Disclaimer: I wish I may, I wish I might, Own the rights to Charmed tonight...
AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!
Marcus: I'm sorry it didn't touch you. The thing with Chris' power was a little rushed, but I'm not sure if I'll ever go back to it. I'm just going to leave it like it is probably.
JayneyHunter, lexi-charmed, fairyofmusic, neji-kun-snowvillage, Thanks!
Piper was making the pancakes flip in the air as she tossed and maneuvered the frying pan like a pro. She was humming to herself, just enjoying the normalcy of it. She checked the eggs that were frying on the pan next to her. With a quick and tricky hand movement, the eggs flipped so their other side would be cooked.
She loved mornings like this. A morning where she would wake up a bit early and make breakfast for the family she so dearly loves. She walked over to where the plates were stored and took ten plates, knowing that it wasn't going to be enough and that she would have to go get more.
She was so focused on not dropping them that she didn't notice the incoming orbs behind her.
"Mom!" Wyatt greeted cheerfully, startling his mom and causing her to drop all the plates.
Piper wasn't able to freeze them fast enough and they all shattered as they hit the wooden floor. "Wyatt!"
"Sorry, Mom!" Wyatt scurried to the broken pieces and started healing them.
"Good going, Wy…" Chris said in a monotones tone. Chris also startled their mother, but this time, no plates were injured.
"Chris!" Piper, forgetting all about the dishware, rushed over to her youngest son and gave him a great big gigantic hug.
"You're squishing me, Ma…" Chris said. Since he was over six feet tall and his mother barely 5'3, the parts that she could reach, she had squeezed to the death.
Wyatt smiled to himself at his mother's endearing display of affection. A tiny part of his brain wondered if that would change if he ever did try to make move on his brother. Would she still hug him and call him sweet pet names? He wasn't sure if he wanted to know. He put those thoughts aside and started placing the newly healed plates on the big dining table.
"So, honey, how are you?" Piper's voice took on the motherly concerned tone that she's perfected over the years.
"Fine." Chris answered, shrugging it off. "I'm actually thinking of a getting a haircut today. Like you said Mom, it is getting too shaggy…"
"Oh, that's great!" Piper said. "But I thought you loved how your hair is…"
"Actually, it was more like Bianca did." Chris replied, his face not showing any emotions. "I'll come back for dinner later, though."
Before Piper could respond, he kissed his mother on the cheek and orbed away.
"Uncle Coop said that there was a chance of this happening." Wyatt had come back into the kitchen and put an arm around his mother's shoulders. "He's going to try and get rid of everything that reminds him of her."
"Wow. I would have thought that he would actually still be clinging to the hope that they could work this out." Piper commented, a blank expression on her face.
"Well, hopefully not. Chris is smart," Wyatt smiled. "And a little bit of a rebel. Wouldn't be surprised if he skipped a few steps in the grieving process…"
Piper sighed and turned to her son. "What's your opinion in all of this?"
"All I know is…I am not going to let anyone do this to him again." Wyatt said with a conviction.
"I know you won't. You are a great big brother…" Piper put a hand to his face. "Make each other happy. Promise me that."
"I promise." Wyatt answered, not a hint of hesitation in his voice.
The sounds of people going downstairs interrupted their little moment. If only they knew how hard the road was going to be…
"I'll get more plates." Wyatt said.
Piper nodded and went back to serving breakfast for the Halliwell brood.
"Here you go, sir." A waitress at the Bayside Café set a plate of double chocolate chip cookies down on Wyatt's table.
Wyatt came here often to get away from all the magic and just have some time alone to study and focus. He was currently working on his term paper that he had been avoiding due to lack of a muse. He could have done it on any topic he wanted. Problem is, he didn't know what that topic was.
"Oh, I didn't order any." Wyatt looked up from his laptop and addressed the cute waitress.
"It's complimentary, sir. From the owner…" She even added a little wink before she left.
Wyatt shrugged and assumed that since he was a usual, the owner just wanted to be nice to such a loyal customer.
He picked the biggest one out of the three delicious looking cookies and bit into it. He suddenly felt like his mouth had died and gone to heaven. It was amazing! If he hadn't known that this was a strictly mortal held business, he would have thought there was a magical euphoria ingredient in the cookie.
He mentally promised himself to take Chris here and make him try out this absolutely divine cookie-liciousness. He laughed inwardly at his made-up word and raised his hand to call over the cute little blonde waitress.
"Liked it, sir?" She asked, with a little twinkle in her eyes.
"I loved it! This is amazing!" Wyatt was on his second one as he spoke. "Why would you guys be giving this out for free?"
"We usually don't. My boss just told me to serve some to your table."
Wyatt nodded since he was too busy chewing to say anything. He ordered a dozen more and made a mental note to himself to go the gym if he was planning to eat anymore of these.
"Coming right up, sir!" She said and walked away.
Wyatt sipped some of his mocha latte and tried to focus at the task in hand. He placed his fingers on the keyboard and couldn't move a muscle. He stared at the screen a minute longer, forcing something, anything, to come out. He even narrowed his eyes as if there was a hidden message that would appear to help him with his term paper.
"Come on…" Wyatt murmured to himself.
"Are you alright?" A guy, which Wyatt guessed to be around the same age as him, came up to him and asked.
The guy was wearing what looked like a baker's outfit. He even had a little flour dust on his left cheek. He was wearing a smile that was so genuine that it actually unnerved Wyatt.
"Uhm, yeah…" Wyatt replied uncomfortably. "Are you the baker?"
"Well, I prefer to call myself the pastry maker. Baker makes me sound like I'm this fat Italian." The man responded, a cheeky grin on his face. "No offense to fat Italian bakers though."
They both chuckled awkwardly.
"Well, thanks for the cookies…"
"Yeah, no problem." He gestured to the empty seat next to Wyatt. "Mind if I sit down?"
"It's your café…" Wyatt said jokingly.
"Yes, it is." Again, the man grinned and Wyatt couldn't help but smile back.
"The name's David." He introduced himself, sticking his hand out for a handshake.
"Wyatt." He hesitated for a second before shaking David's hand.
"I see you here often."
"It's a great café…"
"Then why don't I ever see you take your girlfriend here?"
"I guess the fact that I don't have one kinda makes that hard to happen." Wyatt smiled, incredulous to the fact that this guy seemed to be hitting on him. "That and the fact that I'm gay,"
David's smile became wider, showing off his sparkly perfect teeth.
"Don't worry. So am I," he added with a wink.
"I wasn't worried." Wyatt flirted back, not really knowing where the hell this was going. (AN: neither does the author…)
"Of course, of course." The guy started to get up out of his seat. "Well, I have work to do. I'll see you again sometime."
"Yeah, definitely." Wyatt smiled.
He heard a jingling and knew that Chris was calling to him.
"I have to go too, anyways." Wyatt excused himself and hurriedly put his stuff back into his bag.
"Wy!" Chris screamed to the ceiling. "Wyatt!"
Chris sensed for his brother and knew that he was at that café again. Unlike his brother, Chris didn't really get why coffee was so alluring. His whole family were like caffeine addicts and he guessed that little trait skipped him.
Wyatt orbed to his brother as soon as he was in his car. He looked a little ruffled since he had to run with all of his things while trying to be inconspicuous. He had thought a demon was attacking, but soon realized his brother just had to talk to him.
"What is it, Chris?"
"Well, on my way home from the getting a cut, I was attacked by manticores." Chris began. "I thought Mom and the Aunts took care of them a long time ago."
"Well, they killed one pack. There could have been others that weren't there." Wyatt said rationally. "Were you able to kill them?"
"No, they were too fast." Chris explained shamefully. "I wasn't really at the top of my game. I was too distracted and I think I was lucky just to get away."
Wyatt sighed and put a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Look, let's go to the Manor. Maybe Mom and the Aunts can help." Wyatt reasoned.
"What? We don't need them. I just wasn't prepared. We don't need to bother them with this." Chris said stubbornly.
"Are you sure?" Wyatt asked. "I mean, they can understand if you want to take a little break from the demon business…"
"What are you talking about? I don't need a break!" Chris pushed Wyatt's hand away and accidentally smashed one of the vases to the wall. "Now look what you did!"
Wyatt was stunned at Chris snapping at him. He was so shocked that he didn't even try and stop Chris from orbing out or from following him. He quietly cleaned up the broken pieces of the vase and decided to confront Chris about his uncle Coop's plan.
Chris orbed to the attic of the Halliwell Manor. He quickly went to the book and started flipping the pages vigorously. He was turning the pages so roughly that he ended up tearing an entry about the Demon of Anarchy.
"UGH!" Chris let out a loud groan and decided to stop taking out his frustrations on the Book of Shadows and sat himself down on the tattered old couch of the attic.
He couldn't believe how he had just shouted at his brother. He was so messed up and so very aware of it. He knew that he should apologize for being such a jerk but his Halliwell stubbornness and his stupid pride was stopping him. He just really hoped that Wyatt's patience of him hasn't run out yet. He already just lost his girlfriend. He didn't want to lose his Wyatt too.
After he had gotten all his past life's memories when he turned 23, he found a new sense of appreciation for his brother. The Wyatt in the other future obviously had soft spot for his brother, but the innate evil inside him never really let him show the kind of affection he felt for the other Chris.
Instead of seeing Wyatt in a bad light and feeling slightly defensive towards him like their mom and aunts were scared of, he felt an even greater gratitude that this good and kind Wyatt was his brother.
Chris felt such a great amount of loyalty and devotion to Wyatt that when he had come out to his family, Chris was the first one to embrace his brother's newly found way of life.
They were there for each, through thick and thin, which was why Chris had no doubt who it was that drove his nightmares away last night. If it had been Wyatt going through the same thing, he knew he wouldn't have been able to sleep a wink also.
'Any guy would be lucky to have him…' Chris thought.
Unfortunately, his brother hasn't even had one boyfriend. In high school, his brother had been a jock and was always followed by a flock of girls.
He wondered if anyone had ever been so lucky as to have experienced being in his brother's embrace. Chris wasn't sure if it was right to think that way but he did so nonetheless. His brother's arms were always like a haven to him.
When they were younger, they would watch scary movies. Chris was always easily affected, a little flaw only his brother knew about. Certain classics like, The Ring, always used to give him nightmares. Not that he really minded though. His brother would always orb to his room, and camp out on the floor, and they would sleep while their hands were clasped together. When it was a particularly scary movie, his brother would hold him until he fell asleep.
Wyatt would tease him and say, "Just didn't want to hear your girly screams in the middle of the night."
Chris sighed to himself and stopped reminiscing. There was a demon to kill, and his life was a complete mess. No point remembering the good times when it just makes you yearn for more.
He spotted the vanquishing potion that his mom and aunts had used back then. He remembered the other him forcing Piper to vanquish the half-manticore baby and suddenly wondered if they were somehow involved.
He was about to shout for his mom to come upstairs when the door to the attic opened and revealed the three Charmed Ones assisting a wounded man to the couch.
"Chris, what are you doing here?" Paige asked her nephew.
"I was just checking something on the entry about the manticores." Chris said, watching as his Aunt Paige healed the man's wounds. "Who's this?"
"Oh, this is Derek." Piper answered. "The manticores are after him and his son."
"I don't get it though. Didn't we vanquish them?" Phoebe asked openly. "Did some of them get away?"
"That's the same thing that Wy said." Chris offered.
"What do you mean?" Piper asked. "Were you guys attacked?"
"I was..."
"Okay, I get why they would be seeking revenge from Derek and his son. What I don't get is why they would be attacking Chris..."
"For information." Chris answered. "I don't think they really wanted to kill me now that I look back on it. They could have done so very easily if they wanted. I wasn't exactly in the right mind set for a demon fight."
"Oh, honey, did you get hurt?" His mom asked worriedly.
"No, I'm fine." Chris said. "I orbed as soon as I could."
"Good. That's good…" Piper gave an awkward smile. She was having a really hard time keeping her mouth shut about the whole Bianca thing and having to pretend it never even happened. "Well, I think we can handle this now. Why don't you go to the club and see if you're needed?"
"What are you talking about Mom?" Chris had no idea about the little gathering his family had about his and Bianca's breakup. He had assumed that Wyatt had informed them the basics and had taken care of him by himself. "The grand opening of Nexus isn't in two weeks."
"Well, then…" Piper looked at her sisters for some help.
"Home!" Phoebe said, a fake smile plastered on her face. "Go home and relax!"
"Uhm… Are you guys sure you don't want me help?" Chris asked, wanting the distraction.
"We are still the Charmed Ones, you know." Paige said. "Now go home and relax while you're still young!"
Rolling his eyes, Chris orbed home to his apartment with Wyatt.
Chris was expecting a very pissed off Twice-Blessed witch when he got home. Instead, he saw his brother and his uncle Coop sitting quietly on the couch, as if they were waiting for him to get home.
"What's going on?" Chris asked the both of them.
They shared a glance before Wyatt said, "Maybe you should sit down, Chrissie."
"I'm fine standing up. Now what's going on?"
Coop walked over to him without answering. He put his hand over Chris' chest and slowly a golden aura started to appear around his nephew.
"What the…" Chris looked bewildered and turned to his uncle for answer.
"That's a block, Chris. You've closed yourself off from love. You need to fix this and I'm going to help you." Coop said.
"There's nothing to fix, Uncle Coop." Chris replied indignantly.
"Chris, you're losing control over your powers!" Wyatt retorted. "If you don't get a hold of your emotions, you are going to get yourself killed."
Chris opened his mouth to defend himself but Wyatt cut him off.
"Admit it!" Wyatt said. "Look, at least just humor us. Go on one little trip with us and if you think you really don't need any help, we'll leave you alone."
Chris looked at both of them, not really sure how to answer. For a minute there, Wyatt actually thought Chris might turn them down. If anyone inherited their mother's stubbornness, it was Chris.
"Fine." Chris relented. "But before we do, I just wanted to say I'm sorry, Wy."
"Forgiven and forgotten, bro." Wyatt smiled at him.
Their uncle grabbed their hands and they felt a sudden tug at their hearts. The room slowly changed to the Magic School's library…
AN: The character David is obviously the baby in Little Monsters. I really don't know which actor to assign to that character. If anyone had anyone in mind for him, please let me know.
