DISCLAIMER: I don't own Charmed.


Chris woke up in his bed, again. He was confused. Had his family bound his powers and kept him away from magic? Had his brother dusted him with memory dust? Or was it some trick by a demon? Or a bad dream? Chris started thinking hard about it, the memories from both times jumbling in his head. After a while, he worked through them and reached the conclusion that it was all for real. He really died. He really was in the changed future. His powers really were bound. His family…
Chris snorted, remembering the times when they dusted him, so he would forget all about his family secret. Well, not anymore. He remembered now. And, hell, he was pissed off. How they could do something like that to him? After he sacrificed everything for them, they repay him like that? Chris wanted to go out; he couldn't stand being in this house now. But orbing to the Golden Gate Bridge, his little sanctuary, was out of the question. Then he remembered one other place; a place, where he could imagine his family that loved him and his brother, though the Source of All Evil, that still cared enough to be honest with him.
He blinked back tears. God! Never in his life he felt so betrayed. Even when Wyatt took over the world. Shaking his head he got up and noticed that it was almost midnight. Looks like the memory dust knocked him a bit too hard. But ever since he found a way to avoid it's effects it caused him to sleep longer than in normal effect anyway. He snuck downstairs and to the front door. Very carefully he opened them and slipped out of the house. Chris descended a couple of front stairs and sighed deeply, sitting down. He looked at the stars and tried to calm down. He knew that changing the future would have consequences, but this? He didn't expected this even in a million years. But if his family is happy and his brother is good he was ready to accept that, even if it hurt so much. But had he succeeded? Wyatt seemed to be good brother. They weren't so close, like before, because they were keeping Chris out of magic world and they didn't have the bond…
Chris sighed once again hiding his face in his hands. God! The bond. He felt so empty and alone and lost without it. He could only hope that magic…

"There you are," the voice of his older brother interrupted his train of thoughts. Chris panicked slightly. Wyatt had the power of telepathy and he wasn't ready to let anyone know that he remembered his other life. "Why are you sitting here?"

"Just thinking," shrugged Chris, but inside he fought the battle. Wyatt wasn't supposed to be here. He couldn't be here. His presence was bringing too much of the memories and Chris wasn't sure he could take that without breaking down.

"About?" Wyatt sat next to him and Chris wanted to laugh and cry and launch himself at his brother never letting go and, above all, he wanted to wake up in Source's protective embrace.

"Stuff," he answered instead.

"Come on, Chris," Wyatt whined. "We always tell each other everything."

"Oh really?" asked Chris sarcastically. Yes, they were telling each other everything; everything but magic.

"Really," Wyatt smiled. "So spill."

Chris watched him for a moment and then made a decision.

"Can I trust you?" the younger boy asked. Wyatt was slightly taken aback by the question.

"Of course you can!" he answered immediately.

"Do you trust me?" continued Chris.

"Yes!" the Twice Blessed wasn't sure where this was going.

"But not enough to tell me what are you hiding from me," Chris deadpanned. Wyatt looked down guilty. He wanted to just spill everything to his brother so much, but his mother was adamant to keep him away from world of magic.

"I want to, I really do. But I can't." He sighed heavily. "You wouldn't understand, little brother, and…" Wyatt shook his head. "Don't ask me ever again about that. It's hard enough without your nagging." He looked up just to find out that Chris was frowning at him. Wyatt wanted to tell him, but he couldn't. Probably Piper had something to do with that, considering their earlier encounter. "I know it means nothing to you…"

"You're wrong, Wyatt," Chris smiled slightly. "It means a lot to me, thank you."

"Okay," answered the older boy cautiously. "So, will you to tell me your secret?"

Chris turned to look at the stars. "I'll tell you. Just…don't interrupt or I may not be able to end."

"Okay." The older boy shifted to sit more comfortably and waited. Chris got up and started pacing, thinking of how he should tell his older brother about this horrible future he was coming from. If Wyatt even believed him. Suddenly he stopped and looked him straight in the eyes.

"I had a brother once," he started carefully. "He was Twice Blessed Child, the most powerful witch on Earth." Wyatt looked at him shocked. Somehow he knew that Chris was telling the truth, but he shouldn't know about these things. They were keeping the magic a secret from him, always making sure that he didn't remember anything. And why he was using the past tense? It doesn't make any sense to Wyatt. The younger boy paused, giving his brother some time to absorb this news and then he continued, "he was always there for me, he protected me, he comforted me after Leo screwed up once again, he was my best friend. We were connected magically. We could feel what other was feeling, read each other's minds, and share our powers. Over the years our bond grew stronger and stronger and, in the end, nothing could break it." Chris paused again and sighed sadly. Wyatt frowned. They were connected? And Chris had powers? But it couldn't be, he was born without any powers or that's what his mother and aunts told him.

"Chris…" he started, but his brother kept on telling his story.

"Then, my fourteenth birthday came. I was alone with mom when the demons attacked. They killed her and I couldn't do anything to help her. She was dying in my arms while I called for Leo, but he never came."

"My God," Wyatt whispered in horror.

"Yeah, well. He never bothered to came when I called before, so why then?" younger boy laughed humorlessly. Tears were falling from his eyes, but he didn't care. "But Wyatt showed up. He must have felt my distress, because I didn't even think about calling him. He took in the scene and called for Leo. I guess I must have been hurt because Wyatt was suddenly all over me healing and yelling to hold on." Chris stopped pacing and sat down beside his shocked brother. "It'll get only worse," he warned. "You sure you want to know?"

"Yes," replied Wyatt without hesitation. Chris took deep breath and released it slowly.

"After that everything fell apart. Leo blamed me for Piper's death. Wyatt blocked our bond and went to the Underworld to take revenge. There wasn't any Power of Three anymore so Phoebe and Paige were constantly attacked by demons. I stayed with grandpa. A few months passed and Wyatt showed up." Chris jumped from his spot and started pacing again.

"And?" asked Wyatt curiously, but when his little brother looked at him with sorrowful eyes he knew he wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"He took the powers of the Source of All Evil," Chris whispered, and Wyatt paled. "He exposed magic and he let the demons rummage through the city. He attacked the Elders, killing all of them. He took over the Magic School, killing Paige and everyone who didn't join him. Then he went after Cleaners and every magical being that could pose a threat to his new evil empire. I went to him to ask what the hell was he doing. He sat me down and calmly explained that there was no good or evil. That only power mattered. Then he asked me to join him and rule the world with him. I refused," Chris smiled sadly. "That was our first from many more fights. Quite violent, I might add."

Wyatt's eyes went wide. "Did I…" The Twice Blessed swallowed hard. He couldn't believe that he would hurt his family, especially his little brother.

"He," Chris corrected harshly. "I came round for over three weeks in his dungeon. I managed to escape. I learned that Phoebe was killed and grandpa died from lungs cancer and our cousins scattered and went into hiding. I had nowhere to go. He turned manor into museum. He sent demons after me. I joined forces with some other witches. Not long after that we officially formed Resistance." Chris smirked. "Oh, man, he was so furious when he found out that I was one of the leaders. In the next years he tortured me, killed all ours cousins and every other person I loved. He did anything just to convince me to join him. And then magic intervened. Our barriers on the bond weakened. It was calling that neither of us could ignore. We met here, on the porch of the manor at dusk on night of the new moon. We talked and made some sort of truce. Since then the first nights of new moon from dusk to dawn were just for us. We were leaving everything behind and were just brothers, best friends," Chris sat again and looked at the stars. "Sometimes we talked, but generally we just sat here together. Somehow I always ended falling asleep, safe, in his arms. He woke me up at dawn and then we were back to fighting each other. One day he sent a Phoenix assassin after me. I managed to convince her to join me and soon we fell in love. But things kept getting worse. Resistance was demanding that I go and kill the Source, since I was the only one who could stand any chance against him. But I couldn't. He was my brother and I loved him. So Bianca and I came up with a plan. The day we executed it I asked her to marry me. She said yes. Then we snuck into the manor during last tour. We waited till was safe and get to the attic. I summoned the Book of Shadows to me and found the spell to take me to the past." Chris looked at his brother. "They told you about that?"

"No." Wyatt shook his head. "Not a word."

"Of course," Chris muttered. "I arrived a week before Titans attack. I helped Charmed Ones to fight them by making Leo an Elder and talking him into making the sisters goddesses. After that, I became their Whitelighter. I only told them that my name was Chris Perry and I came from the future to protect you from some powerful evil. They didn't trust me. In fact, they hated me, Leo especially. I did some questionable things though, like sending Leo to Valhalla." Wyatt chuckled at that. Chris grinned. "I wonder if he ever found any proof that it was me." He then turned serious again. "I broke apart Leo and Piper's marriage, killed a Valkyrie, brought demons near you, sent demon after the sisters. Somewhere along the lines, Bianca came from the future. It was then that they learned that I was half-witch, half-Whitelighter. She stripped my powers and took me to the future where Wyatt was already expecting us. We fought as usual, but it was the first time that he was actually ready to kill me. Bianca realized her mistake and helped me. In turn, he killed her just before I managed to call my powers back. I barely escaped to the past again. Then there was the incident with the Order when I tried to convince them to bind your powers. They weren't happy when I told them that I didn't come to save you from some evil, but to stop you from turning evil. Piper threw me out of the house and said that she didn't want to see me again."

"What?" Wyatt yelled in disbelief. Chris laughed bitterly.

"Unfortunately for her, I was the only one who could save you from the Order."

"How come?" asked Wyatt, curious.

Chris smiled at him. "The Order reversed your sense of morality. You were thinking that good is evil and evil is good. And since you always put your shield up in my presence, thinking I was a threat, I could get to you. But after I saved you, you didn't activate the shield on me ever again. Don't get me wrong. I was happy that you finally trusted me, but with that came babysitting duties."

"That must be weird."

"You have no idea. But it wasn't very often anyway. I had other things to do than babysit your sorry ass. Later Phoebe went on a vision quest and she learned whom I was. I managed to persuade her into not telling anybody about it, but then this genie mess started and I was forced to tell Paige. After that, we spend next two weeks trying to get Piper and Leo together so I could be conceived. That was really close call. Actually, an Angel of Death came for me and I ceased to exist for some time," Chris felt strong grip on his shoulder and looked at the older boy, who stared at him wide eyed. "Calm down. I'm here now, aren't I? That day Piper learned that I was her son. I was trying to avoid her. I couldn't be close to her; I couldn't let myself to love her. I came back only to save you, so there was a huge chance that she wouldn't be there when I go back to the future. But she thought that I hated her, so she called grandpa and he convinced me that I should spend as much time with her as I can get.
Time went by. My birthday was coming. And we suddenly were involved in "Witch Wars", some demonic reality TV show. But, as always, we got through it. We even thought that it was it, that this show turned you evil. But how wrong we were. We learned that, in fact it was Gideon, that damned Elder, who wanted to kill you just because you were so powerful. Piper went into labor, the balance of the world was screwed up because of Gideon's manipulation with parallel universe, and Phoebe and Paige were under a spell, happily choosing my name. That left only me and Leo to take care of things. Leo went to the hospital to get the sisters back. I stayed with you. And then Gideon attacked. He stabbed me with cursed athame. Leo couldn't heal me and I died. I guess he went after Gideon, killed him, and rescued you." Chris's tone of voice changed from sad to bitter. "Unsuspectingly, I ended here, in the future, where my own family bound my powers, lied to me my entire life, denied me to go on demon hunts with my brother, to form this incredible bond we once had, and drugged me with memory dust." He shook his head, tears falling. Wyatt moved closer, not sure if the comfort he wanted to offer would be accepted. "It won't work on me anymore, you know," Chris continued, wiping at his eyes. "Eight years fighting with my brother as Source made me immune to memory dust and some memory spells even without magic."

"That's good," said Wyatt, somewhat relieved. Chris just looked at the stars. They sat for a while not saying anything.

"Did I even save you?" asked younger boy suddenly.

"What?" Wyatt was confused.

"Are you evil? Or power hungry or something?"

"I'm not evil," protested the older boy. God! How Chris could even think that? "I'm good. You know that."

"I know?" Chris snorted sarcastically. "What I know it's just a lie that our entire family tells other people. You hide magic from me. I don't know how are you with magic. How you use it. I don't know you! For all I know you all could be evil now."

"We're not evil," said Wyatt desperately. "I'm not evil."

"Then how could you do that to me?" demanded the younger boy. "After everything I've done! After everything I've been through! How could you?…" At this point Chris was sobbing so much that he couldn't talk anymore.

"I'm sorry," whispered his older brother pulling him in a hug. "I'm so sorry."

Chris just cried. He cried all the pain, hurt and betrayal which he endured trough his entire two lives until he exhausted himself and eventually fell asleep. Wyatt was still holding him, rocking him gently and thinking about everything he learned that night. He was angry, and shocked and confused and scared. His family had seriously explaining to do in the morning. Chris wasn't the only one who was betrayed by the family. They told Wyatt that his brother was born without magic. For his entire life he felt like something was missing. Hearing Chris's story made him realize that it must be the bond, which they didn't have the chance to form. His own family robbed him of his brother's help and support. They made them complete strangers to each other. He started wondering how it would have been like to grow up with Chris and magic and demon hunting with him. Would he be stronger and have better handle on his powers, like the other Wyatt? Could they have prevented dozens of situations when he or his little brother was an inch from loosing their lives? He was pulled out of his musings by young Whitelighter's movement. Chris tried to pull away, but Wyatt held on tighter.

"Shh," Twice Blessed whispered soothingly. "Go back to sleep."

"It's dawn," pointed Chris and Wyatt realized that they spend all night outside the manor and what his brother expected to happen next.

"It doesn't matter. You are not in that world anymore. You can sleep as long as you want."

Chris frowned, his not yet awake brain processing the information. "I'm cold," he said finally.

"Well, we can go inside or I can orb you a blanket."

Chris stared at him for a while then sighed. "Inside. What might the neighborhoods think?"

Wyatt laughed a little, letting him go. He helped Chris to his feet and they went inside heading to the living room. Older boy stopped along the way to grab a blanket. Then he joined his brother on the couch covering him with it. Chris instantly leaned into him nestling comfortably against his body. Wyatt smiled at him affectionately.

"Sleep, little brother. You're safe."

Chris nodded and drifted out again.