A/N: Thanks to Fae Child19, teal-lover, bstant, Embry, mlb, Sabrina, RuByMoOn17, Charmedtomeetyou, sabrina, and Nina430 for your reviews. Keep 'em coming, and thank you for your kind words!
Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed.
Enjoy chapter 3!
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Bound by Blood
By: Ada C. Eliana
Chapter 3: To Choose Between Them
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I know
I should realize
Time is precious
It is worthwhile
Despite how I feel inside
Have to trust it'll be alright
Have to stand up to be stronger
"Pale" Within Temptation
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2004
Phoebe and Paige stepped back as the time portal reopened, expecting to see Leo walking out, smiling at the bright future he had seen. Instead, he flew backwards and just missed colliding with the pair as he landed in the corner of the room. Without a word of explanation, he scrambled to his feet and raced towards the time portal, slamming into the wall as it closed a moment too soon. "No!" he cried, bashing his fists against it.
"Leo!" Piper shouted, rushing to him and placing her hands on his shoulders.
"What happened?" Phoebe demanded, her empathic skills picking up a small fraction of the horror and pain that wracked through Leo.
"The spell was supposed to send him to the future…" Paige said, pointing out the obvious.
"It did!" Leo responded, working to regain his composure, but failing dismally.
"Then why…?" Piper began.
"It sent him back to where he came from! The future hasn't changed!"
"No! No, it had to! I didn't send him there to… oh God," Piper breathed frantically. "What happened! Why did you come back out! And without him!" she asked.
"Wyatt was there… he attacked Chris, had him caught in a crystal cage and then reopened the portal and sent me here." He hung his head in defeat, knowing how deeply he had failed Chris.
"No, no, no!" Phoebe protested. "We saved Wyatt, how could he still be…?"
"Maybe Chris was wrong, maybe nothing 'turned' Wyatt," Paige said, her heart sinking as she thought of the implications of her statement.
"I don't care!" Piper shouted. "Chris was afraid that Wyatt would kill him, and now… No, we're opening that portal and going in to get him back."
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Gideon watched the argument from afar; concerned. Unbeknownst to the sisters, he had lingered the entire time in his invisible form. He had expected Leo to not come back out; expected whatever lay in the dark future of Chris' time to detain Leo, leaving him an opening to get to Wyatt. However, it seemed Wyatt had no need for Leo. Perhaps the ensuing chaos created by the knowledge of Chris' capture would serve as distraction enough.
For now Leo still stood in his way… But if the Power of Three were to go into the future…
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"Piper you can't time travel, you're seven months pregnant!" Paige protested, following her sister's erratic pacing in the attic with her eyes.
"I'm pregnant, not incompetent! And this is my son you're talking about; I can't just leave him there! After all he risked to come back here, and it was supposed to have changed, we were supposed to be sending him home!" Her voice broke slightly, but she clenched her jaw, determined to keep her emotions in check. She needed to be in control when she faced whatever lay in the future.
"I'll go, you stay, Piper," Leo decided, stepping towards the portal as if expecting it to open.
"We'll need the power of three," Piper said calmly. "Come on, we have to brew a new potion, since we had Chris take most of the vials with him. I'm not taking any chances here people. And I want you all to grab whatever vanquishing potions you can. Lots and lots of potions! Come on, we're running out of time here! Get moving, people!"
"Piper…" Phoebe began, her voice low and worried. "If those Witch Wars demons were not the ones after Wyatt, then he's still at risk. And if we go now… then all of Chris' efforts would have been for nothing."
"Don't ask me to choose between them," Piper responded, her voice hard, but her eyes filled with emotion. "We don't know what future Wyatt will do to him, he could kill him, and then…"
"Okay honey," Paige breathed, taking a step forward. "We still have two months, right? Chris said Wyatt was turned before he was born. So, if we make this trip to the future quick, then there might not be any risk at all."
"You're right, we can't leave Chris hanging, not after all he's done for us," Phoebe spoke up. "But Paige and I will go. If you go too you could risk baby Chris, and I can't let you do that," she said sadly.
"But—" Piper sputtered.
"No Piper, you have to worry about baby Chris, or else there won't be an adult Chris to rescue."
Piper seemed about to argue, but saw the look of steely determination on Phoebe's face and relented. Not to say that she would not do as she pleased regardless.
"Leo, can you take Wyatt 'up there' while we're gone?" Phoebe asked. Leo nodded. "And don't let him out of your sight for a second!"
"Potion time?" Piper pressed. They looked up at her apprehensively. "Oh come on, I can at least help with that part."
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2018
Day by day the darkness that existed within Wyatt seemed to fester and grow. The temper tantrums that had frequented his youth returned with full force, frightening Phoebe and usually ending in a magical fight between Wyatt and Chris, Chris coming out the worse of the two. Wyatt's anger over his mother's death manifested itself in unpleasant character traits, within them a penchant for disappearing for days on end to the Underworld looking up leads to who ordered the attack on the Manor that day.
Edith worked with Chris, trying to get him to open up and discuss his problems. She managed to help a bit, but Chris flat-out refused to use any new powers, choosing instead to suppress them and focus on the powers he had already garnered full control over. It annoyed the whitelighter to no end, but Chris would not change his mind.
Leo remained 'up there' with the other Elders, still broken up about Piper's death, and unconsciously or not, blaming Chris for it. He only went down to see Wyatt, and make sure his oldest son was handling everything all right.
Everything had already begun to fall apart before August of the following year when the last nail had been driven into the coffin.
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2027
The stench of death and decay immediately sickened Chris as he appeared in a well lit room that he knew all too well. A circular floor, seemingly floating in an endless dark abyss lay beneath him. White panels outlined in black made up the majority of the floor, a blue circle in the center finishing it. Various piles of demon ash, and the remains of murdered witches stained the floor. Chris immediately recognized where he was, after all he had been here before, the first time when Wyatt had finally lost his patience with him, and just recently in 2004 when Phoebe and Paige had gone to meet with the Tribunal to save Darryl.
Because that's where he was, the Tribunal's meeting room. Wyatt had seized it after he destroyed the Elders, realizing that the magical center which made a person's memories visible to anyone in the vicinity was awfully useful for difficult prisoners.
Now Chris knew why Wyatt had not just killed him in the attic when he had the chance, he wanted information first. But what? Wyatt could not be so stupid to think that Chris would know about the current state of the Resistance, it had been a year, and in a year for them, a lot of change occurred.
He stared around, still imprisoned in the crystal cage, wondering where his brother was. An incoming wave of darkness answered his questions. The room became deadly cold, and completely black. As his eyes adjusted, Chris kept his ears perked for any sounds.
"Why did you come back? I had hoped it was because you had given up your foolish mission, but after what you said to our father, I'm inclined to believe you had thought your mission was a success." Wyatt's voice spoke close to Chris' ear as he made his presence in the darkness known. Chris reached in the direction of Wyatt's voice, his effort rewarded with a blast of electricity from the crystal cage.
"What are you doing Wyatt? Why are we here?" Chris asked, searching the space in front of him for his brother.
"What did you do in the past, Chris?"
"Is that what this is about? You just want to know what I've done?" Chris asked incredulously, wincing as the burn on his chest reaffirmed its presence with a tinge of pain.
"How much did you tell them?"
"As if I would even answer that," Chris responded defiantly. An energy blast that tore into his abdomen told him that Wyatt was not amused. "You know, Wyatt, violence is not always the answer," Chris hissed mockingly. The air crackled with magic, and for an instant he saw his brother's face, deadly serious; furious even, glaring down at him. Then a flash of pain as the magic hit, tearing at his skin and leaving him screaming in pain.
He knew that taunting Wyatt was suicidal, and yet could not stop himself. All of the things Wyatt had done; he could no longer play it cool, the time for that had passed. He had been so comfortable in the past, so relieved. He had saved Wyatt, and he would be going home to the life he worked so hard for. And all of that was a lie. He had never saved Wyatt. That realization hurt worse than any of the things Wyatt would do to him. He only hoped that his mother and aunts would stay in the past where they belonged, protecting Wyatt from what turned him, rather than go off on some fool-hardy rescue mission to the future.
If he had to die… then so be it, as long as they protected Wyatt so that none of this would ever even happen.
"Are we at the part where you kill me yet?" Chris asked.
Growling in his throat, Wyatt kicked one of the crystals away, the darkness dissipating immediately so the brothers could easily see each other. Wyatt grabbed Chris by what was left of his shirt and pulled him up off the floor.
Chris grimaced. Wyatt was angry, and that was serious considering the blue circle in the center of the room, and his own inability to defend himself.
"I should kill you, it would certainly make my life a lot easier," Wyatt hissed.
"Then why don't you do it? You were going to – last time."
Wyatt released him, dropping Chris to the ground. As he landed, he tested out his telekinesis, but found it blocked, just as he had assumed it would be. Wyatt had fortified just about everything he had dominion over with magical blocks; only demonic powers worked. "I wouldn't have, you just made me angry, Chris. You're awfully good at that. It's a wonder you've survived this long.
"We're brothers, Chris. And that occasionally means something to me, even if it doesn't to you, traitor."
Chris looked up at Wyatt perplexed, as he stood, wincing from the pain it caused him. "Of course it means something to me! That's why I went back to save you! I wanted you to be… you, again."
"If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, nothing 'turned' me, I have not 'turned,' I am me."
"I don't believe that."
"Well the world does not revolve around which truths you choose to accept." His voice echoed through the darkness, and his footsteps came closer to Chris once again.
"Now, tell me what you did in the past."
"No."
"You do realize where we are, and how easy it'll be for me to extract those memories." he stated ominously, holding out his hand to use TK on his little brother.
"Go ahead, let's see how well this thing works."
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2004
"Okay, potion's done," Paige announced, capping a battle of the time-traveling liquid. Phoebe looked up from where she had been brewing extra vanquishing potions and nodded. Piper nodded at Paige as she filled tote bags with the extra potions, hoping that they would not need them.
A beat later, Gideon orbed into the room. "So, how did it go?" he asked as if he had not been spying on them all along. He pretended to be surprised when they filled him in. "Well, it is quite regrettable, but the two of you time traveling – that is just much too dangerous."
"Regrettable? My son is in the future suffering because we screwed up, and that's just 'regrettable'! Listen to me Gideon, I don't care if you're an Elder, you have no right to tell us what we can and cannot do," Piper yelled, happy to have a target for her frustration and fear.
"Leo, maybe you should go with them, separating the Power of Three by sending two into that type of situation without so much as a Whitelighter…" Gideon said, his eyes not straying from Piper's angry face.
"NO. Leo is staying here with Wyatt, to protect him. He's still in danger," Piper responded almost guiltily.
"I could protect Wyatt while you go," Gideon offered.
"No thanks, Gideon. I can take care of my son myself," Leo answered.
"Very well," Gideon sighed, orbing away.
"All right, are you two ready?" Piper questioned. Her sisters had changed into comfortable clothes – jeans, a Tee, hooded sweatshirt, and sneakers – all the better to escape and vanquish in.
"Ready as we'll ever be," Paige said, grabbing her potions bag from Piper.
"Let's just do this quickly, and cleanly, so we can get back to protecting Wyatt," Phoebe suggested.
"Good luck you two, and be careful," Leo advised, angry that he had to stay behind, but knowing that protecting Piper and Wyatt was his priority. He held Wyatt close as Paige threw the bottle and the portal glowed blue before them.
"Bye," Paige said over her shoulder to Piper and Leo before disappearing into the triquetra.
"Take Wyatt up there," Piper instructed her husband as the time portal began to fade.
"I could stay here for a while."
"No, take him." Leo nodded and disappeared with Wyatt.
Feeling a bit guilty, one hand over her stomach, Piper ran into the triquetra before the magic completely dissipated.
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2027
The sun streamed through the windows of the attic in the Halliwell Manor, not suiting the dark figure that crouched behind an old bookshelf.
"Chris!" the figure hissed, her voice soft and feminine. "Chris, are you here?" she whispered a little louder this time. She peeked out from the top of the bookcase, revealing her sea-green eyes to the empty room. "Dammit, Wyatt must've beaten me here," she sighed.
Standing to her full height and brushing off her clothes, she walked towards the center of the attic, staring at the pedestal that once held the Book of Shadows. Wistfully, she remembered better days, before everything changed. The sight of the triquetra Bianca drew turning to swirling blue caught her attention. She turned to it, as two women stepped cautiously through.
The two Charmed Ones seemed apprehensive, potion bottles in hand and bags hoisted over their shoulders. A moment later a third rushed through and joined them.
"Piper!" Paige hissed. "What are you--!" She stopped abruptly as she saw someone looking at them with a mix of awe and confusion.
The trio all stared at the woman of about 20 standing before them. She wore black and red robes, a gold cord cinching the cloth at her waist. Sleek black hair curled into a simple bun behind her head, stray pieces falling into her face. Phoebe allowed her gaze to linger for an instant over her olive skin and beautiful eyes; eyes that widened when she saw Phoebe.
"Mommy!" she cried, leaping forward and wrapping her arms around Phoebe. A second later she jumped backwards as if burned. "What are you doing here?" she cried, recovering from her surprise and staring about her in fear; expecting demons to shimmer in at any moment. "We have to leave!" Gripping her mother's arm, and gesturing at her aunts, the quartet shimmered out of the attic.
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Wyatt sent him flying with another bout of TK, but Chris managed to catch the floor with his foot, shoving himself in the wrong direction and landing in a heap on the floor – for the fourth time. Needless to say, Wyatt had been steadily losing his temper, and Chris vaguely wondered how long it would be before his brother snapped completely.
Wyatt shot off an energy ball to subdue him, and Chris felt the familiar burning sensation, this time in his right shoulder. He moaned softly, and had begun to push himself back up when Wyatt grabbed him and threw him at the circle.
Careful to direct his thoughts at a non-vital memory, as he rolled away from it, Chris was rewarded by what appeared before them.
In the hologram sat baby Wyatt from 2004 in a high chair, throwing food at his mother and wailing.
Adult Wyatt looked at the image, confused. Then his gaze flicked to his brother's satisfied smirk. Chris wondered briefly at why Wyatt would even care what he did in the past – there was nothing he could do about it now, and if something major had changed, well, they would probably be the first to know.
And then Chris realized it – Wyatt really wanted to know how much Chris had told them about Wyatt turning – that was it. Despite what it did to him, and how it had probably been traumatic, Wyatt wanted it to happen.
Without giving his brother sufficient time to recover, Wyatt pushed him into the magical circle again, and this time Chris directed the memory at one from 2004 when he and Phoebe had confronted Paige about her 'Mr. Right.'
"You're the one who kept telling me I needed a break."
"Yes, but I meant take a day off, you know? Go to the spa, have a pedicure, get a massage."
"I massage her."
Phoebe gagged.
"Want to try again, Wyatt? Maybe I can find that one where Mom and her boyfriend were—" Chris cut off abruptly as Wyatt lost his temper and sent a fireball at him. He dodged it, but felt the impact of an energy ball – his brother's second attack – hit him head on. Falling to the ground, his head collided painfully with the floor. Wyatt continued a barrage of assaults, forgetting that he needed Chris conscious for the memories to be extracted.
Chris clenched his jaw and tried to focus on anything except the pain he felt.
Wyatt attacked once again, and white spots danced in his vision. He could feel blood seeping from his wounds, pooling beneath him.
"Okay, little brother, time to try again," Wyatt sighed, his anger spent as he kneeled beside Chris. He held his hands over him, intending to heal Chris' injuries so he would be well enough for another bout of questioning. However, he was suddenly distracted.
Three auras, powerful and potent, that he had not sensed for years suddenly appeared in the city; three auras he should never be able to sense again. Yet they were different than the last time he felt them, weaker, younger. He zeroed in on their presence – the Manor. He stood, intending to meet them rather than have his demon guards go there. He stopped when he realized the strong aura that lingered in the Manor – another person; yet an aura he could recognize easily. Abruptly, the four powers faded out of his range. He did not need to wonder at where they went, or who had spirited them out of his sight.
"Lena…" Wyatt muttered under his breath. "Well, brother, looks like there's going to be a change in plans," Wyatt said to Chris, grabbing his arm and shimmering away.
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2019
Lena, Chris, and Wyatt, the three remaining children of the Halliwell line stood close together. Dressed in black – the color of mourning – they listened dispassionately as a priest led the crowd around them through prayers. The dew of morning remained in the grass beneath their feet, and they stared at the casket before them. Chris put his arm around Lena and held her close as silent tears streamed down her cheeks.
They had been at Magic School when Lena felt her mother dying. Screaming, she channeled Chris' whitelighter abilities and orbed back to the Manor. She found Phoebe dead on the kitchen floor. She had been attacked and killed by a demon without even having the chance to call her whitelighter or her family for assistance, though some suspected that she did not call them in order to protect them.
It was the final blow to the Halliwells, the last of the Charmed Ones had died. And now evil rose up without anything powerful to prevent it; moving with freedom unheard of since the Charmed Ones began their quest against evil some 20 years prior.
Danger lurked for every magical being, but none felt the fires of revenge burn deep within them more so than the three descendants; the only ones capable of saving the world from demons now.
After the funeral and reception, Leo presented each of them with a sealed letter, written by Piper and Phoebe soon after Paige's death. It was to only be given to them once the last of the three perished.
Lena took her letter up to her mother's room, per instructions at the top, clutching the key that fell from the envelope when she opened it, she sat down on the floor to read.
My darling Lena,
If you're reading this, then I have died, and the Power of Three has been destroyed, perhaps forever. Dark times may lie ahead for you and your cousins, but don't worry sweetheart, it isn't the end. You have grown into a capable and powerful witch; and I could not be more proud of all you have accomplished. I feel right in telling you that your Aunts would be proud of you too. Your Aunt Piper and I decided to leave each of you three a parting gift; something magical to ensure your survival. What I am about to give you should not be taken lightly. It is a powerful magical tool, one that should only be used in the most extreme of circumstances. For fears I hope are never realized, I must ask you to keep this item secret, even from your family. It is for you, and you alone.
That being said, go to the top drawer of my dresser and pull out the long locked box. Do not touch what is inside, only look at it.
She did as her mother requested, pulling out the cherry-wood knife-case. She pushed the gold key into the tiny lock, and heard a satisfying click. Taking a deep breath, she opened it to reveal a single athame lying in a bed of crushed velvet. As she stared intently at the athame she noticed that something had been engraved in its metal hilt that she could not make sense of: 'WW.' Perplexed, she returned to the letter.
This athame has the ability to suck powers from any magical source. It already contains the powers of various demons, and the power will transfer to you if you touch it. I must ask you to save this for only the most dire of situations. Demonic powers are not to be taken lightly, but if you someday need them for your survival, then I am happy to have been able to grant them to you.
Stay safe my beautiful daughter, and enjoy the future before you. Do not dwell on the past, only live in your tomorrows.
I love you,
Your mother.
BREAK
Wyatt orbed 'up there' with his father to receive his gift. In a magically protected sphere there lay a large rock with a sword protruding from within it.
"Excalibur," Leo said with pride as Wyatt approached the weapon.
He reached out to it and pulled the sword from the stone. "I don't understand," Wyatt breathed, awestruck by the great power within the weapon.
"It was always meant for you, Wyatt. Your mother, and then your Aunt Phoebe acted as proxies for you, watching over the sword until it would be given to you. Your mom wanted you to have a 'normal' life, and so we had to wait for you to get it. But now, it's yours. We had to lock it away up here to prevent anyone from being overcome by its powers by accident."
"But it is meant for me?" Wyatt questioned, staring intently at the blade.
"Yes it is."
"Haha. This is better than I ever could have imagined," Wyatt smiled.
BREAK
Chris paced the attic, the letter in his hand.
Dear Chris,
Your Aunt Phoebe and I decided to leave each of the three remaining Halliwell's a magical gift to help in the fight against evil. You know I always wanted you kids to have the most normal life you could, but it seems that never proved possible. The gifts left to Lena and Wyatt are extraordinarily powerful, and so is what we bequeath to you:
The Book of Shadows.
The Book is now yours, and the grand legacy it carries is yours as well. Keep it safe, and use the knowledge you find within it to protect yourself and those you love.
Love,
Mom
He approached the Book and put a tentative hand on it, squeezing his eyes shut against emotion as he did so. It was his now. Something he always expected to fall to Wyatt, his Aunt and mother had seen fit to give to him. And he would honor their legacy.
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A/N: Thank you for reading, please review!
'Til next time,
A.C.E.