Title: Shadows at Noon

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Hm... Don't really have anything to say here. Just... please review? Please? Oh, and when you review, make sure to sign in so that I can reply to the review...

Chapter Ten: None So Blind… (As Those Who Refuse to See)

Leo watched as Ria, Adam, and Prue sat in the shade of the trees near the waterfall. Prue had a book open in her lap, a spell book, one of the few they'd been able to remove from the Manor before the rest were confiscated. The white-lighter didn't know what his niece was looking for, but he could tell by the determined expression on her features that she did not intended to give up easily.

The sound of footsteps caused Leo to turn and look at the approaching man. He nodded his head in weary greeting. "Jason."

"Leo." Jason ran a hand through his hair and glanced at his daughter. "I don't think Freya likes me very much," he remarked casually.

"Oh?" Leo questioned, one eyebrow raised.

They'd been in the safety of Valhalla for two weeks now, and Leo had slowly been bringing as many magical beings to the island as he could. Freya was less than pleased by this complete takeover of her domain, but she gave in, albeit ungracefully. She recognized that these people needed somewhere safe to hide, or else they'd been murdered by witch hunters or demons, and Evil would gain ground.

Still, it didn't mean that she liked the fact that some mortals had come to the island as well.

"I was speaking to a few of the newcomers about what Valkeries do, and one of the witches asked if they were good at fighting," Jason remarked wryly. "Freya was there, listening to the conversation, and when the woman asked that…" He shook his head and said wryly, "Freya decided to demonstrate her fighting prowess… on me."

Leo had trouble restraining a smirk, and Jason glared at him.

"I am covered in bruises," the mortal snapped irritably.

Leo smiled and glanced back at Prue, Ria, and Adam. His expression faltered then fell, and Jason knew he was thinking about his own children.

"I heard about what Wyatt did to the Manor," Jason said softly. They'd all heard the stories. David had gone out into the world yesterday and come back with stories of a new museum that had opened. It was… inconceivable that Wyatt would have done something like that.

"The witch hunters have less power, less influence. People are turning against them," Leo said quietly, his voice heavy with resignation. "Wyatt did that. Wyatt… Wyatt changed things."

"By turning your family into a bunch of exhibits?" Jason asked skeptically.

Leo turned to look at Jason, a contemplative look on his face. "Wyatt just wanted to fix things, to make them better. Exactly like he was thinking when he cast a spell on Anya Lakin… and now…" Leo had heard the rumors, and he knew that Jason had heard them too. Wyatt was convincing demons to work for him, and he'd killed the Chairman of the San Francisco Committee for Community Safety. "He's trying to do the right thing, and, in the process, he's doing the wrong one…"

Jason, realizing what Leo was saying, sighed and replied, "But there's still a chance you can get through to him. Still a chance you can… bring him back to the right side."

"No," Leo muttered. "I had that chance. It's gone now. I failed him."

Jason looked over at Prue again. She'd put the book aside and was talking to Adam about something. The young boy was laughing at whatever she had said, and Ria looked on with a bemused expression. They were relaxed, and even though some tension still lingered in the air around them and reflected in Prue's eyes, it was more than he would have hoped for two weeks ago. Two weeks ago, and he thought he'd never see his daughter smile again.

"I never thought you were a particularly good father," Jason said. "I didn't understand why you spent so much time in the Heavens, why you missed parties and school plays and family dinners. I always thought… I thought that you just… just didn't care about your family."

"I cared," Leo began heatedly, but Jason held up a hand to forestall any of his arguments.

"But then the world went to hell, and I understand now why you thought protecting it was so important. I see what Evil can do, what exposure can do… I get it. I get that maybe you were right and Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were wrong. Sometimes there are more important things than your family."

Leo stared out into the distance, considering the words. Was Jason right? Was the world that important? Ever since the Elders had closed the Heavens, he'd been wrestling with that question. They'd wanted to protect the magical world and its future, and this was the only way to do it, but at what cost?

After Leo had left Up There two weeks ago, a few other white-lighters had joined him, explaining that they would risk banishment by the Elders, but they wouldn't leave their charges. It wasn't what they were brought up to do. They put the good magic at great risk by exposing themselves to the dangers of the witch hunters, who so far knew nothing of white-lighters; but they wouldn't leave, no matter the threat.

So now a small band of white-lighters remained behind to heal wounds and guide their charges, and Leo couldn't help but wonder if he shouldn't have done this a long time ago. Should he have just left the Elders and stayed with his family, refusing to follow the rules? After all, what good did the rules do now?

Nothing was black and white anymore.

Jason exhaled slowly, drawing Leo's attention to him, and continued, "You saved us. You brought us here, you arranged to give us access to Valhalla. The Elders abandoned us, but you didn't. You convinced other white-lighters to stay here with us. You… Leo, everything you've done, it's nothing short of a miracle." He gave the white-lighter a penetrating stare. "You're only a failure if you give up."

It took Leo the better part of a week to find the cave. He had to give his oldest son credit, Wyatt had hid himself and his brother well.

Leo glanced around the dimly lit space. Flickering torches cast long shadows across the dirt floor and illuminated the tiny specks of dust that floated in the air, still and unmoving. For a moment, his bright white orbs had lit up the room, and he knew that Chris must be aware of his presence. He could sense his younger son hiding back in the dark shadows.

Wyatt wasn't here.

But Leo had known that already, he'd planned it that way. He wanted to talk to Chris while Wyatt wasn't there.

"Hello, Dad," Chris said blankly, stepping out of the shadows and staring at his father. "Long time no see."

Over two weeks, Leo thought, but he didn't say it. He just stared at his son. He'd always known that Wyatt and Chris were safe, but somehow it made it so much more real, so much better, to see his son, in the flesh, and unharmed. Relief flooded his features.

"Hi, Chris." Leo took a few steps further into the cave. "You know, you don't have to hide here," he said. "I've set up a safe place for us where no one can find you. You can hang out in the sun…" He trailed off and stared at Chris, waiting for an answer.

"I can't just leave Wyatt," Chris said coldly.

"He could come too," Leo answered, although he knew that Freya would be less than pleased by that comment.

"He can't leave," Chris argued emotionlessly. "The demons will get out of control. And who will make sure the Manor Museum runs smoothly?"

Leo blinked. He'd known it would be hard to convince Chris to leave, but he hadn't expected his son to be so cavalier about what Wyatt was doing. Frowning, he asked cautiously, "Are you alright with this? With what Wyatt has done to our home?"

"It's not your home, you barely ever had time to visit us while we were there," Chris snapped automatically. It wasn't quite true, Leo had spent plenty of time in the Manor. But he'd missed enough of the important family events to feel the barb in Chris' comment, and he blushed.

"Chris, he's turned your heritage into a tourist attraction," Leo objected.

"He's keeping us safe," Chris snarled. "He's protecting me. He stopped the witch hunters, Dad. They barely have any influence anymore. Soon they'll be out of power entirely. And the demons, he's kept them from attacking us."

"By forcing them to follow his orders? He's set himself up as the next Source," Leo retorted, struggling to keep his voice calm. "Please, Chris, can't you see what he's doing?"

"He's protecting me," Chris replied with a nonchalant shrug, pulling his temper back under control.

Leo shivered. He liked the angry version of Chris better; this one barely showed emotion at all.

"Perhaps," Leo conceded, knowing that Wyatt was trying to protect Chris. "But he's destroying himself in the process. Is that what you want?"

"What do you want, Dad? Why are you here?" Chris asked, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.

"I want to help you," Leo replied.

Chris gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. "Like you and your precious Elders tried to help Wyatt? You going to lock me in a cage and try to strip my powers too?" He narrowed his eyes and answered Leo's unspoken question, "Wyatt told me what happened. That's how I know."

Leo reached out to put a hand on Chris' shoulder, but the young witch-lighter shrugged it off and stepped away from his father, turning his back on the older man.

"Wyatt is out of control. He needs help, and you know that," Leo said firmly, refusing to give up yet. "Can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me that it doesn't bother you that the Manor is a museum? Or that Wyatt's working with demons? Or that he got the Chairman killed?"

Chris glanced back at Leo, an icy smirk fixed onto his features. "He's killed before, and I was fine with it then." he replied. "I even let him plant a memory in my mind so that you wouldn't know it was him."

When the truth of Chris' meaning sunk in, Leo stepped back as though he had been slapped. "Nathaniel Pratt…" he whispered. So the Elders were right all along. Wyatt was responsible for that death, and Chris had lied to protect his brother. Was Chris really that far gone? Did he see nothing wrong with what Wyatt had done?

"That's right," Chris said simply.

"No," Leo responded abruptly, eyes filling with fire as he stared at Chris. "No, you weren't okay with it." Chris gave his father a disbelieving look, and Leo said, "You're pretending to be accepting of all of this, but you aren't. I know you aren't, Chris. You're just as upset by what Wyatt's doing as I am."

"Yeah, right," Chris muttered under his breath, his back still turned to his father.

"Look at me, Chris," Leo ordered. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't mind that your home is a museum. Tell me you thinks it okay that Wyatt's working with demons. Tell me that, Chris."

Chris spun around, raising his eyes to his father, anger flooding his features. He opened his mouth to say something, to tell his father that he was wrong, that Wyatt was fine. But he looked into his father's searching blue eyes and the words died on his lips.

When he finally found his voice, he was only able to force out the convoluted words, "You don't know the first thing about me, Dad. You never did."

"I know you love your brother just as much as he loves you. And I know you want what is best for him," Leo said softly. "Which is why I know that, sooner or later, you'll open your eyes and see the truth."

"Don't count on it," Chris growled, his voice lowering. "He's my brother, and I will never betray him like you and the Elders did. Never."

"You're betraying him by staying here, Chris. By not trying to stop him before he spins too far out of control," Leo argued, but even as he said the words, he couldn't help but think that Wyatt already was past saving, and had been for a while.

Chris just glared at his father, then orbed away, leaving Leo standing alone in the dimly lit cave.

You're only a failure if you give up.

It was so simple when Jason said it, but Leo wasn't sure if it was actually true. He had no intention of giving up on either of his sons, but if they refused to come back to him, they were already lost. He couldn't force Chris to see what was right in front of him if the witch-lighter refused to do it. He couldn't force Chris to stop being blind.

None so blind…

Leo sighed and orbed from the cave.

Next Chapter: Forever Strong

Due: Sun 4/29