OMG! Is this an update? So soon?
Yup, it is. To make up for the incredible hiatus (school sucks, tru fax) here is another chapter :D Not as long as the last one, but still pretty long. Lots of angst and some Kickass!Chris XD
Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed.
Into the nothing
Faded and weary
I won't leave and let you fall behind
Heaven hear me
I know we can make it out alive
-Breaking Benjamin, Without You
No sooner had he stepped through the portal than Chris stumbled forward, weak from nearly being strangled and losing blood quickly.
It was surprising to find that the person that caught his fall was none other than Leo.
Chris grimaced. Great, this day just keeps getting better and better.
Darren stepped forward into the room and felt an oppressive heat on his chest, Wyatt's words reverberating around his head.
"The very family that you became close to is the very same family that left you to your fate in the hands of the man that caused you so much pain."
Darren winced as he looked at the concerned faces of the Sisters and Leo.
He couldn't do this right now. Not now. Perhaps not ever.
He told them that he had to see the Greater Powers and orbed away in the middle of their questions.
Piper stared at her Sisters and found they were all wearing matching expressions of confusion.
"Uh, a little help please?"
Piper was the first to rush forward and help ease Chris to the floor, exposing the ugly wound on his shoulder. They drew in a collective gasp of surprise as they saw it.
"What the hell happened Chris?"
Chris groaned in response and Leo placed his hands over the wound, closing it slowly under the golden glow.
Chris sighed in relief and opened his eyes and sat up with dread. The Sisters' inquisitive faces were staring back at him.
"Explain. Now."
Chris cringed under Piper's wilting stare. He didn't want to deal with this right now. Not their questions, or mistrust, or contempt. He'd just lost Bianca and—
Chris's throat closed up and he felt tears prickling at his eyes.
Phoebe regarded him with a softening gaze. Was she feeling his pain?
"I—"
"Who was that? Why was she after you?"
Chris swallowed and called up some courage, battling down the feelings of sadness that threatened to overwhelm him. He would tell them the truth.
Darren's absence was a source of worry. Chris tried not to think the worst, but there was a deep fear in his gut that the witchlighter would do something stupid.
Both of them had been wrecked.
Chris needed to get to him as soon as possible.
"She was from the future. The—The demon that I came to protect Wyatt from sent her to kill me."
Piper's eyes narrowed but Leo was the first to speak.
"You expect us to believe that? Without any shred of proof?"
"And what happened to Darren? He seemed a little off when he got back…what happened to the both of you?"
Chris found it wretchedly ironic that Phoebe would be the first to ask about the witchlighter.
Phoebe in turn sensed a sudden strong feeling of sadness from Chris and her eyes crinkled with confusion. What were they hiding?
Chris saw that perhaps she could be one to actually understand and opened his feelings to her for once.
The wave of pain and terror that crashed into Phoebe was enough to leave her gasping. Her sisters were at her side instantly asking if she was fine. She ignored them and looked directly at the neurotic whitelighter.
"What happened to her? What happened to Bianca?"
Chris would grant her this last answer.
"She—She won't be a threat to anyone anymore."
No one in the room missed the crack in his voice or the tears that misted over his green eyes.
Chris orbed away. He couldn't take it anymore. He just couldn't.
Leo made a move to follow him but Phoebe stopped him.
"He just lost his fiancé Leo. He needs to be alone now."
Leo drank in Phoebe's words and listened to her.
Darren orbed elsewhere. Alyssa's voice called to him in his head but he ignored her. When she persisted, he told her to leave him alone. Alyssa voiced her concern but he blocked her out completely.
Darren orbed to one place, then another, then another. He knew Chris would come after him. He could sense him following his trail.
It was when Darren arrived at the park that he stopped and sat down heavily. The toxic energy was making him sick. He could feel his stomach roiling and everything growing hot and hazy.
The pause was enough for Chris to finally find him. And Darren had not the energy to leave when he saw the very person he was trying to avoid orb in front of him.
Chris followed Darren's trail closely, growing slightly frustrated as he changed directions mid orb, clearly trying to lose him. They had so much to talk about, to sort through, and here he was, trying so very hard to evade him.
He was finally able to locate him securely at the San Francisco Park. He orbed there and saw Darren sitting on a bench, leaning heavily against the fencing behind him.
The dark haired young man frowned upon seeing him.
"Chris, I can't do this right now. Just…just leave."
Shaking his head, Chris moved forward carefully. "I can't Darren. We need to talk. What happened—"
Darren stood up suddenly, beginning to walk at a livid tempo. "I can't do this right now Chris. I'm not here to chat, go talk with someone else."
The rough words were sharp.
"And what do you suppose we do? Ignore everything? Ignore everything that's happened?"
Darren sighed with frustration and continued his frantic pacing. Chris tried to reach forward to calm him but Darren cringed from his touch, giving him a brief and silent apology with his eyes.
"Would be fine with me."
"No, Darren. I'm not going to sweep everything under the rug. If we do that, then we'll be done for good. We have to deal with this. Work through it."
Darren laughed, a humorless sound that grated on Chris's ears.
"Work through it? Deal with it? Do you have any idea just how naively stupid you sound?"
Chris bristled at the insult. "What else would you have us do? Keep on going like nothing happened?"
"Everything has changed."
"I'm not saying it hasn't. Things are chaotic I know. But we have each other now. You're family."
Darren rushed at him, grabbing him and shoving him against the fence.
"Don't repeat that. Not right now. I don't need it."
"You're going to have to accept it."
Darren growled, an animal sound that gave Chris pause.
"Stop. Let's stop this discussion right now and just…just leave the subject alone."
Questions flooded Chris's brain.
"What are you so afraid of?"
Darren looked up at him.
"I…I can't deal with all this Chris. You have no idea just how fucked up my head is right now."
Chris's words were gentle, kind.
"Then give me an idea. I want to understand."
The dark haired man eyed him warily.
"I mean it Darren. Let me see so I can understand."
Darren awkwardly grabbed his hand. "Just close your eyes…you sure about this?"
Chris nodded bravely and did as he was told.
"Tell me when to stop Chris. I don't want to hurt you."
Chris only nodded and prepared himself.
The onslaught of emotion that assaulted his mind was enough to knock him into a daze. All sorts of feelings ran through his head at break neck speeds, whooshing past his consciousness, pressing against it and overloading it with painful pressure. An inner conflict overwhelmed him, sent him reeling as he tried to keep up with the images that sprinted in circles around his brain. He could feel the pull of something, something pure and white and right. And then there was another pull, something sinister that hid in the shadows and screamed with animal rage to be released. The two feelings fought each other, a bloody and torturous combat that forced the air out of his lungs. The opposing forces rushed at each other, ceaseless tides that pushed and pulled, ever invasive and forceful. No peace inhabited this world of utter chaos. The mind was destruction, mental buildings broken and crumbling with every passing moment. Data streamed in from everywhere, voices and sounds and feelings, crude information without any form of connection, raw and incapacitating.
Chris felt tears prickling at his eyes and in a broken whisper compelled Darren to stop.
"Darren, stop. Stop!"
The effect was immediate. The feelings were cut off abruptly but the aftertaste of the turmoil stained Chris's mouth long after he had opened his eyes.
Darren was looking at the floor in shame.
Chris moved forward and embraced the other man, careful with his movements. Darren remained rigid against his embrace for a few seconds before pulling away.
"Do you understand now Chris?"
Chris nodded solemnly. He knew this. His own mind was often in disorder, but the constant pandemonium he had just experienced was disturbing and alarming.
Darren let out another sigh, much too tired and exhausted for someone his age.
"Darren, it doesn't matter. Whatever it is that he forced you to do…"
Darren shook his head and sat down again, pressing his hot face against the cool links of the fence.
Chris remained standing, grasping for the right thing to say.
"I…I'm sorry for—I'm sorry for what happened to Bianca. I'm sorry that I couldn't save her."
Chris looked away, staring up at the star dotted sky in the hopes that gravity would fight in his favor and keep the tears down.
"It wasn't your fault Darren. Neither you…or I…neither of us could have saved her."
Silence reigned.
Darren followed Chris's gaze and looked upwards, and began to speak in halting, broken words.
"My whole life, it was just me and now—now I don't…I can't just open up and embrace this…I would have rather never known."
Darren paused and began to play with the links on the fence, threading his fingers through them and pulling.
"I—"
Chris sighed heavily. He understood what Darren meant, what he was conflicted about. To learn that the life you'd known was a lie…Chris attempted to move closer, but Darren's next question stopped him dead in his tracks, voice low.
"Which one of them is it? I mean…I know it isn't Piper. But…which of the sisters...conceived me?"
Chris played nervously with the hem of his shirt. He didn't miss Darren's lack of use of the word 'mother' or the way his fingers suddenly gripped the fence, clutching the metal tightly.
"Darren, maybe—"
"Please."
Chris grimaced, but he would answer.
"Phoebe is your mother,"
Darren flinched but Chris continued, recalling all the questions he'd had as a child. All the times someone had stopped him from opening a small chest in the Attic, telling him he wasn't old enough to know yet. The look on his mother's face when he'd found an old picture of Aunt Phoebe and a tall, dark haired man.
"I don't—I don't know the full story. Nobody…nobody talked about it."
Chris mentally slapped himself. Great choice of words there, Chris, now you made it seem like it was the dirty family secret.
"What I mean to say is that no one ever mentioned it to me…what little I know…your father's name was Cole. Cole Turner."
Darren just nodded and mumbled a soft thank you.
"Look Darren, I'm sure if we bring this up with the Elders—"
Darren's eyes grew dark and he snarled. "Don't talk to me about those sons of bitches. They knew. They must have known, they had to have known. I asked them Chris. I asked them so many times. They told me I was better off not knowing."
"Darren you can't be sure they knew."
"Come on Chris. There aren't exactly many of my kind around," Darren's voice dropped.
You are an abomination of magical nature, your very existence is a sin.
Darren felt his head growing heavy. He could hear his pulse thrumming through his veins, going at a rate he knew by now to be faster than normal.
Oh crap.
The toxic energy he'd absorbed was really doing its damage now, almost making him moan from the discomfort. The worst part was that he could lose control and possibly hurt Chris. The feelings of anger and resentment, however illogical and mistaken, were already surfacing against anything Halliwell.
"Chris, you need to leave. Now."
Chris heard the edge of warning in his voice and mistook it for irritation.
He's not the only one who lost everything today. Here I am, trying to comfort him and help him come to terms with everything and he's getting angry?
"Stop telling me to leave! Because I won't. We have a problem and we need to deal with it."
Darren's hold was ebbing rapidly.
"I already told you. I don't need to deal with anything. Excuse me for not being like you, with your damn determination and drive."
Chris's temper was beginning to rise.
"You aren't the only one that lost things today, Darren. I certainly don't need to be dealing with you right now either."
"Take it up with your dear brother."
He'd said the wrong thing. The worst possible thing that could leave his lips had been grumbled at the very person who was probably feeling that pain the most.
To be betrayed by a stranger was one thing. To be betrayed by family, a brother, was infinitely different.
Darren would have taken it back. He would a thousand times have taken it back. But he didn't. The twisted part of him enjoyed that Chris's eyes widened in shock and hurt.
Let him feel the guilt.
And Darren couldn't stop.
"He should never have been allowed to grow up."
Chris couldn't ignore the warning. He wanted to disbelieve his ears, wanted to have misheard. But he couldn't. Darren was implicitly threatening the life of baby Wyatt. An innocent. The very being he had sworn to save, even if it cost him his own life.
He briefly wondered how everything had come down to this.
"You touch one hair on his head…"
Chris's eyes were stone emeralds, sharp and dangerous. Darren had already lost control. The rumble low in his chest was proof. Humans and whitelighters did not growl like that.
"What? You're going to take me out? Go ahead. Be like him and erase your problems. Permanently."
That Darren had dared to compare him to the evil Wyatt was enough. Chris saw red and threw out his arms.
Darren roared at him, baring his canines, jumping off the bench just as Chris's telekinetic wave tossed the object against the fence.
The contaminated energy needed a way out and it took its opportunity. Darren didn't even need to clap his hands together and form the connection this time. Dark fire sprung against Chris, who gazed momentarily at the black flames before throwing up his shield. Smoke clouded over him, and he coughed harshly. He couldn't see anything.
He was about to spell the smoke away when something connected with his chest, pushing him back against the fence. Chris raised his hands to counterattack but stopped immediately.
He swallowed against the blade that was now against his throat, the anger leaving him in a rush.
What the hell are we doing?
Chris took a careful calming breath and remained still.
"Darren."
The other man's chest was heaving, left arm against the fence, the other hand holding the weapon against Chris's throat.
Chris repeated his name.
Darren looked up and Chris could see that his eyes were black, the irises tinged with gold red.
Chris tried to move and push him away but Darren warned him to remain still with a feral snarl.
"Darren. We need to stop this. I'm not the enemy. We came back to save the future. Remember?"
Darren just looked blankly at him.
"We're friends. We used to do everything together. I took care of you and you took care of me."
Recognition flickered in the demonic witchlighter's eyes and they cleared. Darren stared at his hand in surprise and spoke to Chris with a shaky breath.
"Chris… Tell me to let you go."
"Oh thank God. I thought you were gone there for a second. What the hell is going on with you?"
Darren shook his head, trying to clear the fog that seemed to blanketing his mind in darkness.
"Energy…There was too much…impure…"
Chris frowned in puzzlement, wearily eyeing the blade that was still at his throat.
"Okay…now let me go. Things got out of hand real fast, I'll give you that."
Darren shook, trying to fight against the exhaustion. Clear head. Keep a clear head.
"I need you to tell me to let you go."
"Enough games, Darren. Quit it already. I told you that things got out of hand. I'm not apologizing, if that's what you want."
Darren let out a frustrated sound and pressed harder against Chris's shoulder.
"No, you don't understand…I'm not—I'm not really myself right now…I'll explain later, but you need to tell me to let you go."
"Why can't you explain now? Honestly, I am just dying to see what you can come up with to explain this behavior."
Darren was panting now, and Chris could now feel the heat from his hand passing through the layers of his clothing. Chris softened his tone, now even more perplexed.
"Darren, what—"
"Command me to let you go!"
Chris did exactly as Darren asked, yelling the words with more anger and aggravation than he had meant to use. Darren immediately let him go, dropping the blade to grip his left arm with a pained expression.
Chris was at his side, alarm setting him into motion.
"Darren! What's wrong? What's happening?"
"Get me…get me to P3. Please Chris…I need to…to get it out."
Chris was about to ask what exactly Darren needed to get out when the black haired man leaned over the grass and threw up. Darren cleaned the mess with a wave of his hand and stood shakily.
"Orb Chris. Orb."
Chris gripped Darren's shoulder and transported them to P3.
No sooner had they arrived than Darren ran straight to the bathroom, leaning over the toilet and throwing up everything that he had eaten that day.
Shaken by what was happening and not knowing what to do, Chris just held onto Darren's heaving shoulders, trying to think of how to solve this.
Should he call Leo? The Greater Powers? Come up with some sort of spell?
"Don't do any of that Chris. I'll be fine in a sec." Darren managed between upheavals.
"Mind telling me exactly what's going on?" Chris asked, running the water and helping Darren to stand when he was done. Darren flushed the toilet and gratefully gulped down the water straight from the tap, rinsing his mouth. A quick cleaning spell and he stumbled to his room, dropping onto his bed.
Chris followed him, sitting at the bottom of the cot and looking at Darren with worry.
"The energy…I can…I have empath powers and I can take energy and…and give it."
Aunt Phoebe. Chris had many questions but he remained silent, looking at Darren to continue.
"When Wyatt was strangling me…His shield is just a mass of energy…protective, but energy nonetheless…So that you could save me, so that we could win, I latched onto his power source and…sucked it out."
Chris's brow shot up in astonishment.
"You can do that?"
Darren nodded and nestled more comfortably into his pillow, yawning softly.
"I can. Just a little trick…but Wyatt's energy…the energy of witches' powers is…is toxic if you take it by force…"
Chris suddenly understood what had happened.
"It poisoned you? What should we do? Is there an antidote? Any way we can get rid of it?"
Darren smiled sleepily. "It's not that simple Chris. Energy can only be transferred. Not destroyed. I… transferred the energy into me…and now my body has to transfer it out…on its own…It's a good thing Wyatt decided to let…to let go when he did. Too much toxic energy means…no way to filter it out…not quick enough anyway…"
Chris inhaled sharply. Too much poisonous energy and he could die.
And then he remembered the strange feeling that had flooded him as he was chocking. The flow of power that had kept him alive despite him not being able to breathe.
"When Wyatt was choking me, I felt something weird…that was you?"
Darren grinned groggily." I told you…I can channel energy in, and I can channel it out…I can't create it, or change it by much…but all life energy is basically the same…and we do share the same…blood."
Chris smiled, comprehending that this was Darren's manner of apology.
"The energy…can you use it as you want? I mean, if it is given willingly…then it's not toxic right?"
Darren understood what he meant and his eyes snapped open.
"I won't take your energy Chris. A good rest and I'll be replenished. I told you, I didn't take much from Wyatt. It'll have cycled through me by morning."
The green eyed whitelighter acquiesced only half-heartily, telling Darren to go to sleep. Darren didn't say anything, simply closed his eyes. Chris pulled up the blanket to his waist and waited for his breathing to even out.
He was about to stand and go to his own room when something on Darren's left arm caught his eye. Making sure to be gentle and quiet, he lifted Darren's arm and inspected the stain on the cloth.
The crimson blotch reminded him of his own injury weeks ago, the first that Darren had healed for him, not long after they'd first met.
Chris slowly began to peel back the sleeve, pausing when Darren shifted a little.
He pulled past a collection of wristbands and faint scarring that made him scowl. When he finally uncovered the source, he immediately regretted his actions.
Chris quickly rolled the sleeve back down, covering his cousin with the rest of the blanket and standing up swiftly.
With renewed purpose, Chris orbed to the skies. The Greater Powers would not be spared his wrath.
Alyssa saw what Chris was about to do and she took a deep breath.
"Kumalo, get the council ready. Call an emergency meeting. If you can, try to avoid the contact of Keiran."
Kumalo gazed at her.
"We must get ready to receive a guest. I'm afraid that what we feared has come to pass."
Kumalo left in haste.
Chris reappeared in the sky; glad that the Greater Powers had sensed him and had grouped to meet him. What he had to say was for all them. He wouldn't leave until all his questions had been answered. He recalled the mark on Darren's arm with vivid clarity, the image stamped into his mind. He had a weak idea of what the symbol represented but the possibility of what it could be was so daunting...
Chris discarded the though. There must be another explanation.
"Christopher, why are you here?"
Chris faced the Greater Power that addressed him, a woman with long brown hair and a beautiful face. Her eyes were troubled and Chris knew that she knew exactly why he was there.
"I want answers. I'm not leaving until I get them."
"What is the meaning of this?"
Alyssa slightly cringed at the sound of Keiran's booming voice, shooting a glare at Kumalo. The dark skinned Power glanced at her apologetically.
Chris faced the Greater Power, posture straight and strong.
"I've come to get some answers. I've had enough of watching lies and secrets destroy my family."
Chris wouldn't try to hide the fact that he was a Halliwell from these beings. He was sure that he knew who he was already. They knew and they hadn't told the Elders. This alone, though beneficial to him, was a matter of suspect.
"We should tell him all he wants to know Keiran."
"We will tell him nothing he is not meant to know. He has no right to come here—"
Alyssa was tired of all the secrets as well, though she had helped cover the lies, a fact that would forever burn in her near immortal heart.
"He of all people should have a right don't you think? Christopher Perry Halliwell is the most deserving of answers at the very least."
Chris was surprised by the words, and it showed on his face. Alyssa smiled warmly at him.
"I have the gift of foresight, Christopher. I have seen what you have become, who you are. It is not surprising that you should have become the leader of Good in the future."
Dumbfounded briefly, Chris regarded her more closely, wondering just exactly how much she'd seen and knew.
Keiran bristled behind her but said nothing.
"I want to know why Darren…why he didn't get to grow up with my family."
Alyssa looked away. "I'm afraid we cannot answer that."
Chris scoffed. "Then what exactly can you answer?"
"The story of what happened is strange and I will not repeat it. The answer that you seek lies in the Book of Shadows. Search for the demon…search for the demon by the name of Belthazor. Your answer is there."
Committing the name to memory, the second oldest Halliwell made his next inquiry.
"Can you tell me about the future?"
Alyssa shook her head. "Only you and Darren may discuss such things."
And now Chris had arrived at his most pressing question. His hands clenched into fists as he thought about the mark on Darren's arm. Alyssa seemed to know what he was going to ask, and her gaze darkened, becoming troubled.
"The symbol…the symbol on Darren's arm…It isn't—It isn't what I think it is, right?"
Stillness overtook the bright room. Even Keiran had to look away.
"He can't be…Is that how Wyatt controlled him? By using that against him? I don't understand! They aren't born in the same family; there hasn't been one in hundreds of years…"
Alyssa looked at him, her gaze imploring, trying to break the truth to him as gently as possible. He didn't need any more reminders of just how twisted and wicked his elder brother had become. "Wyatt is the Twice-Blessed…such powers were never meant to enslave."
Chris paled.
"Wyatt…Wyatt wouldn't have…Why?"
Why had he turned evil? Why did his mother have to die? Why did Bianca have to die? Why did the thousands of innocents have to shed their blood? Why couldn't he save them all?
Why had the world been so abandoned in the future?
Why? The question had hit Alyssa's ears a million times. She heard it every day, from the magical beings who looked at the sky in hopes of answers, to the humans who didn't know anything about magic. It had passed Darren's lips for years, and Chris's and the entire Halliwell family.
We don't deserve them.
"I don't know Chris. And believe me when I say that I wish I did."
Keiran used the opportunity and voiced his opinions, angry that the young man would dare question the workings of the Grand Design.
"We are not meant to understand why things happen. We must only learn to accept them."
"I cannot accept this!"
"The Greater Good is the main priority! The Balance must be kept."
Chris shook with fury.
"What about the innocents? Do their lives mean nothing? Do the lives of my family mean nothing? My life? Darren's?"
Alyssa remained silent but Keiran continued, shocking everyone with his next words.
"If his life must be sacrificed, then so be it! The good of the universe is at stake! Can't you see that?"
"Darren is a Halliwell, don't you dare forget that. I will say this once, only once. We will save the future. We'll save my brother and we'll save the greater good. But don't for a second think that I'm doing it for you or that I will ever hesitate to protect my family."
Keiran stared at him open mouthed and the astonished silence remained in the room long after Chris was gone.
Yes, Chris is totally kickass like that. I love him so much...okay, anyways, next chapter is written and ready to go, so use that as and incentive and please REVIEW! K? thxbai
