A/N: I decided to rewrite this story (again). I read it and thought it was too fast. Also, I saw I committed several writing mistakes and gave too much exposition. I'll try to make it a little slower this time so the chapters can flow better and the story can become more coherent.

Disclaimer: if I owned Charmed, it wouldn't have ended that way, it would have kept going.

"The Hexenmeister" by cdfe88

Chapter 1: Meandering Like a Restless Wind

"Don't make me sacrifice you both" Gideon's voice rang inside his head and all he felt was a sense of failure and disappointment and an acute pain in his stomach. He saw his father rushing to his side, shouting his name. The fat lady had sung for him, and it hurt him to know that he wouldn't live to see the end of the story. While his father knelt at his side trying and failing to cure his wound, he noticed his aunt Paige standing by the doorframe. He didn't have to be an empath to understand what his aunt was feeling at the moment. Chris too had lost many precious people.

He knew better than to engage conversation with Paige in his current condition, so he set on relaying his final message to his father. He told him his regrets, his wishes and gave his thanks. And as he went clean with Leo and exchanged words of encouragement with him, Chris felt his body giving out, heeding the call that beckoned him. He had been wandering for an endless lapse.

"Am I dead?" was the phrase, which began his train of thought. Even if he never gave up, he knew he had lost the battle. The only thing that remained for Chris was the hope that his family had won the war. It didn't pain him to be dead, but the anguish of not knowing was keeping him from achieving his well-deserved eternal rest. "I'd like to think I made a difference". As he vanished, he recalled the things he wished he had changed, but he felt a sensation of peace once he realized he could trust his family.

He didn't want to know what would be of him, but he wondered if his parents would find love in each other once again. If Paige would find her path, if Phoebe would get her happy ending. And above all, he wished he'd know if his brother had changed.

"The only thing I wish at this point is for you to remain human and be able to feel."…

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Christopher Perry Halliwell woke up in a white room not quite unlike a courtroom. The walls looked almost nonexistent as if the room consisted of a never-ending space of white, making feel trapped and free at the same time. The checkered style floor made the courtroom look like a chessboard. The size of the judge's podium and the fact that he was standing in a white marble square made Chris feel as if he was nothing more than a simple piece.

He turned around and observed the other ones present. Most of the juries' faces were concealed under silvery cloaks and a faint white aura; the ones sitting in the audience were dressed in the Angel of Death's normal attire. As he continued to scan the room, he found himself staring at someone undisguised. Standing next to Chris, like the rook in the king's side, was another man. He had seen many things during his lifetime, so the sight of a man identical to him didn't shock him. What stunned him were the only two differences between them: the red hair, and the fact that his counterpart was missing half of his astral body.

"Christopher Perry Halliwell", said one of the angels from the jury. As if reading the charges to a criminal sentenced to death, one of the beings continued coldly "you have dared alter your past and messed the Grand Design, you have put the balance of good and evil in great peril, and have used your gifts to kill, for breaking all the rules of magic…" Chris was all but calm. He was more than familiar with his sins and was prepared to receive his punishment.

"Aedan Hoyt O'Rourke" continued another voice in a similar way, "you endangered your fellow witches and messed with the Grand Design as well, you have used your powers to cause destruction, and putting the world in danger…" Aedan sighed as he closed intently his remaining eye and the rest of his left arm dissolved. To Chris it seemed as if Aedan had a lot of regret in his eye, and he felt sorry for the man. Another voice continued.

"We are forced to fix the problems you've caused," he said in an accusing tone. The three eyes retained a similar solemn look of resignation. "You have messed with forces well beyond your understanding…" he resumed his speech and paused slightly, "…however, you both succeeded in saving us all, but there's a problem…" the voice made another pause. At this point, Chris didn't know what to think, and it looked to him that Aedan was bewildered as well.

"Sadly, neither of you can go on. Aedan, your broken soul won't be able to move on to your next life. Chris: your soul, as whole as it is, has nowhere to go." Said the judge like a doctor would diagnose a patient with cancer, coldly, with a lack of humanity. "Both your spirits are very important assets to the side of good. Aedan, your knowledge is very valuable, and Chris, you have proved you're capable of doing great good. We can't afford losing either of you."

Chris contemplated the fractured man at his side and began wondering as the Angel of Destiny continued. "We have pondered on this ever since Aedan arrived, and even though you're not the same one anymore, you're each other's only chance at surviving." Realization hit him, as he understood the importance of Aedan in his life.

The red-haired man looked at the judge and said in a confident voice and a thick Irish accent "I presume you want us to castle." The judge gave a faint nod. Chris's suspicions were confirmed with that statement.

As the Angel of Destiny explained the situation to the men, Chris's eyes lit with hope, and he asked the one thing he wanted to know the most, "will I be able to see my family again?"

The judge tried to be merciful to the witchlighter, but she knew not to be condescending. "There are things you, of all people, must not interfere with, you must let your family sort themselves through the perils that will come to them. They have done it once, you must let them do it again"

I should have known, he thought. Destiny is a cruel bitch. He had another shot at life, but ironically, he'd never see the conclusion of his mission. As he reflected on his satire of a life, the judge spoke his final words to them. "Take this second chance we give you to make yourselves stronger, to see the world, and, above all, to recover your humanity".

"I guess there's nothing else we can do," said the men at the same time. They faced each other and sighed. Slowly and steady, they both approached each other, step by step, until they were standing on the same black square. They shook hands saying "nice to meet you" as the magic flowed between them.

The now complete red-haired man spoke "I'm ready." And feeling a little bittersweet about the resolution, Chris felt himself being pulled back to Earth. At that same time one of the other angels winked at him and said, "Who knows? What are the chances of a magical being crossing paths with a Halliwell?"

Chris smiled with a new sense of hope. I don't think four more years will do any harm, was his last thought as he came back to life.

A/N: So this is basically the prologue, R/R, say anything you want as long as it's constructive, tell me if there's anything I can improve, maybe have the characters more in-character, I'm open for suggestions as well, and also, I'd like to encourage you to read my one-shots. Without anything else to say, I hope you liked it.