Hi everyone, I know it has taken me a while to write again. it has been for a mixture of reasons. It is coming up to the end of semester and I have a hell of a lot of assignments due at the same time and unfortunately they take importance over writing fanfiction. I got into a bit of an accident and my car got ridden off. It didn't put me in the best mood for a while. I had to figure out how to write myself out of the very deep hole I had written myself into.

I hope you like it, not really one of the best chapters but it needed to be written.

Chapter 11 – How to fix an impossible mess

Coop's POV

The news that the Anointed prince and his brother had soul bonded to the two women down in the dungeons got round the palace in record time after Laura and Jess's little outburst. The guards at the door had heard, told their friends and in a matter of half a day everyone knew from Joshua down to the cooks in the kitchens. The palace was in an uproar over the news, no one really knowing what to do. Some of the more conservative elders had scurried of to magical libraries around the world to see if there was any documented way of breaking a soul binding. Others were recommending the immediate death of the two women before the binding was complete. It was in one of these meetings that Coop found himself trying to protect the hearts of his two nephews.

"You can't kill the girls, the bonding is complete it had been complete for days. For them to die from anything but natural causes would destroy the parts of my nephews souls they now possess." He pointed out to a few of the thousand year old elders who now occupied the meeting room. It was a head to head battle between the elders and the cupids this morning. Usually the cupid bowed to the authority and rule of the elders as the acting governing race, but when it came to matters of the heart, there jurisdiction and area of expertise, they held no punches.

Joshua turned to Coop anger in his eyes, "You knew, you knew all this time and you didn't tell us so we could stop this from happening. How could you!"

Coop returned Joshua's glare, he had no real respect for the man, "Yes I knew, of course I knew, I've known for years, ever since the spilt with Charlotte and Amelia when I went looking, curious who the true soul mates for the boys were."

"How come you didn't stop it!" Joshua roared.

"Are you seriously blaming me for this who situation, what are you suggesting, I went out and hired them to attack MY nephews. Never even suggest I would ever hurt my own family, Elder." Coop was fuming, his eyes darkening, "Even if I did consider hiring them as a way to unite them I would never do it went Chris was so fragile."

"You considered hiring them!"

"Well, how else was I going to get them together? But I never did because the boys would have destroyed them before they even got close unknowingly killing there soul mates. What was I meant to do?"

"What you should have done is come straight to us and we would have had someone deal with the problem."

"Deal with the problem, what? You mean kill them before they had a chance to meet?"

"Yes, if you had done that we wouldn't be in this mess now."

"If I did that I would be condemning my nephews to a life without love. How could you even consider that Joshua, I know you are a son of a bitch but I thought you loved Chris. No one who loved Chris would consider going to such extremes to prevent them from finding their soul mates and experiencing that sort of love."

"They are not their soulmates, they are evil, pure evil."

"Heavens above, Elder, did you not hear what I said about them being 'grey beings'. They are not evil, they are undecided, or at least they were undecided."

Joshua turned back to the group of cupids at Coop's last statement, "What do you mean were, undecided? Don't tell me by throwing them in the dungeons we have turn them to the side of evil."

"The opposite in fact," Joshua frowned, confusion in his eyes, "Do you think that direct contact with souls as pure and good as Chris and Wyatt wouldn't have effects on their own. From the moment the boys bonded with these two women, the choice was taken out of their hands, the boys chose for them, they are now good being whether they like it or not."

"What?" Joshua asked sarcastically, "You're seriously saying that the two "assasins" that tried to kill the Anointed Prince and the Warren Lord are all full of purity and goodness now, that doesn't change what they have done."

"Perhaps not, but it does change how they feel about what they have done, and it does effect what they will do in the future."

It was at this point that Leo entered the meeting room worry clouding his eyes, "What is it Leo?" Coop asked, clearly concerned by the look in his brother in Law's eyes.

"It's my sons, the separation is starting to hurt them, I watched them this morning and Chris keeps clutching his heart, it is the first sign."

"They are strong, Leo, They can fight it." Said Joshua.

"They shouldn't have to fight it, Joshua!" Coop snapped back, the other cupids muttering their agreements behind him.

"You do not understand the pain, Joshua, you have never felt it, but I have. Surely you remember all the times you pulled me from Piper before you allowed us to get married, how distraught I was, that you would have to lock me a way in the heavens for fear I might hurt someone the first time we were apart. I cannot watch me sons go through that, I won't!"

"That's an interesting point we should talk about." Leo and Joshua turning to Coop confuse about his statement, "Your track record with denying fate with you decisions about what is a forbidden love. Has it even considered to you that had Leo and Piper not ... well ... you know, we wouldn't have the Anointed Prince, that you declaring that there love was forbidden could have resulted in him not being born. And now you wish to say that my nephews' love is also a forbidden love, have you not learned your lesson about not messing with fate and keeping out of matters of the heart. Who our souls bind to is decided by an authority much greater than any of us in this room. The fates and destinies have decided this and our only responsibility is to make sure it happens not to prevent it."

For once Joshua was speechless, Coop was right, and it irked the elder that in this case a hearty farty cupid was wiser than him. Soulmates were chosen by the fates and destinies, as much as he hated it this was out of his control. Joshua didn't know what to do, for the first time in his 5000 years he was lost. It is not like he could just let the women out of prison, they had committed a crime punishable by death, plus he didn't trust them, and what would the public say if he just let them out, the uproar. Plus it was Wyatt who ordered them imprisoned so it was not up to him to overrule that order. Goddess, how did things become so complicated, a week ago there should have been a coronation, now they were dealing with a sick prince who had his soul bound to a powerful, deadly assassin.

Wyatt's POV

Chris and Wyatt's depression was now starting to evolve into a deep rooted pain in their chest and both men were desperate to get down to the dungeons to be with their other halves. Wyatt now understood what it had been like for his mum all those times that the elders had kept her and Leo apart, why they always described it as a battle. It was not a battle of wills with the elders they described but a battle with their hearts to retain their sanity, to fight the ever present feeling that drew them to each other.

The Halliwell family sat at the dinner table the evening after the knowledge of the boys predicament was announced. The dinner was unusually silent for the family of fifteen all seated eating his mother's fantastic cooking that for some reason today seem tasteless. His mother and father couldn't take there eyes of their sons, Wyatt could feel the waves of concern emanating off his parents. The whole family had taken the new with mixed emotions. His mum and dad wary of the news, it was not news anymore that they had secretly hoped that Chris would find someone they considered 'better' in this lifetime, and were a little disappointed that it would always be Bianca, they thought of her as evil, as the one that had kidnapped their son in the past. Wyatt had done a little digging around in his brother's brain as he slept and found those memories, he could see how she left a bad impression. It had been Coop, Pheobe, Prue and strangely Mel who were exceedingly happy about the turn of event, that the two Halliwell men had finally against all odds bumped into their soul mates. When Wyatt had questioned Mel about why she was so happy about the bonding, after she had run in screaming with excitement when she had heard the news, she said she was excited that she was finally going to have sisters, she was the only one of the new generation that didn't have a sister. Sisters? It was the first time it ever occurred to Wyatt that this woman was most likely his future bride once they could sort out the whole currently being locked up in jail for attempting to kill them thing. Wyatt had been so focussed on how on earth he was going to sort out that slightly huge problem that he hadn't even though what would most likely come after, plus he actually needed to meet the girl, at the moment he felt like he couldn't live without her but he didn't know her, know what she was like, and the combination was the strangest thing, he actually thought Chris might have the easier end of the stick as he knew Bianca and didn't have the nagging desire to get to know her, he just had the nagging desire to touch her, to kiss her, to hold her in his arms. Yep, Wyatt had put up the blocks against the bond with Chris, he had enough of his own emotional turmoil he didn't need his brother's on top of that. He hadn't got the sexual urges yet and he planned to hold them off as long as possible because when those came he was a gonner, he was a guy after all.

Leo's POV

It was Chris who finally broke the silence, "I need to see her, dad. The more we are apart the more it hurt, I can't stand it anymore. I thought you would be the first one to understand that!"

"We know Chris." Leo answered his son, "and I know how much it hurts. It was discussed in the elder council this morning..."

"In the elder council?" Wyatt interrupted, "They don't have any say in this."

"Yes Wyatt they do. Until Chris becomes king part of the power remains with the elders, but that is not what is important at the moment. What is important is that after some yelling at from Coop," he turned and gave his brother in law a quick nod, "Joshua realised that it was not his place to interfere in the business of the higher beings and we started talking about ways to sort this little mess out."

Most of the table gave a little cough at the understatement.

Chris's eyes lit up, "So I can see her? She can come out of the dungeon?"

"No Chris, not yet, the council thinks that wouldn't be the best of ideas."

He saw fury flash in his sons' eyes, "The council agrees to your need to see these women but they believe that it would be unwise for you at this particular time to let them out."

"Why?"

"Because son, as far as the general magical population thinks, you are still sick with two sets of memories whizzing around in your brain making you very confused and unable to make wise decisions. We think it would be best if you start attending to your duties as prince, showing the people that you are in sound mind before you let the women out. We can arrange for you to see the women regularly in private but until the people can trust you decisions again, it is unwise to make a decision as large as pardoning the women that tried to kill you."

Chris nodded to his father's wisdom, he did see the logic, "But I can see her? We can see them?"

"Yes," he smiled at the look of absolute joy that overtook his son's features, he hadn't seen that look in a long time, "The council is setting up something for tonight." Both his sons were beaming, though Wyatt looked a bit apprehensive, and Chris looked a little nervous. "Which leads on to another thing discussed at council today, they think it is about time that you started taking up some of your duties. You have been hidden from public view for over a week, the people need to see that you are getting better."

The soul mate debarkle aside Chris's memories had been coming back at an extremely fast rate. He perhaps had a third of his memories back and was starting to better accept his place within Wiccan society. There were times when instead of the fearful, out of his depths look of the Chris from the other timeline, he would catch the sombre look that his Chris had, the Chris that had accepted the hard fact that he was going to be king weather he liked it or not. He now had a good proportion of memories of his family, of his evil plots against Mel and his adventures with Penny, of pulling Payton out of binds in the underworld. The leadership stuff was taking a little longer to come but Leo thought that was because he had been spending a lot for time around his family in the past week activating those memories and if he was to partake in his princely duties, those memories would also come back swiftly.

"But, I'm not ready! I don't remember that much about the political stuff, I don't know what I'm doing!" Chris protested.

"The more stuff you get involved in the quicker your memories will comeback." He watched his son who was now poking his food, his appetite gone, "and the sooner you will get Bianca out of jail."

Though he perked up a bit at the mention of getting Bianca out of jail, he still looked unsure, "But I'll screw up!"

"Honey," Piper said leaning over the table to squeeze her son's arm making him look up at her, "They aren't going to expect you to make any big decisions, in fact, they probably won't let you, they just need to see you there, that you're ok. You just have to sit and listen, and Wyatt and your father will be there with you the whole time."

"You will?"

"Of course, family never abandons one of their own." Leo said repeating the world he had said in his childhood.

"When? When do they want me to start?" he asked apprehensively

"There is a round table meeting tomorrow morning, Wyatt will lead it but it would be good if you sat in." Leo said and Wyatt nodded in agreement.

Chris's POV

That evening a couple of hours after dinner, Joshua came to escort them down to the dungeons.

"You're Royal Highness, My Lord, My Ladies." He greeted Chris, Wyatt, Mel and Penny who were playing cards in Chris's room. "If you would follow me we are all set up for your meeting in the dungeons." Both Mel and Penny, who had come round to the idea of Wyatt and Chris having soul mates because it would make them happy, squealed loudly, making the boys roll their eyes.

"I think," Wyatt said, "That it would be best if Chris and I went alone this time." The two girls looked a little disappointed but did not rise to follow.

The walk down to the dungeons was tense, Wyatt was worried about meeting his soul mate for the first time, Chris was worried about the face that this Bianca didn't know him and all the guards that escorted them were not really sure how to feel about the fact that their future king and his brother had fallen in 'love' with the women what had attempted to assassinate them a week ago. It went against what they had been trained as the royal guard, there job was to protect the royal family from harm no to leave them down and put them in the same room as it. The guards this time had been specifically chosen, none of the blabber mouths that had spread the news around the place the other night, these were secret meetings after all.

As the main gate to the dungeons swung open to let them through Chris felt his heart jump up and get stuck in his throat. 'She doesn't know me like she did in the other universe. How is she going to feel about being soul bound to me? Goddess it is not even just me anymore, I'm a Prince now. The Anointed Prince, soon to be the King. Who would want to be soul bound to me? Who would want that responsibility?' All these thoughts kept running round in his head, how on earth was he going to explain all this to her without her trying to run for the hills? They entered down a long hall to a room with a large cement table and barred corridors leading off different in several different directions.

"If you will wait here Your Royal Highness." Joshua said, "The prison guards will get the woman, Bianca. Lord Wyatt, will you follow these guards and they will take you to see the other woman." Wyatt gave Joshua a quick nod and Chris a weak smile before following the guards down one of the barred corridors. Chris stood waiting nervously for the prison guards to return, the royal guards who had accompanies them down took positions by the walls while Joshua stood unmoved from his side. Goddess couldn't he do this in privacy, it was going to be painful and awkward enough without an audience.

There was a creak of hinges and a rattle of chains and Chris looked up to see a small chained woman being dragged between two extremely large guards. His anger momentarily rose at the rough way the men were handling her.

She looked up at him and her eyes took his breath away for a split second. There was something there that was so familiar; could it truly be his Bianca? "Bianca..." the words came out shaking and uncertain.

"Chris?" She answered, "Is it really you?" Oh Goddess! She remembered him, somehow, she called him Chris, she didn't call him Prince or Your Royal Highness like everyone else, just Chris.

She started to gently laugh as she inspected him up and down, taking in his clothes, physique, the way he held himself, "Look at you, you're the prince!"

End of Chapter 11

Hi everyone, I hope you liked it, its not my best I know but I wrote myself into a corner and then realised I had to write my self out of it again.

Nice reviews make me happy.

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