Disclaimer: Not mine!
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the story this far, I really appreciate it. I hope where this is leading is interesting to you, because I know where this is going and I like it better than others…so yeah. Please review as well, even if to just say good, cause I like some idea of how many people actually like the story. So yeah. Enjoy!!
Their 4 door sedan zoomed down the road, pulling into a large parking lot near where the manor stood. Rain fell steadily around them, setting a gloomy mood for such a serious afternoon. Exiting the car, Piper looked out, mouth agape.
"What happened here?"
"Wyatt, again." Chris answered simply. He looked around, his eyes squinting against the rain that fell. The street had once been lined with homes, but now, all that stood were various homes here and there that had been spared from Wyatt's demolition. As he had wanted to make the Manor into the museum it was, he knew he would have to clear out some room to accommodate the amount of guests that would be visiting. So he had evicted-or killed-the remaining occupants around the block, and disposed of their homes.
"My god..." Phoebe whispered, following her sisters behind Chris and the others.
"So, wait. I recognize all of you. I mean, I look at you and I see Chris." Paige stated.
"Right, you do. But they are going to see a middle-aged balding man with a fanny pack." He replied. "Don't worry, the spells fool proof."
"Don't worry is usually followed by 'Oh Shit'." Phoebe whispered to her sister, who smiled in response. It was true; the trio had had their fair share of mix-ups in the 5 years since they had become witches, mix-ups that had been foolproof as well. But they did trust Chris, if only with this. Besides, if something went wrong, they still had the power of three to defend them.
Still, the environment around the home jarred their senses. They had run outside the home to escape days before, but they had been in such a hurry they hadn't really surveyed anything until Paige had orbed them somewhere safer. Now, in the safety of disguise, the state of their neighborhood bothered them greatly.
"Are you ready?" Cary asked softly, his hand on the door handle. The sisters nodded and they entered into the Manor's threshold. There was a second door that had never been there when they were there days earlier, and it glowed with an ethereal light.
Magical. Just for the tours, Parker's voice entered the sister's minds and they snapped their heads around to look at him. He smiled.
Sorry. Forgot to mention that. In situations like this, we communicate telepathically. We have the ability to talk to you like this, so don't spook or anything.
They didn't shrug, just turned their heads back like nothing was wrong, but the sense of weirdness didn't escape any of them. Chris saw the confusion and had to smile; what a shock their futures were going to be to them.
There were two other parties waiting for the last tour and when it was time, the golden door disappeared and a perky woman stood in its place; Chris had to keep from rolling his eyes as she handed out pamphlets, a bright smile on her face. If these mortals only knew that she was really a "he", and fierce, mean one at that. Wyatt only had his best and brightest give the tours, and have direct contact with the public.
The tour began and he kept a close eye on his mother and aunts as they watched, their eyes growing wide and emotion filled. They moved through the front of the house, holograph's popping up with scenes replaying themselves. The mannequins they had seen before, along with other artifacts, remained present as they had been the days before they had been there. The sisters were the only ones really listening to the curators spiel; the others were watching, waiting for the perfect time to sneak away.
As they neared the kitchen, preparing to go up the stairwell, the girls searched their guide's faces. Chris nodded towards Parker and Cary, who signaled to Piper who froze the room, giving the majority a chance to back away, down to the stairwell of the basement as Chris stayed there. He nodded again towards Parker, who was the last to go down. They had hung back from the group, so he would easily explain their departure as a disinterest in the rest of the tour or an appointment-if anyone asked-and as the door closed, prepared himself to head up after the group.
He didn't even hear the spiel as the tour guide went on and on; he had heard it enough before, and even if he hadn't, he had stories about the Charmed One's that these people would never hear.
He just kept going over the plan in his head over and over as he stood in the darker recesses of the room, trying to remain inconspicuous, trying to keep the group from realizing that he would soon fade into nothingness and become invisible. He waited patiently, thinking of what could go wrong and what he could do to handle it; he had no idea there was one more person hiding in the shadows, watching and waiting, just as he was.
When the room had cleared, he didn't even notice that it happened a little quicker than custom, and he soon was joined by the others, who orbed up from the basement a few moments later. He muttered something quickly as they just looked at him, waiting for some direction.
"What was that?" Phoebe asked, squinting.
"I dropped the glamour on you. So when you go back through the portal, Leo won't look at you and call the cops." He replied somewhat sarcastically. Piper raised an eyebrow.
"Is it just me, or was that a sense of humor I just heard?"
"Ha. Ha. Let's just get on with it." He replied with a roll of the eyes. They all stood behind him, closer to the wall as he started forward to the podium where the Book of Shadows once sat. He was in mid-step, self-assured and ready, when a voice came that made it all fall apart.
"Not the only one who can cloak yourself Chris."
"Fuck." Chris breathed pointedly.
"What was that?" Piper asked. Parker and Cary immediately pulled the sisters to the very back while Prue and Callie took spots directly in front of them. Chris stood in front, his back straightening as he took on a more protective stance. After having revealed his presence, Wyatt dropped the cloak.
"That, was Wyatt." Parker whispered. The sister's eyes grew wide.
He stood in front of them, right in front of the books podium, a menacing glare on his face. "Long time no see Chris."
"Cliche as normal. Hello Wyatt."
Piper held in a gasp; this was her bright eyed little boy? He was scarcely 6 months old and yet...now 23. His hair hung to his chin in wavy strands, with a beard and thin mustache on his face. He was clad in all black from his neck to his toes, and a dark feeling surrounded him. She looked away. He saw her despair and laughed.
"Oh hello Mom. So good to see you after so long. So I guess what...you're from 2003, so that would mean I'm not even walking yet right? Oh how far we've come."
"Looks as if you've fallen actually." She bit back. He rolled his eyes.
"Ah. Yes. The whole fallen from good thing. I would give you my whole philosophical rant on good and evil, but for the sake of time and the assumption Chris has probably filled you in on that already, we'll skip to the fun part." He brought his attention back to Chris. "They're not going anywhere today, but with me."
"No good can come from that. They have to get back to the future; she has to get back to the future." Chris smirked slightly. "She has an infant to raise, diapers to change..."
"Or, this could be the answer to all my problems." Wyatt interrupted. "I'm sure you can think of one in particular I would love to remedy."
Chris' face paled and his stomach swirled, but he didn't show it.
Cary, Callie, make sure to get them out of here on my word. As he looked back, making it seem like he was looking at Piper, he saw the twins nod ever so slightly.
"I mean, what better way to eliminate the one person who stands in my way? I'll just send dear old Mother here back to a more convenient time for me, and voila-no problem."
"You wouldn't." Chris stalled, pretending to call his bluff. The scary part was he believed his brother would do it; he just had to keep him occupied enough to gloat about his plan long enough to get his family out safely. "You have no idea what the repercussions of that would do. Hell, what if you even grow up to be, dare I say, good?"
"Why would keeping me here eliminate who?" Piper asked, her gaze become scrutinizing. Chris' stomach dropped to his feet as he watched Wyatt's face take on a look of disbelief.
"Chris, you moron. Chris!" He snapped. He looked between them, Chris' eyes downcast and his mother's completely confused and laughed. "Oh my---you didn't slip up, did you? Airtight as usual, I see." Tired of the wordplay, he raised Chris up with his mind and held him in the air by the neck of his ratty shirt.
"Wyatt, no!" Piper yelled.
"See, mom," He began, rather cajolingly. "If you don't go back within a year, you can't conceive another baby, like you're supposed to. If he's not born," He stared pointedly at Chris. "Then he can't be in. My. Way." And with his final, stabbing words, he tossed Chris into an adjacent wall, where he slid to the ground with a groan.
"Cary--" He coughed. I'll take care of him; you get them out of here!
"We have to go." Cary said, nodding towards Callie to grab Parker and Prue. Follow us to the club, he said in Paige's head. She nodded subtlety.
"You're not going anywhere!" Wyatt yelled, raising his hand to move offensively, when Chris lashed out his arm from his fallen position, throwing his older brother into a wall hard enough to keep him down a few seconds. All the while, Piper's eyes never left where Chris had fallen.
"Chris...Chris..." She whispered, her voice strained. "Chris was Leo's father's name..."
"I can't believe you didn't see it." Wyatt enjoyed the distress he was seeing, pulling himself to his feet as he teased her further. "I mean, everyone always says how much he looks like you, I mean seriously," He jerked Chris to his feet, twisting a little bit to draw a small cry of pain from his brother. He floated him to where their mother stood, inches from her face as she stared into his eyes. "Like looking into a mirror, right?"
Chris held her gaze for a moment, as she heard his voice in her head.
Go, he said, I'll be fine. Go.
Suddenly, his arm broke away from Wyatt's hold, surprising his older brother as he flung him across the room, pinning him to the ceiling and holding him there. His feet, which had been floating a few inches above the ground, hit solidly, allowing him to take a much stronger hold on Wyatt for a few moments. "Cary, now!"
"Everyone grab hands!" He yelled. Callie orbed out with Prue and Parker, Paige close behind her, but Cary had to wait as he had a hold of Phoebe but waited for Piper to reach out. She just stared at Chris, wide eyed and frozen.
"I can't leave you alone---" She began softly.
"Go!" Chris yelled at her in fierce desperation. "I'll meet up with you later, just go! I can't keep him down for long."
Without any other care for what she wanted, Cary lunged for Piper's arm as they all mingled in blue light, the sound of orbs transporting them away. Chris watched them disappear with a satisfied sigh, dropping his brother to the ground below. He bent over, gasping for air and coughing a little as adrenaline ran through his veins, willing his heart to stop pounding. A few moments later, he turned, leaning against the wall and sliding down to his haunches as his older brother was picking himself up.
"Well, well, well. It looks like my harmless little brother isn't so harmless after all." Wyatt licked his teeth, his eyes narrowing as he slowly neared him. "Surprise, surprise."
"Yeah, well, there are a lot of things you don't know about me."
"We'll maybe we can talk it over." Wyatt grinned devilishly. "We're going to be spending the next few hours together. And I can see we have so much to catch up on."
------
For the record, Bianca had stayed behind.
During the planning process, Chris had pulled her aside, telling her that he didn't mean it the way he knew she would take it. It wasn't that she wasn't strong or fast enough; if anything, having her there would be great defense if anything did go wrong. But he also loved her-so much. And with the Charmed One's being present, with the duty that he had to fulfill being so personal and stressful already, he had asked her to stay behind just this once, to hold down the fort. She had agreed, although very reluctantly.
When his cousin's orbed back in with the Charmed Ones in tow and Chris nowhere to be found, her stomach dropped, and she knew what his real reasoning was; he would need someone to hold down the fort and control things if something went terribly wrong. Which, by the forlorn and frightened looks on the faces of the newly present, was evident something had.
She had made soup while they were gone. To calm her wound nerves and anxious mettlings, she had made pot after pot of soup. She was now thankful for it, because she sat the ones who returned down, urging the cousin's softly to explain what had happened. She had noticed the sister's ashy complexions, the look on Piper's face that anyone could read and know she just wanted to throw up. Something bad had happened.
They sat around the table, some sipping the mix, some eating it heartily, and Piper at the end, just spinning her spoon in it as she stared, transfixed with other thoughts in her head. Bianca listened carefully as Parker and Cary recanted the encounter at the Manor. Tears of worry sprang to her eyes as he told her about the attic scene and Chris' eventual demonstration of his powers.
"So where is he now?" She asked calmly, although she knew the answer. Cary stared back at her sympathetically.
"This isn't the first time he's been trapped with Wyatt."
"Yeah, well it's the first time Wyatt's ever known his level of power!" She snapped back. "What do you think is happening to him?"
There was a silence in response to her question, validation that no one really wanted to think about what was happening to him. Because the reason why Chris never was killed by Wyatt before-tortured, yes, but not killed-was because he wasn't viewed as a threat. He was the weaker one, one who could easily be handled, but with such a demonstration, there was no guarantee that Wyatt would push Chris' body to death's door then have a healer bring him back. There's was no guarantee that he would stop at death's door at all.
"What do I do?" Piper spoke for the first time since they left the Manor. Phoebe and Paige had tried to make small talk with everyone, but there really wasn't much to say because everyone's mind was on Chris and his supposed fate. They all looked at her. "I mean, he's my...he's my...mine, right? So what...what do I do?"
"We wait." Phoebe replied softly after a few moments of silence. Her admission drew surprised glances from all the others around the table. "I mean, the three of us, wait. I would assume you all have some sort of rescue plan right?"
"We are going to form some search parties and scour the city, but what Wyatt doesn't want you to find you don't." Parker replied, shrugging. "He'll turn up though."
"You make it sound so matter of fact." Paige commented. Parker shrugged.
"Wyatt won't kill him."
"But he'd leave him for dead." Prue quipped. Parker shot her a look.
"Prue..."
"Well, it's true Park. I think we're wasting time here." She looked at Bianca and the other two in the room. "We need to look for him."
"She's right." Cary rose from his place at the counter, pushing his soup away. "We should be out there already. How about I take Parker, and Callie, you take Prue? We'll round up some members from the mountain headquarters, and you guys go to the Wharf center. Sound good?" He turned to Bianca. "You stay here; in case he shows up, stay with the Charmed Ones?"
Bianca pursed her lips and nodded. Parker, who was watching her carefully, cleared his throat.
"Actually, Care, with Bianca's more active powers and the clans being out in full force in search of them, I think it'd be better if she went with you and I stay here with the sisters."
The older boy looked at Parker in surprise, but nodded before turning to his sister to smooth out details before they both hurried away. Bianca turned to Parker, eyes wide and shining with a confused look on her face. He smiled.
Empath.
She smiled back. Thank you, she mouthed, before turning to head over to where the other three stood. He merely shook his head and turned to the counter, collecting the near empty bowls of soup. He came close to the sisters, who had watched the entire deliberation in silence. Phoebe smiled.
"That was really nice of you." She commented. His ears burned, and he hoped it wasn't obvious.
"Hm?"
"To have her go instead. I mean, you're really worried about him too, but you had her go instead. It's nice."
He shrugged. "She's better equipped than I am to deal with the clans. Plus, he might end up here before they find him and I...I don't want her to see the damage."
"Damage?" Piper asked. "What do you mean damage?"
He winced; he hadn't quite meant for her to hear that. "Well, Wyatt usually heals him up pretty good, but he doesn't heal him too good. We usually bring in someone else to help him get 100. And with the recent display of power, I just don't know what to expect."
"Oh, god..." She went white, hand shaking. "I think I might be sick..." She backed away, hurrying towards the bathroom. Phoebe followed closely, leaving Paige alone with the rest of them.
"I think we're gonna get going." Cary spoke, gaining their attention. "Hold down the fort while we're gone Park."
"Will do."
They orbed out, leaving Paige and Parker alone as the remaining two sisters walked in from the bathroom, Piper still looking a bit pale.
"That soup didn't taste as good coming up as it did going down." She muttered. He smiled softly.
"Here." He handed her water. She took a sip from the bottle.
"Thanks." She said after swallowing. "They left?"
"Yeah, you just missed them."
"Do you think they'll find him?"
He was silent for a moment, and for the three days they had known him, Parker had always appeared cool and collected, grown up and sure. For the first time, he looked doubtful, and scared, and they all realized he was really only 17. "I don't know if they'll find him. He'll turn up though. I know he will."
They didn't question it, even if he questioned himself about it, because they all had to hope, they had to believe, that he would turn up. Because the alternative was just too horrible to consider.
------
High above the earth, above the clouds and the cosmos, a man sat at an old wooden desk, pouring over a new book of prophecy as he took notes, discussing his findings with an older woman who sat in an arm chair adjacent to him. Without a knock, the door to his office swung open, revealing a squat, balding man with glasses who seemed to have a sort of nervous tic. Frowning, the man raised his head from his work.
"Sinclair. Did you need something?"
"Sir, it appears there's been some activity in San Francisco involving the Charmed Sons." Sinclair replied hurriedly. Worry replaced the mans frown and he sat straighter in his chair.
"An altercation?"
"At the Manor." Sinclair replied with a nod. "And that's not all. It seems we should have been paying more attention these past few days."
"Why?"
"Well, sir..." He hesitated, before a scowl appeared on the other man's face. He hurried on. "It appears the Charmed Ones are in our time, from the future."
The man at the desk slumped back in his chair, a pit forming in his stomach. "Wyatt has Chris?"
"Yes, sir."
"He was trying to send them home."
"Yes sir, it appears that way...sir."
The man at the desk swore and leaned forward. "Where is Chris now?"
"We don't know sir, but we're keeping an eye out for him when Wyatt does finish with him. It also appears he used a significant amount of energy, more than we've ever seen from him."
"From Chris?" The man asked. Sinclair nodded. "But Chris...I mean, he's powerful, but I thought..."
"Not apparently, sir. With all due respect." Sinclair corrected hurriedly. The man at the desk frowned deeper.
"That means he'll be more of a threat to Wyatt." He mused. "We have to find him immediately."
"Yes, sir, the Resistance is on that as we speak and so are we." He nodded, preparing to leave now that his message had been delivered, but was called back by the man.
"And Sinclair? What of the Charmed Ones?"
Sinclair softened. "They are well, sir. He protected them, arranged for them to escape, although it didn't work out that way. They are at P3."
"All 3 of them?"
"All 3, sir."
"From what year?"
"2003, it appears sir. June, we think."
The man stayed quiet for a moment, before clearing his throat. "Thank you Sinclair. We will divert our efforts. You can go."
The smaller man nodded and exited. The woman in the room turned. "Well. I guess this changes things quite a bit."
"Yes. Yes it does." He replied.
"Are you alright?"
"I will be." He replied, rising from the desk. "What we need to do though is start acting, and stop sitting here anymore. I've sat on my hands too long."
"Leo..."
"No, no. I'm going to find my son and take him home and then, we're gonna finish this. But for now, please leave." He gave her a glance and turned. Without another word, she did and Leo busied himself with a map, a crystal, and a search.