Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy my charmed fanfic. I haven't posted on here in a while, but I found this story on my computer a little while ago and I decided to continue writing it as my break from classes! I hope you enjoy it! Also, I love how 4 years later and I still can't indent on this website... gotta love technology.

Here's to 2016 and still feeling #ForeverCharmed


Prologue:

It had been over twenty years since he stood watching cars rush by hundreds of feet below. Decades since the cold metal numbed his toes and years since he took a deep breath in the frigid wind. Leo opened his mind to the people of the city. He felt its life force, the hustle and bustle, both the joy and the pain. Here he found hope as his dreams to grow old rested. It was these moments that affirmed his decision to return to the Elders. He honed his sense on a particular bunch, a shattered family. He mourned the loss of scrabble games and threats to blow him up, orbs and all. He felt the void Piper's death, the future she wouldn't be a part of.

Standing on the bridge, so far away, he felt tuned in more about his family's situation than any father son conversation could have lead him. Here, he understood his daughter more than he could ever imagine. Leo sighed, wondering what that said about him. He had dedicated the last quarter century on being a father, but never without a haunting doubt. Every move he made, every decision manipulated by a phrase said on this very bridge. He had vowed to be a better man, a better father, and a better husband. And as proud as he was to have watched his family grow there will always be a part of him that doubts whether he had done enough.

"You were never there for me,"

Leo took a final deep breath at the top of the Golden Gate. He exhaled uncomfortably. The world was a very different place without his wife.


Chapter 1-

"You need help, Chris." Paige hopped up on the counter to help her nephew dry glasses.

"You want to find me a qualified bartender that also happens to be a witch?" He flashed a hopeful smile. Paige scratched her head.

"I just don't like you working so much."

"And I don't like bringing in any loose ends." He started hanging glassware.

"Loose ends?" Paige passed him a glass. "It's not like you're running a drug ring."

"I just don't want to constantly lie to my staff, okay?" Chris shrugged. "Family emergency only works so many times. Plus, I thoroughly enjoy orbing. I get to avoid traffic during the night shift and it saves a ton of money on gas..."

"Piper opened p3 to feel normal, Chris. Maybe a mortal around here is just what you need." Paige suggested in a quiet voice. The man tensed up at the mention of his mother. Chris grabbed a bottle of beer from the bar and leaned against the counter.

"Thanks, but I don't really do normal." His voice carried of sass, but Paige picked up on a hint of sadness as well. She understood. The normal life did not mix well with Paige Matthews, no more than it did with her nephew. It had been almost a year since she returned to the police force, in hopes at some normalcy, and she had never felt less at ease. She always felt guilty leading such a compartmentalized life, and decided to try something simpler, but Paige wasn't simple, no matter how hard she tried. He bit off the bottle cap with his teeth and let the bitter liquid slide down the back of his throat. Paige sighed with her nephew. He shrugged. "Magic is normal to me. I'm half human and went to magic school, my dad fought in a world war and my brother is basically king Arthur. If I wanted true normal, I'd need way more than a night club."

"We could franchise?" Paige teased. Chris rolled his eyes. "Seriously, though, you need to relax. When was the last time you had a decent night's sleep? Or just hung out with your friends?"

"I knew what I was getting into when I took over. I didn't come here to relax." He responded, hanging up a few glasses. She shook her head laughing. "What?"

"Nothing, just, sometimes you remind me of a late friend." Paige said, cryptically. Chris looked at her funny and killed his drink in the awkward silence. He tossed the bottle out and went for a second, a habit his aunt noticed had picked up pace since his mom died.

"You want one?" He offered. She shook her head.

"Nah, thanks. I've to get back to work in a bit, my lunch break's almost over." Paige declined. "Some of us can't drink on the job."

"Aye aye, Detective." He toasted to her before staring at the rest of the work to be done. He scrunched his face at the pile of paperwork to do as well. "Okay maybe I'll think about interviewing."

"Yeah, you should get on that." Paige smirked and patted him on the back. "I gotta bounce, you still coming to dinner?"

"Shit is that tonight?" Chris brushed a hand through hair. "I thought it was on Monday?"

"Today is Monday, hun." She reminded. He looked surprised and rubbed his eyes. "Get some sleep?"

"If I finish up in here I will take a nap. I promise." He took a sip and set the drink down to give her a hug. She squeezed tight for a moment. "I'll see ya later."

"I love you," She said, hoping he knew she was there for him if he ever needed anything.

"Love you too." He replied.

xx

Chris watched his mothers body burn, turning into ashes. The smell made his stomach churn, but he stayed, not wanting to leave her. The rest of the family left the cremation, but Chris wouldn't budge. The flames hurt his eyes, but he forced himself to stare, to feel the pain. He had held his tears at bay during the ceremony. He had not wanted to show weakness, as he knew he had to stay strong for his family. Here, however, alone but in the presence of his mother, he broke down. He let it all go; knowing the moment the body finished burning he would need to stop. Chris would learn to nod and say, "I'm fine." He would tell lie after lie. Only this room would know his pain. He apologized over and over, knowing it was futile. He hadn't been quick enough to save her. He was too late then and he was too late now. Her soul had moved on. Chris stayed until the last flame went out and a man handed him her ashes. He stared at the container in his hand, his final tears falling before his face turned to stone.

xx

"Hey, how do you feel about tattoos?" A woman with jet-black hair and green eyes looked up from a laptop.

"I have six, why?" Chris read over a file, not paying much attention to the conversation until he remembered who was talking with. "Wait, you're not thinking of getting one, are you?"

"Jees, no. I'm researching your applicants." She laughed and then looked at her brother. "You have six?"

"Four years of military will do that. Quit your judging and stalk, okay?" Chris ordered, half joking. He continued typing on the spreadsheet, and rubbed his tired eyes. Melinda waited until he was back into the work before she commented again.

"Just saying, it's a bit hypocritical…" She teased, pulling him back out of focus.

"I'm your big brother, I get to be." He reminded, smiling at her.

"I think I found your girl." She spun the screen towards him.

"Yeah? What makes her so… huh…" Chris tilted his head to get a better look.

"Awesome, let's overlook her very over qualified application on this three fourths worth of the screen and stare at her ass." Melinda snapped Chris out of it.

"I was not staring at…" He tried. She called his bluff. "What like you didn't notice she's gorgeous?"

"At least I have the decency to be discreet about it." Melinda laughed. "Guess that's the difference between straight male and gay women."

"That's bullshit and you know it." He retorted and then got serious. "This is a waste of time, I'm not going to hire anyone anyways…"

"She speaks Romanian." Melinda kept reading. Chris looked impressed and reconsidered. "Now that I think about it almost every one of our applicants has been bilingual. Do you list that as a job requirement?"

"English gets boring when you have the Rosetta stone in your head." He admitted, loving and hating his whitelighter power at the same time.

"I can't sympathize with you on that one, I had to struggle my way through my Spanish minor." She said, feeling a bit proud of herself. Chris laughed, considering the years he spent translating obscure dialects for the Army. It came as easy as his current conversation. "I wonder if Mom felt this way around Dad when they took that trip to Europe last year..."

"Yeah…" Chris left the club table and reached behind the bar counter for a glass. He filled it 50/50 with cherry rum and pepsi. Chris kept his back to her, trying to recompose himself after thinking of his mom. Melinda walked up from behind and spoke.

"Just the soda part for me." He flinched. Melinda had startled him. She smiled and hopped up onto the counter top.

"Sure thing." He filled the glass. Chris passed the soda and joined her on top of the bar. He took a deep breath and noticed the silence. Piper always had had music going while she worked. He had always found it distracting, but it kept her on task through the most stressful of times. He, however, preferred to work in quiet. It helped him think, but sometimes when it was so quiet he realized maybe he didn't want to think too hard. And sometimes, if it was quiet enough he couldn't help but wonder if it was worth thinking at all.

"You okay?" She wondered. He gave a reassuring nod. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"I'm fine, sis. You worry too much." He deflected. "I'm just exhausted trying to keep this place up and running. I only worked here a few months before…I'm not exactly qualified."

"Maybe you should take a break. Get out of this hole. Live a little?"

"Trust me, I'm trying." He responded, exasperated.

"I think Wyatt's gone out more and he's got a newborn." She teased.

"I go out." He lied.

"Fucking Natasha and day drinking in your own club doesn't count as going out." She stated, nodding to his half empty glass.

"Damn, sis, got something you'd like to say?"

"Ever since mom… died," She paused. Chris finished his drink in a single swing at her mention. "You've been, um, you've changed and I'm worried about you."

"I'm just swamped with work, Mel. I neglected it while everything was happening and now I've got to pick up the pieces." He explained, grateful for his sister. "I'm just stressed right now. It'll calm down in a little. You don't have to worry about me."

"I'm your sister, it's my job to worry about you." She rested her head on his shoulder. Chris considered her offer to listen, but decided against it.

"Come on. Let's clean up. Paige will blow a gasket if we're late tonight."

"Oh shit, what's the time? I told Margo I'd pick her up." The half witch stumbled for her purse. She kissed Chris on the cheek before she left. "I'll see ya tonight."

"Yeah, see ya." Chris smirked and finished cleaning. He grabbed his leather jacket and turned the lights out before exiting and closing up. He was locking the door when he felt a presence behind him.

"Hi, sorry to bother… I saw the help wanted sign. Do you know when the manager will be in?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"I'm Bianca." She held out her hand and he shook it. He smiled at the way she ran her hand down her fishtail braid nervously, bringing it to the front of her left shoulder afterwards. Chris instinctively ran a hand through his own hair. Their eyes connected for a moment, before she shied away. Her gaze locked on her dirty navy converse before returning to Chris's face. I've got my resume with me."

"Oh, great. I'll take it." This is a pleasant surprise, he thought. She handed him the document. "I'll look over it tonight. Can you come by tomorrow? I'm on my way to a family dinner, but I'll be in at 1."

"Oh, yes. Yes that would be great. I'll be there." Bianca blushed.

"I'll give you my number, then. Just call before you show up." Chris handed her a card.

"Have a nice day," She waved and watched him place her file in a rucksack under the seat of his motorcycle before she spun around on her heels and walked towards her Honda.


(What's that? you want to read more? click the follow button! I already have the majority of the story written, so no need to worry about me disappearing! Also, if you feel like editing, let me know and I can go back and fix it. STEM is wonderful until you want to write fanfiction.)