A/N: Thanks for all the kind responses I got to my last fic: The Sextet of Time. This fic takes place about 6 months after that one ends.
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Chris knew something wasn't right with Wyatt. His big brother was generally a happy, fun-loving man, and in the past few months, he was changing. All of a sudden, his temper was extremely quick to flare. He rarely smiled, and never laughed. His fiancée, Abby had almost given up hope that he would be normal again. But what worried Chris most was he had seen Wyatt crying in his room late at night when he thought no one else to hear or see him.
He knew Wyatt was human, and had human emotions, even if he was Twice-Blessed, but he'd never seen his older brother cry. When Wyatt broke his arm when he was 10, he had stubbornly refused to cry even when Piper and Leo swore it was okay. When Abby had broken up with him to date a demon while possessed, he'd just stubbornly gone ahead and plotted to get her un-possessed and get her back. Even when their beloved grandpa had passed away, Wyatt was the only one who had stayed dry-eyed through the whole ordeal. He'd still missed him and mourned, but wouldn't cry- even when he was alone. Instead, he'd gone to the local dollar store, bought every cheap vase he could find, and one by one smashed them all with energy ball after energy ball.
Chris sat up in the attic, leafing through the Book of Shadows, looking for a magical reason that might be behind Wyatt's moodiness. So far, he hadn't had any luck. He flipped another few pages, and landed on the page he most dreaded. The Time Loop.
He'd read the Book of Shadows a million times, and each time the entry gave him cold chills.
"A Time Loop can connect two or more dimensions at one time. A Time Loop can also connect two separate souls of the same human and turn the white magic of one to the black magic of the other."
The entry blinked back at him, glaring in its meaning. Could it possibly be true? Could Wyatt really be turning evil again?
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Wyatt Halliwell wasn't having a good day. His fiancée, Abby refused to see him until he "got out of his funk", the restaurant that he and Chris had started was slowly sinking deeper into debt, and his entire family was worried about him. Plus he'd started having these weird magical flashbacks. Even though he'd never admit it out loud, the flashbacks scared him. You'd have thought that being the Twice Blessed witch and the future King Arthur would keep any being scared enough not to mess with him. Unfortunately, demons were crazy, and they loved the thrill of taking on Wyatt and his family. They never won, but they never quit coming either. This new threat had him worried. If it had the power to change or insert flashbacks into his consciousness, then it was really powerful. Wyatt sighed noisily. He had no other choice. He'd have to talk to his family to see if they could help. He'd already been through the book, and hadn't found anything useful. He snorted to himself. Of course that might be because he never needed to look in the book enough to read it carefully. Chris was the Book Of Shadows expert in the family, due to his countless hours in both timelines of his existence spent reading and re-reading each entry, preparing for "just in case". He got up from his desk in the restaurant and orbed home.
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"Yo! Family Meeting! Right now! Anybody home?" Wyatt called out the second his orbs faded away.
Leo immediately orbed in with Piper by his side. "Wy! I thought you were at Yummies. (A/N That's the name of Chris & Wyatt's restaurant.) What's going on?"
"Mom, I just need to talk to all of you. Can you guys help me round up everyone? I need some…" Wyatt swallowed."Help."
Leo smiled at his son's obvious discomfort. "It's about time. Even angels need help, buddy. I'll go get your Aunts. They went shopping." Leo orbed out.
"CHRIS! PHYRA! EVERYONE! FAMILY MEETING RIGHT NOW!" Piper screamed up the stairs. Suddenly orbs erupted everywhere as various family members orbed in from all parts of the manor.
"Wy. Something wrong at Yummies? Do you need me to go over there?" Chris asked anxiously. Yummies was his baby. Wyatt managed the day to day financials and hassles of running the restaurant, while Chris kept the kitchens and dining rooms operating at peak performance. Chris was head chef on Saturday nights, which ultimately was Yummies busiest night. He was the only brother to inherit Piper's cooking talent. Wyatt couldn't cook toast without burning it.
"Relax, Chris." Wyatt grinned. "The restaurant is going great. Although I think we need you to start cooking another night to attract more customers. But that's not what this is about. I have a magical issue. I need some input."
Leo orbed in with Paige & Phoebe close behind. "Ok, Wyatt. Everyone's here and this better be good. I just left a shoe sale that had Jimmy Choo's 75 off!" Phoebe fumed.
"Sorry, Aunt Phoebe. Listen, all of you have nagged me in the past few weeks about my mood. You're right. Something is wrong, and I don't know how to fix it. I've checked the book, but can't find anything. I think a demon is messing with my mind, trying to drive me crazy or something." Wyatt explained.
"What do you mean- messing with your mind? This demon is the one changing your mood?" Paige asked.
"No. My moods are me, Aunt Paige. It's just… I've been getting these flashes of visions of another time. They're like flashbacks, only I've never been in this place or done the things I see myself doing. They're bad- really bad- and I'm having a hard time separating the flashbacks from my normal feelings. That's what gotten me so... so… "he trailed off, not sure what word to use.
"Jerky?" Phyra offered. She loved Wyatt, but lately, he was just acting like a jerk, and not anything like the cousing she knew and loved.
Wyatt snorted. "Yeah, Phy. I guess that works as well as anything. Any ideas what might be going on?"
"What kind of flashbacks, Wy? Could your powers be growing to include premonitions?" Paisley, his oldest cousin asked. She was got premonitions, so she was very familiar with the feeling of not knowing where your mind suddenly is.
"No, they aren't premonitions. They feel like… well, like memories. Only the things I'm doing in these 'memories' are all things that I would never, ever do."
"What things?" Patrick asked. He wasn't used to seeing his cousin jumpy, Wyatt was his idol, and seeing him nervous was making Patrick nervous.
"Tons of stuff. For example, killing an innocent witch for daring to defy me, or forcing all of you to call me Lord Wyatt. And Chris… God, the things I've done to Chris in these flashbacks. It makes me sick, I choked him. Literally held him up with my telekinesis by the throat and threatened to kill him. My own brother! What the HELL is happening to me?" Wyatt's voice was strained and filled with self-loathing.
"It's called a Time Loop. Some form of black magic from another dimension comes in to take over good magic." Chris stated quietly into the silence. "This isn't an ordinary demon, Wy. This is you. From my other future. The evil future."
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A/N: I'm already writing chapter 2, but please review so I know if you like it or not!
