Title: Your Timing Needs Work (You Selfish, Insensitive Clod)
By: X
X0832001yahoo.com
Summary: A very short thing about Daryl coming to fill his warrant on Chris a couple days too late.
Rated: PG
Disclaimer: I own nothing and am getting no money
A/N: I don't know what people remember about their time in the happy Pleasantville world. In this story Daryl doesn't remember stopping by and seeing the dying Chris.
Piper sat in the sunroom with her baby wondering how it was possible to be so happy and so sad at the exact same time. They told her the news right before they left the hospital. Wyatt had been saved, the world was safe, and 22 year old Chris had died instead of going back to his own time. He'd died to save his brother; it was such a selfless act. Piper turned her head and looked down. Baby Chris was asleep in the basinet, such a good little boy. She could tell already.
Lost in her own sad, conflicted thoughts she jumped when the doorbell rang. With one glance back to her newborn she got out of her chair and walked over to the front door. Friends and neighbors were all so excited about the new baby and had been dropping by since she got home. She did her best to put on a brave face, but every time she heard, "He's Chris? Named after your cousin?" and the inevitable, "Where is your cousin?" she couldn't help but remember her boy was dead.
She pulled open the door and found Daryl. It was the new and improved Daryl who wouldn't help them and didn't consider himself their friend. "Piper, I'm sorry but I'm here for Chris. It's over. Turn him in right now or we're all coming in. I've got enough backup out here and ready that he won't get the chance to orb away." Piper looked at Daryl and couldn't stop the tears. She roughly grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside. "Piper, I'm done covering for you sisters. Chris committed a crime, broke out of jail, and now has to face his punishment. That's my job." Piper slammed the door and wiped away the escaped tears roughly. Daryl coming here for this, it just seemed so disrespectful. True, he didn't know what had been going on the last few days, but she couldn't suppress her anger.
"Yeah! Well this one's not going the way you thought it would. Chris is dead Daryl!" Piper was angry; angry at everything. Her son had given up everything he knew to save his brother and make the future better, and then he never even got to see it. Now Daryl here wanted to arrest him. "That bastard Gideon stabbed him. Leo couldn't heal him and he died upstairs." Daryl was shocked; he didn't know what to say to this grieving mother. Another time and he and Sheila would have been here comforting her instead of what he was here to do now.
But Daryl had decided he just couldn't be a part of their lives. He had to keep this professional, just do his job. Knowing it was insensitive but still dedicated to performing his job Daryl asked, "Then if we could just get proof…"
"You can't, we don't even get a body to bury. He faded away after…" Tears fell down Piper's face as she strode to the sun room. Daryl followed. Baby Chris was still asleep in his newly purchased basinet. His mother picked him up. "This is the only Christopher Perry Halliwell we have here, and you'll arrest him over my dead body." She led Daryl back to the door. "I'm sorry Lt. Morris; I don't care what the hell you do about your warrant. You want to expose magic go ahead. My son died 2 days ago and was born 2 days ago. You want to be the crackpot arresting newborns for auto theft just try it, I am too tired to care." She pulled open the door again. "Goodbye Lt. Morris, have a nice day." She pushed him back onto the stairs and slammed the door shut.
On the inside of the door Piper sat down on the couch and rocked her baby. The tears had slowed and she smiled at the little life in her arms. This little boy wasn't the Chris she knew, and wasn't going to be. That Chris was gone, that's why she mourned him. This Chris was going to have a family that loved him, and a father that knew him, and a caring, kind older brother. He wasn't going to have to give up his life at 22. He'd be a different person. Baby Chris yawned and balled his fists and kept sleeping, such a good baby.
Outside the door Daryl turned back toward the street, signaling that there was no need for the others. This wasn't really covering for the sisters, so he wasn't really backing down from his stand. The warrant would remain, but never filled. It'd wind up forgotten and buried eventually; especially when they couldn't find any history for the kid. Maybe Sheridan would give him a hard time, but it'd fade away into that file she was keeping on him. He felt bad for Chris, another young life cut down because of this magical battle between good and evil. Not that this epic was his business, he was just a cop doing his job. "He's gone, sorry people" he announced. Murmurs came from the assembled police force but they got back in their cars and headed off.
As Daryl got into his own car he once again questioned his decision to ignore the world of magic. It wasn't a decision he'd come to in a moment of panic, and he debated with himself every day. He'd spent years working with the sisters after Andy died. He'd begged to be let in on the mysterious happenings. Considering what happened with the cleaners that had been a horrible mistake. He'd nearly died, left Sheila alone. Family was important to him, as important as it was to Piper Halliwell. That's why he had to stick by this decision. She was burdened with a destiny of good magic against the evil forces but he didn't have to be. He was just Lt. Daryl Morris, a cop in San Francisco with a wife and family. This was just a time he needed to be selfish.