Demon with a curse that makes it twice as deadly. If I cut him you won’t be able to heal him.”
Wyatt was frozen in shock but Leo just smiled a knowing smile. “Gideon, you are way too obvious," he said casually lowering his hands but then a question sprung to his lips. "There's something I've been wondering about, though. Why Chris? You have been out to kill him for months now and I don't honestly think you've let any opportunity to do so pass you by. You even tried to convince me to kill him. I can understand why you’d be afraid of Wyatt, he being the ‘Twice Blessed’ and all, but why are you afraid of an ordinary witch?” It shouldn't have made any sense to Leo. He knew that but part of him had been analysing it ever since he had regained his memories. He just needed Gideon to confirm what he feared most.
Gideon didn’t quite understand why Leo was smiling but he answered the question anyway. “He knows time travel too well. He can use its ins and outs to his advantage better than anyone I’ve ever seen and he can also withstand its affects better than most. That is a very dangerous ability to have. To have the ability to change time at will. No being should have that kind of power. And I can't allow him to ruin everything I've worked for by using it. I've done so much and come so far. I will not allow anyone to stop me from acheiving my goal.”
“In other words, you fear him because he can go back and change any bad deed you might do. He stands in the way of your plans to dominate all the Elders and eventually the world,” Leo said knowing his thoughts had been confirmed. It all made sense.
“The Elders should rule, Leo. You know that. We have the power. We just haven’t had the drive until now to carry through with what we are capable of. I have that drive. I can lead them to greatness if I can remove what stands in my way.” With that Gideon motioned to Chris.
Surprisingly Chris had remained very quiet during the whole conversation but Wyatt could see a small grin quirk up his lips and it was frightening him to say the least. Did his brother have a death wish?
“Go ahead,” a voice spoke up from behind Wyatt causing him to spin around. Standing there with his arms crossed over his chest was Chris and he was not alone. Two Elders were with him standing one on each side of him. They had just become visible and apparently were no longer cloaking Chris.
Wyatt looked from one Chris to the other and then suddenly the one Gideon was holding vanished. "What? No!" Gideon screamed in frustration.
That's when it began to make sense. “You never told me you could Astral Project,” Wyatt asked ignoring the Elder's words.
Chris smiled cockily, “Sorry, never crossed my mind,” he answered changing his glance to Gideon as a look of complete malice colored his face. “Try that again, and you are dead, Elder.”
Wyatt now knew why Leo had been smiling. They had planned this. They wanted Gideon’s crimes to be known by the other Elders.
“Gideon, you have broken the trust of the Elders. You manipulated us and have caused great pain to one that should have been as a brother to you.” one of the two Elders spoke his voice somber. “This can not be allowed to go on.” With those words the other Elder that had remained silent orbed out as did Gideon.
“Wait, where is he?” Leo asked in fear that Gideon had escaped them.
“He is in Tribunal, where I am sure he will be stripped of his Elder powers and recycled back to earth as a mortal,” the Elder that had spoken before explained.
“He deserves death,” Wyatt said his face becoming a mask of rage. He had made his decision about the Elder and be damned the consequences. That one final act of threatening his brother again had made his decision for him. He now knew that Gideon would have stopped at nothing to kill Chris. That was something he would have never allowed even if it did threaten to change him. He'd have to somehow overcome his own shortcomings to keep the evil from taking him over but with the help of his family he knew he'd manage somehow.
"That is for the Tribunal to decide, not any of us," the Elder answered.
"The Tribunal were not the ones that he betrayed," Leo said angrily giving the other Elder a dark scowl. This was not how it was supposed to go.
Chris had been listening to them argue but knew that his brother and father hadn’t realized something yet. “No, this is a much worse punishment for him. To be forced to live a mortal life again, to start all over with no powers and no hope of ever gaining them again. It will be more than he can stand, I assure you.” He knew that Gideon craved power above all else in his afterlife and that was the one thing he would never have again. But he also knew how his brother would take that and it wasn't a good thing.
Wyatt thought on his brother's words but even though they made sense they did not fullfill his need for revenge against the Elder for everything that he had done. They deserved their revenge. After everthing Gideon had done to his family they were the ones that deserved to decide his fate but still he was an Elder and that made things complicated. Whether he liked it or not the Elders were very much a part of the magical community and his family would have to deal with them at various times throughout their lives for good or for bad. And the Elders did hold at least a small amount of sway over some of the more important aspects of their lives, at least for the time being. But still he knew that a warning was in order. "Fine then, I will accept the fact that it is your right to punish your own. But I will give you a warning. If ever in my lifetime an Elder decides to interfere in my families affairs, without our asking it of them first, I will be forced to do what is necessary to protect my own. Chris has informed me that you all saw my other self's memory in the Tribunal Chamber and I assure you that even though I did not turn out to be like that, I am still very capable of destroying you all."
Leo understood his son's feelings on the subject. Wasn't it their right? Didn't the deserve a say in it? But like his son he knew he would have to accept it and hope that Gideon ended up somewhere where he could never harm them again.
"Leo, are you going to allow your son to speak that way to an Elder?" the Elder asked in outrage.
"Not only am I going to let him speak that way, I am also going to agree with him whole heartedly. My family is not a play toy for the amusement of the Elders. I will never again allow them to be harmed by any of you. Even though I may be one of you right now, I am a father first and foremost and my family takes precedent over anything else in this world. I will never put anything before them again." Leo knew his words were akin to mutiny coming from an Elder but it didn't matter to him anymore. Nothing mattered accept for those that he loved.
The Elder gave Leo a look of resignation as he realized what he was seeing but still he had to say what the other Elders bade him to say, “Leo, the others and I wish to offer our apologies for what was done to you. We don’t want to lose you. You are such a strong power for good and the things you have done for all of us… well you have more than proved your right to be an Elder. But of course, it is your decision.” With that the Elder orbed away leaving the father and his two sons standing in silence.
Chris walked forward grabbing Wyatt’s arm and pulling him with him until they stood right before Leo.
Leo looked at both his sons and couldn’t help the smile that graced his lips. Both of his grown sons standing before him and they were both good and they had both risked everything to save him. “I don’t deserve sons as good as you two,” he said reaching out and pulling Chris into a hug with one arm. He tried to grab Wyatt too but his eldest son backed away out of his grasp. Leo couldn’t help the hurt and confused look on his face.
Chris pulled away from his father slightly so he could look at his brother. “Wy, common. This is the father that I told you about. The one that I wanted for us both.”
Wyatt shook his head and backed away even further. “I still don’t know him, Chris, and he’s still one of them. You don’t know what kind of affect that could have on the future. I think I’ll wait till we get back there before I make any judgments.”
Leo understood his son's concerns then. He realized in Wyatt’s future he hadn’t been there at all for them. It was not something that Wyatt would be able to overcome so quickly. “I promise you, Wyatt, whatever happens I’ll always be there for you whether I’m an Elder or not.”
Wyatt couldn’t accept those words yet. Not until he knew for sure. “I’m gonna go check on Mom,” he said orbing away.
“Sorry, Dad, he’s got issues,” Chris said staring at where Wyatt had just been. “I really thought he was getting over them though.”
Leo nodded in understanding. “It might take some time, Chris, but I’ll fix everything that the Elders have done,” he vowed pulling away from his son. “And I know how to start doing that right now.”
Chris gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?” he asked his tone full of worry.
“Chris, just because Gideon is no longer a threat, that doesn’t mean that things don’t need to change,” Leo answered walking to the edge of the bridge and looking down.
“But you don’t have to now.” Chris understood why his father would want to do this still but that didn’t change the fact that it frightened him.
Leo looked back at his son and smiled. “Yes I do, Chris. Wyatt needs this and honestly so do I. Too much has happened to go back now." Leo knew his son's concerns but he also knew that this was the only way to assure that the Elders would never try to take him from them again. So he gave his son a teasing smile and nodded towards the ground. "I might still need that assist though. What do ya say?”
Chris sighed in resignation. If his father was determined to do this he’d be there for him no matter how much he feared it. “I’ll be there, always,” he assured him.
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Post by Meluivan Indil on Nov 19, 2007 23:16:14 GMT -5
Chapter 31 ~ Part II
Wyatt walked into the maternity ward at the hospital to find both Phoebe and Paige sitting next to each other with twin looks of worry on their faces while little Wyatt played on the floor oblivious to everything happening around him. They looked up to see him and each tried to smile but failed miserably. “What’s going on?” he asked standing before them.
“The doctor says there are complications. He’s not telling us much else,” Phoebe said then looked around with a panicked look on her face. “Where’s Chris?”
Wyatt didn’t realize how strange it would seem for him to be there alone or how in the current situation it could even cause fear. “He’s fine. I left him and Dad back on the bridge.”
“Leo, he’s…” Paige questioned her hopes high.
“He’s got his memory back. They should be here soon.” He didn’t want to mention the scene he had made with his father. Part of him felt really bad about doing it but the part of him that had grown up without a father didn’t really care so much. That wound was too raw yet and he wasn't ready to go into it. But for now he had to think about his mother.
Wyatt knew he had told Chris that their mom would be fine and he had believed it at the time but now that the adrenaline rush from saving their father was gone he realized just how worried he really was. As Chris had said, this wasn’t supposed to happen. It hadn’t happened in either of Chris’ other timelines and that bothered Wyatt. “Which room is she in?”
Paige pointed to the room that was closest to them. Wyatt strode over to the door looking through the small square window and could see his mother lying on the bed in a reclining position. She was covered in sweat and looked totally drained and he could see something close to fear on her face. There were several people surrounding her and he could see the doctor talking to her and then he turned and walked towards the door. Wyatt backed off and to the side to let the doctor walk through it and then slipped inside himself. He knew if he was caught they’d send him out but at the moment he didn’t care.
Piper was worried. She was very worried. Not for her son, he had been born already and they had taken him into the next room to run all the tests that they normally did and she had been told that he was a healthy baby boy. That had brought her great joy. But the doctor had said that she was bleeding too much. They had given her medicine to try to slow it down but if it did not quit soon they would want to take her into surgery. And that was something that frightened her. Anything could go wrong in surgery. She was petrified by the thought that she might be forced to leave her two sons alone without a mother. What would that do to them? How would they survive? And she still didn't even know if their father was saved yet or not.
But then something made her glance up and her smile brightened as she saw her oldest son sneak through the door. She immediately raised her hands and froze the room. She had to talk to him and didn’t want to be interrupted.
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Leo knew he was doing the right thing. His family needed him much more than the Elders did and he needed them just as much. So with a sense of freedom he spread his arms and looked out to the horizon as he let himself fall. Nothing could have described the freeing feeling he felt as the bonds of his immortality were stripped from his soul just before he landed on the pavement below.
Chris’ heart clenched as his father took the plunge. For one brief moment he had had the urge to grab him and stop him from doing such a foolish thing but he stopped himself just in time and watched as his father’s body plummeted to the ground below. Then a sickening feeling invaded his soul as he saw his father’s unmoving form. He did not stand; he did not get up and walk away. He lay there crumpled like a rag doll and for a brief moment Chris feared the worst.
Without any heed to what anyone would see he orbed down to the pavement below and kneeled next to his father. Cars had begun to stop all around him but he didn’t care. The Cleaners could fix it later. “Dad! Dad, talk to me!” he pleaded reaching down and rolling his father’s unmoving form over to look up at him. The first thing he saw was the pain in his father’s eyes and the second was a piece of metal falling to the ground from where it had pierced his stomach. Chris could see that it was stained crimson. “Oh my god, Dad!”
Leo as always was worried first about his son. What if someone had seen him orb down there? “Chris, get us out of here before anyone else sees,” he said grimacing at the pain radiating from his stomach.
Chris didn’t care who saw but immediately followed his father’s wishes by orbing them back to the Manor. Chris had managed to land his father on the couch with him kneeling beside him. He could see how his father's blood had started to soak his shirt front and the rust colored stain was spreading at an alarming rate. He placed one hand on the gash and pressed in, hoping to staunch the flow of blood. “Dad, you’re bleeding. We need help,” he said his voice straining with emotion. “Wyatt!” he screamed looking to the ceiling.
Leo could feel his own life draining away as the blood seeped from the wound. He wasn’t at all sure that Wyatt would make it in time. How ironic it was that after everything they had suffered through it was the one thing that he thought would save them that would finally end his life and take him away from those that he loved forever.
“Wyatt, Dad needs you!” Chris yelled again seeing his brother was not responding. “Where are you?”
“Chris, please…” Leo said placing one of his hands over his son's bloodstained one. “There’s so much I wanted to tell you… So much I never said…”
“No, Dad, don’t. You are not gonna die. Wyatt!” he screamed yet again as tears started to stream down his face. Why didn’t Wyatt answer?
“I’m sorry, Chris. I wanted to be there for you,” Leo whispered as his eyes fluttered shut.
Chris looked down at his father’s face and he knew then that they were out of time. “Please, Dad, don’t go,” he cried letting his head drop down to his father’s chest as he wrapped his free arm around him. His heart began to constrict with the emotional pain of what he could see before him. He had only once ever felt so much pain before. 'Just like mom,' he thought to himself as a soft sob left his lips. “I never told you… Please, Dad, I love you! Don’t leave me.” He had never been able to say those words to his father before. He had felt them often enough in the past few months but never had his father heard them from his own lips and now he regretted that more than anything. More sobs began to rack his body as the tears flowed ever stronger down his cheeks. "Don't go," he whispered and those two little words held all of the sorrow and all of the hope that was contained within his heart and soul.
And then oh so slowly Chris began to feel a warmth in his hands flowing out of him and into his father's body. He raised his head and through the tears he could see them glowing. Then something his Aunt Paige had once said to him came to his mind.
“Chris, love is the trigger, and when your powers are strong enough and the time is right it’ll come to you and it will be the most amazing feeling in the world to know that you can save the life of someone you love. It was for me and you’ll feel it someday too.”
It had finally happened. Something he had never truly believed could occur. All along he had thought that there was something wrong with him; something lacking within him that had kept that one precious gift from him. Wyatt had been healing since he was a toddler and Aunt Paige had eventually been able to do so too, but he had thought that he had been passed by when it came to that power. But now, he was healing. He could see the wound on his father’s stomach close along with the hole in his shirt and the blood that had been there just slowly faded away. His father sucked in a deep breath and his eyes flew open as he sat bolt upright. He looked up to Chris whose hands were still poised above his stomach but had finally stopped glowing. “Chris?” he asked in amazement.
Chris just smiled weakly at his father and wrapped his arms around him. “I love you so much, Dad. Please, don’t ever leave me,” he whispered through joyous tears.
“I love you too, Chris,” Leo whispered hugging his son tight. There was no doubt in his mind that Chris had healed him. No one else could have. His son had finally been able to heal and his trigger had been his love for him. Something that Chris had never admitted to before. Nothing could have made Leo more proud or happier than that one fact.
Chris pulled away and breathed deeply trying to clear his head and hold back the tears. “Hey, how ‘bout we go see mini-me being born?” he asked a smile covering his face. “It should be about time.”
“I’d like that very much, Chris,” Leo answered wiping the tears from his own eyes.
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“Wyatt,” she called reaching out her hand to him. "You're hurt," she said noticing the scorch mark on his shoulder first. Always the mother, even in the face of her own weakness.
"I'm fine, Mom. It's just a scratch," he said taking a seat next to her and taking her hand into his. It was so cold to his touch. “Mom, what’s wrong?” he asked rubbing her fingers between his to try to warm them.
“I’m just not feeling so well, baby,” she said squeezing his hand then asked what she truly wanted to know. “Chris and your Dad?”
“They’ll be here soon,” he answered. He could tell that she was being brave for him. “But I’m more worried about you.”
Piper closed her eyes in fear for a moment and when they opened he could see tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. “They say they might need to do surgery.”
Wyatt blanched at that. “But I can heal you, Mom!”
“It’s not magic related, Wyatt. I don’t think it will work,” she answered.
Then Wyatt suddenly heard his brother calling him and he could hear the fear in his voice. But he couldn’t leave Mom like that. “Mom, you went into labor early because of that demon attack. If that isn’t magic related, I don’t know what is.”
Piper just smiled at him and nodded giving him permission to try. He placed his hands above his mother’s abdomen and realized just how close she was from death. Fear gripped his heart as his hands began to glow. He knew deep down if they had waited for surgery she would have never made it.
Wyatt could hear his brother’s calls even louder now but he just couldn’t leave his mother yet. He had to save her as much for Chris as for himself. They couldn't survive without her, he was sure of it.
Once it was done he could see the color flood back into her cheeks and a smile crossed her face. “Oh, Wyatt sweetie, how I love you,” she whispered reaching out and pulling him into a tight hug.
He returned her hug but pulled away too soon for her liking. “I love you too, Mom, but I need to go check on Chris. I’ll be back soon. What ever you do don’t let them take you to surgery though.”
She chuckled at that and watched him walk from the room then she raised her hands and unfroze the hospital workers around her.
Wyatt stepped into the waiting room and was surprised to see Chris and his father rush into it.
The doctor was still standing next to Phoebe and Paige who both had tears in their eyes.
Leo joined them seeing the fear in the sister’s faces. “What’s wrong? How’s Piper?” he asked in panic.
“Mr. Wyatt, before I go on, your son is fine,” the doctor started putting off the inevitable.
Of course he was fine, Leo thought to himself glancing at the grown version of Chris standing beside him but he bit his tongue on that one. “And my wife?”
“I’m afraid she has lost a lot of blood and the bleeding hasn’t stopped yet. She’s being prepped for surgery right now and we will do what we can for her, but it doesn’t look good. I’m sorry.” With that the doctor turned and walked back towards Piper’s room.
Leo’s face took on the look of a man who had lost everything as he sunk down into one of the waiting room chairs covering his eyes with his hands. “No, no, no,” he cried in complete anguish. They had all fought so hard to fix everything and now it would be taken away from them when they were so close. "Not her. Please, god, not her," he whispered as sobs racked his body.
Wyatt was frozen in place. He had never imagined that much grief coming from his father but that one moment made him understand why his mother back in his own time still loved him after so many years apart. They were lost without each other. He kneeled down in front of his father and reached out grabbing his hands pulling them away from his face. “It’s all right, Dad. Mom's gonna be fine. That doctor has a surprise in store for him when he gets back in her room.” The smile that touched his lips was full of mischeive.
Phoebe gasped. “Wait, you healed her, didn't you?”
Wyatt nodded at his aunt. “Her injuries were brought on by the demon attack earlier, so I was able to heal her. She’s gonna be fine and so is Chris.” He shot his brother a smile and Chris let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
He sank into the chair beside his father with his forehead resting against his palms. “That was too close,” he whispered in pain. “If you had stayed with us at the bridge…” He didn’t want to finish that sentence or the thought running through his head either. “Wait, when I called you, you were healing Mom.”
Wyatt nodded and then frowned remembering why he was in such a rush to leave the hospital after he healed their mother. “Why were you calling me? You sounded scared.”
Chris glanced at his father and Leo wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders offering comfort and then answered for him. “Let’s just say that you’re not the only Halliwell son that can heal now.”
Wyatt didn’t know what to think of that statement until he took a closer look at his father. There were scratches on his cheek and forehead and something completely different about his aura. “Wait, you took the fall anyway?”
Leo nodded a wistful look upon his face. “My family needed me to do it, and I need my family.”
Chris shuddered and spoke up. “Unfortunately he chose to land on a very sharp piece of metal.”
“Owww!!!” Paige said sitting on the other side of Leo. All of this information was becoming too hard to process. First Piper was dying and then she was healed by Wyatt and then Leo was dying but he was healed by Chris. “Wait, no fair. Chris can heal. I’m older than him, why can’t I?”
Chris laughed at that as he remembered what his Aunt had told him as a young child when he asked her the same thing. “You will, Aunt Paige. You will. You just need to find your trigger.”
“Humph! I still say it’s not fair.” But she was more than pleased that Chris had been able to save his father and Wyatt was able to save their mother. She had to admit that they certainly were charmed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A/N: Well there is only one more chapter left and that will be it for this fic. And yes I do realize that I did not kill Gideon as everyone was begging me too but I thought long and hard about it and decided that considering the fact that killing an Elder would be considered a great evil I didn't want to force that onto the shoulders of our dear young Wyatt, being as impressionable as he is and all, and besides Chris is right. Stripping him of his powers and making him live as a mortal is so much worse punishment for the sick old monster. Besides if I ever decide to write a sequel I can always use him as a villian again, but you didn't hear that here.
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Post by Meluivan Indil on Nov 19, 2007 23:22:03 GMT -5
Disclaimer: Nothing in the Charmed universe belongs to me and no copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Okay this is it. The last chapter of the story and I have to admit a lot of it is just family fluff. But my do I just love family fluff. As always I hope everyone enjoys it.
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Chapter 32 ~ Too Long
“I still think I was a much cuter baby,” Wyatt whispered to his brother as they stood in the door to their mom’s hospital room as they watched their parents and aunts fussing over the new baby. Wyatt was holding his smaller counterpart who had taken as much a liking to him as he had his brother.
A small smile graced Chris’ lips as he thought about that statement. “You know, Wy, I’d have to agree with you on that, but can you explain to me what happened when you grew up?”
Wyatt shot his brother a sour look and then walked forward into the room. Once he was standing next to the hospital bed he leaned over so little Wyatt could see the baby. “Hey, buddy, you see him. Well that is your little brother and it’s your job to take care of the little squirt.”
The younger version of Wyatt looked wholly unenthused at the suggestion, which they could all see. “Yeah, I know, he doesn’t look like much right now, but someday you’re gonna want him around.”
Little Wyatt just blew bubbles at that suggestion as he turned to play with the buttons on his older self’s shirt.
Chris had walked forward and was trying very hard to keep his laughter under his breath. “You never did listen very well, bro,”
“Yeah, your laughing now but I hope you remember how funny it is when he starts orbing you out of the house,” Wyatt countered.
Piper and Leo both shared looks of terror at that statement and Wyatt quickly qualified his words. “Only to Grandpas. Don’t worry.”
“He says don’t worry,” Piper said her voice slightly strained.
Leo just chuckled. “Guess I better get used to visiting Victor then.” It wasn’t his favorite pastime but he also knew just how much Victor had meant to Chris in his first timeline so they’d just have to get over their differences for the boys sake.
Wyatt smiled but it was easy to see how strained it was. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since Chris’ birth and the oldest Halliwell brother had yet to say more than two sentences to his father, which was beyond frustrating for both Chris and Leo. They both understood Wyatt’s unwillingness to get too close to Leo but it made what should have been a joyous celebration into a less than perfect one. “Hey, Wy, lets go find something to eat. I’m starving,” Chris suggested and Wyatt nodded in agreement as he handed his younger self to Paige. “You guys want anything?”
Everyone else shook their heads in the negative but Piper called out just as they orbed away. “Clean up when you’re done.”
“How do you know they’re going to the Manor? Maybe they’re gonna go for a burger or something.” Paige asked in surprise.
Leo answered that one for her though. “In the year and a half Chris was here did you ever see him buy anything? He never has any money.” They had to admit that was true. It wasn’t as if Chris had time to hold down a job.
“They’re not going there to eat anyway,” Phoebe suggested staring off into space a look of sadness on her face. She knew that Chris wanted to have a private talk with Wyatt. She had recently become very good at reading both her nephews. Even Chris was no longer a mystery. Apparently that empath blocking potion, which none of them were supposed to know he took, didn’t last forever and now that he wasn’t trying to keep secrets from her his emotions came more freely to her mind.
Piper and Paige both gave her curious looks but she shared a look of understanding with Leo. He had been thinking the same as she had. “Don’t worry, Leo. If anyone can get through to him, it’s Chris.”
Leo nodded his agreement. “I know, Phoebe. I’m just wondering if anything short of him going back and seeing the future will convince him that I can be a good father. I don’t really want to have to wait twenty-three years for my son to realize just how much I love him.”
Paige handed him little Wyatt and said the only thing she knew might help the pain her brother-in-law felt. “You don’t have to wait. Start today, Leo, with this little guy and baby Chris. Once he goes back he’ll see just how great a dad you are because he’ll gain all the memories of this little one.”
Leo nodded pulling his son into a tight hug and kissing his forehead. “I love you, little guy, and that will never change,” he whispered causing his son to giggle in happiness.
Once they appeared in the kitchen at the Manor Chris stood back as Wyatt opened the fridge and started to pull out stuff to make sandwiches with. Once Wyatt turned around facing his brother he could see how Chris stared at him. He let the items he was holding fall to the counter top on the breakfast bar. “All right, I know you aren’t interested in eating but I am, so go ahead and talk while I fix my lunch.”
Chris smirked at that. His brother really wasn’t as dumb as he acted at times. “So you really aren’t gonna let this go until we get back to the future, huh?”
Wyatt knew exactly what his brother was talking about and he also knew how much he disliked the idea too. “Yep.”
“Is that really fair to Dad?” Chris asked quietly.
Wyatt didn’t answer for a moment as he started to make his sandwich. He wasn’t exactly sure how to answer that. No, it wasn’t fair, but nothing about the whole situation had been fair yet. “Chris, I don’t want to get my hopes up, and you shouldn’t either.”
Chris snorted at that. “Wy, I’ve had my hopes up for months, now. It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?”
Wyatt didn’t bother looking up at that. “I’m sorry, Chris. I just can’t. If things are fine when we get back to our time then I’ll work on the whole father and son thing but for now, I’d rather not.”
“Wy, you know you can be a real B*st*rd at times,” Chris loved his brother dearly but enough was enough.
Wyatt dropped the knife he was using and looked up. “Chris, I have a right to feel how I feel.”
Chris just stared at his brother for several minutes and then he said his final peace on the subject. “Yeah, Wy, you do. But while you’re feeling that way, why don’t you think of something. You and I will be stepping through that portal and will immediately be in the future. We’ll know instantly if things are right or not. But he has to wait twenty-three years to find out whether or not you are gonna hate him for the rest of his life.” Chris had no intentions of pulling his punches on this one and he could see how those words made Wyatt flinch. “And there’s something else you might consider. He jumped off a bridge to become what you wanted him to be. He didn’t do that for me or for mom or anyone else. I tried to convince him not to do it. I knew deep down that something wasn’t right about it. But he didn’t listen to me. He did that for you, and he nearly died doing it.”
Wyatt didn’t want to admit to Chris that he had already thought of all of that but was still very hesitant to accept Leo, but he knew Chris wasn’t gonna let it go. “Chris, how did you feel about Mom when you first came back to this time?”
Chris was startled by that question but didn’t mind answering it. “I loved her. I’ll always love her.”
“Chris, how did you feel about Piper?” Wyatt corrected.
Then Chris understood what he was getting at. “I was afraid to get too close to her because she might not have been there when I got back…" Chris paused after saying that as it started to make mores sense. "Just like you are afraid that Dad might not be there when you get back.” It made perfect sense actually. He should have seen this coming. He had had months to accept Piper as his mom before he was forced to admit it. “I’m sorry, Wy. I should have realized.”
Wyatt just shook his head and went back to the sandwich he was making.
“I can tell you something that might help though,” Chris spoke up hoping that Wyatt would be willing to listen to him. “Even though I wasn’t ready to accept Piper as my mom when I got here, now that I look back at it I wish I had never wasted so much time pretending to be something I wasn’t. I wish I hadn’t hurt her all of those months. I know it had to be hard for her to keep my secret and to have me so close but not able to tell me that she loved me.”
Wyatt didn’t answer. He just nodded slightly and finished what he was making. Chris walked over to his brother’s side and squeezed his shoulder in a sign of support. “Whatever you decide, I’ll be there for you, bro, whether Dad is or not. But believe me when I say that I have complete faith in him.”
“Thanks, Chris,” Wyatt whispered still looking down at the sandwich he hadn’t bothered to eat yet.
“And besides, if things aren’t right in the future, I’ll just come back and change it again.” Chris just couldn’t help adding that.
This caused Wyatt to laugh as a smile lit his face. “Mom would tie you up in the basement.”
“She’d have to catch me first, and the complete eternity of time provides a lot of hiding places,” Chris said in a conspiratorial whisper.
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2 days later
Leo found himself sitting in the nursery again just as he spent most of his time since Piper brought Chris home from the hospital. He couldn’t get over the fact that he was free to spend as much time with his sons as he wanted. He hadn’t realized just how tense he sometimes was before, knowing at any minute he could be called away from them. This was so much better. Chris was asleep in his crib and Leo was holding Wyatt on his lap. His oldest son was almost asleep. It was slightly difficult to think of these two small boys as being his two grown sons who would soon be going back to their own time.
Once he was sure that Wyatt wouldn’t wake he moved him into his own crib and tucked a blanket around the napping toddler. He had seen someone come up to the door out of the corner of his eye and was expecting it to be Chris. Before things had gone all wrong Chris had often spent time in the nursery with Leo while they put Wyatt down for his nap. But he was surprised to see his other son standing in the doorframe. He placed one finger in front of his lips in a shushing motion as he moved towards the door. They both walked into the hallway and then into Leo and Piper’s bedroom. “Is everything okay?” he asked seeing the very serious look on Wyatt’s face.
“Yeah, I’d just like to talk to you about something. Do you mind if we get out of here for a little bit?” Wyatt asked not exactly looking at his father.
“Not at all,” Leo answered letting his son grab his arm as they orbed away.
Leo was sort of surprised when they reformed on top of the Golden Gate Bridge but he waited patiently for Wyatt to speak.
“This is okay, right? Shoot, I should have thought about it first.” Wyatt realized too late that his father might not exactly enjoy revisiting the place that had almost been the scene of his death.
“It’s okay, Wyatt. I still like it up here. I just can’t get here on my own anymore,” Leo assured him. He didn’t regret anything about his decision to take the fall and this was still the most peaceful spot in all of San Francisco.
“Chris always loved it up here too. I wasn’t so found at first but I got used to it because of him,” Wyatt said remembering the first time Chris had convinced him to orb to the bridge top. At the time Wyatt had refused to tell his brother that he was slightly afraid of heights but he had gotten over that with time. He soon realized that if he wanted to spend time with his brother he’d have to get used to it. Chris was always looking to the skies but now that Wyatt thought about it, maybe Chris had a very good reason for that.
“Chris said you were leaving later today.” Leo had already spent several hours with his youngest as they just sat and talked while Chris told him of his hopes for the future he’d return to. Leo had enjoyed the time spent with Chris but he felt as if something was missing without Wyatt there too.
“Yeah… um… did you two happen to talk about me any?” Wyatt wasn’t sure how to go about telling his father how he felt and part of him wished that Chris had explained his feelings for him.
“Not really. He said that he hoped you’d want to talk to me before you left but he wasn’t sure,” Leo said hopefully. If only he could get Wyatt to open up. “Wyatt, I do understand your fears and I don’t blame you for them. I just wish that there was some way I could help you with them now.”
“Dad, I can’t live on blind faith like Chris is right now. I wish it was that easy for me but I’ve always been the one who had to be the skeptic. It’s the only way I knew how to protect him and Mom,” Wyatt explained hoping his father could understand.
Leo nodded sadly. He hated the fact that his son had had to grow up that way. “I should’ve been the one doing that, Wy. I’m sorry you had to take my place. It wasn’t fair to you.”
Wyatt just shook his head. “They needed me. I couldn’t have done any different, but that’s beside the point. Things will change if the future goes the way you and Chris want it to.”
“Wyatt, I’ve already promised you that it will. I’m not gonna just repeat myself. But I will tell you that I don’t expect anything of you.” Wyatt was surprised by those words. He had expected his father to be as pushy about the subject as Chris was. “Wyatt, I love you and in your future when you go through that portal I hope you can start to care for me too. But that’s completely up to you.”
Wyatt hadn’t really looked his father in the eyes for most of the conversation. He had been nervous about doing so but as he glanced up at them he realized just how easily he could read his father’s eyes. Just as easily as he could read Chris’. And what he saw there gave him pause. It didn’t matter that he had said it was Wyatt’s decision; just the thought of being rejected was breaking his heart. “Twenty-three years,” he whispered echoing his brother’s words from the other day.
Leo had just barely heard it but he didn’t comment as he nodded sadly.
His father was willing to walk around through life for twenty-three years with the pain of knowing his son might not ever care for him, just so he wouldn’t feel pressured into anything. ‘Too long’ he thought sadly to himself. “Let’s say I have a little bit more faith in you, if you promise me that you won’t disappoint Chris too much. I know he thinks you walk on water or something and that’s a lot to live up to but at least make sure he grows up happier than he did before.”
Leo smiled at those words and Wyatt could see a light of hope in his eyes. “That I can do.”
Wyatt nodded and turned looking out over the horizon for a moment. “Oh, and don’t forget to show us this place. Chris really likes it up here.” With that Wyatt reached out and placed a hand on his father’s shoulder as they orbed into the attic in the Manor.
Chris and the sisters were waiting there for them. As they reformed both of them noticed Paige hand Phoebe what looked like a five-dollar bill and the look on her face showed she was unhappy about it. Wyatt glanced at his father who shrugged not understanding at all and then looked back to his aunts waiting for an explanation.
“Oh, don’t look at me like that. It was only a little friendly wager,” Paige said sulking slightly.
Chris rolled his eyes and stood away from the table he’d been leaning against. He walked over to Wyatt who still looked like he wanted to know what was going on. “She bet you’d leave Dad on the bridge.”
Wyatt rolled his eyes too. “I’m not twelve, Aunt Paige. Give me a little credit for being able to act like an adult. At least the rest of you had more faith in me.”
“Actually, if I had had any money to bet, I’d have bet on Dad ending up in Valhalla again,” Chris admitted. “Good thing I’m broke.”
Wyatt’s mouth gaped slightly at his brother but then he remembered something. “Don’t I still owe you for a comment you made before we left?”
Chris just smiled wickedly. He didn’t believe that his brother would ever follow through on even one of those threats.
They all knew it was time to go but each of them seemed to be stalling not wanting this to happen yet again. Chris knew it was time though so he decided to start it off. He stepped over to Phoebe first. He remembered the words she had said to him right before he left the time before and couldn’t help himself. “You know, Aunt Pheebs, when I was a kid I thought your constant smothering of me was the most annoying thing I’d ever seen.” With his words Phoebe’s mouth dropped in shock and he could see the stricken look covering her face. “Don’t ever change. It’s the way you show those you love how you truly feel. I wouldn’t want to live in a world without an embarrassing aunt who smothers me all the time.”
Phoebe gave him an exasperated look but hugged him anyway then she stepped over to Wyatt hugging him tightly. “How did you ever live with that growing up?” she asked him shooting Chris a small grin.
“It wasn’t easy, Aunt Pheebs. I promise you it wasn’t.” He hugged her back tightly and waited for Chris to move on to their other aunt.
Paige stood and walked over to Chris. “Who taught you to be such a smart alec, Mister?” she asked hugging him tightly.
“That would be you,” he answered her returning the hug.
She pulled back looking him straight in the eyes. “I might have done too good a job there.” Then she pulled away and made her way to Wyatt. “I think I’m gonna miss you just as much as Mr. Sarcastic over there. We didn’t have nearly enough time to get to know you though.”
“I’ll miss you too, Aunt Paige,” Wyatt answered. “Just don’t bet against me anymore, okay?” She nodded pulling away. She wouldn’t make that mistake again.
Then Chris moved on to his mother. Yet again this would be very hard to do. He wrapped his arms around her trying not to hug her too tightly as he just let himself enjoy the feel of being hugged by her and the wonderful smells he always incorporated in his mind as belonging to her. Reluctantly he pulled back and said something to allay her worries. “Just so you know, we’ll arrive twenty-three years in the future to this day. And just like the last time, if things aren’t right we’ll come right back, okay.”
“Can’t a mother worry?” she asked as tears sprung to her eyes.
“I would be shocked if you didn’t,” he said teasingly but then he took on a much more serious tone. “I love you, Mom.”
She pulled him back into the hug and whispered into his ear. “Whether you are seven or thirty-seven I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that.”
Chris had promised himself that he wouldn’t cry this time around but there was no way he could keep that promise. “I’ll say it forever if you want me too,” he said as the tears started to fall from his eyes. They shared a couple more minutes of just hugging each other and then Chris stepped back letting Wyatt take his turn with their mom.
“See, I never realized until now that it was gonna be twice as hard to say goodbye this time around,” she said reaching up and folding her oldest son in a hug. “Wyatt, you’ve always been my sunshine and light. Whatever you do, promise me that you’ll stay just like you are today.”
“I promise, Mom,” he said squeezing her even tighter. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby,” she whispered not wanting to let him go. Twice as hard was an understatement.
Chris had moved over to his father’s side and Leo had wrapped an arm around his shoulders as they watched Wyatt saying goodbye to their mom. “I don’t know anything else to say to you, Chris, except I love you and I’m very proud of you. And I promise to get things right this time around.”
“I know you will,” he answered with a look of complete faith on his face. With that he hugged his father tightly and said the words that for the past few days had come so easily for him. “I love you, Dad. I just wish it hadn’t taken me so long to learn to say that.”
Leo found his eyes full of tears again as his son said the words that he had come to crave almost as much as the air he breathed. “Just don’t forget to tell me in the future, okay. I know how boys get embarrassed to tell their dads that kind of stuff.”
“Everyday, Dad,” he promised.
Then Chris backed away and looked towards his brother pulling the spell from his back pocket again. The Triquetra was still waiting on the wall for them.
Wyatt walked over next to Chris who held the spell up ready to say the words, but then something unexpected happened. “Wait a minute, Chris,” Wyatt said placing his hand over the spell. Then he glanced up at his father and walked quickly over to him. “Twenty-three years is way to long, Dad.” With that he reached out and hugged his father tightly his eyes swelling with tears.
Leo was shocked at first but then he returned his son’s hug just as tightly. “I love you, Wyatt,” he whispered through the tears streaming down his face.
“I love you too, Dad,” came the soft reply. They stood like that for several moments and then Wyatt pulled away wiping the tears from his eyes and backed up next to Chris again. He could see that his brother wore a huge grin and the tears were flowing even harder down his cheeks.
Hear these words Hear the rhyme Heed the hope within our minds Send us forth to where we’ll find Our home in place and time
With that they stepped through the portal side by side and out on the other side. As before their was a second set of themselves waiting there for them and Chris and Wyatt both felt that pulling sensation as they were merged with their new selves. They looked at each other and could see very little difference. “Well so far, so good,” Chris commented and then they turned to see three people sitting on the couch waiting for them.
Within seconds they were surrounded by their mom and aunts who were hugging them tightly and making a major fuss over them.
“You’d think they hadn’t seen us in years or something,” Wyatt teased.
Chris smiled at that but was looking around the attic for the one person who was missing. That fact hadn’t passed Wyatt’s notice either but he was waiting for Chris to say something.
“Mom, where’s Dad?” Chris finally asked.
Piper smiled at her sons and called out, “Leo.”
Chris and Wyatt shared a look of fear. There was no way he had gone back to being an Elder or a Whitelighter. ‘I swear to god if he orbs in I’m gonna punch him,’ Wyatt thought to himself darkly.
But at that moment footsteps could be heard pounding up the steps and their father was in the door within seconds. “d**n, I missed it, didn’t I?” he asked stopping just inside the door.
“You have to pardon him, kids. Getting old is not as fun as he thought it’d be,” Paige quipped and both boys could see the age lines on their father’s face and the gray hair at his temples.
Both brothers broke out in huge grins as they rushed forward and wrapped their father in hugs and teased him about his gray hair.
After things had calmed some Chris looked over to his brother wrapping one arm around his shoulders and couldn’t help but say it. “I told you so!”
Wyatt looked to where his father had one arm wrapped around their mother’s waist and was gazing at her like a man who had just fallen in love and she was returning the gaze right back. “For once, Chris, I’m more than glad that you were right and I was wrong.”
The End For Now
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