Title: The Way I Fell In
Author: Claddagh Ring
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Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed or anything recognizable in this story.
Synopsis: Chris Halliwell has had many lives, but none as defining as his first. That was the life that changed everything.
Rating: between T and M for heavy subject matter, language, and sensual/sexual content. Mature content chapters will be noted.
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There are several Author's Notes after the prologue if you would like to know more about this story and the direction it is going in.
THIS IS AN UNCHANGED PAST/FUTURE FIC.
Men heap together the mistakes of their lives and create a monster they call destiny. - John Oliver Hobbes
Prologue: 2011
He was seven years old when his world changed in the biggest way.
Since he was born – probably even before, he suspected – he'd been taught to live in secret, to hide who he truly was. It wasn't normal to move things by thinking about it. It wasn't normal to light up his room with orbs when he forgot to turn on his nightlight. It wasn't normal to blow things up by pointing at them or to freeze the cookie jar before it hit the floor and broke. At least it wasn't normal for other people. For Chris Halliwell, it was normal. But other people seemed to be more important that him. Why else would it matter if he closed the door from across the room or not?
The world, it turned out, was just going to have to get used to it.
He wasn't stupid. His family had been talking about it for months. They tried to not to use scary words around him, but he heard them anyway. Demon. Underworld. Uprising. Death. Something big was going to happen and it was up to Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe and Mommy to stop it.
It was a hot summer morning when the fog rolled over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was thick and black. It was evil, and with it, it brought Armageddon. Hundreds of demons crawled through the smog for the world to see.
The world screamed and panicked. Cars crashed, flames erupted and the normal people fled until there were only a handful left. The brave and blessed were left in the eye of the storm. Most were witches, some were human.
He recognized his Uncle Cooper, the Cupid. He saw Uncle Henry, the mortal. Both seemed so out of place on a battlefield, but they stood steady next to Darryl Morris, who actually looked a little green but Chris knew he wouldn't run. His father, Leo, was there with several other Whitelighters. His aunt's friend Billie stood other witches and creatures of good; he even spotted a few Valkyries. But none stood as strong as his mother and her sisters: The Charmed Ones.
Chris wasn't supposed to be there, but the only reason he was was because his brother Wyatt was there. They were supposed to be with the other cousins, hiding and waiting for their mothers to come home. But Wyatt had disappeared and Chris, well Chris always knew where his brother was, had followed him here to the very top of the Bridge where they watched the battle unfold.
They were hopelessly outnumbered, Chris thought in fear. What chance did they have? But it wasn't about the odds, his mother had taught him, it was about the spirit. He had to believe, no matter what, everything would be okay.
Slowly the battle turned in their favor. He wanted to cheer when the demons numbers dwindled to the point that it was an even one-on-one fight. It was looking good, like it would soon be over. Suddenly a blast of energy crashed over the battleground. The pure force ripped at his skin and rattled his teeth. He heard screams, so many screams as he fell.
When his eyes focused, all he saw was red. Familiar red, familiar blood. His family. Wyatt was on the ground, casting his shield as far and as wide as he could. Chris blinked and found himself staring into Uncle Coop's eyes. Uncle Coop wasn't staring back. There was no life left to see from. In his arms, he held three little girls.
He felt a tug on his arm as Wyatt pulled him up, away from the bodies of his cousins and Chris want to cry. Before he could, the air shifted again. It grew cold and stiff; it became hard to breathe. His lungs burned. He fell to his knees again, joined by everyone still alive on the bridge.
Everyone except Aunt Phoebe. She blazed, literally blazed with fire. Whatever was coming out of her, was not natural even by his standards. It was pure hell. Pain. Fear. Revenge. Death.
No one really saw it end. The only thing Chris was sure of was that Aunt Phoebe, in her rage, slaughtered the demons. He felt it more than anything. It felt like something had ripped a hole in his chest and was sucking out his life. She was gathering every power she could, using everything around her. There was a final gush of energy and then... the battle was over.
The real test was only beginning. Magic had been exposed to the world on such a level that even the Cleaners couldn't sweep it under the rug. There were too many witnesses, too many minds to break. The world would never be the same again. Magic was real and it was a whole new ballgame.
Everyone had an opinion. Witches were heroes, they were dangerous. They deserved to die, they were superior citizens. Everyone thought they knew what was best. But while the world raged on around them, the Halliwells tried to pick up the pieces.
It was a bit easier for Aunt Paige and Uncle Henry. They still had each other and their family. They had their home at the magic school where Aunt Paige was headmistress. Paige became an advocate and voice for the witch community during the great debates that followed the Exposure.
Phoebe never used her powers after that battle. Leo suspected she'd burnt herself out. Chris knew it was just too painful for her. Her entire family, lost in one strike. Everything magic had given her, it had also taken away and she just couldn't take it anymore. No one knew how her children had gotten there, but Chris blamed himself silently. He blamed Wyatt too. They were supposed to stay with the cousins during the fight. If they'd all stayed together, maybe everyone would still be alive.
He wanted to talk to his mother about what he did, but Chris could never find the words. So he kept it, this secret. It was his first real secret, something no one else knew. As life went on, he buried it until it was just something he lived with.
He once considered talking to Leo about it. After all, his dad was an angel. But he was an angel with broken wings, Chris decided. He had his faults. He would barely see Piper, the woman he supposedly loved. Chris and his little sister Melinda would be left behind while Wyatt would spend hours and hours with their dad. Leo said it was because Wyatt needed special attention. Because Wyatt was twice-blessed and he was older and he had a great destiny.
No one noticed that Christopher Halliwell was only seven years old when his destiny was decided.
AN: I started this story years and years ago - it was called The Past Before - and for a lot of boring reasons, I discontinued it. But it's still a story I want to tell, and I feel like I can finally do it the justice it deserves. So it may sound familiar to some of you; it may not.
This will be a long journey, covering the life Chris may have had in his unchanged past. It will start with Piper's death when he was 14 and go all the way until he goes to the past to save Wyatt as we see in Season 6. Basically, this will cover ages 14 through 21 and will not be for the light of heart. Chris did not have a happy past. There will be bright spots, hopefully some humor, but over all, this will be on the heavy-handed side.
AN2: I did not watch Charmed much before Season 6, or much afterwards. I believe I know enough about the series to avoid any major contradictions between the canon and my universe but I apologize in advance for any discrepancies. This is very much AU (which kind of doubles for alternate universe AND assumed universe).
AN3: I am making my timeline under the assumption that Chris was born May 2004 (as was his on-air birth).
The new title was inspired by the song "Heaven or Hell" by The Morning Of.
I write, you read, you review, I write more.