Beastspeach: …

Human speech: "…"

Thoughts: '…'

Telepathy: …

The Discovery of Magic

Note on Telepathy: Chris only initiates a link, which the others can tap into if the thought was directed at them. So if it is a three way conversation, the other two can talk to each other and each message doesn't have to go through Chris first. If Chris closes his part of the link, their link will also collapse unless they too have telepathic ability.

Chapter Ten: Just Like You

Haliwell Manor, Wyatt and Christopher:

"So, Christopher?" asked Wyatt

"Yes?"

"I know you probably don't want to talk to me about this but… what was it like? In the other timeline?"

Christopher's eyes clouded over. "I left home on my fourteenth birthday, Wyatt. After watching Mom die. Phoebe and Paige were blissfully oblivious to the way the world was changing, but I wasn't. I couldn't live with my family anymore, so, I became a hobo. It's funny almost,

Second most powerful being on the planet, a hobo.

"I lived with two guys my age, Kane and Paul. We weren't full hobos. The three of us were witches, but they didn't know who I really was. If they, had, they would have killed me. We lived in a crater, which was where Kane's family home used to be. We could get into the dungeons. Only one room was left of those, too, so we lived there. Like I said, things weren't too pleasant for everyone else either. We only came out when absolutely necessary.

"Bit like if you read the Diary of Anne Frank, not that I ever did. I was too busy keeping my charges safe, and killing demons. Kane told me about the book. Witches were like the Jews, but worse. The word witch could get you a death sentence, Wyatt."

"Charges?"

"Oh, yeah. With the increased amount of witches, whitelighters and elders dying, those who had even the faintest chance of being whitelighters were admitted. They made me an Elder because I was more powerful all the others. Of course, in that timeline, elders just had more charges, or more powerful charges. I had five charges. Kane, Paul, Lilly, Owen, and Grace. None of them knew I was their whitelighter, though. Still, I helped them all out of sticky situations more often than not."

"What did you mean, the word witch could get you a death sentence?"

"If you were heard saying the word witch, there were numerous ways of dying. The probes picked up words like that, and summoned demons. It wasn't uncommon to see someone skinned alive, beheaded, or stabbed.

"Children weren't innocent like they are in this time, Wy. A three year old had a better perception of safety and danger than you probably have now. Kids didn't bother with monsters under their beds, they bothered with real life demons, and murder was a normal everyday occurrence. Kind of like eating is here. Look, Wy, I should stop here. You don't really need to know."

"I made all of that happen?"

"NO!" Christopher said, strongly. "You did nothing! IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT. You AREN'T the person who did that anymore, Wyatt."

Wyatt looked sceptical, and Chris repeated himself, drilling it into Wyatt's mind.

"So, Christopher, where's Chris?" Wyatt questioned, changing the topic and hoping to startle an answer out of him.

"Not telling. But I can tell you that Aunt Paige is with him, and so are Mom and his whitelighter. And he just discovered his power to freeze."

"Oh! No fair! I wish I could freeze!"

"Do you? Well, when I, as in the me from the other time, first learnt to freeze, it was hilarious. I just threw my hands up in exasperation one day, and everyone and thing froze. And I didn't know how to unfreeze it. I just left them. So I went out the front, thinking that things wouldn't be frozen out there, and I could play with Buddy while I was waiting, and I notice that it's all still frozen. There was this guy about to fall off his motorbike, but frozen mid way. I went and straightened him up, of course. About ten minutes later, the freeze wore off, and I had stopped quite a few crashes and accidents by that time."

"Wow. Ten minutes, first try!"

"My powers were enhanced by my whitelighter side, and the fact that I was the son of a Charmed One."

"You said that his whitelighter was with him. He has a whitelighter?"

"Sure. So do you, just you got a different person, because the more powerful the witch, the more powerful the whitelighter would have been when it was alive, or the more experienced the whitelighter would be."

"Oh. Right. Do you know who his whitelighter is?"

"Yep. I had this whitelighter in the other time too."

"What's his name?"

"Not telling. Who said it was a 'him'?"

"Uh… No-one I guess."

"Good-o then. Don't make assumptions. Making assumptions can be very dangerous. Just like you're always assuming that the book of shadows is a good enough source for demon information. You need to have a better contact system."

"I'm older than you! Don't lecture me about security, Christopher."

"Actually, I'm older than you."

"But if we were in real time, I'd be older than you."

"Real time? This is real time, Wy."

"You know what I mean."

"I know I know but do you know that I know that you know that I know that you know I know what you know?"

"Christopher, you're confusing me!"

"I know I'm confusing you, but do you know that I know that I am confusing you?"

"Christopher!"

Christopher just grinned mischievously at Wyatt. "Do you know that–"

"Shut up, Christopher!" Wyatt cut in. "I don't care!"

"Hey, I'm insulted! I wasn't going to say what you think I was!"

"What were you going to say, then?"

"I can't remember. Oh, I remember now. Wait, there it goes. Oh, wait, I remember now. What's your favourite food?"

"Why?' Wyatt asked suspiciously.

"I just want to try something."

"Roast Lamb."

"With salt?"

"Yes. Gravy too."

Christopher held out his had, attempting to use his powers. "Dang! Even though I'm dead, Chris is still messing with my powers."

"Too bad. At least you still exist, and you can take on a corporeal form. Most people die and don't get that chance, Christopher."

"I s'pose. I mean, if I had erased my existence I wouldn't even be able to visit you all. Not that that's a downside, of course." He added, grinning at Wyatt, who swatted him.

"Hey! Just cos I'm dead doesn't mean you have the right to slap me around!" Christopher yelled. 'That hurt!' he rubbed his jaw.

Chris's Lair, Chris, Prue, Piper, Paige, and Buddy:

Chris was almost regretting asking his Mom to help him learn to use his powers. He had been practicing for a whole day, not speaking except with telepathy, not being allowed to pick something up without telekinesis, not allowed to move without orbing, not eating without conjuring, freezing time at random intervals, going invisible at even more random intervals, chatting to Buddy, and sensing for Wyatt, Leo, Piper, and his Aunts, all three of them.

Buddy?

What now?

Hey! Don't be mean!

I'm not being mean!

Yes, you are. The way you said 'what now' was really mean!

Grow up!

I'm older than you. Why don't you grow up

Sure. I'll get around to it sometime. What did you want?

I want to get rid of my boredom.

"Chris, are you concentrating? Wave your hand at the spoon, and use telekinesis on it. Try make it dance."

Aunt Prue! Why would I need to know how to make a spoon dance?

She shrugged. Hey, making things dance worked for me.

You never made things dance, he accused.

Ah, but are you sure about that?

Yes.

Chris waved his hand anyway, and the spoon leapt up, and stared to do a tap in mid air. Thing was, it didn't work very well, as taps are supposed to be performed on solid surfaces with proper shoes.

Waltz, Prue commanded. Chris looked scandalised, and grudgingly complied.

Buddy, this is torture! he groaned.

Buddy, however, seemed not to notice him, and looked like he was attempting to copy the spoons actions. (If you need a mental picture of Buddy, think Odie from Garfield the movie.)

'Gosh! Everyone's gone bonkers. If I don't have some fun soon, I'll be brain dead! Actually, scrap that. I am brain dead. I mean, why did I even think about making the spoon dance? Why am I still making the spoon dance? That's just plain weird. God… I don't know what's happened, but I think I've lost my mind. The spoon is still dancing, Buddy is dancing too, What? I just realised that Mom is dancing with the spoon. Right, concentrate on the spoon, oh, I have an idea!'

Suddenly, the spoon started to attack Buddy. Buddy looked at Chris, with what would have been a reproving gaze, but due to the fact that he was a dog and Dogs couldn't give people reproving looks, as they couldn't control their facial muscles as well as people could, it looked more like a dog screwing his face up.

Chris! What was that for!

It was for dancing like that, you dumb dog.

Hey, don't you dare call me dumb.

Well, it's true, you aren't dumb.

See, I told you so!

Did I say aren't? I meant aren't

That's what you said, Human Boy

Aren't! What can't I say the word that I want to say.

Can't lie in bloodspeach, remember?

Oh right, that. Bugger!

Chris waved his hand absently at the spoon, and it stopped dancing immediately. He waved his hand again, producing a roast dinner for five. Placing one dish on the floor for Buddy, he spoke to the others. I am sick of this! I'm going to eat now, and so are you three. Well, four, if you include Buddy.

Mmmm… Roast Dinner! I haven't had one of them since I died! which was obviously Prue.

Do you realise how weird that sounds? Piper laughed.

Actually, I do. Once I was talking to Leo and he said something like, 'I haven't had a good game of soccer since I died.' Prue answered.

Chris rolled his eyes Can youse all shut up?

Can you all shut up. Paige corrected automatically, though the others all thought that she was telling them to shut up, and replied with a barrage of insults.

We are having a perfectly legitimate conversation, Paige. You could at least just shut up and tune out if you're not interested.

Hey! Don't tell me to shut up! I wasn't even talking to youse! I mean you! I was talking to Chris!

Oh really? It didn't sound like you were talking to only Chris. I'm positive that you said 'Shut up all of you!' Piper replied heatedly.

Actually, Chris interrupted. She said 'Can you all shut up

And so on. The argument continued for a record time of one hour, in which Chris, Prue, and Buddy, all finished their dinners, got to know each other better, played two games of Chess, (Buddy was on Chris's side) which Prue won, and began a game of Monopoly. Chris, eventually tired of all the nonsense, cut off the links for ten minutes, and as they weren't allowed to speak, gestures were forced to suffice.

Eventually, Chris managed to perfect the technique of having two links open at once, and explained to the two sisters exactly what had happened, and how far out of proportion it had been blown. Their anger had not immediately subsided, like it would have if they had been characters in a soapie, nor were their any touching sorrys. In fact, all they did was mutter sorry grudgingly, and agree to disagree about the many topics that had come up during the argument. It was not forgotten like it would have been in books, because, unfortunately, life is not full of memory lapses.

Hurt doesn't vanish in an instant, unless of course, you have the cleaners working for you. But, none of the people in the room did, so, grudgingly, they moved on, Chris still practicing his powers.

After a few more hours of utter boredom, Chris suggested a game of Charades, people version. You impersonated someone all the people in the room knew, and they had to guess who it was. Piper went first, impersonating Grams. Prue got that one, and jumped up, doing an impression of Phoebe getting a premonition. Since Chris had seen her get a vision using the spell to view past events, he managed to score it.

It was his turn. He got up, frowning for a second. Who would he be? Given, he didn't know Wyatt all that well, but he seemed to be okay enough to do an impersonation of, so he decided that he would. He thought for a while about Wyatt, what he looked like things he did, what distinguished him as Wyatt. There was a slight prickling on his skin.

"Chris!" Exclaimed Piper. "You've turned into Wyatt!"

Great! Anyone got any ideas on how to get back to normal? he asked, while eating a cookie.

Well, think about what you did to turn to Wyatt in the first place, then try and reverse the process. Prue suggested, and he shrugged.

Righto then.

He thought for a moment, before concentrating solely on himself, and what it was like being himself.

He felt his skin prickle slightly again after ten minutes, and looked down. He was pleased to note that he was himself again.

He breathed out in relief, before he seemed to realise something, and looked as if the whole world had crumbled beneath his feet, literally. "Great! More practicing powers!" he muttered under his breath, earning him a reproving glance from his mother for two reasons.

One, complaining.

And two, talking when he should have telepathised.

He closed his eyes briiefly and sighed jadedly. It would be a long day.