AN// Hey guys! Sorry this has taken so long, I lost my muse but it's back, let's hope it doesn't need another break!! Hope you enjoy!!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Charmed, only original character and storyline.


Chapter 9

After 10 minutes of solid crying Chris managed to pull himself together and pulled back from Wyatt who had a huge wet patch on the front of his shirt.

"Sorry, I just don't know what I would do without him, he has always been there for me." Chris felt so lost, normally when he was having an emotional crisis Dylan was there to help him through it. Chris released himself from Wyatt's hold and stepped away from everyone in the room, he just held himself, as if it was taking all his strength to stay upright.

"He sounds like a great guy, tell us about him?" Wyatt asked hoping that talking about Dylan would cheer Chris up and he thought it had worked when Chris broke into a smile. Everyone took a seat and waited patiently for Chris to start, he remained standing near the doorway his hands rubbing along his covered arms, almost as if he was cold but it was quite warm in the manor.

"Dylan is the best person I have ever met, he is always there when I need him, he always knows exactly what to say. When I met him it was like being hit by lightning, I just knew we were meant to be, you know" He looked at his family who were listening intently, keen to know more about Chris' life, not that he was sharing, he just wanted to think about Dylan and how much better his life had been since he entered it. "The first few months, after we left were hard but he never left, never raised his voice although I was being difficult." Everyone tried to imagine what Chris meant but couldn't, they were still trying to comprehend how much pain he was in when he left. "We had only just met yet he knew me better than I knew me, he still does actually. He can read me like an open book, he always knows how I feel without even seeing my face most of the time, sometimes I think he is an empath!" Chris chuckled, Dylan was just too good at reading someone's emotions. "We moved around a lot, visiting places we had always wanted to see at first, I was open with him about magic and was delighted to hear he knew all about it, he told me about his father being a demon but I knew he wasn't evil. When he told me his father was called Cole I made the connection, I remembered reading about him in the book, although I thought he was vanquished. When I mentioned that to Dylan he laughed, said Cole is like a bad smell, you can never fully get rid of it. He wasn't surprised I had heard of him, said he would have been more shocked if I hadn't! Dylan is nothing like Cole, he hates his demonic side, he tries to suppress those powers but they have combined with his wiccan powers, a bit like mine, Wyatt's and Paige's white lighter and wiccan powers. His fireball as you just saw is purple, that's because his mum had the power to create energy balls, non-lethal but effective and they were purple. Cole's fireballs and his mum's energy balls combined to make Dylan's purple energy-fire balls, they aren't quite lethal but they pack a punch. There are other things too but it isn't important, he isn't evil." Chris reiterated the point so that his family were convinced, he knew their opinion of Cole and suspected they would distrust Dylan because of his connection. "Dylan wanted to pursue a career in journalism, especially giving advice, it was funny actually wherever we were he would get a copy of The Bay to read Phoebe's column, he loved your advice, thought you were so natural at it! He didn't know you were my aunt so it was funny to hear him gush about what it would be like to meet you!" Chris met his aunts gaze and they shared a goofy grin. "We stayed in New York for 4 years while he went to university so he could fulfil his dream. That was the longest we ever spent in one place, although we did orb off to other locations to sight-see!"

"What about you Chris, did you go to university?" Leo asked, he had never thought of Chris as being academic, his son was a dreamer.

"No, I still haven't decided what I want to do, all our friends, people we have met on our travels, say I am just being stubborn, refusing to choose a path but Dylan says that some people can't choose, they have to be shown. Whatever the hell that means!" Chris laughed, Dylan could come out with some strange sayings. "I have always loved cooking but I worked in a kitchen in Miami and I couldn't stand the regimented system. I like cooking from the soul, going with the flow, letting your mood affect your food and in a restaurant you have to follow strict recipes. It wasn't for me, I lasted a week! Dyl laughed at me when I got home, he said I looked like a robot, all the emotion and passion had been sucked out of me! I have tried a variety of jobs but none have suited, but I will get there, I am only 22 plenty of life left to live and things to discover." Chris stopped, he remembered how close he had been to losing Dylan just now and tears once more filled his eyes.

"Chris, you ok?" Wyatt asked concerned with the sudden change in his brother's mood.

"Not really" Chris shook his head. "But I will be once Dyl's awake, I am going to go check on him" Chris stood up, ignoring his family's concerned looks and made his way up the stairs to a room he thought he would never step foot in again.

As he stepped into his old room he was hit with so many memories of crying himself to sleep after his parents or Wyatt had upset him. He pushed them aside, Dylan was more important right now than his problems, he pulled up the sleeves of his black top and looked at the scars that ran up his arm, he wasn't that person any more because of Dylan. Dylan had helped him through when he thought life wasn't worth living, that no one would miss him and showed him that he was loved, cared about and that life had so many things still to show him. It was his turn to support his lover, his chance to return the favour. As he glanced down at Dylan lying motionless in his old bed a few tears trickled down his face.

"Oh Dyl, I am so sorry, I tried I really did, but I wasn't fast enough, I love you so much, you have always been there for me and when it was my turn to be there for you I failed!" Chris walked towards the bed and lifted the covers before settling himself next to Dylan, he wrapped his arms around him before resting his head on Dylan's chest. For a long time he just laid there crying onto Dylan's chest, listening to Dylan's heartbeat before exhaustion from the days event finally caught up with him and he fell asleep.