Alright, to make up for the short chappie last time, I gave you an extremely long chapter this time! Its over 8,000 words long! I nearly died! Hehe. So, to be thankful for all my hard work, you should review...a lot :D.
Non-Member Review Responses -
Phoenix - Lol. Your Leo Bashing is in this chapter :). Thanks for the review!
Stacey - No, no kid should go through his kind of treatment. Sadly, there are kids out there that do. :( Yes, Skylar takes good care of Chris and Tyler...someone has to make sure those two boys stay on task :P. Yes, Tyler is like Chris's subconscious. They've been friends for so long that Tyler has no apprehension to tell Chris that he is wrong. Which is what Chris needs in situations like this. Thanks for your review!
Wesdrewlover - Yeah, the memory is very sad. I hated writing it, but I felt it had to be done so the readers could get a glimpse of what Chris had to go through. Thanks for your review!
WARNINGS -
COARSE LANGUAGE - Not much, but enough to warrant a warning...I guess.
HINT OF SLASH - Again, not a lot. I think it's like...three sentences and its all in the past...so yeah...
CRAPPY SPELL - Yes, another one. Hope its not so bad you all run away crying.
-Chapter Eight : Lacrima-
Leaning against the black metal of the parked bus, Chris attempted to see through the thick English clouds and to the bright stars that lay behind them. His arms were crossed over his chest, his long sleeve black shirt doing little to keep the chill out of his body. A thin layer of goosebumps decorated the ivory skin, but Chris didn't care. He enjoyed the discomfort. He was always sort of a masochist.
He exhaled heavily. Maybe that was the reason why he stayed in the manor for so long. Perhaps in some sick, twisted way, he like being beaten up practically every night.
Chris quickly shook his head. That wasn't right and he knew it. Sure, he's enough of a masochist to get a few tattoos and a piercing or two, but not enough to slit his wrists or stay in an environment that made his skin black and blue. He ran a hand through his long hair, his sage green eyes looking at the slick pavement of the lot they were in. In a few hours, he had to take the stage and do a concert, then he would return to the bus and fall into his bunk and pass out. Already he felt the wariness that came from touring setting into his bones. He couldn't figure out how people did this for ten or twenty years. He could hardly get through their first headlining tour!
Glancing at his watch, Chris saw that it was only seven thirty in the evening, which meant that it was eleven thirty in the morning back home. His brother was at school teaching a bunch of high schoolers the wonders of the English language, and his eldest cousin – Samantha- would be sitting in a lecture hall at UCLA. His twin cousins were only juniors in high school, which Chris didn't envy them for. He loved that he didn't have to stay the whole four years of his life in his high school. While his brother was the prize football player that women lined up to date, Chris was always the outcast. He had a tight clique of friends that he didn't travel far without. Being in orchestra and chorus at least let him meet people like him. Plus drama club and acting was always interesting, especially when he worked behind the scenes. Many of his fondest memories was working on building sets for plays and musicals in the night. He always seemed to end up coming home covered in various colored paint.
However, throughout his years of being tormented by football players and striving to stay on top of the grade ranking of his year, Chris only had one friend that stayed by his side : Tyler. The man was a bit crazy to say the least, but he always seemed to keep Chris grounded when his mind began to wander off or become overloaded with too many emotions. Chris's other friends seemed to wander off after a while since Chris was more introvert than normal kids, but Tyler seemed to keep himself wormed between Chris's shields and heart.
Then Chris ran away. He thought he left his whole life behind and while it crushed Chris knowing that he had no link to his past life, he knew it was necessary. But to his astonishment, after two weeks of sitting on a corner begging for change, he came Tyler. Chris quickly hooked into his only link to his old life. While he didn't miss being beaten, he missed the comfort of his friends and family. He missed his mother's cooking. His brother's strange way of comforting him and cheering him up. His cousins – which were more like sisters in his heart and mind – always bugging him and making him sing or play his guitar for them when they were bored. But, he knew he couldn't have those things back because that meant being in the same house as his father. However, he had a friend and that was more than he thought he was going to have in L.A. So, quickly, Tyler became Chris's crutch to get through life.
While on their first opening tour, the chemistry began to change between the two men. Tyler – a bisexual who leaned more towards males, and Chris who experimented more than being an actual bisexual found themselves in the same bed, nude after a small party. They quickly realized that they had stepped over the boundary that they had clearly placed once their preferences were revealed to each other and had no idea what to do. Thus began a stage of awkwardness.
The two began to avoid each other touches, which was strange since Tyler was a hugger and loved to hug his best friend. Soon, the other bands began to pick up on it and grew worried that Pariah was going to break up. Chris reassured everyone that everything was alright that he and Tyler were just tired and weren't use to this lifestyle yet. But, the concern of his fellow bands made Chris realize that he and Tyler had to talk about what happened. They sat at a table at a local restaurant and talked. Both didn't know what do. They didn't know if they should pursue a relationship or just go back to what they were before.
Eventually, they decided to test the waters.
The water flooded two weeks later.
With the stress of everything, the two just couldn't take the added pressure of a relationship. But, something in the relationship must have tipped Tyler off because Chris noticed that Tyler watched him more closely than usual. Then, the panic attack happened.
He and Tyler were in Chicago, looking for their new apartment to move into, when Chris caught a blond man in the corner of his eye. Suddenly, Chris felt his chest constrict and he saw Leo walking towards him, a manic look on his face. For fifteen minutes, Chris was in this other world, afraid for his life. Then, it all evaporated and concern hazel eyes looking into his. Tyler was in front of him, clutching Chris's forearms so tightly that Chris woke up with bruises the next day. Tyler asked if he was okay, but Chris couldn't hear him. It was as if he was swimming underwater and he was tired. So, he did the only thing he could think of : rest his head on Tyler's shoulder and mumble that he wanted to go home.
Apparently, Tyler didn't know what home was because in a matter of forty-eight hours, Chris found himself in a psychiatrist office and forced to tell all his secrets. Two weeks later, he was labeled as a man with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which in turn, made Tyler seem to hone into every movement he made.
He quickly made a correlation with his condition and stress. More stress equaled more panic attacks. He wasn't sure why, but when ever his stress started to hit his limit, he would fall into a panic attack. His heart raced and his breathing grew ragged and rapid. After wards, he was so tired, he could barely make it through the rest of the day.
He kept in contact with his psychiatrist via phone during the tours with Tyler as his personal emotional bodyguard. Tyler always seem to know when Chris was at his bursting point and usher him back to the bus and somehow make his stress level fall and calm him down.
Then came Skylar. A freelance drummer that Chris at first kept as far from his heart as possible. He only talked to the girl when he absolutely had to. A tentative friendship however began to form as the two began to tour with each other and learn each other kirks. It didn't help either that she and Tyler formed a quick friendship. Then came the music video for The Kill. One of the highlights of the video was a kissing scene between Chris and Skylar. Apparently, some sparks flew because he found himself with a girlfriend within the same week.
He took her out on a few small dates to some restaurants but it proved to be hard to do while on the road. Six months into the relationship, Chris sat down Skylar and told her of his past. She was horrified. She was close to her single-parent father and couldn't imagine how a parent could abuse their own kid. Another bond formed between the two with the revelation of this secret.
However, Chris couldn't seem to commit himself to this relationship for some illogical reason. He couldn't even say that he loved the drummer. He was fond of her, but to say he loved her was ludicrous. His uncle was completely right. There didn't seem to be any love between the two. Some days, it seemed that they were in a relationship just to be in a relationship. The drummer didn't even know of his heritage, or of Tyler's for that fact. And being a witch made up a majority of who Chris was. He was proud of his Wiccan past, hence why he had his family's symbol – the Triquenta – tattooed onto the back of his right shoulder blade. Tyler had his family's symbol, a Quaternary symbol on his left shoulder blade.
Their shared heritage was one reason why he and Tyler melded the way they did. They understood what flowed in each others blood and how it affect their lives. Of course, there were difference between the blood as well. Chris was half-Elder. Tyler was his polar opposite, he was one-fourth demon. The demonic blood however had darker holds on Tyler's soul since it could be traced back to that of a Source. Tyler's father was the grandson of one.
Skylar was just a mortal. Sure, she had a Celtic knot tattooed on her body, which made Chris think she had magical ties. When he asked about it, Skylar responded that she thought that it looked interesting and that she had no idea what it meant. Chris couldn't see how he could get together with a mortal woman.
He thought about it, and believed that it what was going to happen when he was young. Now that he was older, he couldn't understand how that was going to happen. Perhaps if he was just an everyday witch, but he was the offspring of a Charmed One and that came with its fair share of dangers even if he wasn't the Twice Blessed. Even though the Underworld was in chaos now, it didn't mean that it was going to be in chaos forever.
With a heavy sigh, Chris ran a hand through his hair once again. He lowered his hand and looked at the two appendages. They were slightly calloused from the years of playing the guitar and his fingernails were once again painted black. They were rather bland except for the sliver band that he always wore on his index finger. Both he and Tyler wore the same jewelry on their hands. At first, it was just a symbol of friendship. Now, Chris wasn't so sure. So much has happened between the two of them Chris wasn't sure if he could call Tyler just a friend, or even a best friend. Tyler has sacrificed a lot to be his friend. At times, it was as if he and Tyler were brothers, and other, it was if they were boyfriends again.
Chris shook his head. They went down that road once before and he refused to let it happen again.
He couldn't risk losing Tyler.
He wouldn't risk losing Tyler.
"Chris!"
The black haired man jumped at the shout of his name. Turning towards the door of the bus, Chris looked at Tyler with wide eyes. Tyler simply raised an eyebrow, "Show's going to start soon, better get up here so Sky can finish the last look over to make sure you look perfect."
Chris nodded and headed back into the bus. However, he stopped in the threshold when Tyler put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" the red head asked.
Chris smiled, "Yeah. I was just thinking."
Tyler looked at Chris, his hazel eyes looking over the twenty year old's lithe body before nodding once, "Alright. Let's get this makeup thing over with."
Smirking, Chris bumped his shoulder with Tyler's, "Oh you know you love the eyeliner."
"Oh yes, the pain of being poked in the eye is just so much fun," Tyler mumbled.
Chris raised an eyebrow and made Tyler stop in the living area of the bus, "Alright, spill. You're not acting like yourself."
"Yes I am," protested Tyler.
Chris raised an eyebrow, "Right. Pessimistic sarcasm is my thing, not yours. So, spill. Something is going on in that mind of yours and I want to know what is going on."
Tyler shook his head, "It's not Chris, I swear.'
"And I don't believe you."
"Chris, please."
Chris shook his head, "You wouldn't let me get away with it, why should I let you get away with it?"
"Because I"m not the one with a medical reason to stay calm," snapped Tyler.
"Alright, now I know something is wrong with you," Chris said as he steered his agitated friend to the booth, "Sit. We need to talk."
The two friends sat across from each other, Chris willing the slightly older man to break with just his eyes. The sage green eyes were slightly narrowed and concern swam within the beautiful irises. Hazel ones glanced up and a heavy sigh left Tyler's lips. "I..."
"You," Chris said, trying to get Tyler to finish his sentence.
"I...God, this sounds so stupid,"
"Tyler, will you just tell me already?"
"I had a vision of you dying, alright?" snapped Tyler, the man standing and beginning to pace. "You were older, I know that much, but it just, I'm not sure when. But, it's not like my visions are always one-hundred percent, so that means it probably won't come true."
Chris blinked as Tyler continued to ramble and pace. Tyler saw him dying? He knew that mixed in with the Source blood, Tyler had some Seers blood but this was ridiculous. Most of the time, Tyler's visions came so far into the future that usually something changed and they didn't come true. So, why was Tyler so worked up about this one?
"...I mean, I just don't get why I saw this. It doesn't make any sense."
Sighing, Chris stood and stepped in Tyler's path. "Ty, calm down."
Tyler looked at Chris with wide eyes and his breathing was shaky. "You don't understand Chris. I saw you dead."
Chris squeezed Tyler's upper arms, "I know. But, you need to calm down or you're going to end up like me."
Tyler shut his eyes, "I...I just can't stop seeing it Chris."
The Halliwell sighed and wrapped his arms around Tyler's neck, embracing the man tightly, "You know your visions don't always come true Ty, and I don't plan on dying any time soon,"
Tyler returned the hug tightly, "You don't know that Chris. You looked like you were beaten...and right now..."
"You're afraid that Leo is going to get me and kill me." Chris realized.
Tyler nodded before he rested his forehead on Chris's shoulder, "Your father is capable of doing so and you know it Chris."
"Yes, but he won't be able to," Chris told Tyler, his hand rubbing comforting circles on the bassist's back.
"How do you know?"
"I just do," Chris said, "Trust me."
Tyler exhaled heavily, "You know I do."
Her eyes stared at the off-white wall of her bedroom with apathy. She could feel the heavy arm wrapped around her waist and the soft, warm breath of his on the back of her neck. Those simple things use to bring her comfort and give her a feeling of love. Now, it was just pure disgust.
She looked at the hand that hung just a few inches from her stomach and she grimaced. That hand hit her youngest son numerous times and then came back and caressed her? She nearly vomited at that thought. Easily, she slipped out of Leo's grasp and headed towards the bathroom.
She eased the door shut so she didn't wake up the man and shakily sat on the toilet lid. Her hands were trembling so she interlaced them and took deep breaths. Piper could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest. Clenching her eyes shut, the Halliwell matriarch try to will the muscle to slow down. She couldn't afford a heart attack right now.
Her head snapped up when she heard her cell phone go off in the bedroom, the factory made tone loud enough to wake up her husband.
"Hello?" the man mumbled half-asleep.
Piper's eyes widened with fear.
"Why the hell are you calling," her husband growled, suddenly awake, "You don't deserve to call. You don't deserve to live after you abandoned your family."
Piper let out a broken sob, a few tears falling from her eyes as she heard Leo's malice filled tone.
She heard Leo snort. Chris must have hung up. She heard the soft clank of her cell phone being replaced on the end table and then the rustling of the sheets as Leo got comfortable to fall back asleep. Piper waited until she heard the quiet – almost silent – snores of her husband before she ventured out of the bathroom. She quickly wrapped herself in her dark red robe and grabbed her cell phone before she exited the bedroom. On her way down the stairs, she found her son's cell number in the recent call list and called the young man back.
"Hello?"
Piper couldn't help but smile at her son's voice, "Hi Peanut."
"Mom," Chris replied, "What's up?"
Piper blinked, "You called, shouldn't I be asking you that?" she nodded at her eldest son when she entered the kitchen. Wyatt was sitting at the island eating a bowl of cereal.
She heard Chris sigh, "Yeah, Leo answered."
"I heard," Piper said, "I was in the bathroom. Peanut, I'm sorry."
"Not your fault," Chris quickly said back, "I was just – No, that goes over there – Sorry, in the middle of setting something up. A few of early morning interviews canceled tomorrow, so I could come over then so we can get this dealt with earlier."
"What time?"
She heard papers crumbling and a soft muttered curse that sounded that it came from Tyler. "They're in the top cabinet," Chris said, "I'll can be there around, uh, stupid time difference,"
Piper chuckled. Math was never Chris's strong point, it was the only subject that he was at par with his peers. "Around ten in the morning," Chris answered.
Piper smiled, "That should be fine, although Wyatt is going to have to get a sub for his class."
Wyatt looked up from his cereal with a confused look on his face, a blond eyebrow raised and his spoon halfway in his mouth.
"Is that a problem?"
"Nah, Wyatt could use the time off," Piper answered, "and this is more important. Alright, I'll set up something so the rest of the family comes over. Do you want Leo to be here?"
"Uh," A loud exhale was heard, "He might as well be. Kill two birds with one stone I suppose, plus that will get the big blow up out of the way as well."
"Tomorrow at ten then?"
"Yeah, hopefully the one interview won't be too long, Tyler! Stop doing that! You're shaking the whole damn bus!" Chris sighed, "I have to go,"
Piper smiled, "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow Peanut. Love you."
"Love you too Mom,"
Chris glared at his best friend as he placed his Blackberry back into the pocket of his long black coat. "Why the hell were you shaking the bus?"
Tyler shrugged, "Thought it would be fun."
Resisting the urge to hit his friend's head, Chris decided that turning and heading out of the bus was a better idea even though he was just out there seconds ago. Chris found himself immersed in a fury of activity. Groupies were rushing about trying to set up for the concert that was taking place in a few hours. Even at five in the afternoon, fans already began to line up outside of the arena, desperate to catch a glimpse of the band.
A thin barrier of a chain link fence was the only thing that kept the fans and the band apart from each other. Chris could see the tail end of the line from where he stood and was wondering if any of the people could see him standing just outside of the bus. Probably not since they haven't started a riot for an autograph. Quickly, he sneaked away from being visible and ventured into the actual arena.
The large stage was in the process of being assembled. Only the small catwalk and the right wing were done, and the groupies were in the middle of building the left wing. Then they had to hang the three screens and get the instruments on the stage as well. As soon as that was done, the groupie than had to proceed to let the fans in. Then the concert would happen, and then they had to take down all their hard work. After that, it was onto the next city and the process begun once again.
Chris shook his head as he walked around the area. He couldn't understand how people could do this job. It was labor intensive and rather dull. But, they seemed to like it, so it wasn't fair of him to judge them.
Humming under his breath, Chris continued to walked around the arena and the halls within the building, looking rather content.
Straightening his black Feodra hat, a large white ribbon decorating it, Chris exhaled heavily as he made his way towards the ivory armchair that he had to sit in for the next hour and half. Then he had to go make the hardest confession to his family, all while under the glare of his father. Today wasn't going to be a good day.
Slowly, Chris sat down and got comfortable by crossing his legs at the knees, his bright white shoes standing out with his usual black ensemble. He wore his usual tight black jeans, but he also wore a taut black t-shirt with a form fitting leather jacket. His hands were covered in leather fingerless gloves. A thin white scarf was loosely wrapped around his neck, the long fabric falling until about mid-abdomen.
He had his sage green eyes surrounded by the usual decoration of eyeliner, the natural color of his eyes popping out because of it. Chris ran a hand through his black hair and frowned. He needed a new hairdo. The black was beginning to be mundane and he ran out of cuts that he could do with his hair. Perhaps another color might have to be added to the stands. He had a reputation of being strange with his clothes and hair styles, and he rather liked that title. He liked being different. It was one reason why Pariah was as popular as they were. They were pop without conforming and that made Chris prideful of his band.
"Hello,"
Chris smiled at the young blond woman in front of him. He stood so he could shake the offered hand, and the action was just polite. "Hello, how are you?"
The woman smiled, "I'm fine, and how are you?"
"Good. Damon," he said, needlessly introducing himself.
"Elizabeth, Liz for short," She replied as she settled into the chair across from him. She glanced down momentarily at the small bunch of light blue cards in her hands, her eyes reading over the questions that she had prepared for Chris.
"Alright," she gestured over at the cameraman for him to start filming, "Hello, I'm Liz Anderson, and viewers I have a special treat for you. He's young, he's hot, he's a singer and a guitar player, and did I mention he was hot?" she gushed, "Today, I have the frontman for the American rock band Pariah, Damon Payne." she turned so she faced Chris fully, a large smile was plastered on her face, "Hello Damon."
"Hello," Chris replied smoothly, "How are you today?"
"I'm fine, and I hope your travel to England has been fun,"
"it's been wonderful. Its great to see England again."
Liz smiled, her dark blue eyes sparking as she asked him the next question, "Your three albums, Lumen, Malum and Aperio, those are all Latin terms correct," getting a nod from Chris she continued, "Why Latin, why not just name them in English?"
Chris shrugged, "Well, for one, they just sound better. They don't sound as interesting if we just named them, Light, Dark and Reveal. So that was one reason, and plus, we just love mystery. Make our fans sit down and think about what our titles mean. And, Jaiden is a bit of a history freak so, he jumps at the chance of using a dead language when ever he can."
Liz chuckled slightly before she moved on, "Well, you just started your UK tour, two shows in, your third one is tonight. How have the crowds been reacting to your shows?"
"They've been responsive to say the least," Chris replied with a small snicker of laughter, "Our shows have always been, crazy to say the least. But they always take care of each other."
"Yes, your fans are unique. Very loyal to your band." comment Elizabeth.
Chris nodded, "And we're very thankful for our army of fans. We're lucky that we have a community like we do following us and promoting us so much that we don't even have to use normal advertising. We arrive to a town and the job is already done. Our workers are very thankful for that, gives them one less thing to do in their already hectic life." he smiled, "Our army is the only reason why we are where we are, hovering at the top of the music mountain, its apex just in reach. And for that, we'll always be thankful."
Liz nodded, "So, Aperio's been out for a few months, new CD forming yet?"
Chris chuckled and tapped his temple, "Slowly it is forming. First, we need to give Aperio the publicity it needs. Music videos and the such."
"Oh, music videos," gushed the woman, "Single?"
Chris shrugged, a smug smirk on his face, "Still in the process being chosen. Soon though. Very soon we'll begin filming a video for a single."
Liz smiled, "Okay, I have to ask. Personal reasons? You had a lot of people worried about the UK tour."
"Yes, a my Godfather died in a car accident suddenly and my Godbrother was in the hospital. I had to return home and do my family duties."
The woman winced, "My condolences."
"Thank you,"
"Now, there is a little rumor floating around and I being a curious person have to get the answer to it," Liz said with a large smile, "VMA's, rumor is that Pariah is playing."
"Now, curiosity killed the cat Liz," chided Chris, waving a finger at the pouting woman.
"Oh, come on. Cats have nine lives Damon!"
"Well, that because they're curious animals, they need all nine,"
Liz exhaled, "I'm not going to get the answer am I?"
Smirking Chris mimed zipping his lips and throwing the key away. "Confidential. Sorry,"
The woman let out a large huff and crossed her arms over her white cami, while Chris smiled. This was going to be an interesting interview.
Chris scowled at the familiar green door as if it was the door's fault that he had to be here today and fess up to the trauma of his childhood. His aunts' cars were in the drive way which meant his whole family has assembled and they were in the manor.
The singer crossed his arms and tapped his foot. His mind was telling that he should just knock on the door and get this over with, but his heart was racing and he was sure that his palms were sweating. Luckily he still wore his sleeveless gloves so that wasn't much of an issue.
With a deep exhale – a futile attempt to calm his stressed heart – Chris raised his hand and knocked on the door three times. Not a second later, his brother stood with a wide smile on his face. Chris frowned, "You knew I was standing there the whole time,"
Wyatt rolled his eyes, "No," The older brother chuckled at his younger brother's heated glare, "Okay, yes I did. But it was interesting watching you and wondering when you were going to knock on the door."
Chris continued to glare at his older brother as he stepped through the threshold and was instantly engulfed in a tight hug from his mother. Piper rubbed his back as Chris took a few deep breaths in the comfort and safety of his mother's arms. "Hi Peanut,"
"Hi Mom," he replied softly as his mother slowly withdrew herself from his arms, but kept her hands on his shoulders. A thin brown eyebrow rose in question.
"What?" Chris asked with a hesitant small smile.
Piper shook her head, "You look strange with eyeliner, that's all. And...are those piercings?"
Reaching up, he grabbed his right ear lobe and felt the two stubs of his earrings, "Uh..yeah. Long story."
"How many mister?" Piper asked, her foot tapping.
"Uh," quickly tabling up, he answered, "five, three in my right ear and two in my left...I think."
"You think? How are you not sure about the amount of piercings?" Piper inquired.
"Whoa, what is this about piercings?"
Chris chuckled as he wrapped his arms around his youngest aunt, "Hi Aunt Paige,"
"Hi sweetheart," Paige greeted, before pulling away, "Now, piercings, did my little nephew get some holes in his body?"
"Only five..." Chris replied with an eye roll.
"He thinks," snorted Piper.
Paige blinked, "How are you not sure?"
"Not sure about what?"
"Piercings," quipped Paige as Phoebe walked up and hugged her nephew.
"Do I want to know," Phoebe asked, a scared expression on her face.
Chris sighed, "I have five piercings, and Mom is freaking out because I'm not one-hundred percent sure my lip piercing closed up, although I'm pretty sure it has."
"You had a lip piercing," Phoebe asked as she held back a chuckle.
"Yeah...long story, very long story. Longer than my ear piercing one."
"A story that I hope we'll hear one day," Piper said with a hopeful gleam in her chocolate brown eyes.
Chris smiled, "Most likely."
"Chris!"
Chris gasped when two bodies collided with his, "Hi brats." he said as he leaned down to hug the twin girls.
Melinda frowned as she leaned back from Chris's waist, "We're not brats,"
"Yeah!" Payton quickly confirmed, "You're the brat!"
Chris raised an eyebrow, "Am I now?"
Melinda nodded, "Yeah! You're so mean,"
Chris mocked sniffled, "Oh, and here I thought I was going to buy another tour bus, and bring you along on my next tour, but if I'm such a brat,"
The twin's eyes grew wide and they quickly wrapped themselves around their cousin's legs, "We're sorry!"
"No, the damage is already done," Chris clenched his eyes shut, "I understand."
"Oh God, Chris is being a drama queen, can I come back and return later?"
Chris stuck his tongue out at his eldest cousin, "Quiet Sammy, last time I checked, you were the one who is majoring in drama missy."
Samantha chuckled as she leaned over the clingy twins to hug her cousin. "So, are we going to get this talk over with or not,"
Chris sighed, "Way to kill the good sense of happiness Sam,"
Samantha shrugged, "Well some of us have to return to college."
Chris waved towards the living room, "Shall we?"
The family nodded, and after detaching the twins from Chris's legs, headed towards the living room. Chris quickly greeted his uncles and shared a glance with his father before he moved to his spot – leaning against the door frame that separated the foyer and the living room. Chris crossed his arms and sighed. He had no idea where to start.
"Why do I feel like this isn't a good thing," Chris heard Paige mumble.
"Because it isn't," Chris answered. Slowly, Chris took his hat off and ran a hand through his hair. Throwing his hat onto a close table, Chris began to pace the small distance in between the two frame posts. "The reason I ran away five years ago boils down to one thing," Chris started, pinching the bridge of his nose as his stress began to rise, "the fear grew to great and I couldn't stand being someone's punching bag anymore. The idea of being afraid of sleeping, of being alone was getting so traumatic that," Chris shook his head, "For thirteen years, I had to endure the punches, kicks, hateful words of a person that I thought would protect me just because I was his family." A snort, "Apparently I was wrong because my father hated me so much, he decided that I was better of belittled and dead than being loved and comforted."
A loud gasp was heard once Chris finished the sentence.
"Chris," Pheobe whispered before her gaze snapped to Leo, who was now standing.
"You lier! I never laid a hand on you!" snapped the part-time Elder.
Chris narrowed his eyes, "Do you really think I would run away from my family for something as stupid as becoming famous? I dealt with your hatred for thirteen fucking years! I'm sorry if I got sick and tired of waking up with bruises!"
"Chris," A soft whisper came from the couch to his right, making Chris's head snap to the soft hazel eyes of his Uncle Henry, "Chris..."
Wincing, Chris looked at his uncle, the man slowly standing, "You...Why does this..." the man stumbled.
Memories once erased,
Return to owner with haste
Everyone watched as four little white balls circled around Henry's head before they were adsorbed into his body. Henry twitched as memories flashed into his mind. Chris and him sitting on a boat. His eyes looking at the sixteen year old's collarbone as the shirt dipped down as Chris tried to wangle in a fish. Henry confronting Chris about them. Chris collapsing into his arms in tears. The burning fury that he felt at his brother-in-law for doing that to such an innocent child. A boy who would do anything for his family and only got hatred back from his father.
Whirling around, Henry narrowed his hazel eyes and glared at Leo, "How could you," he hissed, "Why would you,"
"Uncle Henry," Chris said, reaching out and grasping Henry's shoulder, "Just...sit down, please."
"How do you expect me to do that," spat Henry, "Why the hell did you take those memories from me! I could've saved you! We could've dealt with this!"
Chris winced, "Trust me when I say if I could change my actions I would. But, I must deal the consequences now, but I don't want you to suffer because of my choices, so please. Sit."
"You believed him," Leo said, snorting lightly, "He was looking from attention, he always wanted to be in the limelight."
"I think I would've gotten the leading role in the school play instead Leo," drawled Chris, "Not make everyone believe that I was getting the shit beat out of me by my own father!"
Leo crossed his arms, "I don't see why anyone would believe you. You're nothing but a damn fairy. Look at you, with makeup."
"Do you think I wanted to do this?" Chris growled, his sage eyes flashing with anger, "I did what I had to do to survive."
"And what's not stopping you now," Leo snapped, "The moment you came back, you could've stayed, but yet. You abandoned your family once again and go on this tour!"
Chris took a deep breath, and replied calmly, "Is it wrong that I now love what I do? That I enjoy my job? How is it any different than Wy being a teacher or Mom being a nightclub owner?"
"They're always home at night, and they can come home when we need them to be." Leo said, "They inhere to their heritage and understand its limitation."
Chris narrowed his eyes, "You have got to be kidding me. So, you're saying that because I do what I do, that I'm no longer a Wiccan?"
"You're no longer a Halliwell."
"Oh, I bet those words bring back memories for you Leo," Chris hissed, "They sure do for me. What else am I? Why don't you tell the whole family the words you use to whisper into my ear after you finished breaking my damn ribs and leaving me in a pool of blood on my bedroom floor."
Leo growled, "Watch your tone with me. I'm still your father."
"You lost the right to call yourself my father the moment you laid a fist on me," Chris barked back, "You're nothing but a sperm donor in my book."
Wyatt stood up and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Chris,"
"No," Chris said, smacking his brother's hand away, "I'm done. He will never own up to what he did."
"It doesn't matter if he does." Wyatt replied softly, placing his hand back on Chris's shoulder, "I've seen it and Mom believes it." Wyatt's icy blue eyes locked with his father's green ones, "He's gone and will never return."
Leo growled and raised a fist. Wyatt's eyes widened as he saw his father's hand coming towards his face. He closed his eyes, awaiting for the pain.
"Don't you dare,"
Wyatt's eyes snapped open and his eyes went crossed eyed as he tried to focus on the fist that was inches away from his nose. Turning his eyes, Wyatt's eyes widened as he saw his brother's narrowed and honed in on his father's fist. "Don't you dare harm another person in this family," Chris hissed.
Wyatt's watched as his younger brother narrowed his eyes further and Leo's fist began to shakily move back. "You abused me for thirteen years," Chris growled as he took a step forward, "Shouldn't that been enough to get rid of your anger Leo? But, no, you want to continue you're idiotic ways. I allowed thirteen years of my life to be stained with those nights, but I refuse you transfer them on to another person. I refuse to let you abuse another member of this family. I shall carry those burdens because you made me. But, you will not make another person harbor those feelings of helplessness, despair, pain and self-hatred." Chris lowered his eyes so that Leo's hand fell to his side, "I just have one question for you," Chris whispered, "Why? Why the hell did you do that to me?"
Leo glared at Chris, "I did nothing to you,"
"Right," drawled Chris, "And I imagined bruises and broken bones. That's right because I have schizophrenia and not PTSD," spat Chris, "Stupid psychiatrists, they always get those two things mixed up."
"Boy,"
Chris narrowed his eyes, "What Dad? Going to smack me again? Break my nose? That always seemed to be a favorite of yours. Oh, better yet, why don't you chuck me down the stairs again? That was always fun." Suddenly, Chris turned his back on his father, "I just don't understand what made you view me different than Wyatt. Is because I look more like Mom? That I wasn't the perfect blond haired, blue eyed son you wanted? Or was it because I made Mom unable to have anymore children? That I almost killed her when she gave birth to me?" He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Why the hell did you hate me so much?"
Leo narrowed his eyes, "You aren't what I thought you would become,"
Chris's eyes snapped to Leo, "What? Do you want me to run upstairs and bleach my hair, put in some contacts so I have nice bright blue eyes? Go bulk up in muscles and become the best football player Bakers High seen?" He took a step forward, "Sorry to disappoint Dad, but that's not going to happen."
"You little brat."
Chris snorted, "You've said better Leo. What happen to your insults, did they die as you aged?"
Leo exhaled before his eyes swept over the stunned faces of his family, "You don't believe him do you?"
"Leo, it's pretty obvious who we believe," Henry growled.
"Henry, he's lying," Leo pleaded, "He's acting!"
Coop stood and placed a hand on Chris's shoulder, "I don't believe he is Leo," the cupid curled an arm around his younger nephew's shaking shoulders, "Calm down,"
"Easier said than done," wheezed Chris, "Damn it."
"Deep breaths," instructed Coop before his dark brown eyes looked at Leo, "I think it's time you leave."
"This is my house Coop," Leo stated.
"No it's not,"
Leo's eyes flashed to his wife, the woman slowly standing. Fury burned in her eyes as she came to stand beside her youngest son. She took his twitching hand into hers and rubbed her thumb over her son's hand, "Shh, Peanut, that's it, deep breaths." she said softly before her attention turned to her husband, "Your stuff is already gone. I never want to see you again. I never want to hear from you again. You will walk out that door and never touch foot in it again, and you will never speak to anyone of this family, or I swear to God, you are going to be blown to Zimbabwe!"
"You can't do that Piper," protested Leo.
Piper's eyes flashed, "You hurt my son. You hurt my son and made him run away just so he could escape what he shouldn't have gone through in the first place. Get out of my sight Leo, if you don't, I can't be held responsible for my actions."
Leo opened his mouth but closed it when he saw Phoebe and Paige stand as well. He looked at his youngest son, the boy's sage green eyes were illuminated with anger, "How does it feel to know that you've torn this family apart," hissed Leo, "How does it feel to know that if you were never born, this family would be in bliss."
Chris clenched his eyes shut. "Fuck you Leo. Fuck you."
Chris flinched when he felt spit hit his face before he heard the familiar jingle of an orb. Chris released a large breath that he didn't know he was holding. Reaching up with his free hand, Chris grasped his uncle's hand, "I'm fine."
"Honey, your legs are shaking, maybe you should sit down," his mother advised before maneuvering him to do so on the couch.
Chris sighed and leaned back. "That...wasn't how I planned it to pan out."
Piper sat next to her son, while Wyatt sat on the other side of Chris. "I don't think any of us had a clear idea of how this was going to play out," Wyatt told his brother.
Chris snorted, "I thought I would be able to at least hold in my temper."
Phoebe frowned as she sat on the couch across from the three, "Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but we just got this bomb dropped on us, and I kind of want some more information,"
Leaning forward, Chris rubbed his eyes. He deflated slightly when he saw the black smudges on his fingertips, "Emma isn't going to like that," he murmured before looking at his aunts, "Basically, Leo would come in at night and beat me. He would tell me some things that my stupid mind would believe and then he would come in the morning before everyone was awake and heal the visible wounds."
"and...you went through this for thirteen years," Paige whispered, horrified.
Chris nodded, "I'm not sure why I never said anything. Its something I've never been able to figure out, I just never did."
"How could we not notice?" groaned Paige, "I was a social worker, I was trained to look for signs of abuses and I miss them in my own nephew,"
"Don't blame yourself Auntie," Chris muttered, "Plus, Uncle Henry did noticed. I told him one night, and I got scared about what Leo might do to him, so I erased the memories. Two weeks later, I left."
Piper closed her eyes, "We need to make sure Leo doesn't come back,"
"The Elders won't do anything," Chris snorted.
"Why not?"
"I've tried," Chris answered his brother, "I think I was around fourteen when I summoned one and told her. She said that she couldn't do anything. I wasn't even suppose to be born so they thought it was some kind of divine karma...assholes. They probably thought I would die and then they didn't have to worry about another hybrid."
Piper gritted her teeth, "There has to be something."
Chris sighed and placed his hand on his mother's knee, "Its fine Mom. He got all that he deserves."
"Chris, he use to beat the crap out of you every night," Wyatt hissed, "I think he deserves more than being kicked out of his house."
"He lost his family, that is all that he gets," Chris said before glancing at his watch, "Shit, I need to leave."
Piper's eyes widened, "You can't perform or whatever you have to do after all of that,"
Chris smiled sadly, "I have to. Acting is part of the job Mom." Leaning, he pecked his mother's cheek, "I'll be in contact." he told her before he orbed away.
Tyler glanced up from his magazine when he heard the sound of orbs. Seeing the mass stumble, he quickly stood and aided Chris to the booth. "God,"
"What the hell happened," Tyler asked as he rushed to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water.
Chris smiled tiredly, "He's gone."
Tyler froze as he looked at his friend, "What?"
The Halliwell slowly nodded, the small smile on his lips, "He's gone. I don't have to worry about him snapping anymore. He's gone."
Tyler's face softened as he watched Chris lower his head on the table and let out tears of relief. Placing the bottle of water on the counter, Tyler squeezed into the booth and wrapped an arm around his friend's shaking shoulders. His gaze shifted to the roof and a smile stretched upon his lips. It was finally over. Combing his hand through Chris's hair, he continued to comfort the man. These tears were the first step of many towards healing. A healing that was long overdue.
