Note: companion piece to A Meeting of Brothers. Review!

A Meeting of Father and Son

Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad. - Proverb

The Golden Gate Bridge was on the verge of collapsing. Chris Halliwell knew that. Still, he didn't care. It was his spot, the one where he always went to think. Just because it was about to fall apart, didn't mean he could be kept from it. Wyatt couldn't take it away from him. So, he would stand by it as long as he could.

The city was disgusting. From several different places, smoke could be seen rising up, but no one was doing anything about it. Trash was littered around, polluting the waters. Demons were most likely roaming around, looting people's houses for anything they could find.

What a disaster.

Chris sighed, leaning against one of the few metal poles that were still standing. However, it was covered in rust, and any day now, he knew, it could fall apart.

Chris didn't blink as he heard the musical jingle of someone Orbing in. There was only one person that could be.

"I used to find the city calming."

Chris said nothing.

"I guess I passed that onto you."

This time, he let out a snort. "Yeah, I'm being oh-so soothed by the destruction of San Francisco. It's just wonderful."

"Chris –"

"Leo," he countered mockingly, finally turning to face his father.

Green met green. One sad, one hostile. Chris could honestly say that he wanted to punch his father in the face, and throw him off the bridge, but he had some self-restraint... some.

For a moment they stood there, sizing each other up, trying to see who would make the first move. They both knew, however, it was inevitable that Leo would.

"Chris, can't we talk?" pleaded Leo.

"We had plenty of time for that when I was, oh, say eight?" Chris said caustically. "Now, people are dying and we need to do something about it."

"We have patrols out, helping people. You know that. You set them up. So just give me a minute of your time for once," Leo said, eyes shining with desperation.

"I would have given you all day once, if you had just come home for someone other than Wyatt," said Chris coolly, backing up a bit.

"His powers needed to be controlled, Chris, you know that," Leo stated weakly.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't look like you did such a good job at that," Chris snapped, turning to look back at the city with haunted eyes. "And now everything's destroyed. The city. Wyatt. Mom. My family. It's just... gone."

"I'm still here, Chris," said Leo softly.

"That's great. Except, I don't want you here anymore."

Leo's face fell. "Chris you don't –"

"I mean it, Leo, just like Mom meant it when she said it a year before her death. Still, that didn't stop you from walking in to talk to Wyatt. It would've been nice, though, if the one time she actually needed you, you came!"

Leo looked at him, completely pale, while they both flashed back to that awful, bloody, bloody day. Chris's eyes bore into his, accusing, and unforgiving. What had happened? All Leo had wanted was for his family to be happy. Then, he had been made into an Elder and things just seemed to... fall apart. Why? Why couldn't he go back to the day where he saw Piper holding Chris for the first time and think that everything in the world was going to be great? To think that nothing would ever happen to them? It was his fault. It had to be.

Chris slowly dropped the stare, as he caught a glimpse of emotion from his father. Usually, his father's face was cold as stone. But today... was that regret? Chris sighed, not wanting to open up that train of thought, and he turned completely back around, retaking the position that he had started with. "Whatever, Leo," Chris said tiredly. "Just, please, leave me alone. I'm leaving tomorrow and you won't have to worry about being a failure as a father anymore. With your luck, I won't even be conceived."

"Chris, I never wanted that. I have always loved you," Leo insisted.

Chris closed his eyes. There were usually many retorts that he could give to that statement, but all he could think about was the last time his mother had said that to him.

It was a second before she had died. And she had blood all over her hands and clothes. Chris remembered shaking so terribly that he had somehow splattered some of his blood onto her face. His mouth twisted, feeling disgusted that he couldn't have saved her. That all he did was sit there and watch. Why didn't he go back in time?

He knew why. He knew that Wyatt would still turn evil. There was absolutely nothing to do about it.

The fact that she was dead didn't change anything.

"Just go, Leo," Chris's voice broke. "Just, go."

After a split second of silence, the musical jingle of orbs appeared, and Chris was alone again, looking at the destruction that he somehow had to find a way to fix.

No pressure.

He heaved a sigh and stood upright. Pushing away his own issues with his father, he let himself be consumed in the orbs.

After all, the world needed to be saved.