Thank you for the reviews. I know this hasn't been up very long yet, but here is Chapter 2. Now we get to see what Chris is up to in California.
Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed.
Chris Halliwell walked up the stairs to the porch of the manor. The night sky was clear in San Francisco, though it wasn't entirely dark yet. The moon had barely risen to it's place in the sky and the sun was just about hidden from this part of the world. He pulled his keys out and stuck them in the lock on the door, letting himself in from the world.
He walked across the foyer, reaching for a light switch. There didn't appear to be any lights on in the manor. His grandfather must have gone out for the evening. He set his back pack on the bench in the alcove of the foyer and headed to the kitchen in the back of the house. He had just finished one of his night classes and was starving.
He caught a glimpse of the phone as he entered the kitchen and thought about giving his mother a call. He quickly pushed the thought away. Aside from the three hour time difference between San Francisco and Boston, he knew his mother would just chew him out some more for lying to her about living in the manor. He didn't understand why she didn't want him to live there anyways.
Chris shared his mother's love for cooking, yet as he reached into the fridge, he pulled out a frozen TV dinner. He was too lazy and tired to cook. He had just finished a long day of classes and he had a lot of homework to focus on. He heated up his TV dinner and finished it quickly, before heading back to grab his backpack. He felt like he had packed bricks in it.
He made his way back towards the dining room, spreading his mass of books and papers out on the table. He sat down and started sifting through some notes he had taken in his last class. He had been writing them so quickly that the words had looked like chicken scratch. He could barely make out what his own handwriting had put on the paper. He sighed in frustration as he opened an anatomy book and began flipping it's pages.
After studying for nearly and hour, the front door to the manor opened. Chris turned to see his grandfather entering the house. "Hey." He said, greeting him. He turned back to his book.
"Hey, Chris." He greeted him back. "Always studying huh?"
"Yeah, gotta keep my grades up if I wanna keep my scholarship." Chris replied. His Grandfather always complained that Chris worked too hard and never had enough fun. Chris didn't go out with his friends on the weekends and he certainly didn't party. He didn't actually have too many friends outside of his classes and when they did hang out, it was usually to study for a test of some sort. Chris couldn't help it if he was a devoted, serious student. He looked up at his Grandfather. "Where have you been?"
"I went out for dinner with Karen." He answered with a smile.
"You two seem to be getting pretty close huh?" Chris asked curiously.
His grandfather smiled again and nodded. "Yes, very close." He replied. "She's a wonderful woman. I'm going to head to bed. Try not to stay up too late." He turned towards the stairs.
"I won't." Chris said, turning back to his book once more.
When morning came, Victor made his way down the stairs. The sun had graced the world, shining through out the manor. It looked to be a beautiful day outside. He made his way to the bottom of the stairs and turned to the dining room, headed for the kitchen. He nearly went into a panic when he saw his grandson sound asleep at the table with his head rested on a notebook and one of his hands holding a pencil still in a writing position. He quickly glanced at his watch, noticing that Chris was late for his first class of the day.
"Chris." He said loudly, trying to wake him. He gave his grandson a shake. "You're late for class."
Chris' head jerked up immediately and his pencil dropped from his hand. He ran his hands through his hair quickly, pushing the tousled mess out of his face. "What?" He asked in disbelief, though he hadn't expected an answer. He grabbed his back pack from the chair next to him and started randomly shoving his books and notes back into it. He zipped it closed, swinging it over his shoulder. "I'll see you later." He said as he ran for the door. He burst through the door running quickly for his car.
Victor noticed a set of keys sitting on the table. It had been concealed under one of Chris' books. He grabbed it and headed for the front door. In a matter of moments, the door burst open again. "My keys, have you seen my keys?" Chris asked frantically, not noticing that his grandfather was already holding them out to him.
"Here, I hope your not to late." He said, giving Chris his keys.
"Thanks." Chris said before running out to his car yet again, this time with everything he needed.
Wyatt walked into the kitchen of his mother's restaurant, knowing she was cooking for the lunch crowd. He actually worked at her restaurant a few days a week, while also interning at an architectural firm in downtown Boston. He wasn't there for work though.
He pushed passed one of the other chefs in the kitchen, spotting his mother. "Hey Mom." He said to get her attention.
She turned from the stove she was cooking at only long enough to greet him quickly. "Hey." She turned back to the food before her.
He took a deep breath, knowing that she wasn't going to like what he had to say to her. "I need to tell you something." He admitted.
She didn't quite like the tone of his voice and wondered if she was going to like what he had to say. "I'm kind of busy, so make it quick." She replied.
"Well, since I'm done with school now I..." He stopped, not sure how to tell his mother what he had to say.
"You...what?" She demanded to know. She had turned back to him from the stove, looking him straight in the eyes. His mouth opened, but the words just couldn't escape him. "What is it?" She was worried now.
He took another deep breath, finally able to speak now. "I'm going out to visit Chris in California for while."
"You're doing what?" She asked angrily. She had flung her arms out in anger. Sauce went flying from a spoon in her hand as her arm went out.
He took a step back from his mother, as she had reacted exactly how he had thought she would. "I'm done with college now and I've always wanted to visit San Francisco." He tried to explain.
"How long is a while?" She demanded to know. "You have graduation in a few weeks and your job at the firm."
"I'm not going to graduation." Wyatt said rolling his eyes. He had already sat through his and Chris' high school graduation and refused to sit through another boring ceremony. "Plus, I'm just an intern at the firm and they aren't even hiring right now. I can get a job out in California."
"You can't just pick up and leave." Piper argued, forgetting about her food that was overcooking.
"I knew you were going to react like this," Wyatt replied. "but I've already ordered the plane ticket. I leave tomorrow morning." He turned away from her, walking out before she could argue any further. He was going to San Francisco whether she liked it or not.
"Jamie, your overcooking that a little bit." Another chef said to Piper, referring to the food she had on the stove.
"Crap." She mumbled to her self as anger boiled inside of her. She immediately pulled the food off of the stove. "Can you finish up this order?" She asked the other chef. "I need to check something in the office."
"Sure." He said, taking the pan from her. She turned away from him and quickly headed to her office, hoping to get Leo on the phone.
As she walked, she thought about what Wyatt said. She couldn't believe he was skipping his college graduation. She couldn't believe he was leaving for California. She reached her office, picking up the phone and dialing for her husband. She knew he was probably busy with work, but she didn't care. She needed to talk to him about Wyatt.
After three rings, Leo answered the phone. "Hello." He said, his breathing somewhat uneven.
"Are you ok?" She asked him worried, as he tried to catch his breath.
"Yeah, just doing some work on the job sight." He answered. He was a building contractor and he was overseeing the construction of some new homes. He had decided to put his handyman skills to work when he assumed his new identity. "What's up?"
"Your son just informed me that he's going to San Francisco to visit Chris." She said angrily.
"He is?" Leo asked, not really showing any concern. "When is he planning on leaving?"
"What? He's not leaving." Piper argued.
"But you just said that..." He was cut off.
"I know what I said, but we can't let him leave." She said. "You could try and act a little more concerned here."
"Piper, we can't control him forever and if we forbid him from going he's just going to go anyways." Leo explained. "He's twenty two years old. He needs to be out on his own, to learn things on his own."
"Well, than he can get an apartment here in Boston." She argued.
"He could, but I think this is something he needs to do." Leo argued right back. "I have to get back to work."
"But..." She tried.
"We'll talk later." Leo said, closing his cell phone in frustration. He knew they couldn't watch over their children forever. He also knew that Piper was worried about the boys discovering magic. He wasn't as worried about that as she was, because deep down, he knew that magic was a part of their destiny. Sooner or later, Wyatt and Chris would discover it and it would become a part of them.
The afternoon withered away into evening and eventually, evening gave birth to morning. Wyatt had left for the airport without even saying goodbye to his mother. He had tried to reason with her the previous evening, tried to get her blessing in going to California. She had only continued to argue though and he had no idea why she seemed to not want him to go. So, when morning came, he asked his father for a ride to the airport and left without saying another word to his mother. He didn't want another argument to ensue.
He had packed a check in bag full of clothing and personal hygiene items. He had also packed a few architectural books that he had wanted to read and a pair of flip flops. In his carry on bag, he had packed his laptop, his iPod, a camera, and another book. He had also purchased some snacks at the airport to eat during his long boring flight. He had an hour layover in Chicago and then he would be off to San Francisco.
The last few days in Boston had been cloudy and dismal, but as he walked out of the airport in San Francisco, Wyatt was greeted with blinding sunshine. He had forgotten to pack any sunglasses. He stood outside the airport, watching, waiting. His grandfather was supposed to be picking him up curbside. He must have been running a little late.
After a few minutes, a silver car pulled up to the curb and Wyatt immediately recognized the face of the driver. The man put the car in park and hit the trunk button on his car door for Wyatt. He got out of the car, stepping around it to greet his Grandson.
"Grandpa." Wyatt said excitedly. He reached out to embrace the old man.
"Good to see you Wyatt." Victor said. He pulled away and reached down for Wyatt's suitcase. "Let me get that." He walked to the back of the car, putting the suitcase in the trunk. Wyatt put his backpack in the trunk too and closed it. They both climbed into the car, happy to see one another.
"Is Chris at school?" Wyatt asked, as the car pulled away from the curb.
Keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead of hm, Victor answered his question. "Yeah. He fell asleep at the dining room table last night with his nose in a book."
Wyatt let out a soft laugh. He had never seen Chris fall asleep while attempting school work before. Wyatt had done so on many occasions, but that was merely because he put off his work until the last minute. His brother never put off his school work though. "I'm guessing that's because of all the extra classes he's been taking." Wyatt assumed. He knew his brother had a big class load and that having a big class load meant having a lot of extra homework.
His Grandfather nodded his head. "He's had a lot of homework and studying to do. Plus, he's been working part time at that restaurant." He replied.
"Right, I forgot he was working at Cafe Le Blue." Wyatt said. Chris was a waiter at the restaurant and had been for several weeks now.
His grandfather reached up and pulled down the visor, blocking some of the sun from blinding him as he drove. "Are you going to be looking for a job out here? How long are you staying anyways?" He asked Wyatt curiously.
"Well, I was hoping to find a job and stay out here for a while if it was ok with you." He replied.
Victor smiled. "You can stay as long as you want." He said. "It's a big house and there is plenty of room."
"Thanks, Grandpa." Wyatt said, not sure of how his mother would react if he decided to get comfortable and find a job out there in California.
"So, I'm not sure if Chris told you, but I've been seeing a lovely woman." Victor informed his grandson. Wyatt's eyes widened with shock. Actually, he was more surprised than shocked. His grandfather had never talked about dating or seeing any woman in the past. Victor caught a quick glimpse of his facial expression as he tried to keep focused on the road. "Don't look so surprised. Her name is Karen and she's very nice."
"No, Chris didn't tell me about Karen." Wyatt replied.
"Well, we are going away on Friday and we'll be gone for the weekend." He announced as he pulled into a gravel driveway. "I just wanted to let you know."
"So, I take it things between the two of you are serious?" Wyatt asked, even more surprised. He turned his head, looking at the house as they drove up the driveway. His Grandfather didn't have time to answer as Wyatt stared in awe at the old Victorian home. "Wow, this place looks even better than the pictures." Old homes always seemed to intrigue him. It was part of the reason why he decided to go into architecture. His favorite homes were those of Frank Lloyd Wright. He found his homes to be the most fascinating.
They both got out of the car and went to the trunk, retrieving Wyatt's bags. They headed up the stairs to the porch of the manor. Victor put his keys in the lock and opened the door. "I already have a spare set of keys waiting for you in the kitchen." He said to Wyatt.
They both entered the old home. Wyatt's eyes gazed around, noticing a sitting alcove right by the front entrance and a parlor just across from it. He examined some of the old wood work in the home, noticing how well it had been maintained over the years. "Wow." Was all he could say.
His Grandfather lead him the staircase. "The kitchen's back through the dining room." He said, pointing with his finger towards the back of the house. Wyatt glanced quickly at the dining room and turned back to Victor, following as he lead the way up to the second floor of the big home. He lead Wyatt through a corridor and into a long hallway. "The bathrooms right down the hall." He pointed again with his hand as he stopped at another door. "This is your room." He said.
They both walked in and Wyatt set his back pack on the big bed in the middle of the room. He glanced at the wallpaper that covered the room, recognizing it from a few photos he had seen. "This was my old room wasn't it?" He asked Victor. "Mom has a picture of Me and Dad sitting in this room on a rocking chair."
"Yes, it was your room and now it's yours again." He confirmed smiling.
So, Chris is trying to juggle his classes at Med school and now Wyatt has joined him out in San Francisco. Magic will be coming soon. Couldn't just throw it in right away...lol. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts...Thanks!