Apologize
"Aunt Phoebe, I know!" Anakin snapped over the phone.
Phoebe, his most mild-mannered aunt, snapped back in an equally angry tone, "Your mother freaked out when—"
Anakin huffed and abruptly ended the phone call. He knew he was going to pay dearly for his actions, but he could care less. Another demon had shimmered into the apartment while he was arguing with his aunt. The blond ducked the fireball and used his wireless phone to block an energy ball. The powerful witch flicked his wrists in the direction of the demon and blew up the sofa behind the ugly hawk-faced demon.
Damn it!
Anakin conjured up an athame and ducked behind the ruins of his living room table. Coming up around the other side, he chucked the dagger at the demon. He watched it sail through the air and suddenly the demon vanished. On the other side of the room stood Chris, clapping his hands.
"Well done, lil' bro," the brown-haired witch said with a smile.
Anakin looked around his destroyed apartment, ignoring his brother's praise. "You could have at least made the whole thing an illusion." He walked over the smoking remains of his telephone. "That cost me two hundred bucks."
Chris chuckled and waved his hand. The room turned into blue orbs which settled in various areas and disappeared, leaving behind a perfect apartment.
Anakin smirked despite his annoyance at the recent tactic his brothers had taken to keep him on edge. "I see you perfected your transmogrification power."
Chris nodded, looking around the fixed room. "Just sucks it has to happen with those blue orbs."
"Get over it; everyone already knows you're the product of a Charmed One and an Elder's indiscretion." Anakin replaced the wireless phone on its charger by the kitchen.
Chris shrugged and settled into a comfortable armchair. "If the Book had a description on that demon it would tell you that it was in the same league as Balthazar. And considering you vanquished it without the need of a potion, I'd say we've officially proven you're more powerful than our big brother."
Anakin rolled his eyes. "It was a dagger between the eyes; a mortal could vanquish the Source like that."
Chris frowned. "Could you just let me have the few moments of bliss?"
"No!" Anakin jokingly snapped. "This vying for who's the most powerful is between you and Wyatt. Leave me out of it." He handed Chris a beer and sat down on the sofa holding a bottle of water.
Chris raised an eyebrow. Anakin waved his hand. "Kyle left a few in the fridge for when he comes over with Prue."
"And I'm supposed to believe that," Chris stated sarcastically. "Come on, I was in college once."
"Believe whatever you want, but drink the beer. Mom'll freak if she sees alcohol in my apartment." Anakin sunk further into the couch. "God, between your 'practice session' and school, I'm beat. It'll be a nice break to have Mom here."
Chris's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. "What makes you think we're going to stop when Mom gets here? This was her idea."
Anakin smirked. "Not the part I was talking about. I get the week off from school because of Thanksgiving."
"Right," Chris muttered and took a gulp of beer. "Are we having the family dinner at the Manor this year?"
Anakin shrugged. "I'd guess so. Mom's having me orb her back on Wednesday and 'requested', her word, that I stay the rest of the week there."
Chris straightened up, placing the beer on the coffee table in front of him. "And are you?"
Anakin grinned. "Have you met Mom? I've invited Lucien to join us."
This caused Chris's gaze to darken.
Anakin sighed. "I thought you had gotten over this! God, with the way you, Wyatt, and Prue act, you'd think I was friends with the Source."
"No, just his baby brother," Chris whispered heatedly.
Anakin glowered at the remark.
"You're the one who suspects that Jonathan is still alive."
"And I'm also the one who knows that he's an innocent, not the Source of All Evil," Anakin replied, crushing his empty bottle. "Mom's already said it'd be O.K, if Lucien joins us. And Chris, I expect my family to treat him with respect."
Chris shrugged, knowing it was a pointless issue to argue about. "Whatever, it's your heart he'll break."
Anakin breathed out heavily. "I'll be sure the keep that in mind when I sleep with him."
Chris's eyes grew wide.
"But for the moment, I think I'm still safe from any heartbreak." His tone indicated the conversation was over.
Chris not wanting a fight stood up. "Wyatt'll be doing tomorrow's session. See you on Tuesday."
"Yeah, see ya." Anakin headed off to the kitchen.
Anakin knew he was being particularly sensitive on the Lucien issue, but he felt his siblings should also learn to mind their own business. They had the government on the magic hunt and a demon, who had wiped clean all but two Books of Shadows, to deal with, and yet they were obsessed with Lucien. It irked him. Yet he knew deep down they only had his best interests at heart. The blond exhaled noisily and checked the clock: two hours until he had to fetch his mother from the airport.
He picked up the phone and hit the redial button. "Hi, I would like to speak to Phoebe Halliwell—I'm her nephew." The tired witch hit the speaker button and set the phone on the coffee table.
"Annie?" Phoebe's voice was distant, but audible.
"Phoebe?" Anakin sat down. "Are you on speaker phone?"
"Yeah, busy writing this week's column. Need both hands."
He caught the soft but distinct noise of nails tapping keys on a keyboard.
"What's up?"
"Nothing." Anakin gave a sigh of relief; at least that had been an illusion. "It's just been a while since I've spoken to you."
He could picture Phoebe's face brighten with a smile. "How sweet! You know you call me more than my own daughter, Annie."
Anakin chuckled; he knew that was a lie. Payton may be a bit forgetful, but she would always phone her mother. "You're a terrible liar, Aunt Phoebe."
Phoebe laughed warmly. "Alright, fine—she calls me every day. But you do call me more than Wyatt or Chris."
Anakin nodded. "Yeah, well, they're losers."
"Oh?" Phoebe continued to type. "I just thought they were too busy talking to Piper."
Anakin gulped. So maybe not everything was part of the illusion. "Aunt Phoebe, are you trying to tell me something?"
Phoebe acted like she was caught off guard. "I don't know what you mean, Annie."
"I called her last week." Anakin jumped to the point. "It's not like that much changes in one week."
Phoebe was obviously building a case for her argument. The typing had stopped. "Annie," she started, but stopped suddenly. "Sweetie, she…"
Anakin waited a moment more after Phoebe fell silent. "I know that Mom likes to keep tabs on. I just need some time when I don't feel like I'm still a ten-year-old kid with mother hen standing two feet away. I'm not going to cut her out of my life, but I would like to actually have a life."
Phoebe sighed. "You're talking to someone who went through the whole rebellion-leaving-San-Francisco stage and let me tell you, it sucks."
Anakin laughed. "I know and believe me, I'm not going to follow in those footsteps. But I've grown up with my entire family having my back or usually fighting my fights for me. They decide who I can be friends with, who I can go out with…" Anakin trailed off and gathered himself back together. "I just don't need a brother or sister or mother phoning me every ten minutes to make sure I'm still alive. I've not gone off and done something stupid."
"I know." Phoebe started to type again. "But you are Piper's baby; their miracle baby."
"I thought that was Wyatt's title." he smirked.
She laughed. "Wyatt was a surprise, yes, but Anakin, you – you were a miracle."
He huffed. "Ok, but still: I'm not eighteen-months—I'm eighteen-years-old! I can drive, I can buy a house; I can be executed. I've been fighting demons long enough to know that running into the underworld is a bad idea. I have more protection wards around my apartment than Magic School. They don't have to be so – so…" he stopped.
"Oppressive?" Phoebe suggested.
"Kinda, yeah," he said guiltily. "I love them all to death, but I need some space."
"And it's OK to feel that way: it's natural." Phoebe shuffled some papers on her desk. "You just have to be a bit forgiving as your family adjusts. It's a big step to think of you as an adult. It scares them—a lot."
Anakin let out a deep breath. "How long until they get over that fear? Because I don't know how much I can handle. It's one thing for them to be freaking out about demons and the government coming after me. I can understand that, but this obsession with who I'm friends with, who I'm hanging out with…it's infuriating!"
"You're talking about Lucien," she stated.
He pursed his lips. "Among others, yeah."
He heard he take a deep breath.
"You do remember what happened last time?" she said softly.
He nodded. "I remember. I tried to off myself."
Phoebe's breath caught in her throat. "And you expect them to just allow you to make the same mistake again?"
Anakin eyes flashed and he balled his hands into fists. "It's not going to happen again."
"I know that," Phoebe said soothingly. "And they do, too. It's just a very big thing to bury under the rug."
"Ok, so should I just not see Lucien at all? Keep them all happy?" Anakin said through clenched teeth.
Phoebe was silent for a few moments. "Would that make you happy?"
Anakin, ready to chew Phoebe out, caught himself; that was not the answer he was expecting. "What?"
"Would that make you happy?" she repeated.
Anakin shook his head. "No! I've been trying to rebuild this friendship since it ended."
"Then I think you need to do whatever makes you happy." Phoebe whispered in a calm voice. "That is all your family wants in the end and it's all that really matters. Just be safe and they'll come around, slowly."
"And what if I..." He paused, swallowing with a suddenly parched throat. "What if I want to – to make it something more?"
The other side of the line went silent; he could not even hear Phoebe breathing. "Um— that's something you'll have to decide when the time comes."
Anakin nodded in understanding. Phoebe was fine with him being friends with Lucien, as was his mother, but they still were hesitant to give their consent on anything more. He sighed in disappointment, but also with relief. "Thanks, Aunt Phoebe. I'll see you at Thanksgiving."
"Bye, Annie." Phoebe hung up the phone.
Anakin stood up. That was another thing that hung over his head. Damien was a great friend and extremely attractive, but the more he got to know the young man, the more he knew Damien was not going to be anything more than a friend.
Lucien, on the other hand, was constantly on his mind. The blond had sworn to take things slow: he wanted a friendship. But then he would go to a club, or just hangout with friends at the movies and it felt like everyone else in the world was in a relationship. And the feeling sucked—hard.
"So that passed thirty minutes," he muttered to himself.
The drive to the airport would take an hour with traffic, which meant he had another half an hour to waste. He walked to his bedroom and opened up the closet containing the Book of Shadows. The pages were yellowing at a rapid rate, and the cover was decaying daily. Both Wyatt and Chris had told him on separate occasions to throw the book away. And looking at it now, he saw that it was pretty much a useless piece of junk. But a part of him felt that the book deserved more than that.
He opened up the cover and ran his hand over the page that had contained the spell which had granted his mother, Phoebe, and Prue their powers. The incantation was written by Melinda Warren, the founder of the Halliwell line. The paper was soft, but suddenly there was sharp pain. Anakin pulled his hand away from the page and looked at it. A small red dot grew on the tip of his finger. He frowned, and bent closer and examined the page. The culprit was a tiny shard of glass.
"That's weird," Anakin whispered as he picked up the small shard. "What's that doing there?"
The only way a piece of glass got into the Book was if someone had broken glass on it. He was certain that he had never had any piece of glass anywhere near the Book. But then how? Slowly the reason came to him and his eyes lit up. A potion!
"That's it!" He jumped up. "That's how the demon did it."
Before he could do anything else with this new piece of evidence his phone started ringing.
"Hello?" He answered, excited.
"Annie, it's Mom." She sounded exhausted and frustrated.
"Hi, Mom." He smiled. "What's up?"
"Could you pick me up from New York? We're being laid over: heavy winds," she almost growled.
"Oh." He set the piece of glass on the counter. "Sure. Is there anywhere nearby I can orb to?"
"Umm..." She must have been looking around. "There's an out-of-order restroom across the terminal."
"Alright, be there in a sec."
"Annie!" she half-yelled.
"Yeah?"
"Be careful," she said in a motherly fashion.
"Always."
He smiled and hung up. Glancing down at the piece of glass he grabbed a scrap piece of paper. After scrawling 'potions' on the paper, he orbed out of his apartment to pick up his mother.
Owain strode across the small office assigned to him on the army base. Quaint, orderly, but small. He shook his head thoughtfully and stepped out of the office. At the desk to the side of his door sat a young woman in an army uniform. She looked up smiled and went back to typing on her computer. Owain smirked and continued on his way out. The demon stepped out of the building housing the Magical Enforcement Department and looked over the army base.
"And to think with a snap of a finger you could have them all slit their own throats," Miley whispered, materializing out of thin air.
Owain made no move to acknowledge her arrival.
"I hope you informed Beast of your departure."
"Relax, old man," she said silkily, "my partner is well aware of the change in plans."
He sighed, silencing the craving to vanquish the incompetent lawyer. With a motion of his hand he walked forward at a brisk pace, forcing her to jog in high heels. "I hope there is a reason for your lack of obedience, seductress."
Miley bristled at the title, and he smirked. "I have come to inform you of a slight problem."
Owain stopped and turned to face the young woman. "A problem?" His voice barely carried in the light breeze. They were too close to success for there to be a problem.
"Yes, Owain." she took a step closer, dropping her voice to a soft whisper. "A problem."
His eyes flashed.
"Well, go on, then."
Her lips twitched in triumph.
He glowered. "Don't push me, demon."
Miley nodded. "Would not dream of it, milord. Your distraction technique has proven ineffective. Anakin has all but rejected me and Beast is not having any more luck than I would have."
"Oh, that's all." He breathed a mental sigh of relief.
"That's all! If they—" she hissed, composed herself and tried again. "If those brats get together, Owain, we're all doomed."
He chuckled. "Anakin and Lucien are hardly a concern, underling. The distraction may not have lasted as long as I wanted it to, but it matters very little. Hellequin is close; I can almost smell him."
"Hellequin will be difficult to sway if we do not have his brother." Miley's voice was laced with acid. "And—"
"Enough." he held up his hand. "The intricacies of my plan are not for you to know, seductress. Just do as you are told and you will be rewarded." He started to walk away.
Miley reached out and grabbed his shoulder, her hand morphing into talons. Owain turned around and looked dismissively at the deadly set of claws. His eyes flashed pure hatred and she dropped to the floor, clutching at her temples. He bent down and grabbed her roughly by the hair.
"Don't tempt me, whore. I've been itching to add your pretty little crossbow to my collection." He released her and stood up, brushing off his suit. "Anakin. Follow him. And do not break from routine."
He continued to stroll down the path, assured that she had learned her place in the scheme of things. He had the most powerful mortal eating out of the palm of his hand and now had the manpower to storm the Underworld without demonic assistance. Once he had Hellequin at his side once more, the demons would be utterly useless to him. Only then would she realize just how right she was in believing he was going to betray them. The demon smiled and continued his stride around the army base, his army base.
Anakin walked into his living room carrying a tray laden with food and a jug of ice-cold iced tea. He set the tray on the coffee table and took a seat next to Kyle. The blond-haired lawyer cocked one eyebrow at his fiancé and future mother-in-law.
"Are they always this oblivious to the men in the family?" Kyle whispered jokingly.
Anakin smirked. "I'd say that's true, but then I'd have to lump Wyatt in with the women, and that would be an insult to women across the world."
Kyle laughed and picked up his bottle of beer. "Well, I see your point."
"Anakin, you really shouldn't be so mean to your older brother," Piper admonished without looking over, still absorbed in the conversation with Prue.
Anakin's cheeks reddened slightly. "So, are you two going to let us into the conversation or should we leave and give you some privacy?"
Prue and Piper turned to face the two men with guilty smiles on their faces.
"Sorry, sweetie; your sister was just telling me about her ideas for the new season of her show." Piper reached over and refilled her empty glass of iced tea. "But we can talk about your day if you want."
Anakin groaned. "Can't we talk about the weather instead?"
Kyle smirked. "Suck it up, dude. Mothers never let up on that stuff."
Anakin rubbed his temples. "Well, you know how my day's been, Mom. I picked you up from the airport, and then I went to the store to buy food for this get-together. And then Prue and Kyle arrived, and I've been playing host ever since."
"Brief, succinct, and to the point," Prue muttered. "Whoever said you weren't your dad's son..."
"You!" Anakin shot back.
Prue smiled. "And aside for the brief exception, I stand by my ruling."
Kyle frowned. "Inside joke?" He looked at Piper for help.
Piper nodded. "Prue refuses to believe that she and Anakin have the same father as Wyatt and Chris. Something about Wyatt and Chris being slobs or something."
"Exactly," Prue nodded. "I have to concede on the whole them being my mother's children because they're Charmed, but that's only a technicality."
Anakin agreed, taking a sip of his drink. "It's a pretty big technicality, though. You've got to admit that."
Prue sighed dramatically. "Unfortunately, but you could argue they were Paige's kids."
"And you would have your head blown off," Anakin quipped. "You know Aunt Paige is very sensitive about Henry being the only father of her kids. And with Wyatt's eye color…" He shook his head, leaving the rest unsaid.
Piper leaned across the table. "It's an ongoing thing for them."
"Oh," Kyle mouthed, laughing at the brother-sister interaction.
"Well!" Prue stood up after another ten minutes. "This has been a blast, but I've got a show to do tomorrow, and I do need my beauty sleep." She offered her hand to Kyle. "Honey?"
"Right." Kyle stood up. Piper rose from her seat. "It's been a pleasure seeing you again, Piper." He hugged the Halliwell matriarch and then looked at Anakin. "Thanks for having us, Annie."
"Anytime, Kyle." Anakin took the offered hand and shook it. "Basketball Monday?"
Kyle nodded. "I've already roped in two of my colleagues at work to join my team."
"Wyatt and Chris will be thrilled to hear," Anakin stated.
Prue hugged her mother good-bye. "We'll see you before Thanksgiving, Mom."
Piper nodded. "Are you sure you have to go to his parents'?"
"Yes, Mom." Prue smiled. "Especially if you want us to be there for Christmas."
Anakin raised an eyebrow. "You'd miss the famous Halliwell family Christmas bake-off? Payton would be devastated."
Prue shrugged. "She'd just have to rejoin her mother's team."
"So then Wyatt and Chris won't be last for the tenth year in the row," Anakin mused, earning himself a soft smack on the back of the head from his mother. "Ow!" he whined, rubbing his head.
"Drive carefully, sweetheart," Piper called as Prue and Kyle shut the apartment door. Then she turned around and started to clean up.
"Mom!" Anakin jumped in front of her and guided her to a chair. "Relax, OK? I can handle a couple of plates and glasses."
Piper resisted the urge to argue and instead patted the seat next to her. "If I have to sit then so does my baby."
Anakin groaned, but nevertheless sat down. "Please, Mom. I'm eighteen."
"And you're still my baby," Piper said in a tone that left no room for argument, "no matter how old you get."
"Fine," Anakin said breathlessly and sunk into his seat. "Do you have any ideas on how to identify the potion?"
Piper shook her head. "Not from such a small sample, but your dad will look into it at Magic School tomorrow."
The mother and son fell silent, staring into nothingness. And for the first time since moving out of the Manor, Anakin felt safe. His talk about wanting a life separate from his family made perfect sense: Phoebe had said it was natural. But here in this moment, nothing could have been further from the truth. His mother was one of the most important persons in his life, and he would do anything not to lose her.
"So," Piper started, breaking the silence, "will I get to meet this Damien?" She asked in a hinting tone.
He shrugged. "He's just a friend, Mom."
"I know, but I'd still like to meet the young man who's been sleeping on my son's sofa." Piper stood up.
"Mom," Anakin started, and then closed his mouth and shook his head. "Never mind."
Piper frowned, looking questioningly at her youngest child. "What's bothering you, Annie?"
Anakin fidgeted in his seat; his eyes darted around the room, refusing to settle on Piper. His heart hammered in his chest, and his palms were clammy. "Wh—no." He shook his head. "It's nothing."
Anakin stood up and quickly walked past his mother. The young witch picked up the tray of dirty dishes and carried them to the kitchen. Piper stood still for a moment before following. In silence, Anakin turned on the tap and began scrubbing a plate. He felt his mother's gentle fingers grab onto his hand. He stopped scrubbing, but refused to look away from the dishes.
"They need to be cleaned," he murmured. "And the dishwasher just doesn't do a good enough job."
"I know, sweetie," Piper whispered, "but if you kept that up, you'd hurt yourself."
"I know," he whispered, blinking back tears in frustration. "That's the point."
Piper's grip on his hand grew tighter, and she stopped breathing. Slowly, she left out a long puff through her nose. "Sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked gently, softly, but there was a hint of determination.
"Do you remember my sixteenth birthday party?" he asked, avoiding the question.
"Yes. We went to Vegas to see that show. You and Lucien then went off and visited his uncle in Washington for a week," Piper answered quickly. "Why?"
"We met his mom," Anakin said in an undertone. He turned around and wiped away a tear.
"Sweetie, what's really wrong?" Piper's face was white with fear. Her lips were pursed in concern.
Anakin shook his head. "I'm dealing with it, Mom."
"Clearly you're not," Piper snapped, unable to keep her cool.
"It's nothing…"
"No! Anakin..." Piper swallowed. "I know you, and this is not nothing. So tell me, I'm your mother—you can trust me."
He laughed. "Do you really think that's what's stopping me, Mom? Trust?" He walked out the kitchen, went over to a cupboard and pulled out a shoebox. He removed the lid and revealed a collection of multicolored potions. He pulled out half a dozen vials, placing them on the counter, and finally grabbed a crumpled piece of paper. "This, Mom, is my suicide note."
Piper took the crumbled ball gingerly, looking fearfully into her youngest child's eyes.
"Go on. Read it."
Piper carefully pulled the ball apart and smoothed out the rumpled edges. She cleared her throat. "Mom, it hurts. All the time, it never ends. The flashes. The fears. At night I barely sleep. His golden eyes haunt my dreams, pleading. During the day I used to rely on Lucien: he knew. Now – now…" Piper stopped, blinking back tears. "Sweetie," she said, sniffling.
Anakin had sunk to the floor with his knees pulled up under his chin. He stared at an old wine stain in the carpet. "They're back, Mom. Just echoes, nothing vivid. But..." He stopped, unable to continue. "I relive your death over, and over, and over again. I see Wyatt and Chris – I see myself. How could I? They're my brothers!"
"I know, sweetie." Piper dropped to her knees. She wrapped her arms around Anakin's shaking shoulders. "I know."
Anakin blew his nose in a conjured tissue. "He said these memories would make me stronger; make me realize what I had to do." Piper rubbed his back lovingly. "He carried on fighting when he was the only one left…I'm not him."
"I know,." Piper bit her lip to stop the sobs. "No one's expecting you to be."
"He did." Anakin sniffed, anger in his voice. "He wanted me to be better than him."
"And you are," Piper whispered. "You saved this family. You have a nephew that he never even knew. He's proud of you; we all are."
"It sucks." Anakin let out a long, calming breath; the sobs subsided. "He was here for less than a year, and I've lived the rest of my life in his shadow. Every compliment, every smile – I've always had to remind myself that it's me you're talking, not him."
"Oh, Annie." Piper hugged him closer. "You don't ever have to worry about that. He was part of a different timeline. You are and always have been my Anakin, my little golden warrior."
Anakin smiled despite himself. "That Halloween costume sucked, Mom." He sniffed.
"Blame your brother," Piper quipped, smiling between sniffles.
"Do you ever think about him?" he asked.
Piper nodded. "Every day. I thank God that he came back and kept my family together."
Anakin nodded in understanding. "I miss him."
"We all do, sweetie." Piper ran her fingers through Anakin's hair. She murmured encouraging words as they sat in the passage. Anakin slowly stirred from his thoughts. "What's wrong?"
Anakin was silent; he knew he could not avoid the subject for forever. "What if my moving out of the Manor was a mistake?"
This caught Piper completely off guard. "Where's this coming from?"
He shrugged, his red eyes looking into his mother's calm hazel eyes. "It's just – everything started going wrong when I moved here. I know my brothers and I aren't the next Power of Three, but we're still stronger together."
"Chris went off to Los Angles for his undergraduate degree," Piper reasoned. She brushed a stray hair out of her face. "And nothing happened then."
"I know, but L.A. and Baltimore are hardly comparable." Anakin hugged his knees and rested his chin on them. "What if I went too far? What if I weakened us? Grams always said that Halliwells belonged in the Manor."
"Grams also believed that males were not to be trusted with powers," Piper rebutted. She placed a hand on Anakin's cheek. "She's been wrong before."
Anakin smiled. "But what if..." He trailed off. "I don't want to go through what you had to go through with Aunt Prue. I've seen them die; I don't want to live it." Anakin's eyes hardened. "Maybe I should move back. P3 could always use another manager."
"No," Piper said firmly. She looked directly into his eyes. "Don't let magic control your life. If you ever wanted to move back, your room is exactly the same and available. But it must be because you want to, not because of magic." Piper softened her tone and her gaze became distant. "We all gave up so much to ensure that you guys would have a brighter future. And I knew we'd never keep you out of magic: it's part of who you all are. But I refuse to let it dominate your lives. I saw what it did to Christopher, and I promised him I would not let any of my children make the same mistakes."
Anakin knew instantly she was talking about the Chris from the future, the one who saved Wyatt from Gideon's misguided actions. He heard Wyatt talk about Chris, and Chris occasionally had glimpses into the original future. All of them said Chris loved his family, and that was the end of the story. This was the first he had heard of anything halfway negative about the original Halliwell future boy.
"What do you mean, Mom?"
"Chris." Piper adjusted herself; she was not as young as she used to be. "Well, he was obsessed with magic. He always had another demon to vanquish. I don't think anyone has read over the Book so many times, and considering how long I've been at this, that is saying something. But magic did not help him get what he wanted. It..." Piper wiped away a tear. "It cost him our trust. We treated him like crap. My own son! I thought the worst of him." Piper's lips trembled at the remembrance of some of her worst memories.
"Eventually Phoebe figured him out, and once I was pregnant with our Chris, I was allowed to know that the neurotic whitelighter from the future was my child. It took him a long time to come out of the shell he had built around himself. But when he did – he was a Halliwell. And it was his love for this family – his love for his brother that allowed him to save Wyatt. Not magic. Magic had failed him; it almost failed us. No amount of magic could have warned us that an Elder would be the cause of Wyatt's destruction."
Piper finally looked back at Anakin. "Now, I'm not saying that trusting in magic was a bad thing. And I'm not sure if he had told us the truth from the beginning if it would have really changed anything. But I promised him when I heard about his passing that I would not allow him to become so involved in magic that he would not have a life. And now the man who did not even have a high school degree is going to be a doctor, following in his father's footsteps. So, you can make whatever decision you want, Annie, but make sure it is what you want, and not what you feel obliged to do."
"I want to help Luc, Mom, but every time we come close to finding Jonathan I clam up. He's a murderer, Mom!" Anakin felt helpless. "How can I help someone who tried to kill my family?"
Piper shrugged. "I don't know, Annie. But I will tell you this: I trust you completely."
"Oh, great!" Anakin threw his head back. "Like I don't have enough pressure on me."
Piper laughed and patted him on the back. "When the time comes, you'll see."
"See what?" Anakin asked, looking at his mother with a frown.
She smiled at the look of confusion on Anakin's face. "That you will do the right thing." She stood up and groaned at her creaking bones. "Now, those dishes aren't going to clean themselves, you know."
He grinned, picking up his suicide note. "I'll help you in just a second." Piper nodded and headed off to the kitchen.
Anakin looked down at the note and balled it back up into a crumpled mess. "I don't want you haunting me any longer." He conjured up a lighter and set the piece of paper alight. He watched it turn to ash and float off down the passageway. The blond packed up the remaining items of the shoebox and placed it back underneath the extra towels. Then he headed down the passage to help his mom clean up with a smile on his face.
Lucien stared down at the last picture he had of his three uncles together. One of them had died barely a month after the photo was taken from cancer. Yet here in this picture, he was smiling and full of joy. Uncle Johnny stared out at him with a mischievous smile and sparkling eyes; the same eyes as Jonathan. Lucien had only seen Jonathan's eyes in their natural state a few times, but the last time still haunted him. Those were the eyes that pleaded with the elemental to vanquish him.
"Do you see your uncles often?" Piper asked, coming in to the living room from the kitchen.
Anakin and Piper had come over to visit before Anakin had his basketball game with Kyle. The house was small, with a neat and tidy garden in the front and a small pool in the back. It had come pre-furnished with wooden floors in all the common areas aside from the bathrooms and kitchen, which were tile. The two bedrooms were carpeted, but Uncle Johnny had already called in a guy to have the carpet replaced with wood. The living room doubled as a dining room and so in the corner sat a round, black oak table with four oak chairs around it. Lucien sat on a white leather sofa and Piper occupied one of the accompanying loveseats. The other loveseat was where Anakin had been sitting until he had left the room abruptly.
"It depends," Lucien answered. "I've been constantly on the move, so it been difficult to see them. But they keep in touch. And now, Uncle Johnny bought me this house; I think he's hoping I'll settle down."
"Will you?" Piper asked, leaning forward in her seat.
"Settle down?" Lucien asked. "Never really thought I'd end up living on the East Coast, but I don't see myself moving any time soon."
"Oh, not even if it was back to San Francisco?" Piper leaned back in her chair.
Lucien shrugged. "Maybe. At the moment there's really nothing in San Fran for me."
Piper raised an eyebrow dangerously. "And there's something here?"
"Perhaps." Lucien felt like he was being interrogated. Where is Anakin? "What about you, Piper? Ever think of moving?"
She nodded. "Back when I was a newlywed, but it wasn't in the stars."
"Do you ever regret staying in the Manor?" Lucien asked quickly, keeping the pressure off him.
Piper thought for a moment. "At the time I did, a few times in fact, but now, looking back – no. The Manor has so many happy memories. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else."
"Must be nice," Lucien muttered.
"Well, maybe this lovely house will become that for you one day," Piper said with a smile.
Lucien scratched his head, playing with a curl of hair. "You know, I never meant to hurt Annie, right?"
Piper narrowed her eyes and scrutinized him. "I know Anakin believes that. And he never expounded on the details of the breakup."
"Fair enough." Lucien suddenly felt very venerable. "But I didn't want to hurt him. He meant the world to me."
"Then why did you leave?"
"Jonathan," Lucien muttered looking at the floor. He was not proud of how he'd handled things with Anakin. "I felt his presence, and I had to find him."
"So you broke Anakin's heart because of your brother, who held you prisoner for three years? A brother who everyone believed was vanquished," Piper surmised coldly.
"Yes." Lucien sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Will you do that again?" she asked icily.
Lucien looked up from the ground. "What?"
"Will you vanish out of Anakin's life again?" Piper repeated, staring at Lucien with accusing eyes.
"I—er," Lucien stuttered. "I – no?"
She smirked. "Are you asking or telling?"
"Piper." Lucien dropped his gaze. "I'm – we're – it's not—"
"It's not that difficult of a question," said Piper slowly. "Will you run away again once Jonathan has been saved from whatever demon is after him?"
"I don't plan to," whispered the elemental. "But…"
"But?" Piper's eyes flashed dangerously. "Look, Lucien. You're a great kid; I like you. So I'm willing to let bygones be bygones. But if you hurt Anakin again..." She left the threat unsaid.
Lucien gulped. There was a reason every demon trembled when they were caught in Piper Halliwell's gaze. "I – I – I—"
She smiled. "Relax, kid. I'm just letting you know how much Annie means to me. He's insistent about having you as a friend, and I can't blame him. You are a wonderful person."
"So this is your way of giving me your blessing?" Lucien asked, still looking like a deer caught in headlights.
Piper laughed. "My 'blessing' counts for very little, Lucien. Anakin does what he wants. This is my way of telling you that you don't have to worry about me blowing you up when you come over to the Manor."
"Oh." Lucien breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks. I think."
Piper nodded. "You're welcome. But a friendly heads-up?" Lucien perked up. "His siblings are going to be more difficult to get around, especially Prue."
"Any idea how I can get around to them?" Lucien asked as Anakin came back into the room.
Anakin looked at Lucien with an arched eyebrow. "Who are you trying to bed?"
"Who was on the phone?" Piper asked, diverting attention away from Lucien.
Anakin studied Lucien's reddening face for a few more moments before answering his mother. "Prue. She says that Kyle got off work early and was wondering if we could start the match early. Then maybe we could get something to eat." Anakin took a seat. "I told them it'd be O.K. with me if it was alright with you and Lucien."
Lucien stood up. "I wouldn't want to keep you away from your family."
"Not so quick there, mister." Piper smirked. "I know Wyatt won't be able to make it until three, so Anakin's team is down one man."
Anakin looked over at his mother. "I'm sure Lucien is too—"
"No," Piper cut him off. "I think it would be a good chance for him to make up with Chris and Prue. That is, if he wants to." She turned her gaze onto Lucien.
Anakin jumped to his friend's defense. "It's completely up to you." He glared at his mother. "We can make it a two-on-two game, or Prue can join in."
Lucien ummed and ahhed for a few moments. "I guess it can't hurt."
Anakin eyed him suspiciously. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Piper clapped her hands together and stood up. "Bathroom?"
"Down the hall to your right," Lucien answered monotonously.
Anakin watched his mother walk down the hall. "Are you insane?"
"What?" Lucien asked, not quite looking at Anakin.
"My sister is going to have a fit."
"Oh, right. Prue's going to be there..." Lucien shoved his hands into his pockets. "'S not like I could avoid her forever."
"No, but doesn't have to be today." Anakin glanced down the hallway. "You can back out. I'll take care of my mom."
Lucien frowned. "Annie, I'm not backing out. I said I'd go. I'm going."
"What the hell did my mom say to you?" Anakin lowered his voice.
"Nothing. We talked about my uncles and what my plans were. It was civil."
Anakin narrowed his eyes. "Keep your secrets." He flipped open his phone. "But I'm bringing backup."
Piper suddenly reappeared in the living room. "Ready?"
Anakin held up one finger, tapping his toes impatiently. Piper cocked an eyebrow.
"Reinforcements." Lucien answered with a shrug.
"Ser? Can you meet us at the park?" Anakin nibbled on his lip. "Right. Sorry. But it's an emergency. Prue's meeting Luc." The last part was said in a tone used during a funeral.
"Great. Thanks a bunch." Anakin hung up the phone. "Let's go."
Anakin pulled into the parking spot next to Prue's Mercedes. He was tense and jumpy. He constantly shot glances over at Lucien. Conversation had been nonexistent the whole trip to the park.
"It's not too late, Luc," Anakin said, turning off the engine.
Lucien glanced over at the basketball courts. Kyle and Chris were fooling around. Prue sat on the side laughing. He swallowed. "No. I'll be fine."
"Is that Serena's car?" Piper asked from the backseat.
Anakin turned around and saw the black Lexus pull into the parking lot. "Probably. Her stepfather owns the hotel across the river."
"I'll meet you guys at the court." Piper opened her door and stepped out of the car.
Anakin took a deep breath. "You are crazy, Luc."
"Don't I know it." Lucien smiled and opened his door.
"LUC!" Serena yelled, jumping out of her car. "How the bloody hell are you, pumpkin?"
Anakin laughed.
"Damn it, Ser, don't call me that," Lucien choked out as Serena strangled him with a hug.
Anakin climbed out of the car. "Nice to see you, Ser."
Serena stepped back from Lucien. "Yeah, hey, Annie." She turned back to Lucien. "When are you going to invite me over to your place? You've been here almost three months and the only time I see you is the occasional bumping into each other at the grocery store."
Lucien had the foresight to look sheepish. "Sorry. It's been hectic."
"So I've heard. You and Anakin talking. Books being wiped clean. Demons coming back to life. A modern day witch hunt." Serena smiled brightly. "And now you want to start World War III in the middle of a public park."
"Like I said..." Lucien glanced over at the basketball courts. "It's been hectic."
Serena narrowed her eyes. "And you're just letting him walking into this death trap?" She rounded on Anakin.
"Hey!" Anakin crossed his arms over his chest. "This is not my choice. I think my mom cooked this up."
"Piper? Why would Piper want Lucien dead?"
Lucien jumped in. "Stop being dramatic, Ser. Prue hates my guts. Fine. But that isn't going to change if I keep in the shadows."
"No, but you could save yourself a whole lot of trouble by staying out of Anakin's life," Serena said in all seriousness.
"Not you, too!" Anakin threw his hands up. "I would think at least my best friend would be on my side in this."
"What?" Serena shifted her gaze onto Anakin. "Oh." She wrinkled her nose. "Right, sorry."
"Is your whole family against this?" Lucien asked softly.
Anakin looked at his toes. "They're not exactly thrilled with the idea."
"Why?"
Anakin looked up pleadingly at Serena. Serena shook her head. "You're own your own, sweetheart."
"You know what?" Lucien steeled himself. "Screw them. Let's go play some basketball."
Anakin looked over at his mother and sister. He let out a breath he did not know he had been holding. "O.K."
"This is going to be interesting," Serena mumbled.
The three friends barely set foot on the courts before the argument started.
"What is he doing here?" Prue hissed.
Piper placed a strong hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I told you, sweetie: Lucien will be filling in for Wyatt until he gets here."
Prue glared daggers at Lucien. "What, this your idea?" Her tone cold and icy.
Anakin felt Serena's hand slip onto his shoulder.
"Be calm," she whispered.
He balled his hands into fist. "We need another player, Prue. Are you going to fill in?"
Prue gritted her teeth. "No."
"Fine. He's playing," Anakin said, daring her to argue.
The group stayed frozen in place. Then Chris spoke. "Kyle and I on a team, you and Lucien on the other?"
Anakin looked away from Prue. "Fine."
The game started. Kyle and Chris quickly gained the lead. The girls cheered on both sides. Everything seemed normal. Then Wyatt arrived.
"Wow, guys. Couldn't even wait half an hour?" Wyatt beamed, and soon spotted Lucien. "Luc, nice to see you."
That was the trigger. "Wyatt!" Prue shouted, then jumped down from the bleachers.
"Prue," Wyatt greeted.
"How can you be so—so—" Prue shook with anger. She looked at Lucien. "Go."
Anakin started to speak, but Lucien spoke over him. "Why, Prue? Can't I just watch?"
"No," Prue seethed. "You're not welcome here."
Everyone had moved off the court save for Prue and Lucien. They knew this was something that they should not get in the middle of.
Lucien squared his shoulders. "I don't think that's the case. Anakin wants me here. Serena doesn't mind me being here. You mother made the suggestion that I fill in for Wyatt. Wyatt and Chris don't seem to be bothered by me being here. Hell, even Kyle, who I'm sure has only heard terrible things about me, has been welcoming. No, Prue; I think it's just you who has a problem with me being here."
Prue's nostrils flared. "You nearly killed my brother. You'll never be welcome in this family."
Lucien looked over at Anakin. "Then why have I been invited to spend Christmas at the Manor?"
She spluttered. "I—you—hell!"
Kyle took a step toward Prue, but Chris held him in place.
Lucien walked right up to her. "I know you think I'm no better than my brother, and a part of me agrees with you. I abandoned Anakin when he had done nothing to deserve it. I hurt you and your family when you had been nothing but welcoming. I have never stopped kicking myself for acting so stupidly." He paused and looked into Prue's eyes. "And despite all this, Anakin still wants to be my friend. I don't deserve his acceptance, but I do need his help. And I definitely want his friendship. You don't have to accept me, Prue. You can hate me all you want. But I'm begging you to give me a second chance."
Prue stared at the elemental. "You don't deserve a second chance," she hissed and suddenly she slapped him across the face.
"PRUE!" Anakin run up to his sister. "What the hell!"
"No, Annie," Lucien whispered, gingerly prodding his reddening cheek. "I deserved that."
Pure glared. "Damn straight. You can fool everyone else, Lucien," she said the name acerbically, "but you can't fool me. You're here to use Anakin and then vanish again. You don't care about anyone but your pathetic insignificant self."
"Enough!" Anakin hissed, causing Prue to take a step back. "Just enough." He was shaking.
"Annie?" Lucien broached, touching him on his shoulder.
He gasped, feeling his legs give way as everything went black.
"ANAKIN!"
Someone was shaking him. He blinked. "Luc?"
"Damn it, dude, don't do that." Lucien sounded relieved.
Anakin looked around. He was no longer standing on the basketball court, but lying down on the grass. The rest of his loved ones and Kyle were standing around him with looks of relief on their faces. His mother grinned and sniffled.
"What happened?" He rubbed his throbbing head.
Piper knelt down. "You passed out, sweetie."
He sat up, ignoring the pain. "Seriously?"
"Yeah." Lucien wrapped a supportive arm around his shoulders.
His furrowed his brow. "How long?"
"Ten minutes."
His frown increased. "But it was so short," he muttered.
"What was, sweetie?" Piper brushed his sweaty hair to the side.
"Premonition." He breathed heavily and squeezed his eyes shut. "Something important—damn it. Luc and Caleb and…" He screwed his face up. "Shit!"
"Language," Piper admonished half-heartedly.
Anakin ignored his mother. "Luc and Caleb. And school. It happens at school." Another wave of pain shot through his head. He cringed and bit his lip.
"Could one of you get here and heal the fucking bump!"
Wyatt walked over. "No need for the tone, Anakin."
The eldest Charmed Son held his hand over the large knob.
"Sorry," he murmured. "Just need to think. Pain and thinking—don't mix."
"Right." Wyatt removed his hand. "Good as new."
Anakin nodded. "Happens at school. And shadows. I remember shadows." He squeezed the bridge of his nose between two fingers. "And death! Someone dies!"
"Who?" Lucien asked.
Anakin shook his head, defeated. "I don't remember."
"What about the demon?" Wyatt asked.
"Shadows. Shifting shadows. And he used an athame."
"Well, that's great!" Prue interjected. "With that description, we'll be going after half the underworld."
Anakin looked up at his sister. "And that's supposed to help?" He meant for it to sound angry, but it came out hopeless.
"Just saying," she whispered sheepishly.
