Chapter 1
He was a being who lived outside of time and was aware of all its passings. He could not be considered either good or evil but simply existed. It was an easy existence. Because he was outside of time and space he was able to watch the passing of the world in less than the blink of an eye. This also meant that he was not restricted by the linier pattern of time or constrained in any way by the boundries that mortals faced.
It would have been a simple thing for him to extend his will and touch the world. To change it to the way he wanted it. But he had lost all interest in the living after a few thousand years of observation when he had a sudden and striking realization. That all mortals are the same power grubbing, corrupt, stupid beings whose only destiny was to die and be reborn to continue the completely pointless process over again. The idea of humanity was one that made him laugh because he had seen what this so called humanity made people do. The fact that people were so willing to violate every precept that they held made him cringe. Ultimately, he had stopped paying attention because the situation was too damn depressing.
His lack of interest continued for eons until he felt a coldness enter into what had become his place of dwelling. Something had touched the world and made him look once more on what earth was becoming and for the first time in his eternal existence, he felt fear. Because the emotion was so foreign to him it gripped his heart in a vice and made his very being quiver. Something had changed. Someone had touched the world.
He looked on what the world had become and trembled.
Some of my earliest memories are of Wyatt and me arguing over who was going to have the coolest powers. Mom had decided early on that there was too big a risk for exposure for us too keep them until we had control over them. She decided to release them when we turned 15, except for Wyatt's force field. She thought it would be better if we had some protection during demon attacks. So I guess you could say that from the beginning I have felt short-changed. Heck, Wyatt got to keep a power and to a kid it would only seem fair that I would get to keep one too. I never thought about it from her perspective and how she was keeping us safe.
So, was I bitter? Yeah, you could say that. But before the bitterness there was hero worship. I mean, come on. What kid doesn't worship his big brother at one point or another? The bitterness came later, much later. Seriously now, how many times does a guy have to hear about how much better your brother is than you? It was always "twice blessed this" or "twice blessed that." Nobody can measure up to that sort of praise, and I'm sure they didn't realize what they were doing but for a little kid to hear it that often was not good, it tended to grate. And then when we got older and began to argue it became something to throw in my face.
Mom was different though. She had brightness about her. All my memories of her were filled with light and happiness, something right out of a "Touched by an Angel" show. I think she understood me most of all. But hey, don't get me wrong, she was a kick ass witch who could face the worst of them and come out on top. It was almost like she knew what I was going through because she went through the same thing with Prue. From all the stories I was told about her it would have been easy to picture her as a ten-foot giant of wicca proportions. Mom clearly loved her. She never said anything bad about Prue but no relationship is that perfect.
Another thing I loved about mom was the way she treated me as a special person. I wasn't just another son, or Wyatt's brother. I was hers. She used to let me help her in the kitchen and watch her make potions. Even though she bound our powers, she understood that magic was an integral part of our lives and didn't want us to be unprepared for the world. She would give us lessons on the basics and the history of magic. Personally I loved all the extra lessons, not only were we talking about magic but it meant that I got to spend time with her. Wyatt, on the other hand, hated the extra lessons and thought of them as a chore. He took every opportunity he got to skip out on them. Years later after the hero worship had worn off I decided that it was because he thought that his "twice blessedness" would get him through it. Now if that was true or not, I don't know. But an angry kid is not going to try and rationalize the way he thinks.
Of the other people in the family Aunt Paige was definitely the coolest. She was the one who was always finding ways to teach us magic and her love of the craft inspired me. I hardly ever saw Aunt Phoebe because when I was three she moved out of the manor to live with Uncle Jason in his apartment. What I do remember of her the most was the way she looked when she finally figured out how to banish the Woogie from the house. She had fire in her eyes when she said the spell:
Evil being in my sight,
Shadow of the darkest night,
I cast thee out with this curse,
And banish you, now disperse.
Power of the Halliwell line,
Enhance the power that is mine.
I am bright, and you are dark,
From this place you now depart.
She said it was her gift to us before leaving. Mom had decided that because the house was getting too crowded she would hire someone to remodel the basement to have four rooms and a living area. Aunt Phoebe thought that this was too dangerous with the Woogie living under the house, thus the spell. It wasn't like we never saw her, but since Aunt Paige still lived with us we saw her more.
Needless to say I loved both of them almost as much as I loved my mom and dad. It's not like our lives were perfect by any means, what with the constant demon attacks and high school as hard as it was, it was surprising our lives ware at least a little normal. But if there was one thing I could change about my life it would be Leo, Wyatt's dad. Mom and dad had met two years after Leo put his job before his family. For that reason alone I resented him. What kind of man could be so uncaring as to leave his wife and child? Thank God my dad had sense enough not to see things that way.
When I was young I could remember that most of their arguments were about him and how he was always hanging around. But dad was more understanding than most men would have been. When I was older, a lot older, I realized that she never loved my dad as much as she loved Leo. Don't get me wrong, she loved him plenty, but it wasn't in the crazy, all consuming, rule breaking kind of love. He made her more guarded with her emotions. Did I resent him? Yeah, I don't think I could have made myself anymore clear on that point. But Leo was the only real shadow in my life and another reason to dislike Wyatt later on.
He was a being who lived outside of time and was aware of all its passings. He could not be considered either good or evil but simply existed. It was an easy existence. Because he was outside of time and space he was able to watch the passing of the world in less than the blink of an eye. This also meant that he was not restricted by the linier pattern of time or constrained in any way by the boundries that mortals faced.
It would have been a simple thing for him to extend his will and touch the world. To change it to the way he wanted it. But he had lost all interest in the living after a few thousand years of observation when he had a sudden and striking realization. That all mortals are the same power grubbing, corrupt, stupid beings whose only destiny was to die and be reborn to continue the completely pointless process over again. The idea of humanity was one that made him laugh because he had seen what this so called humanity made people do. The fact that people were so willing to violate every precept that they held made him cringe. Ultimately, he had stopped paying attention because the situation was too damn depressing.
His lack of interest continued for eons until he felt a coldness enter into what had become his place of dwelling. Something had touched the world and made him look once more on what earth was becoming and for the first time in his eternal existence, he felt fear. Because the emotion was so foreign to him it gripped his heart in a vice and made his very being quiver. Something had changed. Someone had touched the world.
He looked on what the world had become and trembled.
Some of my earliest memories are of Wyatt and me arguing over who was going to have the coolest powers. Mom had decided early on that there was too big a risk for exposure for us too keep them until we had control over them. She decided to release them when we turned 15, except for Wyatt's force field. She thought it would be better if we had some protection during demon attacks. So I guess you could say that from the beginning I have felt short-changed. Heck, Wyatt got to keep a power and to a kid it would only seem fair that I would get to keep one too. I never thought about it from her perspective and how she was keeping us safe.
So, was I bitter? Yeah, you could say that. But before the bitterness there was hero worship. I mean, come on. What kid doesn't worship his big brother at one point or another? The bitterness came later, much later. Seriously now, how many times does a guy have to hear about how much better your brother is than you? It was always "twice blessed this" or "twice blessed that." Nobody can measure up to that sort of praise, and I'm sure they didn't realize what they were doing but for a little kid to hear it that often was not good, it tended to grate. And then when we got older and began to argue it became something to throw in my face.
Mom was different though. She had brightness about her. All my memories of her were filled with light and happiness, something right out of a "Touched by an Angel" show. I think she understood me most of all. But hey, don't get me wrong, she was a kick ass witch who could face the worst of them and come out on top. It was almost like she knew what I was going through because she went through the same thing with Prue. From all the stories I was told about her it would have been easy to picture her as a ten-foot giant of wicca proportions. Mom clearly loved her. She never said anything bad about Prue but no relationship is that perfect.
Another thing I loved about mom was the way she treated me as a special person. I wasn't just another son, or Wyatt's brother. I was hers. She used to let me help her in the kitchen and watch her make potions. Even though she bound our powers, she understood that magic was an integral part of our lives and didn't want us to be unprepared for the world. She would give us lessons on the basics and the history of magic. Personally I loved all the extra lessons, not only were we talking about magic but it meant that I got to spend time with her. Wyatt, on the other hand, hated the extra lessons and thought of them as a chore. He took every opportunity he got to skip out on them. Years later after the hero worship had worn off I decided that it was because he thought that his "twice blessedness" would get him through it. Now if that was true or not, I don't know. But an angry kid is not going to try and rationalize the way he thinks.
Of the other people in the family Aunt Paige was definitely the coolest. She was the one who was always finding ways to teach us magic and her love of the craft inspired me. I hardly ever saw Aunt Phoebe because when I was three she moved out of the manor to live with Uncle Jason in his apartment. What I do remember of her the most was the way she looked when she finally figured out how to banish the Woogie from the house. She had fire in her eyes when she said the spell:
Evil being in my sight,
Shadow of the darkest night,
I cast thee out with this curse,
And banish you, now disperse.
Power of the Halliwell line,
Enhance the power that is mine.
I am bright, and you are dark,
From this place you now depart.
She said it was her gift to us before leaving. Mom had decided that because the house was getting too crowded she would hire someone to remodel the basement to have four rooms and a living area. Aunt Phoebe thought that this was too dangerous with the Woogie living under the house, thus the spell. It wasn't like we never saw her, but since Aunt Paige still lived with us we saw her more.
Needless to say I loved both of them almost as much as I loved my mom and dad. It's not like our lives were perfect by any means, what with the constant demon attacks and high school as hard as it was, it was surprising our lives ware at least a little normal. But if there was one thing I could change about my life it would be Leo, Wyatt's dad. Mom and dad had met two years after Leo put his job before his family. For that reason alone I resented him. What kind of man could be so uncaring as to leave his wife and child? Thank God my dad had sense enough not to see things that way.
When I was young I could remember that most of their arguments were about him and how he was always hanging around. But dad was more understanding than most men would have been. When I was older, a lot older, I realized that she never loved my dad as much as she loved Leo. Don't get me wrong, she loved him plenty, but it wasn't in the crazy, all consuming, rule breaking kind of love. He made her more guarded with her emotions. Did I resent him? Yeah, I don't think I could have made myself anymore clear on that point. But Leo was the only real shadow in my life and another reason to dislike Wyatt later on.
