A/N: Please Read… ;)
Hey there! Thanks to everyone reading for your continuous support in this story. It means a lot to know that the story's appreciated. An extra "Thanks" to all those who reviewed! Thanks a bunch to you all! ;) I'm really sorry for updating a bit late. I know, I know… It's REALLY, REALLY late, not just A BIT! I was sick (slight fever, cough, colds etc.) and just my luck for it to happen during Christmas Vacation! Especially when I promised those who reviewed an update! Arrrrggghh! I'm really sorry! Thankfully, I'm fine now… Yipee! ;)
Anyhow, there will be some concepts in this chapter about the "after life". I kind of made my own concept, not in any way connected to ANY kind of religion. I hope it offends no one. If it does, do know that I'm really, really sorry. It's just that the "after life" in this story is a crucial part in how Chris remembers his past. I did try to make it as neutral and as simple as possible. I hope it's okay with you all! ;)
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Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed. Period. Number one on my Christmas Wish List is the show but I know even Santa Claus can't give that! LOL. That's why I settled for the season six DVD. I hope someone grants my wish! (In short, I hope my brother reads this!) LOL. ;)
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Chapter 4 - Denial, Stubborness and Love
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Previously on Destiny's Pull:
Leo hastily orbed to the phone which was located at the Kitchen. He was about to lunge for the receiver when he saw something that had caused his whole world to freeze and his heart to stop. He didn't even hear Suzy's last words before the machine clicked:
"That's it then. Bye…"
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Chris felt his feet hit something solid and he thanked whatever Being was up there for the gift of land. The floating feeling of being sucked did not go well with his senses; this was fairly obvious in his tremendous urge to throw up. He kept it in though as he looked at his surroundings.
It was pitch black and the only thing he could see was the hole from which he came through. He could feel the ripple of the wind pass from end to end and he could hear soft indistinguishable whispers all around him. He could also hear flowing water from his left. Without that, Chris would have thought he was somewhere between space and time. He looked around once again and finally decided to just wait.
Chris did not know for how long he stood there before the hole started to radiate white rays of light. It emitted the Angel of Death and faded away immediately. As soon as it was gone, the whole scope brightened up causing Chris to squint. It revealed a flat grassy surface with a stream to cut its green monotony. The stream, whose beginning Chris could not see, flowed continuously through the horizon. All around them, the sky was pure white with no traces of color. It seemed like a fictional place that only existed in one's dream.
"Amazing!" Chris thought to himself. "It looks exactly like a bare Narnia forest!"
The Chronicles of Narnia had been Chris's favorite series book since he was fourteen. It talked of an enchanted place where animals could speak and inanimate objects had spirits. Though seeming like a Children's book, the Narnia series had struck Chris more times than he could ever count. He was, after all, a book buff and, like Wyatt, had impeccable understanding of literature.
"What is this place? Where are we?" Chris asked the Angel curiously, forgetting for a moment that he had left his body at the Manor… that he had died.
"We are where you imagined we would be." The angel replied simply as Chris responded with a stare of disbelief.
"That so did not make sense." He replied rolling his eyes.
The Angel couldn't help but express amusement at Chris's expression. He had forgotten how blunt Chris could be. "It does not matter young Christopher," He said. "What matters is ---"
"Yes, it does!" Chris cut him off. "It matters alright! I want to know where I am. Please," he added desperate.
The Angel sighed as he replied. "This place is what you imagined the neutral ground would look like."
At Chris's blank look, the Angel shook his head unbelievingly. "Don't tell me you don't know what that is." Chris remained silent and the Angel took that for a YES. The Angel raised an eyebrow at him before he continued. "The neutral ground is the place where souls reside right after their demise, Christopher." He informed the said person.
Chris nodded his head to show he understood but remained as silent as before. The Angel of Death took that opportunity and continued with his original train of thoughts.
"As I was saying before I was interrupted, what matters is that in here, you will be able to see your past life. This place, as I have told you, reflects whatever we imagine it to be. I, as the Angel of Death, have enough power to manipulate it into showing your forgotten memories."
With that, the Angel raised his right arm slowly above his head and emitted from it an energy wave that could be felt all around. Chris's spine shuddered involuntarily and the hair at the back of his head prickled up. However, he stood steadfastly rooted in place, careful not to miss anything.
The wind grew colder and the bare Narnia forest from Chris's imagination disintegrated. The landscape was replaced by the Halliwell's Kitchen. In it was a very young Chris, about the age of seven, holding a piece of paper. Young Chris was showing it to his mom with tears misting up in his eyes.
"What the ---" Teenage Chris started to say as he saw his younger self in the supposedly neutral ground.
"Welcome to your Past Life, Christopher." The Angel said gravely as he watched young Chris in front of him. Teenage Chris could swear he heard the capitalized letters in the way the Angel said Past Life,as if it was a title or something. He shrugged of the thought and followed the Angel's gaze towards the people in the kitchen. He and the Angel were both situated at the entrance of the room, the best place to watch the scene unfold.
"What did Dad say this time, Mom?" Young Chris asked timidly. He was biting his lips to keep the tears from flowing down his cheeks. He didn't actually need Piper to read what the letter said; it was always the same, year after year after year. A small part of him though still had hope that it would change. That part needed verification from his mother that it did not.
"Oh, Peanut," Piper said with a sad look in her face. She kneeled down to be at eyelevel with Chris. "He can't come to your birthday again. He says he'll make it up to you though. I'm so sorry Chris. I know how you wanted Daddy to be there." Piper took hold of Chris's hand and pulled him into a hug.
"Oh," Young Chris replied as he allowed a single tear to fall. He pulled himself away from Piper's embrace. "Okay." He said in barely a whisper as he walked out of the room, head down, the letter crumpled in his fist.
Teenage Chris stared in surprise at the scene he had just witnessed. His Dad has never missed a single of his sons' birthdays before. NEVER. In truth, Leo had always been there for his sons, only leaving them when his charges called. Chris turned to the Angel, his unbelieving eyes full of questions.
"Do not question your own memory, Christopher." The Angel replied to the unspoken query. Chris looked taken aback for a while before he regained his bearings.
"I have none of such memory." Chris answered stiffly.
"Stubbornness has always been a trademark of the Halliwells."
"I have none of such memory!" Chris repeated louder yet as stiff as before.
Something in the Angel seemed to have snapped. "Then recall, boy! Recall the memories! Of course you believe that you have none of these! That is because you have long buried them in your subconscious mind! You unconsciously chose to forget your past! Open your eyes Christopher! Open your mind! See what I have given you on a silver platter! This is –" He paused for a bit, shook his head and corrected himself. "This WAS your life." He concluded softly.
Chris was rendered speechless as he saw the Angel lose his cool composure for the first time. He gazed at Death as if he had just grown another head. The Angel noticed this and looked amused.
"How do you say this in your world?" He asked with a smile. "Oh yes, I recall. Kick back and relax, Christopher. Enjoy this journey to self-awareness. Acceptance is at hand, my friend." The Angel then raised his right arm again and the Kitchen Scene started to dissolve. Chris just had enough time to make a single comment before another scene fused in front of them.
"You sound like a shrink…"
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Leo's eyes were wide with terror as it took in the scene before him. In front of him was a fallen Chris. His chest unmoving, his eyes shut, and his lips pale and still. He was lying by his side in a semi-fetal position as if he had been in pain. HAD BEEN being the right verb tense.
For a split second, Leo stood frozen in place, unable to neither move nor think. Looking in his eyes you could see emotion after emotion flash one after the other. Fear, denial, dread, horror, panic, sadness, anger, guilt. It was too much to bear for Leo as he stirred out of his stationary condition and rushed to his son's side. His DEAD son's side…
"Chris! God, Chris! No, please, no! Please Chris!" Leo shook his son harshly as he tried to hold back the tears that had formed in his eyes. "Wake up! Shit! Wake up! Wake up Chris! No!" He placed his hands just above Chris's chest as he prayed for the healing glow to come. Nothing came. Not a spark. This made Leo, if possible, even more hysterical.
"Christopher Perry Halliwell! If this is a game, you are so grounded for the rest of your life!" Leo hoped that this was the case. He prayed with all his might that this was true. What he would give to see Chris rise and say "Unfair!" or "You wouldn't dare!" or even just stare at Leo with hateful dagger eyes. None of these happened though as Chris lay as still as before.
"Chris!" Leo shouted at the top of his lungs. His heart bled as he realized that he could do nothing more. He had even tried doing what mortals call CPR but to no avail. "Chris…" He said again, now barely a whisper. He felt himself break and he finally allowed the tears to run freely down his cheeks. "No… Please… No…"
Leo buried his head into Chris's chest as he pulled the fallen figure into a desperate embrace. "No… Chris, please… Don't…"
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An eerie feeling distracted Chris from the current scene in front of him. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he felt the cold air embrace him. Something was definitely off with the situation. The Angel was acting as normal as before, meaning it was only Chris who could feel the change of atmosphere. He looked around for something that might have caused the eerie feeling, yet he found nothing except the scene he was supposed to be watching.
The Angel sensed that Chris was troubled. He turned to face the young man and saw that Chris seemed at lost. "Christopher," the Angel began "What is wrong?"
"I-I-I don't really know. I mean, one second I'm fine then the next second I experience this creepy feeling of…" Chris paused as he looked for the perfect word to describe the feeling.
"A creepy feeling of what, Christopher?" The Angel prodded, slightly alarmed.
Chris couldn't find just the right term so he continued hesitantly. "Of…Ummm… Love, I guess. For lack of a better word…" He added quickly.
"A creepy feeling of love…" The Angel murmured to himself. He pressed his hand to his temples as he tried to concentrate and process the information. After a moment of silence, the scene in front of them completely forgotten, his head snapped as a look of dawning realization glowed in his eyes.
"What is it?" Chris asked, somewhat scared of the answer.
"I have reasons to believe that someone has found your body."
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A/N:
I mentioned the series "The Chronicles of Narnia" here by C.S Lewis. It's a really, really amazing series of books starting with "The Magician's Nephew" and ends with "The Last Battle." If you haven't read it yet, I recommend you do so sometime. It's really, really great! The series composes of seven books.
To everyone out there: Merry, Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!!! Enjoy this season! Live, laugh and cry! Bye for now! ;) Oh, and please do review! Thanks… ;)