All I can say is...Wow. Eleven reviews. Wow. Thank you. You have no idea. When I came home and saw all those reviews and alerts, I nearly busted into tears. You have no idea how much reviews mean to an aspiring author. Thank you so much.
X5 - 452 and 494 - I'm glad I got you hooked :). Thanks for the review :)
L-G - First off, I want to thank you for your review. It made me realize that I made a mistake. To clear up your confusion, Jaiden is Tyler's stage name. It's kind of like Damon is for Chris. It would've been kind of obvious if Chris's best friend was on stage singing with a guy that looked somewhat like him. So, Tyler got a style change and a name change as well. The whole back story of Tyler's and Chris's will be explained more in the next chapter.
The 11th Doctor's Mermaid Sam - Thanks!
JadeAlmasy - Thanks! I'm glad you're giving Samantha a chance. In all honestly, her obsession with Pariah is parallel with my own with 30 Seconds to Mars, hehe. I'm glad that you're liking the story. Hell, I'm glad you read the story and reviewed. Thanks!
ChickenBake - Thanks :)
Wesdrewlover - Thanks! And Samantha hasn't really realized that she had a crush on her cousin. That's for the next chapter :)
Persephone Wolfe - THANK YOU! AND FOR THE WHOLE BLACK NAIL POLISH THING, I'M ACTUALLY BASING CHRIS OFF OF A SINGER/GUITARIST THAT I KNOW...YOU COULD PROBABLY FIGURE IT OUT BY LOOKING AT THE REVIEWS BEFORE YOURS. TYLER/JAIDEN IS ALSO BASED OFF OF SOMEONE TOO. AND SLASH. HMM. I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT IT, BUT I'M NOT SURE. I DON'T KNOW. I'LL SEE HOW THE STORY PROGRESSES ,HALF THE TIME I DON'T EVEN KNOW THE PAIRINGS MYSELF UNTIL MY STORY DECIDES TO WRITE ONE IN THERE. :) THANKS FOR THE REVIEW, AND SINCE YOUR REVIEW WAS IN ALL CAPS, I HAD TO PUT MY RESPONSE IN CAPS AS WELL. HOPE YOU DON'T MIND :).
Sexyrose - Thanks!
Rowan-san - Thanks! And I'll try to update this story as soon as I can. I do have other stories to work on and I do have a job and I'm a high school student so that takes up a majority of my job. I'll try to keep it to three days, does that work? Thanks for the review!
FuglyJiminyCricket - Can I first say that I love your penname! and thanks for the review! Glad you're enjoying my story!
You're My Life - THANKS! AND I WILL CONTINUE!
-Chapter Three : Altus-
Paige gasped, her brown eyes wide with shock. She took a step forward as placed both of her hands on her youngest nephew's face, "Chris?"
Chris nodded, "Yes Aunt Paige, I"m back."
Paige's eyes teared up before she wrapped her arms around Chris's neck, "Oh God, Chris you have no idea how worried we were!" She leaned back, "How could you just run away like that?"
Chris sighed, "You'll understand some day, but not today."
"And why not," snapped Paige.
"Its not the right time Auntie," Chris responded with a small frown, "Hi Uncle Henry, Sammy."
Henry smiled as he gave Chris a gentle hug, "How are yea kid?"
"Pretty good," Chris answered as he leaned back from the embrace, "And yes, I still have your guitar."
"Good," Henry chuckled out, patting his nephew's shoulder.
"So wait, my older cousin, is Damon," Samantha said, "So...is Jaiden...actually Jaiden?"
"Nope!" The red-head answered as he slid off his sunglasses, "Chrissie's best friend Tyler actually."
"Okay, is Skylar some weird person too." Samantha sighed, her hands on her hips.
Chris chuckled, "No, Skylar is Skylar a drummer we hired from the company. We're the only ones with fake names, don't freak out too much Sammy."
Samantha sent Chris a small glare before walking over and wrapping her arms around Chris's small body, "Shut up, God, can't believe I love your band but yet didn't notice it was you."
Chris chuckled, "There is a reason why I do wear all the junk I have to."
Samantha sighed, "So, have you seen Aunt Piper or Uncle Leo yet?"
"No," Chris answered as he looked back at the door, "Not yet."
Paige smiled as she wrapped an arm over his shoulder, "Well, let's get going huh? Your Mom is going to be over thrilled."
Chris sighed, "Yeah, thrilled."
Henry chuckled, "Don't sound so excited buddy," he said before he opened the door.
"Piper, look who decided to appear once again!" Paige exclaimed as she ushered Chris inside.
Piper glanced up and stared at the man before her. Scared green eyes interlocked with her chocolate brown ones. "No," she breathed.
Chris slowly let a smile appear on his lips, "Hi Mom. Wyatt. Le-Dad."
"Chris!" Wyatt yelled, standing up.
The young man flinched at his brother exclamation but nodded nonetheless, "Hey bro."
Wyatt made his way towards the twenty year old, examining him."Where the hell have you been?" He asked.
"Uh...all over the world actually." Chris answered with a forced chuckle.
"Chris,"
His attention was diverted from his brother to his mother, who was creeping towards him. He watched as she took his hands into hers and her eyes bored into his. Tears started to well up in Piper's eyes as she choked out a "Why?"
Chris smiled sadly, "I wish I could tell you Mom."
Piper gathered her son's face, "And why can't you? Don't you think I deserve to know why my son decided to pick up his stuff one day and run away!"
Chris winced at his mother's harsh tone, "You do Mom, it just..."
"Just what Christopher?"
Chris shook his head, "It's not the right time. We need to focus on Aaron and Uncle Derek's funeral."
Piper sighed but released her son's head only to wrap her arms around his form, "I've missed you Peanut."
Chris wrapped his arms around his mother, "I missed you too Mom. So much," he whispered.
Piper smiled as she released her son from her embrace, "Now, go hug your brother before he punches you. And don't think this conversation is over with mister. The minute all this is settled, we're going home and discussing this."
The young man nodded before heading over towards his brother, "Hey."
"Gone five years and all you can say is hey?" Wyatt growled, "Don't you realize how much you put this family through,"
Chris exhaled, "Look, I'm sorry, but I had no other option at the time Wyatt."
"What was going on that you chose to run away instead of telling us what the hell was going on!"
"Something, alright?" Chris bit back, "I came back to check on Aaron and to go to Uncle Derek's funeral. Then, if you want me out of your hair so damn bad, I'll go back and we can pretend like this never happened."
"And where the hell do you plan to go? Where the hell did you live before all of this?" Wyatt asked.
From across the room, Samantha snorted. "You haven't recognized him yet?"
"Uh..he's Chris." Wyatt answered.
Chris chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Really Wy? Are you that involved in work that you can't pick up a tabloid. I was in one, what a week ago Ty?"
Tyler tapped his chin from his place by the doorframe. He didn't really want to get into the family matters, but hey, Chris asked him a question, "I believe so, or was it two weeks ago?"
"What does a tabloid have anything to do with this?" Wyatt snapped.
Samantha sighed, "Hello. He's Damon Payne, lead singer to Pariah, and Tyler is Jaiden. God, we just watched them on T.V."
Wyatt blinked as he looked at his smirking brother, "So, you left to go get famous!"
"Not initially." Chris replied with a small shrug, "It just sort of happened."
Wyatt narrowed his blue eyes, "You have got to be kidding me!"
"Look, I'm sorry alright. But it was either a record deal or end up starving and dying!"
"You could've came back!"
"No I couldn't Wyatt!" Chris growled back, "I have my reasons. Reasons that you don't need to know about. If you have any trust in me, you would know I didn't leave my family alone for some ludicrous reason!"
"How can I trust you when you could just up and leave again!"
"I was sixteen," Chris replied, "It was the only idea I could come up with. If I could turn back time, yes, I could change what I did, but what's done is done."
"You act as if you did nothing,"
Chris sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "How long has Aaron been in surgery?" he asked, leaving the argument with his brother for a later date, preferably for when he ever did find out the reasoning why Chris left the manor five years ago.
"Five and a half hours," Piper answered.
Chris nodded and glanced around the room, "And how many of you haven't eaten in that time period," He asked, slightly glaring at his mother.
"I couldn't eat if I wanted to," Piper responded.
"Ty, go get some food," Chris said.
"What no please?" Tyler inquired with an eyebrow.
Chris rolled his eyes and threw a piece of plastic at the red-head male, "Please, and don't get killed or mobbed on the way. Low profile."
"Killjoy," Tyler muttered as he slid on his sunglasses, "Learn to bask in the fame dude, not shy away from it." he said before sliding out of the waiting room.
Chris rolled his eyes at his best friend before glancing around the room. Wyatt was still ticked at him, which he could understand. His mother looked like she wanted to lock him in his room and never let him out, again, understandable. His father...looked like he wanted to see Chris six feet under. Chris gulped slightly. "Hey Dad."
Leo simply nodded towards his youngest son, but remained seated. Chris exhaled slowly and lowered himself into a chair, "Does anyone know the extent of Aaron's injuries?"
"No," Piper replied as she took the seat next to Chris and tightly grasped his hand, "So...you're in a band?"
Chris chuckled, "Yeah. Never pictured I would be in one when I sixteen. Like I said, it just sort of happened."
"How does something like that happen?" Samantha asked, her eyes wide with wonder.
"Uh, its a long story," Chris replied with a small shrug, "Long story short, record company out of the blue offered us a deal to tour with a small group who needed an opening act. We hired a drummer, we went on tour, company liked us, offered us a contract and here we are today."
"A big ass band with a large fan following!" Samantha exclaimed, laughing.
Chris rolled his eyes, "We're not that big Sam. We're on our first headlining tour. If we were big, we would've been on one a few years ago."
"Psh, Virgin just didn't know your fame."
"Right. Fame." Chris replied, snorting slightly, "More like, they didn't like that our first record bombed." He yawned slightly and tried to cover the expression with the back of his hand before it slid into his pocket. His eyes looked at the vibrating Blackberry with disdain.
Pressing the accept button, he held the phone up to his ear, "Hello?"
His family watched as his eyebrow furrowed, "No, we're not canceling the UK tour. Skylar told you what was going on." A slight pause, "Yes, a close family friend has died, and no you don't need to release it to the media." Another pause, a sigh, "I don't care if you want to give the fans a reason, say it was for personal reasons...No, I don't care if it sounds like I'm going to rehab or something but you don't need to blab my personal life Caleb...No, that's final...I don't care what Virgin says, I pay you, you listen to me...Thank you...You too...G'night."
He frowned as he placed his phone back in his coat pocket before glancing up. "Uhh, what?"
"Who was that?" Samantha asked.
"My publicist." Chris quipped, "Now who's calling me," he growled as he once again reached into his pocket, "What do you want," He answered harshly, "No, just got off the phone with Caleb, apparently Virgin isn't too happy with this vacation...told him personal reason...yes I know that sounds like I'm going to rehab Ty, but there's hasn't been any recent articles about drug use so I don't see how it would be able to connect the two...true, stupid media...uh, just a coffee is fine with me...yes, you can use it, that's why I gave it to you dumbass...right, what ever you say, and if I find any funny charges on my card I'm coming after you with potions...I don't care about personal gain when you steal a couple thousand from me for stupid crap...Ty, just get the food and get your ass back here before someone spots you and then we have a mob at the hospital...No, I don't want any food...I know when I last ate Ty...you're not my mother...I'll eat when I'm hungry...Tyler, I will hang up...I won't answer...I'll turn off my phone...Screw Virgin, they don't need to reach me twenty-four seven...Shut up, I wouldn't be the damn manager if you didn't fire our last one...Shut up Tyler, and get the damn food before I stuff your face into a pot of boiling acid potion...yeah, yeah, bye."
"Nice way to speak to your friends," Leo muttered.
Chris shrugged, "What can I say, Tyler and I have a special relationship," He drawled as he leaned back in the chair, his eyes sliding shut as he supported his head with his hands, "So, has anyone called Aunt Phoebe?"
"She's busy watching the twins," Paige answered.
"They're nine now," Chris replied easing an eye open, "They can't come with?"
"Let's just say sibling rivalry isn't good with active powers," muttered Henry.
Chris snorted with a small smile on his face, "That brings back some fond memories."
"Not for Mom," Wyatt mumbled.
"I didn't say for Mom, I said for me," Chris replied with a shrug, "And where the hell did Tyler go for food, China?"
"No, down the street," Tyler said as he walked through a door, "At the mystical place known as McDonalds."
Sitting up fully, Chris glared at his best friend, "Credit card, now."
"Jeez, calm down Chrisse, I didn't do anything with your precious credit card," Tyler replied as he started to hand out the food.
"Right and I'm the queen of England, fork it over mister."
"How about I give these nice people and then give you the credit card or is your patience really that short?" Tyler said with a smile.
"You...are a jerk."
"Why thank you," Tyler said, "And here is your coffee, curiosity of the jerk."
Chris sent a small glare at the red-headed male but took the offered cup with a muttered thanks. "Alright," Tyler said, "Who wants a hamburger? I got chicken nuggets, a bunch of fries."
Chris raised an eyebrow, "Did you get drinks?"
"Uh," Tyler winced, "No."
Sighing, Chris stood from his seat and slid on his sunglasses, "I had some singles I wanted to get rid of anyways," he muttered.
"I'll come with you," Samantha said as she jumped up from her seat.
Chris raised an eyebrow at his overzealous cousin but shrugged and held the door open for her to zoom out of. "I'll be back in a few moments. I think I remember what everyone likes," He said over his shoulder.
The hallway was completely empty, the only sounds were the faint beeping of heart monitors and the soft whoosh of ventilators. The bright white of the walls and floors were a sharp contrast to the pitch black sky in the few windows that dotted the walls. Saline and bleach made Chris's nose wrinkle as it bit sharply into his nostrils.
Glancing at his younger cousin from the corner of his eye, he wondered what people would see if they saw him walking down the street with an average day girl. She was dressed in a pair of kakhi capris with a light blue blouse. Her brown hair was in a haphazard ponytail, and her hazel eyes were wide with wonderment as she cast glances at him. Turning the corner, the duo found what they were looking for at the end of the hall.
"Okay, you can stop looking at me as if I'm going to fade away into smoke or something Sammy." He muttered as he pushed his first dollar into the soda machine.
"Well sorry that I never expected to have my idol as my older cousin," she drawled.
"Okay, you've been spending way too much time with your mom," Chris said as he handed her the soda, "Hold that please."
Samantha frowned as she took the can from her cousin's hand, "Are you ever going to tell us why you ran away?"
"In due time maybe. I don't see why it's so relevant,"
"Oh, I don't know, but it's pretty scary when your cousin just decides to up and leave one day without even leaving a damn note, and then five years later he comes back famous and acts as if nothing has happened." Samantha hissed, "Are you insane Chris! We were close and you couldn't even murmur to me why you were leaving? Or even Wyatt? You two were inseparable and yet, you can't give us any warning?"
"It was a spur of the moment thing Sammy," Chris replied.
"Then leave a note, something! We thought that...They took you or something," She bit out, "Aunt Piper and Phoebe and Mom went down there for two weeks looking for you, while everyone else was looking topside."
"Look Sam, I'm sorry alright," Chris snapped, "But, there were things going on that I didn't want to burden the family with. And me being famous isn't that big of a deal. As soon as this is over with, I'll be out of everyone's hair. I just came back to honor Uncle Derek and to make sure Aaron is alright."
"But I don't want you to leave," muttered Samantha.
"I don't really have a choice Sammy," Chris said, "I leave in two weeks to go to the UK for a tour."
"Cancel it!"
"I can't, I'm in a contract, and I can't put my life on pause just because I got reunited with my family. I have other people to worry about. If I cancel this tour, hundreds of people are going to be out of a job and thousands of people are going to be pissed that we're not coming." Chris answered, "Please understand that."
"I'm trying Chris but its hard when you won't give us a reason why you ran off to play rockstar in the first place," She said as the two started to make their way back to the room, their arms full of soda.
"I didn't run away with that intention. I was on the streets for two weeks before Ty found me when he went to go visit his older sister at college. We borrowed some money from her and rented a motel for a week. In the span of that week, I found myself a job at a bar and I found myself in band with Tyler because that was the only way we knew how to make money. We were high school dropouts technically. Three weeks into playing at the bar, a radio DJ heard us and asked us to demo a few songs for a couple hundred bucks. We were desperate for money, so we did. We didn't expect for the CEO of Virgin to hear us and offer us an opening spot on a small three week tour. And then we didn't expect to get offered a contract. I stumbled onto fame by accident Sam. Music was the only way I knew how to get money and I had to use it. Now, I'm the lead singer of a well-known band, but yet I'm not. I'm shrouded in masks because I had to do in order to hide from you guys. I had to turn Goth to hide from my family."
Samantha blinked, "Wow...but why? Why did you have to do all of this?"
Chris sighed as he gripped the door handle, "Because if I didn't, I might not be alive today."
Three hours past, and nothing had change in the waiting room. A silence had fallen, it was slightly uneasy with a hundred questions swimming in everyone's mind and with a giant elephant known as Chris and Tyler sitting there too. Chris sat with his gaze settled on the outside; looking at the stars every now and again. Somewhere in the midst of time, Tyler had fallen asleep and shifted so his head rested on Chris's shoulder, the position nothing new when the band tried to stay up after a show to watch a movie his shoulders were using both occupied by his friend and his girlfriend. He never knew his shoulders were so comfortable. Across from him was his father and brother, the two blonds practically attempting to set Chris ablaze with their glares. On the other side of him was his mother – who was still clutching his hand – and the Mitchell family. Everyone decided to wait until at least sunup to call Phoebe to let her know about Chris's reappearance.
A soft knock broke the stale air and woke all the sleeping people within the room. Seconds later, the door eased open to exposed a salt and pepper haired man, his gray eyes holding mass amounts of exhaustion. His sea-green scrubs was dotted blood and a doctors mask hung limply around his neck. "Hello, I'm Doctor Alderson, I was the surgeon that perform the surgery on Mr. Mickealson."
"How is he?" Piper asked.
The doctor ran a hand through his hair, "Well, there was massive internal bleeding, that is what took the most of the time. We had to make sure to suture everything and to make sure we had every rip and tear. We had to give him fifteen pints of blood throughout the whole procedure. He fractured his right leg, right below the knee. However, it's his left leg we're worried about. The way the tibia and fibula broke, we're not sure if it's going to heal correctly."
"So. What does that mean?" Piper asked.
"He might never be able to walk normally on that leg Mrs. Halliwell. Or he might not be able to walk at all if heals badly enough."
"Well, couldn't you have set it and put some pins in?" Leo asked.
The doctor shook his head, "It seems as if the tibia broke first and twisted slightly before the fibula broke."
"So, you'll have to wait until it heals slight before breaking it again and fixing it," murmured Chris.
"Yes," the doctor answered, "But, the term of money also comes into affect."
"He's covered,"
"That's the thing Mrs. Halliwell," the doctor said softly, "The insurance company won't see the second surgery as a needed one, it will be seen as a optional one."
"Meaning?"
"They won't pay for it Mom," Wyatt told her.
Piper inhaled shakily, "But, how much is that going to cost?"
"At least seven hundred thousand dollars, if not more ma'am," The doctor answered.
"Oh God," Piper said.
Chris frowned, "Seven hundred thousand?"
"Yes sir."
Standing, Chris went to the doctor, "Can we talk outside?"
"Uh, I'm not done briefing the injuries."
Chris smiled, "I can fill them in when I get back." Gently, he led the doctor outside, "Okay, is seven hundred thousand the minimum cost?"
"It will probably cost around a million dollars sir. I don't mean to be rude but who are you?"
"I'm Aaron's Godbrother," Chris answered, "A million?"
"Yes, with room costs and everything will cost roughly that."
Chris pinched the bridge of his nose, "Alright, do you have a piece of paper?"
"Uh, yeah." The doctor said, handing him one and a pen.
Chris quickly scribbled something onto the paper, "Send the bill to this address."
"But sir-"
"Send the bill to that address, and do the surgery when it has to be done. You will be paid in full." Chris reassured.
"You have to-"
"You can send it for me, I need to return to my family. And I probably won't be here for the second surgery." Chris told the doctor, "So, what are Aaron's other injuries?"
"Uh" the doctor scrambled to get his thoughts in the right place, "His right radius was also broken by the impact, and three of his right ribs were fractured."
Chris nodded, "Alright, thank you Doctor. And, are we able to see him tonight?"
"No, he's still in recovery. The earliest you'll be able to see him is three o'clock this afternoon sir when he's moved to his own private room."
"Thank you again Doctor." Chris said as he shook the man's hand, "I'll pass on the news to my family."
The surgeon nodded before walking off, a confusion look still in his gray eyes as he did. Chris chuckled as he went back into the room. "We can't see him right now, he's still in recovery. The doctor said the earliest we'll be able to see him is maybe three this afternoon if he is moved to a private room."
Piper blinked, "They kept us here only to tell us that we can't see him?"
"Mom, he's probably heavily sedated anyways," Wyatt placated.
Piper growled but stood up anyways, "Well, we better get home. We'll call Phoebe in the morning and tell her what's going on."
Chris nodded, "Ty and I will find a hotel close by."
"No mister, you're coming home with us," Piper snapped, "Tyler is welcomed to join us."
"Mom, I'm not four anymore, I can go get a hotel," Chris said.
"You're still my son and you will stay at home with his family."
"Mom, in a matter of," the black-haired man paused as he took out his phone and glanced at the time, "two hours, this cell phone is going to be ringing every five minutes. So, if you want any sleep, you'll let us get a hotel room."
"Home."
"Hotel."
"Home."
"Hotel."
"Damn it Christopher, you are coming home and that is final." snapped Piper, "We need to sit down and have a discussion why you decided to abandoned your family for this life!"
Chris narrowed his eyes, "I'm getting a hotel. I'll be at the house at eight. We'll have six hours to sit down and talk then."
Piper opened her mouth but was distracted by a hand being placed on her shoulder, "Let him go Piper," Leo murmured, "If he wants to stay at a hotel instead of with his family, let him."
Chris narrowed his eyes, "I'll be at the manor at eight. I promise."
"You better be Chris." Piper said, "I lost you once, I don't want to lose you again."
Chris sadly smiled at his mother, "You won't Mom."
Piper nodded, "Well, you better get going then. I'll talk to you in a few hours then."
Leaning forward, Chris pecked his mother's forehead and hugged her tightly, "I'm not going anywhere Mom. Not right now."
"Yeah, until Aaron gets better and Derek's in the ground, then you'll be gone again." Piper murmured into her son's chest.
"I do have a tour to do, but it won't be like last time Mom. I'll be in contact. Just trust me a little bit alright?" whispered Chris.
Piper shook her head yes as she leaned back, "Now go and get some sleep. I'll have breakfast on the table for both of you. I want to hear what you've been up to for the past five years, instead of turning Goth and having a boyfriend."
"Why does everyone think Tyler is my boyfriend?" muttered Chris as he crossed his arms.
Tyler smiled as he wrapped an arm around Chris's shoulder, "Because we look so damn hot together."
"Right," Chris answered with an eye roll and gave Tyler a poke in the side which got rid of the red-head from hanging on him.
"Alright, we'll talk about Chris's sexuality and sex life later," Paige said as she clapped her fingers, "I'm tired. I want to crawl into my own bed and snooze. So, lets go."
Chris frowned as he was ushered out by his family. Giving his Mom and the Mitchell family one last hug, Chris turned and headed for the doors with Tyler by his side. "You, no touchy," Chris said as Tyler went to swing his arm around Chris's shoulder.
"Aw, does Chrissy no love Ty anymore," Tyler replied in a high-pitched baby voice.
"Not like that dude," Chris answered as he unlocked his black Mazda RX-7.
"Aw man and here I thought I would have some fun tonight." chuckled Tyler.
Chris shook his head as he softly laughed, "Just get your ass in the car."