Disclaimer: I own nothing. Got it? Good. :)

Thank you all so much who reviewed the last chapter. I really appreciate it and I love to hear what you all think, so keep it up! :)

I got this chapter done pretty quick, but ended up being super busy up until today, so I didn't have time to edit it.

I hope you all enjoy it!

:)


Piper pulled a brush through her hair, working to get out the knots as her eyes travelled over to the door of the room she shared with her husband, waiting for him to walk in. After Leo had returned from treating Chris' wounds earlier that night, they had not had time to talk about if he had gotten any information out of their youngest son. With the family there, they decided to just go on with the dinner and deal with the Chris situation later. He still wanted to be left alone, Leo had told her that when he returned (though everyone in the family had figured that, since he practically screamed it) and Piper had decided to give the boy some time before talking with him. She had a feeling he'd end up going downstairs and out of his room at some point to get some food since he skipped out on dinner.

Hours had passed and he was still in his room. She had almost knocked on the door an hour ago, feeling the need to talk with her son and figure out what had happened in the kitchen, but she decided not to. She'd give him some alone time, because whatever had happened, he had looked very freaked out.

The door finally opened as Piper started to pull her hair into a ponytail. She watched as her husband walked in and shut the door behind him. The two locked eyes, Leo giving her a small smile for a greeting as he walked towards her.

"Hey." She greeted him with smile. Leo leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips before settling down next to her on the bed.

"So, did you get anything out of him?" Piper asked her husband, very curious and hopeful that Chris had spilled something to her husband. She never liked being kept in the dark, especially when it came to her children. After seeing Chris' reaction to whatever had happened, she desperately wanted to know what had caused it.

Leo let out a sigh and shook his head. "He didn't want to talk about it. He was very clear on that." He told his wife, which didn't surprise Piper in the least. "He let me bandage up his hands, but that was it. I haven't seen him since then." He paused, "I knocked on his door before coming in here, but he didn't answer. He must have already gone to sleep."

Piper stood up and walked over to her vanity, placing her brush down on the wooden surface. "What do you think happened?" Piper asked her husband, knowing that if anyone - well, other that Chris - would have an idea about what happened, it would be Leo. Her husband knew so much about magic and was almost like a walking encyclopedia of it.

"Well," Leo started, "I've been working my way through possible theories of what happened - You said he just started to freak out while you were talking to him, right?"

"Yeah," Piper said, turning to look towards her husband and leaned against the vanity. "We were talking - he was looking right at me - and then he just went wide-eyed and just looked so terrified. His eyes went behind me, like he was staring at something, and he dropped the pitcher."

"You think he had some sort of premonition or something?" Piper asked after a pause, trying to find an explanation to what had happened. "Maybe it had something to do with the other Chris and his visions?"

"I don't know." Leo responded, giving a shrug. "Possibly." A pause. "I'd really like to hear from him about what he saw, but I doubt he'll actually tell me anything."

"I wish he would stop keeping secrets from us." Piper told her husband as she let out a sigh. "I know we did the same to him, and I feel so terrible about it, but keeping secrets hasn't done us any good, and we all can see that now." Piper gripped the edge of the vanity, her eyes falling away from Leo as she added with a small smile. "The other Chris really rubbed off on him, huh?"

"Yeah." Leo's lips curled into a small smile, remembering the twenty-two year old's secretive tendencies. His smile faded as the hidden guilt he had been dwelling on for years suddenly emerged again. "I feel so guilty about how we treated him sometimes - about all the things I did to him." Leo hadn't trusted the future traveler since the beginning of his stay. He had physically fought his son, he had tried so hard to get Chris away from the Charmed Sisters and to protect his family, and then it turned out that Chris was his family!

"We didn't know." Piper reminded him, the guilt she felt for being so untrusting of the young whitelighter resurfacing again. Piper made her way back to her husband and sat down beside him. She grabbed onto his hand and clasped it tight. "He kept so many secrets, you were just trying to do the right thing for us."

"I know, but all he was trying to do was help us!" Leo reminded her. "He was trying to save our son, our family, and I was so determined to fight against him - my own son."

"Mom!"

The call caused both Piper and Leo to look toward the door, both watching as their oldest son burst through, looking panicked and worried.

"Something's wrong with Chris!" He exclaimed, causing both of his parents to instantly become worried and alert. "Something happened to him - I can feel it - and he's not blocking me from sensing him right now, so we have to go!"

"Wait, he's not in his room?" Piper yelled, standing up from her seat, anger mixing in with her worry. Well, that explained why no one had heard or seen him since what had happened in the kitchen. He snuck out. Again. Oh, she was definitely going to get Leo to take the knob off his door. Whenever he locked it, they never knew if he was really in there or not.

"He must have snuck out." Wyatt told her. "It's not surprising or anything, but something's wrong. I think demons must have gotten to him."

"Alright," Piper nodded, calming herself down somewhat so that she could take control and get into action. "Go get some vanquishing potions from the attic in case we need them."

Wyatt gave a nod and swiftly turned on his heels, rushing out of his parents room to get to the attic. He knew something had happened, because of their bond, and he had been woken up by a strong sting of pain in his chest, as if he had been burned. He'd never felt that before, he'd never been able to feel pain that his brother was in before now, but he knew it had to be Chris. He could still feel it, and he knew his brother needed him. At least the kid had been smart enough to stop blocking him and let him sense him.

Piper and Leo shared a worried look as Wyatt disappeared, sharing their concern and worry as they locked eyes.


Chris let out a hiss of pain as he grabbed his chest, feeling as his skin tingled and burned agonizingly. He had been walking to an alleyway to orb home from a party, and - out of nowhere - a demon shimmered in and decided to attack him. He was in no mood to fight - as well as no condition, giving the fact that he had a few drinks. He wasn't drunk, but he was a bit tipsy, and fighting demons while intoxicated was never a good idea. He hadn't been drinking anymore every since the ceremony, and he had kept himself sober until that night. What had happened earlier had really spooked him, and he needed to forget for a bit. Of course, the one night that he decided to have a few drinks again and a group of demons would attack him.

The demon who had hit him stared at him with a smirk, his black eyes shining accomplishment.

"Lucky shot." Chris commented as he forced himself to forget the pain that radiated from his wound and stood himself up straight.

Another energy ball was sent his way and Chris ducked down, barely dodging the attack. He flung his hand out, causing the demon to fly into the wall. "Dammit." He hissed, the stinging pain in his chest becoming more prominent again. Those few drinks he had were really impairing him. He was becoming incredibly sloppy. His reaction times were much slower than usual and this demon was sending out attacks left and right, which did not help him any.

Chris went to stand himself up again, using the brick wall beside him for support, but he suddenly felt two hands wrap their long, boney fingers, around his arms. He noticed the demon in front of him still wearing that smirk, and Chris turned his head to spot the demon's friend holding onto his arms. The other demon forced his arms behind his back. His grip was strong and tight, not allowing Chris any room to squeeze free.

"Hey!" Chris screamed, trying to wiggle free. "This is unfair! Two against one isn't even odds!"

"Who said this was going to be a fair fight?" The demon hissed, smirking, as he walked closer to Chris, watching as the teenager tried to break free from the hold that the other demon had on him.

"Wow, Jeric, picking on a little witch like this?" A female voice spoke up from behind Chris, not allowing the kid to get a good look of who it was. "I can't believe you've stooped so low."

Chris watched as the demon in front of him narrowed his eyes at the woman behind them. He crossed his arms and hissed. "Stay out of this. It was the Source's orders."

"Fine." She responded. Chris felt the grip on his arms loosening up, allowing him to move a little more freely. He turned his head back, finally able to see the woman behind them. She had short raven black hair and dark brown eyes. Dressed in slutty tight black leather and high-heeled boots Chris could instantly tell she was a demon. So why was she interrupting like this? Chris locked eyes with the female demon, her dark hazel eyes staring straight into his. She suddenly winked at him, as if this was some sort of signal, and spoke up. "Why don't we just even up the odds a little?"

The demon suddenly raised her hand and orange flames started to swirl around her palm madly. Chris suddenly kicked the demon that was holding him and slipped out from his grip, making sure to duck down as the unfamiliar demon threw the fire towards them. The demon behind Chris let out a terrifying hiss and was consumed by the flames, disappearing into thin air, allowing Chris to get a full view of the woman. Chris turned his head, quickly remembering the other demon, Jeric, and narrowed his eyes. He flung out his hand, causing sparks of electrically to fly out from his palm and straight into Jeric. Chris was surprised he didn't miss, considering his state, but he was thankful to see the demon scream painfully before being consumed by flames himself, leaving the alleyway empty except for the presence of the unknown female and himself.

"Maybe you shouldn't drink when you know the Source is sending demons after you." The female responded, causing Chris to turn his head and spot the woman standing above him. She held out her hand for him and Chris accepted, stumbling up to his feet, a little dizzy. "Aren't you a little young to be drinking anyway, witch?"

"I don't see why that concerns you." Chris retorted with a bit of venom in his voice. He really hated when demons refereed to him simply as "witch."

The demon let out a laugh and gave a nod, agreeing with him. "What's your name, witch?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, showing his suspicion of her clearly by his facial expression. He didn't trust demons, that was pretty much a rule any witch knew to follow. He didn't understand why she had helped him, especially since he was a Halliwell. Didn't most demons want to see the Halliwell's be taken out?

"You've got a right not to trust me." She commented as she crossed her arms. "My name's Meg."

"Meg?" Chris repeated, a little surprised by her common name. "I was expecting something more -"

"Weird?" She cut in, finishing his sentence for him, a small smile gracing her features. "You know, it's more common for demons to have normal names than weird ones." She pointed out for him.

"Well then, Meg." Chris started up, crossing his arms, suspicion still lurking in his features. "Why'd you help me fight off yourfriends?"

"They're not my friends." She responded, wearing a look of distaste. "I'm a neutral demon, for your information. I'm selfish." She smiled at that. "I only do what I think will benefit me." She studied Chris for a moment, before adding, "I just happened to be in the area, looking for Jeric, and there you happened to be, with him."

"Why were you looking for him?" Chris asked, ready and alert to fight her if she decided to spring an attack on him. He still didn't trust her, though she had saved his ass.

"Because, that little bastard broke a deal with me, and I wasn't going to let him get away with that." Meg explained, expression shining some anger before she let a small smile grow on her face again. "I told you, I'm selfish."

"So, witch," She started, "you ever going to tell me your name?"

Chris eyed her suspiciously, taking in her appearance fully once more, trying to determine if she was trustworthy or not. She had helped him, and Bianca was rather similar to her. Not good, not evil, only did things that benefited her. Good ol' Terry was like that too. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to give her his name.

"I'm Chris." He replied.

"Oh." She exclaimed, instantly recognizing who he was. "That's why Jeric and his buddy were attacking you." She paused with a smile. "You know, you really pissed the Source off by vanquishing the Seer."

"I know." He responded, suddenly remembering the energy ball that had hit his chest. The painful sting of his singed skin started up more prominent again, reminding Chris that he needed to be healed. He had let his block down too, so Wyatt could sense him and would come for him - well, hopefully.

"My brother may be coming soon." He told her. "So you might want to get out of here before he orbs in and decides to attack you without question."

She gave a nod in response, agreeing that that was the best idea. "I'll be seeing you then, Chris." She smiled and pulled out something from her pocket. "Here." She held out a necklace with a small metal charm on it. Chris was hesitant to take it. "It'll allow you to call me whenever you need some back-up."

"Why should I be calling you?" Chris asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, like I said, I'm neutral, and I think helping you could get me on the good side of your could come in handy someday." She paused. "And, from what I heard around the Underworld, you're not too fond of your family right now." She smiled at him. "You could just call me instead of them. Plus, I do owe you for taking care of Jeric for me, don't I?" She dangling the necklace again, watching as Chris stared at it. "Consider this returning the favor."

Chris stared at the necklace for a minute, taking in the design, deciding whether or not this was a good idea. On one hand, she was a demon, demons aren't the most trustworthy of all creatures. She claimed she was neutral though, and like Bianca, worked for neither side. He also liked the idea of not having to call his parents and instead, having an ally that wasn't them. It would help his need to escape the family, since he wouldn't have to call them for help. Neutral beings are in it for themselves, and she gave him a motive straight up, so maybe this arrangement could work out. She was also pretty hot, something that gave this demon extra points in his book.

Chris held out his hand and Meg dropped the necklace into his palm, a smile on her face. "Keep yourself safe, Halliwell. The Source can be a real bastard." She told him, and after one small wave of her hand, she shimmered out.

Right as she shimmered out, Chris felt Wyatt's presence coming closer. He heard the familiar sound of orbs and turned his head, spotting a blue and white glow a few feet away from him. He looked down at the necklace in his hand again before stuffing it quickly in his pocket. When Wyatt appeared with their mother, Chris fought the urge to yell at Wyatt for bringing her. For one, he's grounded, and he snuck out, so that wasn't going to fly over well with his hot-tempered mother. Along with a scolding about that, he'd get one about orbing off when the Source has been after him. He was definitely not in the mood for any of that.

After looking around for the demons and only spotting his brother, Wyatt asked, "Are you okay?" He swiftly made his way over to his brother, Piper following behind him. "Where'd you get hit?"

"Wait, how do you know I got hit?" Chris asked, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"I felt it happen." Wyatt explained, noticing the singed fabric and the hole in his shirt. His eyes quickly caught onto the injury. "I think it has something to do with our bond."

Chris let out a snort. "Oh, great. Now it's getting stronger."

Wyatt rolled his eyes and brought his hands up to Chris' chest, a gold light illuminating from his palms as the wound began to close up and disappear.

"What are you even doing here, Chris?" Piper exclaimed, motioning around to their surroundings. "Did you forget that you were grounded this morning?"

"No." He replied with a roll of his eyes. "I snuck out. Did you not expect this?"

Piper narrowed her eyes. Chris was always making it his goal to disobey her. Whatever she told him to do, he always tended to do the complete opposite of it. The kid could not just do what she said for once in his life and follow her rules. They were rules for a reason. Piper went to open her mouth, ready to scold her son, a fury burning in her eyes.

"Let's skip the yelling match, alright?" Chris replied, stopping her from starting up. "I get it. I'm in big trouble, you're really angry, or disappointed, or whatever." Chris let out a yawn and ran a hand over his face. "Let's just go home, okay?" He asked, looking toward his mother, and then to his brother.

Chris didn't wait for an answer, instead, he just orbed out, leaving Wyatt and Piper to follow his example.

Piper let out a sigh and looked toward her oldest son. If it wasn't so late at night, she would have had Wyatt orb her home quickly, a storm still raging inside her, and would have scolded her youngest son to no end. The scolding that she got interrupted from giving would have to wait till tomorrow, she supposed. Wyatt placed his hand on her arm, and the two disappeared in swirl of orbs.


Chris stared at his father, jade eyes narrowed and overflowing with an intense hate. His father stood a few feet away from him, keeping his distance. His old man could barely even look at him, and that suited Chris just fine. He should feel guilty for what he was doing, for what all of them were about to do to him, and he hoped that guilt ate away at his father like a parasite.

"How can you do this to me, Leo?" Chris asked, voice tinged with hate. Leo's eyes darted his way briefly, spotting his youngest son standing a few feet, trapped in a crystal cage. "How can you just let them give me back to Wyatt?"

"Christopher." Gideon started, grabbing the boy's attention away from his father. "This is for the Greater Good. We cannot allow any of us Elders to be taken out by your brother, and this way, we might have a chance of guaranteeing our safety."

"I don't give a shit about the Greater Good, Gideon." Chris responded, venom in his voice. Chris went to grab one of the crystals, trying to break the circle, but felt a shock fly through his body and was thrown back. After recovering shortly, he propped himself back up, eyes falling onto his father. "Leo, stop them!" He paused, the hate in his eyes dying down a bit. "Please don't let them do this, dad, please."

Leo looked toward his son, eyes wide, as he heard the boy call him "dad." Chris had not called him that since he was a kid, and hearing that for the first time in years, especially in the context his son had used it in, tore at his heart. His son was begging him - pleading with him - to help him, to do the right thing for him and protect him like he was supposed to all those years ago. It suddenly felt like every time Leo had ever let his son down again. Every missed birthday, every missed soccer game, every missed school play. He remembered the look of disappoint on his youngest son's face more than a smile, and it shouldn't be that way. He never should have let it be that way.

Black orbs began to appear and swirl around an area near Leo, the orbs coming together and making the form of Leo's eldest son, Lord Wyatt. Wyatt looked toward his father, then to his younger brother, who sat on the floor, trapped in a crystal cage, hints of anger, disappointment, and defeat all evident in his eyes.

After studying his brother, Wyatt's eyes darted over to Gideon. "I'd like to have a moment with my father and brother. Alone."

Gideon hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting over to Leo, before giving a nod in response and orbing out.

Wyatt's eyes traveled from Leo to Chris as he made his way towards the crystal cage his brother was being kept in. "What a nice little family reunion." He commented as he kicked one of the crystals out of place, breaking the cage and allowing his younger brother to roam the room freely.

"We've given you Chris, Wyatt." Leo started to speak, catching both Wyatt and Chris' attention. "Now, leave us Elders alone."

Wyatt let out a laugh and turned to his brother, seeing the hate that glistened in his eyes. "Do you hear that, Christopher?" Wyatt asked, causing his brother's gaze to avert from his father and over to him. "He's trying to order me around." Lord Wyatt's gaze suddenly snapped back towards his father, his hand flinging out with it, causing Leo to slide back against the wall, unable to move.

"You know," Wyatt started, making his way closer to his father. Chris called his name, his tone telling him to stop what he was ding, but Wyatt ignored it and went on; "I can't believe you would do this. I mean, you've always been a shitty father to Chris," Wyatt slammed his father back into the wall hard, his temper rising, "but, giving your own son to someone like me, now that's plain evil."

"Wyatt!" Chris called, tugging on his brother's arm, trying to get the older boy to release their father. "Let him go!"

Wyatt's gaze fell onto Chris, catching the small fear in his jade orbs. Wyatt raised an eyebrow at this, confused. "Chris, after what he did to you, after how bad he's treated you, you of all people should want to see him suffer. You should want to see him dead." Wyatt hissed the last word with such anger and pushed his father harder against the wall, Leo still struggling to break free. Wyatt raised his hand and an energy ball appeared in his palm, his eyes narrowed at his father, ready to attack.

"No, Wyatt!" Chris screamed, running in front of his father, blocking Wyatt from throwing the energy ball at him. "I may hate him, but he's still my father. Our father!"

"Get out of the way, Christopher!" Wyatt ordered, tone fierce and filled with rage.

"No!" Chris screamed, firmly standing his ground. "If you want to kill him, you'll have to go through me first!"

"Goddammit, Chris!" Wyatt yelled, temper flaring. "Get out of the way!"

"No!" Chris suddenly flung his hand forward, catching his brother by surprise. Wyatt flew back, the energy ball in his hand suddenly disappearing and his grip on his father finally breaking.

Wyatt landed on the floor with a thud, blood boiling and temper at its breaking point. He quickly recovered and flung his hand out at his brother, causing the boy to fly to the side, smashing into a table a few feet away from his father.

Wyatt stumbled to his feet, eyes narrowed as they flashed from Chris to his father.

"Wyatt!" Leo called, voice stern. "Stop this!"

Wyatt flung out his hand and pushed his father into the wall, his telekinetic hold tight on his old man. Wyatt summoned up an energy ball, his eyes flashing to Chris, watching as the boy stumbled to his feet, his jade eyes going wide as he spotted the energy ball that was in Wyatt's hand again. Wyatt's eyes flashed back to his father, ready to end hims pathetic afterlife once and for all. He raised his hand and threw the attack, eyes going wide as he spotted his brother up again and right in front of his father, the ball heading right toward him.

Chris watched as the ball flew to him, almost as if it was in slow motion. He knew it would hurt, and a part of him didn't understand why he was protecting his father. Wyatt was right, he of all people should want to see him dead. For some reason, he didn't. He couldn't lose one of the only family members he had left, even if the man was a real bastard.

The ball collided into his chest, everything suddenly speeding up.

Chris woke up with a start and jolted up in bed, panting madly. He was drenched in sweat, body almost shaking in fear. He ran a hand through his brown hair and looked around his room, spotting the bright sunlight that snuck its way through his blinds. His eyes darted back to his night table, hand instantly grabbing for his phone to look at the time. He couldn't spot Barbas sitting at his desk, looking rather amused by the boy's sudden wake up.

He wore a wide grin. "I can feel the fear radiating off you, Chris." He commented, though the boy could not hear him. "Oh, I wish I could have seen what you were dreaming about, it must have been so thrilling!"

Chris dropped his phone, pushed his covers off and got out of bed. He kneeled down and started to pat around under his bed, stopping when he found the items he was looking for. After standing up, clutching two small - but important - items in his hand, he made his was over to the door and unlocked it. Barbas popped up from his seat and turned to follow the boy, watching as the kid rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He made his way down the stairs barefoot, only dressed in a pair of boxers and a shirt. He planned to sneak out for a quick smoke before breakfast, a cigarette and his lighter clasped in his right hand.

He suddenly caught on to a set of voices, all very familiar to him, talking in the sunroom. He stopped near the door, keeping himself out of sight of the room's occupants by leaning his side against the wall.

"So, I have a brilliant idea." Paige chimed in, sounding as awake and alert as ever, though it was still pretty early in the morning - well, for Chris, at least. "We could just vanquish the Source. Wouldn't that solve everything?"

"The Source hasn't even shown himself once since when he threatened Chris." Piper pointed out, the sound of pages being turned as she spoke leading Chris to believe she had the Book of Shadows. "He's just been sending demons - mostly weak demons - to attack us."

"Very weak demons." Phoebe added. "They all seem to suck at fighting, which is odd, since even the upper-level demons aren't really up to par."

"Maybe they're not fighting to their full potential." Leo suggested.

Chris' thoughts flashed back to his vision, his mind starting up again with comparing that Leo and his own father. He always tended to do that after having a vision about his father and spotting the man in his real life. They were so different, but in ways, exactly the same. He just didn't understand how the other Chris had such a terrible relationship with Leo. What had happened to cause such a rift, what had made the other Leo decide to completely blow him off half his life?

"Why wouldn't they be, though?" Paige asked, her tone hinting toward her bemusement.

"Maybe the Source has some bigger plan we're just not catching onto." Leo proposed, catching the sisters and Chris' attention.

His father was a smart guy, and he was probably right on there being some bigger plan that Chris was unaware of. Why would the Source waste this much man power without some sort of bigger scheme going on in the background? He'd have to take a little trip to the Underworld Markets and talk to Terry, Bianca, and maybe even his newly acquired demon connection, Meg, to find some answers.

"Then why send all of these demons after us?" Piper asked, the sound of pages turning coming to a halt as she spoke up. "To distract us?"

"Maybe." Phoebe commented. "But what would the Source want with Chris?" A pause, "I mean, he's very powerful and all, but wouldn't Wyatt be the better candidate, considering his Twice-Blessed status?"

Chris' temper instantly rose at the mention of his brother and his Twice-Blessed status. So, is that what his aunt though? He wasn't good enough to be wanted be the Source because he wasn't as strong as Wyatt? Dammit, he was powerful! Damn Wyatt and his stupid Twice-Blessed status, he hated always being overshadowed by his older brother.

Chris tightened his grip on his cigarette and lighter, squeezing his fist closed tight. He didn't want to hear anymore, he just wanted to go have his smoke and enjoy his morning, pushing thoughts of Wyatt and the Source and magic aside.

Chris started his way past the doorframe, hoping not to be spotted, but stopped in his tracks as his mother called his name right after he passed the open frame.

"Chris?"

He held the hand that gripped his cigarette and lighter behind his back and made his way back to the frame, putting on a fake, small smile.

Piper gave him a smile in return, as well as his father and aunts. Phoebe's face shined a smile, but he could tell she was wondering if he had just heard what she said, guilt creeping in through her eyes.

"Nice boxers." Paige responded, not able to help resist the urge to tease her nephew.

Chris sent a look her way in response, choosing not to speak a retort. He suddenly felt awkward being around them, and not just because he was in his boxers. They had just been talking about him, and he hated how they were looking at him now. He was getting used to the look, but still, it made him uncomfortable.

"I need to go make a call." Chris told them, lying, motioning his finger towards the front door, though they couldn't see it. "I don't have good signal in my room."

"Oh," Piper replied, "um, well, go ahead then." She told him, "Just don't leave the property, you're still grounded. We also need to talk about you sneaking out last night."

"Fine, whatever." Chris responded, quickly making his way out of the doorframe and out the door, rushing down the front steps and to the side of the house. He lit his cigarette, obviously distressed, which Barbas instantly caught onto.

"This seems to be the perfect time to give you a few suggestions." Barbas replied, nearing the teenager even more. "Let me place a few key thoughts in your head."

He paused briefly, before starting back up again, this time, Chris would be able to hear him, though he wouldn't be able to recognize his voice. "They always consider you second best, don't they?" Barbas started, noticing the change in Chris' expression. "It couldn't possibly be you that the Source is after, you're not Wyatt, the golden child, the Twice-Blessed brat."

Chris took a drag from his cigarette, looking even more distressed, anger rising from inside him.

"And look at how tired they all looked." Barbas added, leaning against the wall next to Chris. "They've been fighting demon after demon, wearing themselves out, all because of you." Chris' eyes darted toward the ground, finger tapping the ash off the end of his cigarette. "This is your fault, Chris. All of it. You're causing your family all this stress, and they blame you for it."

"You saw the way they looked at you when you walked in." Barbas continued. "With those fake smiles beaming on their faces, hiding their hate, hiding how they all blame you for forcing them to fight all the time like this."

Barbas watched as Chris slid down against the wall, running a hand over his face before he took another drag. He kneeled down next to the teenager, smiling.

"You've caused them so much pain, Chris, so much."

Chris grasped onto a clump of grass tightly, pulling hard at the pieces until they all started to rip out of the ground. He put his cigarette out and brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them tightly.

Barbas smiled, knowing that he got to the kid, and stood up, eyes still staring down at the witch. "That's enough for now, at least." He smiled, devilishly. "I'll let you dwell on that for a little."

With that, Barbas disappeared, leaving Chris to be truly alone, letting the boy's mind swirl around those thoughts, giving them time to all fully sink in.


Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all take the time to review, I love to hear what you all think!

I know, not all of you like OCs - I don't like them that much either - but Meg is needed and I can't tell you too much without spoiling any of the plot. I promise she won't be around super often though.

Well, I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as I can, and I will start working on it soon.

Thanks again for reading, and I hope you all review!

:)