Repercussions

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 11: A Ripple of Discord

The great advantage of living in a large family is that early lesson of life's essential unfairness. - Nancy Mitford

"Chris, duck!" Wyatt called. The younger of the pair hit the floor immediately, the kick aimed at his head meeting no resistance, and its owner nearly losing their balance. "Chris now! Get her!" Chris spun his legs out and knocked his opponent's legs out from under her, laughing at the cursing as she hit the floor.

"Dammit Wyatt you are not allowed to help!" Lena said as Chris reached down and helped her up off the matted floor.

"Aw why not, you would've creamed him, I had to help out little Chrissy somehow," Wyatt smirked.

"Hilarious, Wy, thanks," Chris grumbled. "You know I don't see your ass training in here much."

"Come on Chris, I don't need to 'train'," Wyatt said, rolling his eyes. Chris narrowed his eyes at Wyatt's hubris. His brother never showed much interest in learning how to fight hand-to-hand, and it was a struggle to force him to learn fencing if only for the future use of Excalibur. In Wyatt's mind, a good control of magic trumped physical prowess any day of the week, and as the strongest witch in the world clearly the relentless physical training that Lena and Chris partook in was unnecessary.

In a purely physical fight (no powers), Lena could take on Chris and Wyatt, and still win, Chris knew this innately, indeed she had proven that she could defeat them a number of times. One particularly ego-bruising time she had been blindfolded with one hand tied behind her back, and though she had been overcome eventually, she managed to land quite a few painful blows to her older cousins. Her father had been a relentless trainer, a powerful witch in his own right with years of intense physical training adding to his already impressive display of power. Alec pushed his daughter to be the strongest she could be, to do her ancestors proud. And she did. Which was why Chris was concerned with the ease in which he managed to knock her down, again and again, today.

Chris tried not to meet Lena's eyes as she walked to the corner of the training room, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat off of her face. Lena was and forever had been the master of disguise and lies in his family. Sometimes it was easy to be taken in by her deceptions, like when she would act overly hyper and excitable, when she would laugh and giggle and dance around like she was drunk just so no one would look too closely and notice how she was really feeling. A child gifted with second sight practically since she was born, it was safe to say that Lena had seen more things than anyone should ever have to, she had been traumatized from a young age and Chris knew that she had never quite gotten over it. The shadows in her eyes were constant, and her reaction to depression was to push harder, try harder. Chris had witnessed it too many times, watched Lena push herself harder and harder until she collapsed under the pressure.

Ever since the assault on San Francisco and the deaths of so many witches (ten? Twenty? Fifty?) Chris really couldn't remember the number – even though he should, it should end up burned into his mind for at least a year, right? – Lena had shown signs of her depression driven mania. Skipped classes and mornings discovered in the attic asleep on the couch because she couldn't stay awake long enough to sneak back home coupled with doubled training sessions and staring contests with the mirror where Chris wondered exactly what she was searching for, proved that she was once again headed down the dangerous slope of guilt and self-deprecation.

She always blamed herself for everything, but this time Chris wasn't surprised, and he couldn't help but feel bad for being suspicious too. He knew that Lena would never intentionally set those covens up to be attacked, but it could not just be a coincidence. She had let someone get the drop on her, let someone follow her, and that meant they were all in danger, all of the time. Not to mention her powers were going haywire, her empathy and telepathy had declined, she admitted that it felt like suddenly being wrapped in cotton wool, senses diminishing. While at the same time her premonition power seemed to be amped up, she saw things constantly, and had taken a break from driving until she got it under control.

"How's it going in here?" Alec asked, walking in. The usually impeccably dressed head of the Kalos family was now wearing gym shorts and a muscle tank, ready to do some training himself.

"Chris just kicked Lena's ass," Wyatt said cheerfully.

"Really?" Alec asked, a bit skeptical. He casually stepped up behind his daughter who was taking a swig from a bottle of water and quickly shot his arm out, aiming a punch for the side of her face. She dropped, the fist hitting nothing but air, as she turned and kicked him in the head. "Ow, Jesus!" Alec cried, putting a hand to his now-bleeding nose. Lena watched him carefully, before relaxing and tossing him the towel. "Nice reaction time, daughter," Alec said, gratefully accepting the towel and pushing it against his face. "Now what was this about Chris 'kicking Lena's ass'?" he asked.

"Wyatt was helping him," Lena said, keeping her eyes averted from Chris.

"Tattle-tale," Wyatt huffed.

"Alright Wyatt, if you're so eager to get in on the action, spar with me," Alec suggested, putting aside the bloody towel and making his way to the center of the room. Wyatt looked a bit cornered, wanting to refuse but unable to do so without compromising his pride.

Lena and Chris backed up against the far wall. "This should be interesting," Chris whispered. Lena simply nodded.

The fight was fast and brutal and ended with Wyatt facedown on the mats, curled in on himself with an impressive display of bruising forming on most of his exposed skin. Alec stepped over him to grab that towel, his nose having begun to spout blood again. "You really need to work on your reflexes Wyatt. If I were a demon you would be dead right now."

Wyatt never one to take defeat well, growled in his throat and orbed one of the wall mats onto his uncle, knocking the man over. "No, if you were a demon I would've pulverized you two minutes in. This 'training' is crap."

"Oh poor baby Wy-Wy got his ego bruised," Lena mocked as Chris TK'ed the mat back in place and her father pulled himself up off of the floor.

"Fine Lena, you and me, powers this time, we'll see who wins," Wyatt snarled.

Something flashed in Lena's eyes briefly before she responded, voice low and dangerous, "I really don't think so, Wyatt. Because I, unlike you, do not feel the constant need to show up everyone else." With that she stormed out of the room.

"What's up her ass?" Wyatt asked.

"That was pretty childish, Wyatt," Chris said.

Wyatt was slightly mollified by his brother's words. "Sorry Uncle Alec," he said, walking over to where his uncle was going through a set training routine.

"Forget about it Wyatt," Alec said as he practiced a few punches. "And I know I've been saying this for your whole life, but being physically capable is important. You never know when your powers are going to fail you, and you need to be ready for anything. Your power makes you arrogant, but you're not infallible."

"Yeah, yeah," Wyatt scoffed.

"Suit yourself. Just don't get anyone else killed with you," he shrugged. The unspoken 'especially my little girl' hung in the air between them and Chris and Wyatt both visibly stiffened, realizing they never spoke to their uncle about Lena's recent near-death experience. They hadn't thought of it, to be honest.

Alec was the real super-witch in the family. It drove Phoebe crazy, but her husband's family had once been the foremost magical users in the world. They were more than witches, they were warriors. They were the ones who defeated the humans-made-gods, they trapped the Titans in ice, and they were responsible for banishing the demons to the Underworld. It was a heavy list of accomplishments to carry, a burden to future generations who could no longer live up to that greatness.

Alec often told them of the 'Great War' what would be the precursor to the Apocalypse, when demons who outranked the Source in power, pervasiveness, and evil fought the Kalos witches, intent on exterminating them. They attacked the witches on their homeland, an isle in Greek protected by the magic of the water sprites. The battle raged long and hard, and in the end, when the witches realized they would be defeated, they asked the water sprites to ferry their children away to the far corners of the world, leaving the island and its remaining fighters vulnerable. Before their deaths, the final warriors of the Kalos family sealed the most powerful of the demons away. The victorious demons sought out the children, killing all they found, missing one family, leaving one line intact. That line eventually made their way to California and opened a vineyard. They were Alec's direct ancestors. The Kalos witches were blessed (or cursed depending on who you asked) with ancestral memory, allowing Alec to remember the Great War with stunning clarity, as if he had been there. Chris and Wyatt never asked, but they assumed Lena could as well. It must have been depressing for him to know about a life filled with teamwork and partners only to be born an only-child who, after his parents died, had only himself to rely on.

This all meant that Alec more than anyone understood the need to fight, the need to make magic a number-one priority and life, and plunge headlong into destiny in a way the Charmed Ones never could. He had grown up with his magic, it being a constant of his life forever, not something new that happened to him, not something separate. This made their uncle a natural supporter of their magical endeavors.

What they discounted and always had was the person their uncle was before they knew him, before he met Phoebe. He was so together, strong, kind, reasonable, but he had not always been. At seventeen years old, Alec had come home from school to find his parents dead on the floor of the parlor, the demon who murdered them standing over the bodies, radiating satisfaction and joy. He spared the young witch, leaving him to bury his parents and become consumed with rage over their deaths. According to teachers at Magic School and a few whitelighters who knew the story, Alec dropped out of high school and dedicated himself full-time to magic. A regular to be found in the Magic School library, he spent all of his time honing his powers, training his body, and searching for the demons responsible for the murders. Overwhelmed with grief and anger he became unrecognizable, the sweet young man they had grown to know completely overshadowed. He went out looking for trouble with no back-up, took unnecessary risks, and nearly got himself killed time after time as he searched for the demon responsible. When he finally did track him down, the resulting battle left him victorious and near-death.

Alec learned to control the rage, learned how to become part of society again once his vengeance had been exacted. Wyatt and Chris had only seen that side of him a few times, and all involved incidents where his loved ones were hurt or missing. They should have realized that what happened to Lena would upset Alec, they just never thought he would be angry with them.

Wyatt opened his mouth to speak but Chris jabbed him in the ribs. Now was not the time for heavy conversations or apologies, not with Alec's hands sizzling with magical flame and his whole being clearly concentrating on his training routine. It was a fool who interrupted Alec while he was that intent on something.

"You ever get the indication that Uncle Alec doesn't like me very much?" Wyatt asked. He and Chris were out in the courtyard of the vineyard, throwing athames at targets. Lena had not reappeared after she stormed off, so the brothers were alone.

"What would make you think that?" Chris asked, throwing an athame and then adjusting its direction with some subtle telekinesis. "Bullseye! Yes!"

"Don't do your crazy victory dance yet, I saw that you cheated," Wyatt pointed out.

"Dammit," Chris muttered as he made the athame float back to him.

"I just… it's always felt like there's some big secret that this family has, and most of the family has always been really wary of any decisions you make, but I always feel like Uncle Alec has something against me, like I did something I don't know about and so he doesn't trust me."

"I haven't noticed that. I just think he thinks you're lazy," Chris shrugged, switching from athames to daggers.

"Nah it's more than that. And he hates it when I bring up how powerful I am."

"Maybe because you sound like an egocentric jerk when you say that?" Chris piped in. "Dude, Uncle Alec is so not jealous of your powers, man. He just wants you to be ready for anything. You know how he is – one slip and you're dead."

"And what was with the sparring today? He knew I would never volunteer to spar with him, but he basically forced me into it, just so he could prove what everybody already knew, that he's the better fighter magic notwithstanding."

The dagger Chris was throwing went sideways and hit the stone of the house with a loud thunk. "Maybe he's trying to humble you," Chris said, venom suddenly in his voice. He knew this was just what Wyatt was like, the way he thought things through, and even though he sounded egotistical and self-serving, it wasn't what he meant, and so he didn't understand the flash of anger he felt building inside of himself. "You go on and on about how great you are, but none of it is anything you accomplished for yourself, it's just something you were born with!"

"Chris – what the hell?! What's wrong with everybody today?!"

"Oh yeah, because the problem definitely isn't you! Not perfect special Wyatt."

"Okay you know what? Why don't you just call me when everyone is sane again," Wyatt growled, orbing out before his brother could respond.

Piper heard the sounds of mumbled grumbles and someone rummaging in the refrigerator before she walked in to find her oldest in the kitchen searching the fridge angrily.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

Startled, Wyatt's head crashed into the top of the refrigerator and he cursed as he slid backward from it and turned to look at his mom. "Just that everyone has an attitude problem today," Wyatt complained, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"And 'everybody' is…?" Piper questioned, sitting beside him.

"Lena, and Uncle Alec, and Chris."

"What'd they do?"

"Lena's being bitchy about everything lately. Uncle Alec humiliated me for the hell of it. And then Chris yelled at me for no reason. It's ridiculous."

"Well you know Lena's been having a hard time lately. Alec well… you'd have to fill me in more on that one. And Chris has exams coming up, he's stressed out."

"My dear uncle made me spar with him just to prove that he's better than I am."

"Ah, yeah well Alec would do that."

"What would Alec do?" Phoebe asked, walking into the kitchen and immediately digging to the plate of cookies that Wyatt had somehow missed when he orbed in.

"Show off by sparring with Wyatt," Piper said.

"Oh yeah, well you know honey, if you worked out more you could beat him eventually."

"Eventually?"

"Yeah, the man's a pro. He's been training since he was a kid. And let me tell you, I have absolutely no problems with him getting as physically fit as possible, there are benefits from that sort of thing you know," Phoebe winked.

"Oh ew," Wyatt scowled. "It's not like I'm some lazy-ass with a beer gut. I'm in shape. I'm a cop for crying for out loud!"

"I know sweetie, here have a cookie," Piper said a little too indulgently.

"This whole thing started because I gave Chris some advice when he was fighting with Lena."

"That's where you stepped over the line," Phoebe explained. "Number one rule in Alec's guide-to-being-kickass is you never distract or help someone when they're training. Because you know, out in 'the field' all you can rely on is you," she said, her voice deepening in an imitation of her husband's baritone as she said the last part.

"Yeah sure that's till he gives his 'importance of teamwork' speech. He contradicts himself all the time," Wyatt said, rolling his eyes.

"He just has everybody's best interests at heart," Phoebe said. "He's trying to help. I mean he can be an idiot at times, he went after those Brutes that hurt Lena by himself and all but--"

"Wait a minute! Uncle Alec found the Brute demons?"

"Yeah he did. He followed up on the information he got out of them but it was a bust. He figured whatever demon hired them for the job put a curse on them to prevent them from being physically able to talk about it, instead, if forced, they would all give the same bogus location."

"Why didn't he tell me and Chris? We were looking for those demons too!"

"Honestly? Probably because he didn't want you two to 'cramp his style' or see how he is when he's actively 'hunting.' Alec can be damn scary when he's on a mission. And even though he's worked with a coven for decades, he's still a lone wolf when it comes to a more personal threat."

"He should've told me, we all should've worked together, it would've been better like that."

"Doesn't matter now, does it? Like he said, the information he got led nowhere. Whoever's behind the new scheming in the Underworld is doing a good job of covering their tracks. You should watch out for yourself, Wyatt," Phoebe suggested.

"That demon's the one that needs to watch out," Wyatt scowled. "If he or it or whatever is trying to mess with me by going after Chris, and Lena, and all those other witches then they he has another thing coming."

"What makes you think he's after you?" Piper questioned.

"Not to sound egotistical, but how many times in the past twenty-five years was the bad guy not after me?"

Sitting in the courtyard alone, back against the stone wall, Chris thought over his conversation with Wyatt. He didn't know why he reacted the way he had, he had just felt such overriding anger rising inside of him, the kind that was impossible to prevent from bursting. But where had it come from? He and Wyatt were getting along just fine, and even after the childish display in the gym he still hadn't felt that angry. Of course Wyatt's powers had always been a sore spot for Chris, but he usually kept the jealousy in check. Something felt different today, something inside of him felt wrong.

He turned towards the sound of approaching footsteps, legs sprawled out before him, and saw his Uncle ambling in his direction. Alec sat down beside him, legs crossed.

"Hey," Chris greeted, barely turning in his direction.

"Hi Chris. Look… about earlier with Wyatt…"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," Chris shrugged. "Or to Wyatt for that matter, he was being a whiny bitch and you called him on it like you always do, that's just how it goes. Though you might want to clear one thing up, he thinks for some reason that you don't like him very much."

"Yeah… look Chris, there are some… things… I'm not always quite sure what to encourage in Wyatt. If him becoming stronger and more capable is a good thing, or if maybe it's better for everyone if he stays the way he is. There's a secret, I'm sure you and Wyatt have figured that out by now."

Chris laughed. "Yeah we've known that there was a secret for quite a while. We ever going to find out what it is?"

"Not if your mother and aunts have anything to say about it," Alec responded quietly. "And it's definitely not my place to fill either of you in on it."

"I don't get it, what could Wyatt and I have done that could've been so serious? And something we don't even remember?"

"It's not like that Chris… it's not anything that either of you did, it's more of what's been done to you, both of you."

"And because of that you're worried about Wyatt. But… wait… what did you mean about it being better for everyone is he doesn't become stronger? Are you… are you afraid Wyatt might go evil or something?" Chris said, the absurdity of the situation clear in his tone.

"You can never discount anything. And what's evil after all? I don't know about you, but to me that term's been becoming grayer and grayer over time. I know what true evil felt like, I remember it, I remember the way the air changed just before it approached. But the demons we face today, they're not like that. Most look human, sound human, even have feelings like humans. You hunt demons down, track them back to their homes and slaughter them. You capture them and torture them. And to us, that's alright, that's fine, that's how it is. Demons would do the same to us, and to them that's okay. But when they hurt you, your family, your innocent, the tables turn, they're barbaric, they're evil for doing the same thing to you that you would have just as easily done to them. But really, what's the difference between us then?

"'Cause nowadays evil is standing by and doing nothing to save someone, evil is crossing the invisible line just a little bit. I've been on both sides, I've done things I'm not proud of, hurt people, would've killed a couple if I had the chance. You should know that, you remember what I did to your friend Jeff's father. I would have murdered him outright if you hadn't stopped me. And he was just a man, not a demon or a witch or anything, just a mean, mean man. So what does that make me? Is it really that hard to see Wyatt stepping over that line? Can you think of nothing that would drive him to it?"

Chris said nothing for a moment, remembering what Wyatt had been like when he tortured the Brute demons in the attic, remembered the unidentifiable expression on his face, the complete and utter rage he had seen there. And that was from an attack where everyone escaped alive. What could he become if someone actually died – if Chris, Lena or their mom were killed? What would that turn Wyatt into, what terrible things could come from someone with that much power going off the rails?

"Love and hate walk parallel streets," Alec sighed when no answer seemed forthcoming from Chris. "Love can make us do wonderful, beautiful things, and it can also make us do awful, terrible things."

Chris thought of Alec, gripping Jeff's father by the lapels, shaking him, screaming at him, punching him over and over, and that horrible emotion that had roiled off of him in waves, more painful and terrifying than the physical injuries Chris had suffered.

"Lena always says that Wyatt's sensitive…" Chris said quietly. "That we have to take special care of him because someone sensitive like that… they can lose it easily, they can get out of control. And that's what you're torn by – the fact that if he went off the deep end there wouldn't be anyone strong enough to reel him in, to stop him."

"Every other witch has a peer with the ability to take them down if need be. But with Wyatt… I want to encourage him, I want to watch him become as powerful as he can be, so that he can fight, so he can champion over evil and protect the people he loves. But I know what could happen if he's pushed over the edge, and if he ever loses it without having someone there able to keep him in check, I can only imagine what chaos that could cause."

"Yeah you're right. This all puts you in a pretty difficult position, doesn't it?" Chris asked. "Having to be the one witch in the family without blood ties to Wyatt, the only one who can objectively see that his powers are as much a threat as a gift." Alec shrugged.

"I did watch the kid grow up, I love him just as much as I do you and Lena. You boys have spent a good portion of your lives in my house; that makes it pretty difficult to see anything 'objectively'."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Chris asked.

"I may not be psychic, but I know when something big is brewing. The demonic world is beginning to recognize you, Wyatt, and Lena as the new power of three, and with the recent coven attacks – which Lena's knowledge of their meeting places I definitely do not find a coincidence – I can only assume that they are cooking up something big for you kids." Alec stood, dusting his pants off. "Also, I didn't want you to think I was picking on him today, I just think it's prudent to keep his ego in check, which is exactly why I'm not explaining this to him," Alec laughed. He began to walk away but stopped and turned. "Oh and Chris, I meant what I said, that I love you boys and Lena the same. I don't blame you for what happened to her and I'm not angry with you. Injuries, death, they're all a part of this life. And maybe I should've gotten her out of it when I had the chance, but I made the decision to raise her as a witch, and there are just certain things that come along with it I have to accept. But let me just say that I really don't want it to happen again, okay?"

"Got it," Chris smiled.

Chris wandered back into the training room some time later, following the sounds of bodies clashing. He pushed the door open slowly and watched with mild fascination as Lena and her father made their way across the room, legs and arms flying but never landing any solid hits on each other. They seemed to be in perfect choreography with one another, Alec's leg shooting up, Lena dropping, Lena's legs swooping out and Alec jumping.

Lena was in top form, much better than she had been when she fought Chris earlier. And that thought made his stomach drop, the fact that Lena was being herself in front of her father, that she wasn't trying too hard to keep a wall up to focus on what she was doing like she had been with Chris. For her whole life she had come to him with everything, every problem, every tear. When her week-long stint in the Underworld left her spiraling into mania for three months, he had been the one she told what happened to, when she felt like she couldn't trust anyone else she came to Chris, and he was content in the idea that things would always be like that.

Yet now something had changed that. She was hiding something from him and the thought made him ill.

Not wanting to disturb them, Chris left, shutting the door quietly behind him, though he was sure that neither of them even noticed his entrance, so engaged in combat.

"Give?" Lena asked, crouched on top of her father, holding him down to the floor. Hot sweat slid down her back, her tank top sticking to her body uncomfortably. Alec smiled from below her, and then twisted his body and flipped so that he was pinning her now.

"Tie?" Alec asked.

Lena laughed and nodded as he stood and helped her to her feet. She wiped her face down and then caught him watching her intently.

"Something on your mind, kid?" he asked.

"Always is," Lena sighed. "I've been having some weird dreams lately."

"Weird as in 'the monitors recorded a psychic incident weird' or 'naked in class weird'?"

"The readings spiked, so I guess I'll go with the former on that one. Thing is, they're not making much sense, none of my 'premonitions' have lately. It's driving me crazy."

"Have you been able to glean anything at all from them?"

When she turned to him he saw that her eyes appeared slightly glazed and clouded over. "Not much but I know something's coming, of course everybody figured that out already without any psychic power. The funny thing is everybody always thinks it's going to be about Wyatt, because it's always been about Wyatt. But I just know that what happens this time is going to be all about Chris."

A/N: So this was sort of a filler chapter, but we'll be jumping ahead in time shortly and getting to the scene in the teaser, so things will indeed be happening!

Thanks for reading!

I would love to know what you thought, please review!

-Ada