roganjalex - Thanks! As for the sequel, see
CharmedOpal - Yeah, sometimes I hate myself for what I'm doing to them, too xD So sorry you had to wait this long to the new
lizzardmomma - Thank you so much! And we'll see if you're right :)
ObsessedwReading - Thanks
Missou64 - That's a good question. Piper has a similar one ;) And thanks for understanding!
Guest - I don't know... I can just speak for myself and say that I never really liked her and it fitted perfectly into the plot.
Since I don't want to keep you waiting any longer I decided to split the ending into two parts, so there will be a 14th chapter.
But... there won't be a sequel. The mere fact that it took me 2 months (oh god, I'm so sorry!) to write this chapter showed me that I simply can't make enough time anymore. I wouldn't feel good to leave you hanging this long for every new chapter.
Anyway: I will try to write the last chapter faster!
Chapter 13 » The Letter
"Oh no, you don't" Piper had already risen her hands when...
"STOP!"
At first Billie thought Christy had been talking to Piper, but it was Wyatt who stopped the sword and not a moment too soon; the tip already rested on his chest. However, Piper had been taken aback by this and hesitated but soon raised her hands higher, doubtlessly to hurt Christy.
But she wasn't going to let that happen. "Piper... let me explain to you why killing me is a very bad idea. Even if you do my influence over Wyatt won't be broken. And he already has the instruction to kill himself, if anything should happen to me. You see? I'm the only one who can ensure your boy will live."
"You call this living?" Chris asked.
"He's breathing, isn't he?"
"But for how long?" Piper had taken her hands down but looked as if she was going to explode herself any minute now. "You almost had him kill himself a moment ago. If we let you go... there's no guarantee you won't finish the job."
"Oh, but there is." Christy's voice was shaking – with excitement. It was as if Piper had said just what she had wanted to hear. She looked at Billie. "Her."
If the situation wouldn't be that tense Billie might have said something like This is starting to get really old but instead she kept quiet and simply stared at her sister.
"Should Billie come to her senses and come with me... I will let go of Wyatt completely. You'll get him back and I will get my sister."
"You wouldn't let Wyatt go." Billie said. "Even if I go with you... there's nothing that'll make me stay if you let him go."
Christy looked at her with eyes so cold, Billie shivered. "My proposal wasn't finished. You come with me... we use the Ultimate Power to kill the sisters... then I'll let him go."
No one said anything. Everyone simply stared at Christy. "Oh come one." she said. "You didn't really thing there was no catch, did you? Besides... Billie keeps saying you're good. That you would sacrifice yourself to save people... well, here's your chance to proof it! Sacrifice yourselves and save Wyatt. Your nephew. Your son."
Billie slowly shook her head. "You're insane..." her voice was nothing but a whisper. "If you kill them now it'll change the future. Wyatt might live but who would raise him and Chris? And what about Melinda? She'd never be born!"
"Just another reason to do it."
Melinda snorted and Billie saw that she had a hard time restraining herself from saying anything. She probably didn't want to piss Christy off to the point where she'd kill Wyatt just to punish them.
"Don't you get it, Billie? It'll change the future, yes, but for the better! Did anyone ever tell you that you're not in it? You obviously died at some point. That's why I came back here... Destroying the Charmed Ones will not only make the world a better place it'll also save you, because you'll finally stop risking your life to do their job!"
"So what?! If I die while helping the Charmed Ones saving an innocent, so be it!" From the corner of her eye she saw Chris had turned to look at her but she kept her eyes on focused on her Christy.
Evidently she hadn't expected Billie to say something like this. Her expression changed from fanatic to surprised but went over to disgust very quickly. "That's their influence. They have turned you suicidal. But I won't let you stay that way. Things will happen like I said! Either you will join me and we will rid the world of the Charmed Ones – or Wyatt dies. You have an hour to decide. I'll return then."
She turned around and looked at Wyatt – he got the hint and orbed the both of them away. They left the sword behind which dropped on the floor.
oOoOoOoOo
"I don't understand how Wyatt could fall for her." No one could be sure if Piper was talking to them or to herself, probably not even herself.
Billie answered anyway. "Christy can be very persuasive."
After Christy and Wyatt had left they had gone to the living room, trying to find a solution to all of this. But fifteen minutes had already gone by and they still had nothing. Chris was the only one who hadn't spoken a single word. He was too busy thinking. Why did he not remember the blonde girl who seemed to be Christy's sister? He even had trouble to keep reminding himself that her name was Billie. It was as if it slipped his mind every time right after he heard it. Something inside of him was fighting against building memories about her but it was this girl whom the fate of his family rested on. He did not have a good feeling about this.
Of course he knew just as much as everybody else: No matter how she'd decide, at least one member of his family would die today. There was no right decision only wrong ones.
Piper shook her head. "No. What I mean is… he is our Wyatt. The little boy who's playing in his room as we speak. Now that we know what's going to happen we would warn him once he's older… Hell, I'll ground his evil-witch-marrying-ass until he's thirty if that'll keep him from dying!"
Phoebe nodded. "Of course we are going to warn him. What's your point?"
"If we warned him - why did he marry her? And why didn't you two already knew everything about Christy?" she looked at Chris and Melinda. It wasn't a question, not really. Chris knew his mother good enough to see when she was asking a question she already knew the answer to. But it was more this time... she had figured something out and was about to share it with them.
"You never told us about her." Mel replied.
"Exactly. Which means there is a way to save Wyatt and us."
Paige frowned. "What makes you say that?"
"Because I'd never let any of my children die. I don't care if warning them messes up the timeline, I would have told them everything... if he had died. Since neither of them knew anything I never told them which means he survived and us obviously, too. They didn't even know about Billie. Our future selves kept everything from them so that it would happen again, just as they remembered it. First Chris and Melinda travelling back to the past, then Wyatt and Bianca, knowing very well what was going to happen. Our future selves let it happen because they had already been through it. They figured out how to get out of this alive."
"Great." Phoebe said. "But this doesn't really help us except that now we know our future selves were obviously much smarter than us when they were going through this..."
"No!" Chris said. "Piper's right. If they have done it, you can do it, too!"
"Can't you just go back to the future and ask them?"
Chris sighed. "That's a great idea, Paige. Why didn't I think of that? - That's not how time travel works. You can't run back to the future, get an answer and come back. It might screw up everything even more."
"Do you really think that's possible?" Mel asked half scared half impressed of his wisdom (or so he guessed).
"That's something I have learned in the world I grew up in. No matter how bad things are... they can always get worse."
Mel looked at him in silence for a moment but then said: "Aren't you a ball of sunshine?"
Half a smile crossed his lips as he took a look around. Everyone was silent now and had a distant look in their eyes, desperately trying to figure out a way out if this mess. That was, everyone but...
"Where's Billie?"
Up until now no one seemed to have noticed she was missing.
"You don't think she-?" Paige started but Phoebe didn't let her finish.
"No. She'd never go to Christy before talking to us first. She probably just needed some time to herself."
He took a deep breath. "I know you all like her, but is she stupid?"
"Chris!" Piper said.
"I'm serious! Christy could return at any time! There is no guarantee she'll wait until the hour has passed. It's dangerous for anyone of us to be alone right now."
The others didn't seem slightly impressed by his point. "Maybe." Piper said. "But Billie is the only one of us whom Christy doesn't want dead. She'll be fine. We should give her some space if she needs it."
Chris shook his head. "One of these days you really have to start listening to me when I'm warning you about something." Without waiting for an answer he stormed out of the living room and up the stairs.
He found the door to the guest room ajar and walked in, but Billie wasn't there. Although he figured she had been here not long ago when something caught his eye... a piece of paper, very much like the one he had seen in her hand downstairs. It was unfolded on the bed and even though he knew he had to find her, he couldn't take his eyes off of the paper because he had caught a glimpse of what was written on it... and he recognized the writing as his own.
Slowly he walked over to the bed and picked up the paper which turned out to be a letter. After a short moment of hesitation Chris started reading it.
Billie,
As long as I can remember I always felt out of place. I didn't feel at home in the world I grew up in and I felt like an intruder after I went to the past and changed it. And then I met you. With you, I suddenly and unexpectedly found someone I was comfortable with, in a way, I have never been before. I've seen the goodness in your heart and the strength of your soul. They say home is where the heart is and it took me two trips back in the past to finally find my home – you.
When I finally realized that there were so many obstacles and I thought all of them were reasons for us not to be together. What hurts the most is that I accepted that when I should have fought. After all, who doesn't fight for what he wants gets what he deserves. And I did. I lost you because I didn't fight for you.
But I will fight now. I can give up every memory of you because you are the answer. You are a part of the Ultimate Power which makes you powerful. Don't be afraid to use it. Even powers meant for destruction, can be used to do good. You just have to believe in yourself. I know that's easy because I already do.
I believe in you, Billie.
And I love you.
- Chris
When he finished Chris found himself sitting on the bed. He knew without a doubt that he had written this letter, it felt weirdly familiar – like a dream he had once had but couldn't really remember.
After Billie and Mel had returned Piper had yelled something about a spell he had used. Give up every memory... he had erased his memories about Billie to somehow save her. So that she could save everyone else.
I've seen the goodness in your heart and the strength of your soul. Chris immediately remembered how Billie had said she'd die for a good cause. He shook his head, hoping that gesture would help clear it.
When he heard little Wyatt say something he got up and walked over to his room. The door stood wide open but he stopped instantly when he saw a blonde sitting on the floor across from Wyatt. Baby-Chris was in his playpen, curiously observing the situation. Billie had one of Wyatt's teddy bears in her hands and it started to glow in a bright but warm light.
"Okay. You remember what you have to do, Wyatt?"
The boy nodded and Billie let the bear levitate. Wyatt blinked and orbed the bear right into his hands. The moment it materialized in his hands Billie closed her eyes and a pulsating light passed from the bear over to Wyatt - it reminded Chris of the light waves when something touched water. The light was gone just as quickly.
"What did you do?" Chris couldn't help but asking.
Billie startled but relaxed when she realized it was him. "You scared me."
He was about to say I asked you a question, when he felt the paper in his hands and looked down at it. Up until now he hadn't even realized he had taken it with him but he was suddenly reminded of what he had read in the letter. I believe in you. And I love you. "I'm sorry." he said as he looked up again but he wasn't entirely sure exactly what he was apologizing for.
Billie had gotten up and walked over to him but her eyes were fixed on the letter. "You read it?" she asked.
Since denial would be pointless he nodded. "I did. But I'm not sure what to make out of it."
"That's okay." Yet the tone in her voice told him she was hurt. "For what it's worth..." but she then bit her lip to stop herself from talking. "Never mind." she said shaking her head.
Trying to skip an uncomfortable silence Chris changed the topic: "So... what did you do with the bear?"
"Your letter got me thinking about a little something you once explained to me. You called it time travel 1O1."
Before he knew it he was smiling. "Did I? And what exactly did I tell you?"
"Let's go back to the others. They're going to want to know it, too."