FALSE MEMORIES
My first posted story here. Also my first Charmed Fanfic, although I have written fanfiction for other shows.
Disclaimer: The characters in Charmed do not belong to me. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Summary: Loved the Piper/Leo/Chris family dynamic in Season 6 so that's when this story is based. Set after Chris-Crossed and Prince Charming. Nobody knows who Chris is yet, but they're about to find out, courtesy of an unexpected visitor from the future…
Notes: Hey! Sorry for the big delay in updating both my stories. I've had very little free time to write over the past few weeks. My real life job has taken over everything just recently. Anyway, I have this week off (yay!) so I hope to get some serious writing done, as well as some serious relaxing!
Minor spoiler (although it's fairly obvious from the last chapter): Future Leo is back in this part and I'm going to do what I did earlier on in the story. That means that, unless they're both in the same scene, I'll establish which Leo it is at the beginning and then drop the Future and Present/Past tags because I think they sound rather clunky. Hope that's not too confusing for anyone.
Anyway, on with the show, hope you haven't forgotten what's going on…
Chapter 28
Piper looked incredulously between her husband and youngest son. They had just filled her and her sisters in on their plan to get Alcathan out of their lives for good, and were now awaiting her verdict with twin expressions of earnest optimism on their faces.
"Are you out of your minds?" she demanded shrilly.
Chris, obviously expecting this reaction from her, jumped in immediately. "Mom, we don't have any other option as far as I can see," he said in a mollifying tone. "Either we wait it out until Wyatt's old enough, or I do this now. Personally I'd rather get it over and done with, especially if it means we can stay together as a family."
Piper looked at her son. She couldn't fault his logic but… "It's too dangerous," she said worriedly.
"No more so than for Wyatt in seventeen years' time," Chris refuted.
"Yes but that's…" she trailed off and looked over at her husband for support.
"Way in the future," he supplied, quickly sensing the root cause of her problem. "Whereas this is right here, right now."
"Exactly," Piper concurred softly, her brown eyes troubled. "I'm just… I'm not ready for this. Not yet."
"And you think you will be in seventeen years' time?" Leo asked her.
Piper looked away from his knowing gaze, her hands instinctively moving to cradle her pregnancy bump. "No, I don't suppose I will," she eventually admitted, "But at least I'll be more prepared then."
"We're going to have to face it sooner or later, Piper," Leo told her gently. "Our boys are going to grow up and lead their own lives no matter what we do. And, unfortunately, that means that there are times when they are going to be in this kind of danger. It's who they were born to be after all, whether we like it or not."
Piper sighed heavily, knowing that, despite her concerns, this was their best chance of safeguarding the future for their family. "You're supposed to be my baby forever," she accused her adult son.
"I am – just a six foot, twenty-one year old, extraordinary good-looking baby," he quipped, coaxing a reluctant smile out of her in spite of her worries.
"You have to promise me that you'll be careful," she said. "No reckless behaviour and definitely no taking any unnecessary risks…"
"Or there'll be no TV for a week," Chris cut in laconically, prompting his Aunts to laugh and Piper to give him 'the look' perfected by all mothers and well known to all children throughout the entire world.
"I'm serious!" she told him sternly.
"Relax Mom, okay? I'm a big boy now; I can take care of myself."
"Except that your definition of taking care of yourself doesn't exactly coincide with mine," Piper retorted.
"Since when? I mean, I shower and change my underwear every day, brush my teeth morning and night, and I wash my hands after I've used the bathroom," Chris said, ticking off the items on his fingers.
"I respect my family and those around me," he went on. "I don't use magic for personal gain unless there are extenuating circumstances. I don't lie without a damn good reason to, and I definitely don't cheat. I don't get drunk, or do drugs, and I've always practised safe sex in case you were wondering…"
"Not really," Paige cut in. "That falls into the category of too much information if you ask me."
Chris flashed her a mischievous grin and then turned his gaze back on his mother. "Do I need to go on?" he asked.
"I wasn't that much of a stickler was I?" Piper said with a tiny frown. "What?" she demanded when both her sisters started to laugh. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, of course not," Phoebe said between giggles. "Mrs Super-Organised and Supremely Neurotic could never be such a hard taskmaster – or mistress, I should say."
"What did she make you do?" Paige asked her nephew. "Recite all those rules every night before you went to bed so you didn't forget them?"
"Hey!" Piper protested and Chris laughed.
"I don't see what's so funny, mister," she reprimanded him sharply.
Chris looked across at her, his green eyes effortlessly beguiling. "Mom, you won't ever catch me complaining about how I was brought up," he told her. "You might have been strict at times, but you were pretty cool with it too. And I turned out okay, didn't I?"
"Well, the jury's still out on that," Piper said teasingly, although her warm, affectionate smile said otherwise.
"Gee thanks," Chris said flatly. "Nice to know my mother has such overwhelming confidence in me."
"Umm… aren't we getting away from the point?" Leo cut in mildly, bringing their attention back to more serious matters.
The carefree expression quickly fading from her features, Piper turned to regard her husband solemnly. "I still don't like it," she said resignedly, "But I know it's what we have to do."
Leo nodded at her and then turned his questioning gaze on his son. "You ready?"
"No," Chris told him honestly, "But, as Mom says, it's what we have to do so let's get on with it. Go ahead and summon him."
Leo extracted a piece of paper from the back pocket of his jeans and unfolded it. "It's a Power-of-Three spell," he informed them.
"Wait!" Paige said in a sharp tone, causing Phoebe to freeze in the act of taking the crumpled sheet of paper out of his outstretched hand.
"You can write a Power-of-Three spell?" the youngest Charmed One asked her brother-in-law.
"If the occasion demands it," he replied with a nonchalant shrug.
"So, all those times we've been agonising over whether we've got the spell right or not, you could have told us?"
"You didn't need my help," Leo pointed out reasonably.
"That's not the point! You just sat back, blasé as you like, and watched us fret!"
"A whitelighter's job is to guide not direct, Paige," Leo explained calmly. "Besides, working it out for yourselves was character building," he added with an impish grin.
"Character building, my ass, you just enjoyed watching us suffer!"
"Well, there was that I suppose," Leo replied lightly, seemingly without care for life or limb. "Seriously though – you each needed to gain confidence in your own abilities and also learn to trust in your bond as sisters. You weren't going to do that if I interfered all the time, were you?"
"I guess not," Paige admitted grudgingly.
"Good – glad you see it my way. Now the summoning spell…"
During this conversation, Chris had drifted away from his family over towards the attic window, his thoughts a tumult of conflicting emotions. It had been nearly six months now since the other version of his father had gone back to the future, leaving him here in the past to adjust to the realities of his new life. During that period, he had learned to accept that his old existence was gone for good, and had gradually bonded with this times' version of his family as a result.
He still viewed the two Leo's as separate people however, and a growing sense of guilt was now bubbling to the surface. Would his first father feel replaced? Or, even worse, betrayed, because he had moved on and allowed this Leo into his life and heart? And, what's more, could he handle seeing him again, knowing that it was only temporary and that they would be forced to say goodbye for a second, painful time?
As his mother and Aunt's voices began to chant the Power-of-Three spell behind him, Chris closed his eyes, knowing that he was about to find out the answers to these questions whether he wanted to or not…
As the spell began to take effect, Leo calmly watched as a spinning vortex opened up in the attic floor, the whirl of glittery dust stirred up in its wake seemingly materialising out of nowhere. A supernatural wind whipped at his hair as the swirling dust cloud rose higher and higher until, all of a sudden, it was gone, leaving him staring into the eyes of an older, more world-weary version of himself.
Future Leo looked grimmer somehow; his blue-green eyes cloaked in shadows and his face pale and gaunt. It was as if the loss of his youngest son – his raison d'être – had sapped all the energy and life out of him. Flecks of grey streaked his hair now and many more lines etched his handsome face, making him look much closer to his actual age.
"What is it?" he demanded sharply, his stance becoming instantly alert the moment he registered his surroundings. "What's wrong?"
Present Leo exchanged glances with his wife and sister-in-laws, and then looked back at his future self, his expression grave. "We've discovered a few things," he said…
Fifteen minutes later…
"Alcathan."
Future Leo was wide-eyed with shock. "I…," he stopped, unable to put his stunned thoughts into words.
"I know," his present counterpart said, having gone through similar emotions on discovering the truth himself. "It explains a lot though."
Future Leo nodded. "And you're sure this prophecy is genuine?" he asked.
"The other Elders are and I can't think of a legitimate reason to believe otherwise."
"All right, but I still don't understand why you need my help."
"Chris has a theory," Present Leo explained, shooting a wary glance at their son, who was still gazing out of the window, his back resolutely turned.
You didn't need to be empathic to know that Chris was struggling to contain his emotions right now. It was if he was afraid to look at his first father for fear of breaking down. Strangely, Present Leo wasn't unduly affected by this knowledge. Before he had felt pushed out by the strength of Chris's relationship with his other father, but now he was secure enough in his own relationship with his son to know that the boy had room enough in his life for both versions of himself.
Future Leo followed his gaze, half-rose to his feet, and then sat back down again, apparently deciding to deal with the emotional ramifications of this reunion later. "Which is?" he asked calmly.
Present Leo explained Chris's interpretation of the prophecy and his idea on how to fulfil it. "…only we were concerned about how vulnerable Future Wyatt might be to attack if he lost his powers," he finished.
Future Leo nodded, finally understanding why he had been summoned. "Well, it'd be tantamount to signing his death warrant right now," he told them darkly.
"Why? What's going on?" Chris asked, turning away from the window and finally meeting his father's gaze.
"A couple of demon factions have decided to challenge Wyatt's rule," Future Leo explained, "But it's nothing you need concern yourself with. You need to focus on what you're doing here, not worry about a future that won't even exist when all this is over."
"So, do you think you can protect him?" Phoebe asked. "Grown-up Wyatt, I mean."
Future Leo shook his head. "Not for length of time I'd need to, no."
"I don't understand," Phoebe said with a frown.
"Chris can't just swap powers with Wyatt and then immediately confront Alcathan, Phoebe. He'll need to learn to control his brother's magic first and that could take weeks. I can't shield Wyatt from his enemies for that long, a day or so maybe but nothing beyond that."
"So there's nothing we can do then," Piper said dejectedly.
"Not necessarily, we could probably protect him if we remove him from the situation entirely," Future Leo said. "Unfortunately, the only way I can think of to do that is to bring him here."
"No! No, you can't!" Chris said, horrified at the suggestion.
Future Leo sighed. "If you're serious about wanting to protect him, Chris, I can't see any other way."
Chris cast a sorrowful look at his Mom and Aunts, and then searched deep within himself for the strength to do what was necessary. They shouldn't have to witness the ruthless tyrant that Wyatt had become in recent years, he knew.
It was no good though – he was never going to be able to handle being indirectly responsible for his brother's inevitably slow and painful death at the hands of his demonic enemies, whether the other future existed or not. It was different changing things for the better somehow. The evil Wyatt would simply fade from existence in that instance, meeting a peaceful end rather than the horribly violent one, which the current future promised if they didn't do anything to protect him.
"We'll have to find a way to contain him," he eventually said, "Which isn't going to be easy. This is Wyatt we're talking about – he's hardly Mr Meek and Mild."
"Actually, what we have to do is find a way to contain you," Paige reminded her nephew. "He'll have your powers not his own, remember?"
Chris nodded, his expression brightening a little. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. I didn't think of that."
"Unfortunately, that's still going to be easier said than done," Future Leo said gravely.
"Why? I mean…," Paige stopped and threw an apologetic glance at Chris. "No offence, but you're no Harry Potter."
"I've told you before, Paige," Future Leo said, before his son could respond to his Aunt's unwitting insult. "Chris is a lot more powerful than you think. He's been posing as a whitelighter here so you haven't really seen what he is capable of. That and he's always been reticent about using his powers anyway. Wyatt, on the other hand, has no such compunction. He can and will use his powers at every available opportunity, and the more impressive they appear, the better. I don't think there's any doubt that he'll try to exercise Chris's to their maximum potential in his attempts to break free."
"All right, so how about we try out the super-strength crystals me and Phoebe conjured up last week then?" Paige suggested, crossing the room to retrieve a large wooden box from the top of the armoire in the corner. She flipped open the lid and waved her hand.
"Crystals!"
The pyramidal white stones dissolved into a stream of blue orb lights and then reappeared in a circle around Chris, who flinched back as a shimmering cage of white light entrapped him.
"Okay Houdini," Paige said. "Do your thing."
Holding his hands out either side of him, palms facing outwards, Chris pushed hard against the confines of the crystal cage with his telekinesis power. The iridescent bars of white light bowed dramatically in response but remained intact, much to his youngest Aunt's satisfaction.
"There, see," she said, turning triumphantly towards Future Leo.
Future Leo was shaking his head however. "You're not trying hard enough," he told his son. "You have to push aside your natural instinct to rein in your power, and just let it loose. Your brother will have no such qualms about pushing it to its limits, you know he won't."
Chris nodded solemnly, knowing this to be true.
"Try again," Future Leo instructed. "And Paige?"
"Hmm?"
"Just a suggestion, but perhaps it'd be better if you didn't stand directly in the firing line."
Catching hold of his sister-in-law's arm, Future Leo tugged her out of the way and then nodded at his son to proceed. Drawing in a couple of deep breaths, Chris closed his eyes in an attempt to shut out the fact that there were other people in the room, and then unleashed his power unrestrainedly, forcibly overriding his innate need to keep it under strict control as he did so.
The results were spectacular. With a loud, deafening crack, the crystals shattered into tiny pieces as the shimmering bars of the light cage splintered dramatically apart. The remnants of the shattered crystals were then catapulted to all corners of the attic by the resulting shockwave of energy, which rippled through the air in the wake of the cage's catastrophic destruction.
Breathing heavily, Chris opened his eyes and looked about, shocked by what he had done. He was fully aware that he had never gotten close to testing the limits of his power before, but he still hadn't expected this. He turned to look at his father, who was just rising to his feet, having ducked down to shield himself and Paige from the blast.
"Wyatt is stronger, certainly," Future Leo said, guessing his thoughts, "But the gap isn't as wide as you think."
"But I… why? Umm…," Chris stuttered, still decidedly shell-shocked by it all.
Future Leo shrugged. "Because showing restraint isn't such a bad habit to have," he said matter-of-factly. "That's the thing about you, Chris – you're very grounded. You use your powers as and when necessary, and don't feel the need to abuse them. That's the way it should be and your Mom and I certainly weren't going to encourage you to be any different. We focused our energies on trying to teach your brother to be more like you instead."
Chris let out a self-depreciating snort. "And here's me thinking I was the runt of the litter," he remarked dryly.
"Chris…," Future Leo chided with a shake of his head.
"All right so I get why you didn't encourage me before Wyatt turned, but what about after?" Chris enquired. "It might have helped."
"Or got you killed," Future Leo contradicted. "Wyatt only gave you the level of freedom you had because he underestimated how much of a threat you could be. If he had known the truth…"
He left the statement hanging but Chris shuddered, knowing what his brother was capable of.
"Besides, turning you into the modern day Cain and Abel would only have made things worse," Future Leo continued. "This is about saving our family, Chris, not destroying it."
"Okay so if that's what Chris's active power can do, what exactly is Wyatt capable of?" Phoebe said, asking the inevitable question.
"You don't want to know," the two Leo's and Chris said in unison, their tones bleak.
"Oh." Phoebe looked away and swallowed.
"God!" Piper sounded on the verge of tears as she wearily sat down on the sofa and dropped her head into her cupped hands.
Chris cast her a stricken look. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I wish I could let go and then maybe…" He broke off and shook his head.
"Let go of what?" Piper asked her son.
Chris shrugged. "The family ties that don't really exist anymore. If I could do that, then we wouldn't have to bring Wyatt here and you wouldn't have to…" He sighed. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" his mother said gently. "For being incapable of causing deliberate harm to your brother? How can I blame you for that? The opposite is something I could never wish for – ever - whatever the circumstances."
Crossing his arms over his middle, Chris nodded, his gaze firmly fixed on his feet. It was still difficult for him to shake off the misplaced sense of guilt that he'd always felt for the way things had turned out in the other future. With the shifting dynamics of his life here in the past though, he had gradually learned to stop feeling so responsible for every little thing that went wrong. With every day that passed, his emotional wounds healed a little more, and yet he still felt the need to protect the people he loved from the realities of the future they were trying to prevent all the same.
"Okay," Paige said, cutting through the sudden veil of pessimism that seemed to have descended over them. "We've established mine and Phoebe's super-strength crystals aren't quite so super-strength after all."
She shot a complaining look at her nephew, who grinned sheepishly back at her. "So we need to think of something else…"
OOOOOO
Several hours later, Present Leo descended the attic steps and walked down the first floor landing to Chris's bedroom. Pausing outside, he tapped lightly on the closed door.
"Come in," his son called after a brief pause.
Leo entered the room to find Chris lying flat on his back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Have the girls come up with something else?" the young witch-whitelighter asked, quickly sitting up.
Leo shook his head. "Not yet – they're still working on it. I think you've presented them with quite a dilemma," he added with a smile.
Chris returned it without much enthusiasm, and then rested his chin on his knees, wrapping his arms around his bent legs.
"So, how you doing?" Leo asked, broaching the thorny subject that he had come here to discuss.
"Okay, I guess," Chris replied unconvincingly.
"Avoiding him isn't going to make it any easier," Leo said sagely.
Chris looked over at him and then unexpectedly began to laugh, albeit rather feebly.
"What?" Leo asked, confused by his son's reaction.
"Nothing," Chris said with a shake of his head. "It's just I seem to remember someone else telling me pretty much the same thing a few months back – just in a different context."
"Oh," Leo said in understanding. "Well, that worked out okay, didn't it?" he asked, a glimmer of insecurity suddenly entering his tone.
"Yeah, yeah, I guess it did," Chris agreed with a smile.
Leo smiled back, relieved by this vote of confidence in their familial bond. "So talk to him then," he said, reaching out to squeeze his son's shoulder in quiet empathy. "Look - how about I go and tell him you want to see him?"
"No need," Future Leo's voice sounded from the doorway. "I guess we think alike," he added with a shrug.
Present Leo nodded and then stood up. "I'll umm… go and help the girls, leave you two to talk," he said, and then orbed out, leaving his future counterpart and Chris alone.
Pushing the door shut, Future Leo crossed to take his other self's place, sitting down on the mattress next to their son. There was a short, slightly awkward silence before Chris broke the deadlock.
"I'm sorry," he blurted. "It's just…" He trailed off and looked down at his hands.
"You apologise too much, you know that?" Future Leo said lightly. "I know this isn't easy – for either of us – but we're just going to have to deal with it the best way we can."
Chris nodded, his gaze still downcast.
"You have missed me, haven't you?" his father pressed.
"Dad…," Chris protested weakly, finally looking up and meeting Future Leo's gaze.
Leo smiled. "Just checking," he said. "You've resolved your issues with the other me, I see," he added conversationally.
"Yeah," Chris said a little warily. "Things are better… good in fact."
"I'm glad."
"You are?" Chris searched his father's face for the answer, guilt evident in his eyes as he did so.
"Of course I am," Leo said firmly. "I'm perfectly willing to share. Provided I'm still number one that is," he added as a joking afterthought.
It served to break the ice as he'd hoped, for Chris shook his head and began to laugh, the tension visibly draining out of him.
"It's not really the same, you know," he said when he had composed himself. "With him, I mean."
"No," Future Leo said with a wry smile. "No, I don't suppose it is. I was different back then – not quite so jaded, I guess. That's bound to make a difference in the way he – I mean, I - approach things."
Chris nodded. "I think I prefer it that way," he admitted. "That it's different with him, I mean," he quickly clarified, "Not that I prefer him. I just… I need to recognise him as you, but I also need to keep you separate as well. Does that make sense?"
"If it makes sense to you, then that's all that matters. Although, I have to say, it is kind of comforting to hear. I guess the selfish part of me still wants to have my own unique place in your life."
"You do," Chris assured him.
"Good, so there's nothing for anyone to feel guilty about then, is there?"
"By anyone, I take it you mean me," Chris said.
"If the shoe fits, son."
"I sometimes think Guilt should have been my middle name," Chris said disconsolately.
"Hopefully not so much nowadays," Leo remarked meaningfully.
"No," Chris agreed softly. "Not so much."
"Good, I'm glad," his father replied, "Because it was never your burden to bear, you know."
Chris nodded and then changed the subject. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I mean you look…"
"Older?" Leo supplied, his eyebrows raised.
"Well, umm… yeah."
"I'm taking it as a good sign," Future Leo remarked blithely.
"Of what?"
"That the current future is heading towards its rightful conclusion," Leo explained quietly.
The sudden wave of grief hit Chris like a ton of bricks. "Dad. Don't," he said shakily.
Leo sighed. "Look, we both know how this has to end and it doesn't do to dwell on something like that. I think it would be best if we just focus our energies on what we have to do here, and not turn this into something it can never be."
"Okay," Chris said thickly.
"Just don't think it's because I don't care, all right? This has been hard for both of us, but I can see that you've found some peace over the past few months. I don't want to undo all that while I'm here. It's important for you to keep looking forward, to move on with your life."
"Do you think I can do it?" Chris asked then, a waver of uncertainty entering his voice.
"What? Defeat Alcathan?"
Chris nodded.
"It's a strategy that's not without its risks," his father admitted, "But prophecies exist for a reason, Chris. The potential is there within you, you just have to work out how to unlock it."
Chris sighed. "You're not going to be able to stay, are you?" he said resignedly, already knowing the answer but asking anyway. "After you've brought Wyatt here, I mean. You said before that, as an Elder, you can only remain in the past for seventy-two hours without affecting things. That still holds true, doesn't it?"
"Yes, yes, it does. But listen - your Mom, Aunts and the other me are strong people, Chris. They can handle seeing Wyatt, okay? Don't feel the need to shield them from him. That could be a big mistake."
"I don't understand."
"Come on Chris – you know your brother. He's not going to take this lying down. He's going to try and manipulate you into reversing the power-switching spell, goad you into lashing out…"
"Well, he can try all he wants," Chris said pugnaciously, "He'll be wasting his time."
"Except that he knows you, knows your weaknesses and how to break through your defences. You need to be focusing your energies on mastering Wyatt's powers. Don't give him the opportunity to distract you, all right? Avoid him as much as humanely possible. Just let the girls and the other me handle him."
"But they don't know what's he's like!" Chris protested.
"My other self does," Leo said calmly, "And he has enough of my memory to recognise your brother's tricks. I think seeing Piper again will throw Wyatt for a loop anyway. She's the root cause of his pain after all. With any luck, the shock of her presence will temper his evilness a little bit."
"And what happens when I'm ready?" Chris asked, a previously unthought of obstacle suddenly occurring to him. "Wyatt can't stay here in the past, can he? If he does, he'll end up like me. Split in two until he goes back to the new future and merges with his other self."
"Very good," Leo said approvingly. "I was wondering when someone was going to realise that."
"So, whatever we do, we can't protect him, can we? We'll have to send him back before the future changes or he could end up half-good, half-evil."
"If you manage to prevent our future from happening, that might not be the case," Leo replied, "Our Wyatt may very well turn back. However, I think I should return him to the future before you confront Alcathan, just to be on the safe side. It's not worth taking the risk. I can shield him from his enemies for a couple of days, as long as he doesn't fight me. Hopefully that will give you enough time to do what must be done."
"So it ends when I kill Alcathan?" Chris asked.
Leo pursed his lips thoughtfully. "No, I think it probably ends when you return Wyatt's powers to him afterwards."
"Or I could just keep them," Chris said jokingly.
"That's no laughing matter, Chris," Future Leo warned, deadly serious now. "That could be a very real temptation for you, one that you'll have to fight tooth and nail to resist. Your brother's powers have the potential corrupt you if you hold onto them for too long."
"You mean like Excalibur did to Mom?"
"Exactly. Excalibur will corrupt those who are not destined to wield it because they can't handle its power. Your brother's magic is very much the same. The new future cannot begin until everything is in its rightful place, and those powers are not yours to have, they're Wyatt's. Your destiny is simply to…"
"Bow down before him whether he's good or evil?" Chris suggested ironically.
"No - to stand alongside him. Be his conscience if you will."
"So what? We'd be like Brothers-in-Arms?"
Leo smiled. "Well, that's one way of putting it, I guess. Me? I'd prefer to think of it as a similar bond to that which your Mom and Aunts share."
"The Power of Two?" Chris suggested.
"The Power of Two," Leo confirmed with a nod.
"I suppose that'd be kind of cool," Chris said slowly, turning over the possibility in his head.
"Well, keep that in mind, because that's what you're fighting for, Chris. Saving the world is all well and good, but when it comes to the Charmed line, the power of that family bond is the greatest weapon you possess…"
To be continued…
