Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or any of it's characters. I also don't have any rights to the book Homecoming, from which this story is based on. This story is purely written for enjoyment and I get no financial gain from it.
Summary: Wyatt started to panic. They'd been in the car for hours now and she still wasn't back. Where was she? Why had she left? He knew he had to get himself and his little brother somewhere safe. So they start walking. Based on the book by Cynthia Voigt.
A/N Eek! -runs and hides as angry readers of AHEW and TMOCP aim their guns- Don't shoot!! I'm really sorry for the unexcusable lack in updates for those stories but guess what? I'm working on the new chapters now! This little plot bunny wouldn't go away and I had to write it, I just had too! I promise I'll update my other stories though! I'll never abandon them.
Right, a few facts you need to know:
The age difference between the brothers is different in this story. Wyatt is thirteen and Chris is seven, about to turn eight. The age difference is important because it gives Wyatt more responsibility which will show later in the story.
This is a non magic fic.
This fanfic is based on the book "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt so there are a lot of scenes that may seem similar.
Phoebe and Paige live in towns kinda far away from San Fransisco. This is also pretty important.
And that's about it! Hope you guys like it!
Light spatters of rain hit the car window and the thirteen year old boy squinted his eyes to watch the magenta coloured house move out of sight. The windows of the house held no light and it looked so empty and depressed in the dim moonlight. The stars twinkled up ahead as if they were winking at him but they held no comfort. A ball of knots was twisting in his stomach and he glanced at his mother who was sitting stiffly behind the steering wheel.
Her eyes were glazed over and her knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel much more tightly than was needed. She stared straight ahead of her and barely blinked unless the stinging in her eyes got too much.
Wyatt swallowed and pondered if he should try asking her where they were going. She didn't look as if she'd be very responsive but it was worth a try wasn't it? At least, he'd know what lay ahead and maybe…maybe he'd know why they were leaving their home for some place unknown to him.
She'd woken them, him and his little brother Chris, only an hour before. Not much was said as she gently eased them from their dreams and as he'd tried to blink the sleep out of his eyes, all Wyatt had heard was that they were leaving. Now.
"Mom?" Wyatt tried, but Piper didn't respond.
He sighed. He already knew that Piper wasn't going to say anything but he desperately wanted to know what was going on.
"Mom, where are we going?" He asked but Piper just blinked and didn't say anything. Wyatt wasn't sure if she had even heard him.
Only one suitcase and a small bag were in the trunk of the car, holding just enough clothes to last them a week. Their toothbrushes and a small tube of toothpaste had been packed and two little bottles of shampoo. Chris's teddy bear Walter had also managed to hitch a ride but only because Chris couldn't sleep without him.
Wyatt tore his eyes away from his mother and shifted slightly to look at the back seat. He smiled slightly to himself when he saw that his baby brother was already asleep again, his head lolling against the window and his mouth slightly open. His legs were tucked underneath him and Walter was clutched tightly in his arms.
He hadn't asked any questions. And why would he? He was only seven years old, had no reason to not trust his mother and what she had planned.
Wyatt however, wasn't so convinced. He did trust his mom (didn't he?..) and he knew she'd never put them in danger on purpose. But he also knew what she was like and sometimes she got these crazy ideas that could put them in danger.
It wasn't her fault. She hadn't been the same since their father died five years previous. He'd been got in the cross fire of a drive-by. A shot to the head; he died instantly.
A deep depression took her over after the funeral. Wyatt would often lie awake at night and listen to her sobbing in her room. He'd tried to help, he really had, but how were you supposed to help someone that never seemed to be truly there? It was like Piper's mind just decided to wander off sometimes and not come back for weeks at a time. It was when she was like this that it scared Wyatt the most. The decisions she made were irrational and sometimes she acted like a zombie and sometimes she just sat and cried.
Chris's way of trying to help was to give her lots of hugs and bring her pictures he'd drawn. Sometimes it worked and she'd smile and kiss him and tell him he was such a good boy. And other times it didn't and she'd just sit there as he clambered on to her lap and wrapped his small arms around her neck. It didn't seem to bother him though and he'd kiss her on each cheek and tell her loved her lots and then he'd sit chattering endlessly; not caring that the only response that he got was the odd blink every now and again.
"We're going to your aunt Phoebe's house in Bakersfield." Piper said all of a sudden, snapping him out of his thoughts and turning his attention to her.
"Why?" Wyatt asked. He wanted to add "And why at 4:00 in the morning?" but he bit his tongue.
"It'll be nice to visit her. She'll like that. I miss her." Piper said, not taking her eyes off the road. She sounded like a robot.
"Ok…" Wyatt said with a slight frown.
There was a long pause and Wyatt yawned slightly despite himself.
"You take care of your brother don't you?"
Wyatt looked at her, slightly taken aback by the statement, and blinked.
"Um, yea of course I do." he said slowly, wondering what his mom was thinking.
"So you'll look after him no matter what happens won't you? Even if you get angry at each other, you'll take care of him?" Piper asked and for the first time in days, she looked at him.
Wyatt stared at her. What had brought all this on? She seemed almost worried. As if she needed the conformation.
"Of course I will mom." Wyatt said, not managing to hide the hint of worry in his voice.
"Good." Piper said absently, nodding her head. "I want you two to always look after each other."
"We will." Wyatt said quietly. Of course they would. But why was his mom saying all this?
"Good. That's good." Piper said and she stared straight ahead again
"Mom?" Wyatt prompted, wanting to press further.
But his mom didn't respond and instead of trying again, he slumped down lower in his seat and closed his eyes. He'd just have to trust that his mom wasn't going to do something crazy like drive them off a cliff and try and get some sleep.
He didn't know how long he'd been sleeping for but it was no longer dark when he began to wake. The light shone through his eyelids and he was suddenly aware of how hot it was in the car. The heating was on full blast. His back stuck to the chair and his skin was clammy. Slowly, he opened his eyes and his blue eyes scanned the area outside. They were pulling into a car park and looking past his mom's head, he saw a large mall with crowds of people swarming in and out.
Wyatt rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up. He blinked repeatedly and ran a hand through his dark blonde hair. His mom was still sitting in the same position that she had been when they'd first left the house and Wyatt wondered if she'd moved at all.
"Mom, where are we?" Wyatt asked through a wide yawn.
Piper just blinked and didn't answer. Wyatt sighed irritably and slumped down his seat again. Piper was parking the car in a parking spot and Wyatt perked up a bit. He could really do with a drink. He waited for Piper to confirm what they were going to do but she just sat in the seat, her hands still gripping the steering wheel and her eyes staring straight ahead.
"Mom?"
Piper swallowed and blinked again. After a few shaky breaths she patted the steering wheel and turned off the ignition, taking the keys out and putting them in her pocket. She turned around in the seat and looked at Chris who was still sleeping despite the heat.
"Chris." she said gently and she reached forward and rubbed his leg.
Chris's eyelids wearily opened and he blinked repeatedly. His hair was fluffy from the way he had been laying and his eyes were blurry from sleep.
"Mommy?" Chris croaked. He hugged Walter closer to his chest as he sat up.
Piper smiled slightly at him but her face saddened again as she turned around. She rolled down the window and pushed open the door, stepping out into the sun washed car park. Wyatt frowned slightly as he watched her put her sad face in at the car window. She looked at Chris.
"You be good little one." she said. "You do what Wyatt tells you, you hear me?"
Chris nodded, his soft brown hair falling into his emerald eyes slightly. He brushed the strands away with his free hand.
"Yes mommy." he said.
"That's good." She fixed her jacket around herself properly, protecting herself from the bitter cold, and walked off towards the mall, slinging her handbag over her shoulder. Wyatt strained his neck to see her over the heads of the other shoppers but she was soon engulfed by the crowds and went out of sight.
"Where's mommy going?" Chris asked curiously.
"She's just going into the mall." Wyatt replied but he had a twisting feeling in his stomach. The way she'd been talking…
No, that's ridiculous. She'd never do that.
"Why?" Chris asked, clambering forwards and sitting down in the driver's seat.
"I don't know." Wyatt sighed.
"When's she getting back?"
"I don't know."
Chris slumped in the seat, drawing his knees up and fingering Walter's soft ears. He looked at Wyatt who was biting his bottom lip and started mimicking him. Wyatt noticed what he was doing and stopped chewing his lip, shooting him a look with a hint of grin on his face. Chris smiled toothily back at him and turned his head to look out the window.
"I'm thirsty." Chris announced and Wyatt nodded his head.
"Me too."
"I'm hungry too, will we get something to eat soon?"
"Mom packed lunches for us." Wyatt said absently. "They're in the trunk."
At least that was one thing she'd been acting sanely on. Wyatt had seen her hurriedly making sandwiches before they'd left the house.
"Can we eat them now?" Chris asked rubbing his stomach as it gave a slight rumble.
"Let's wait till mom gets back." Wyatt said.
If she comes back was his primary thought but he shook it off. Of course she would. She may act crazy sometimes but she'd never abandon her kids, her own flesh and blood, in a car park miles from home.
"When will that be?"
Wyatt sighed. Did his brother ever stop asking questions?
"I don't know Chris." he said with a hint of irritation in his voice.
Chris seemed to take the hint, staying silent as he fingered Walter's ears again and Wyatt felt kind of guilty for getting annoyed with him. He was bored, that's all. They hadn't brought anything fun to do and now they were stuck in a car park for god knows how long.
"Hey," Wyatt began, trying to cheer him up. "Why don't we play I Spy?"
Chris's face brightened and he smiled, nodding his head as he sat up straighter in the seat. Wyatt smiled back at him and ruffled his hair with his left hand.
"Ok I'll go first. I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…T."
He shifted into a comfortable position in his seat and propped his feet up on the dashboard as Chris got on his knees to try and spot what Wyatt had seen (which was a tree near the mall entrance).
Wyatt tried to relax and enjoy the game but as the minutes ticked on and there was still no sign of their mother, the ball of knots in his stomach just got bigger and bigger…
It had been four hours now according to Chris's Spiderman watch. Four hours and Piper still hadn't come back.
Wyatt swallowed the lump in his throat and shifted in his seat again. The game of I Spy had long since ended and now Chris was lying on the backseat, chatting quietly to Walter who was sat on his stomach. Wyatt wished they had the car keys so he could start the car and turn on the CD player but his mom had them.
The doors and trunk were open though, something Wyatt had been glad about. Otherwise he and his brother probably would have passed out from the hunger they'd both been suffering. Now the combination of the tuna sandwich, blackcurrent juice and constant anxiousness was making his stomach churn uncomfortably.
Where was she? If she'd gone to buy something, surely she'd be back by now. Maybe she'd lost track of time…
But four hours?
Or maybe…maybe she'd gotten lost.
Lost? In a mall? It doesn't take someone three hours to find their way out of a mall.
Wyatt's last thought was what if had been at first. That she'd…she'd abandoned them.
But why would she do that? She loved them, Wyatt knew she did. Sure she ignored them a lot and had a constant haunted look in her eyes but there were times when she kissed them and hugged them and told them that she loved them.
So she wouldn't do something like that.
Right?...
Wyatt sighed and strummed his fingers on the dashboard. It was 5:00pm and since it was winter, it'd be dark in the next couple of hours. The mall would be shutting soon too.
And they were alone.
It wasn't like he was scared. Ok maybe he was a little but he was more worried for his brother than anything else. Who knew what kind of psychos would be roaming the streets and happen to come across them sitting in the car within a soon to be empty car park. A thirteen year old kid and his seven year old little brother were easy pickings.
He felt Chris's fingers tap him on the shoulder and he turned around.
"Is coming mommy coming back soon?" he asked.
He'd asked the same question over and over again for the past two hours and Wyatt gave the same answer that he'd been giving to it since the start;
"I don't know."
I don't know, I don't know. It's all he ever managed to say to Chris's questions. Didn't he have any answers?
Well he had an answer for that.
No.
He didn't know when, or if, their mom was coming back, he didn't know why they had stopped here, he didn't know why they were going to visit their aunt Phoebe. He didn't know anything.
Chris's face fell and he lay back down on the back seat. He didn't talk to Walter anymore and instead just stared up at the roof of the car. Wyatt tried to think of something to take his mind off it but his mind was blank. They'd already played every car game under the sun and Chris had tired himself of making racing car noises as he clutched the steering wheel, swerving his body left and right.
So Wyatt stayed silent and turned to face the front again. His eyes roamed the car park like it'd done so many times before. Searching for the long brown hair and that sad face with the haunted eyes. But he never saw her. Not even a glimpse.
There were still lots of people going in and out of the mall. No-one spared them a second glance. Two kids in a car outside a mall weren't unusual. They were just waiting for their parents to come back, that was all. Nothing to pay attention too.
It was something Wyatt was grateful for. He didn't want people to pay attention and start asking questions. It was better if they were just left alone so he could think it through.
He didn't want to believe that maybe their mom had left them there but he couldn't shake that horrible twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach. The same twisting feeling he'd had since they'd left the house.
What was he supposed to do? His little brother was now humming to himself in the back of the car, alerting him again to his presence. His brother. He had his brother to think about too. What would he say to him if their mom didn't come back? "Sorry but mom doesn't want us anymore"? No, he couldn't do that.
"I wish mommy would come back soon." Chris mumbled and Wyatt sighed.
"Me too." he replied quietly.
It was dark now. Wyatt stayed alert as his eyes scanned the car park that was dimly lit by street lamps. There were a few other cars dotted around and Wyatt got a feeling of relief from this. At least they didn't look unusual.
He turned his head and looked at his baby brother. He was lying on his back, his arms and legs stretched everywhere as he slept. His mouth was open and Walter was lying across his stomach.
Wyatt couldn't manage to smile at him. The ball of knots in his stomach almost seemed painful now and his mind was whirring constantly.
What had happened to their mother?
Where was she?
Why had she left them?
It frustrated him endlessly that he didn't have any answers these questions. He just wanted to understand!
Why, why, why?
Chris started whimpering in his sleep and Wyatt turned to look at him. His head was jerking from left to right and his eyes kept clenching shut tightly. Wyatt sighed and reached back to gently rouse him from his nightmare.
"Chris." he said gently and quietly.
Chris whimpered again but slowly his eyes started to open and he lay still, staring at Wyatt hazily.
"I had a bad dream." he whispered.
Wyatt nodded. "I know. What was it about?"
Chris's forehead furrowed in concentration as he tried to remember the cloudy nightmare.
"It was about…mommy." he said slowly. "She…she was running away from me and I was trying to catch her but she was running really fast and-and she disappeared and I was all by myself."
Wyatt didn't really know what to say. He took Chris's small hand in his own and squeezed it gently.
"Where is she Wyatt?" Chris asked for what must have been the thousandth time. But this time his voice was tired, croaky, and his eyes were shining with unshed tears.
Wyatt swallowed. "I don't know."
There it was again. I don't know.
Chris bit his bottom lip softly and his eyes filled with stinging tears. Wyatt looked at him sympathetically and stretched his arms towards him, pulling him off the backseat. He brought him to the front of the car and sat him on his lap, hugging him tightly. Chris's silent tears seeped through his t-shirt.
"Shush, it's going to be okay. I promise it's going to be okay." Wyatt whispered gently, rocking his baby brother back and forth like their mom used to do to them when they were toddlers.
"I want mommy…" Chris mumbled thickly through his tears and he dissolved into racking sobs.
Wyatt held him tighter and shushed him again. Most thirteen year olds would feel much older than they actually were doing this but for Wyatt it was the norm. Ever since they're died it wasn't their mom that held the responsibility for Chris, it was Wyatt. He had been the one that had taken him to school when he was old enough, bathed him, read him bedtime stories and comforted him when he had nightmares. It was him that had taught Chris to tie his shoe laces ("You have two bunny ears, and then the bunny goes around the tree, through the burrow and pull tight.") and helped him with his reading. Piper had just been too lost in her depression to do it herself.
Sometimes he felt more like a dad to Chris than an older brother. Maybe that was the reason he felt so protective.
So if he was so capable of looking after Chris himself, did they really need their mom?
Of course we do. She's still our mom…
But she wasn't there now and Wyatt wasn't sure what they were going to do.
The patch on his t-shirt was soaking wet now but it didn't bother him. Chris obviously needed to get it out and he'd exhaust himself eventually.
"You've still got me." Wyatt said quietly.
Chris sobbed harder and his little hands curled into the blue material of Wyatt's t-shirt.
Wyatt just rocked him, his mind still whirring and his eyes constantly searching. Constantly searching for the brown hair and haunted eyes…
TBC
So how was the first chapter? Should I continue? Let me know your thoughts about it by reviewing! Constructive criticsim welcome.