Valhalley of the Dolls, Part Two (in which Leo jumps to the wrong conclusion)
How the hell did everything spiral out of control so quickly? Chris thought grimly, as his body forcibly reformed in Valhalla.
The hand around his arm tightened, and he was immediately pulled forward towards a cave. Chris's eyes flickered around the island, searching desperately for an escape. But with Leo's hand still clutching his arm so tightly, he had no chance of getting enough space between them to orb away. Not without using his powers anyway, but that would mean revealing himself as half-witch, something he had sworn not to do when he travelled to the past.
Half-witch opened up too many questions, questions he really didn't want to have to answer. And though he doubted his family would make the leap from 'half-witch' to 'Halliwell' (they really were so clueless and self-absorbed in this time), he couldn't take that chance. He would never be able to do what he needed to do to save Wyatt if they knew. Or at least, that's what Chris kept telling himself.
"Come on, in here," Leo said as they entered the cave, as if Chris had any choice in the matter.
"Easy," Chris cried, more to himself than to Leo. It would be so, so easy to lose his cool and get Leo's hand off him. Just a flick of his wrist, and he could send Leo flying into that cage. After so many years of fighting for his life in the future, it was basically instinct. It was taking everything in him not to unleash his power on Leo. To stumble along beside him, playing the pacifist, out-of-his-depth time travelling whitelighter he'd fooled everyone into believing he was.
Immediately upon stepping into the cave, they were confronted by two warriors. Chris remained silent as they questioned Leo, again, taking in his surroundings while the Elder alleviated their suspicions. His heart sank as he saw the bamboo cage.
The Warriors' Arena.
The last time he'd been there was to place anti-orbing wards on the cave, to prevent Leo from being able to orb out the second he landed in Valhalla. It was a strong spell, which drew on the power that ran through his veins as a Halliwell; a necessity to ensure that the spell wouldn't end before he was ready for it to. He hadn't expected to end up stuck in there himself. He supposed it was karma, in a way, to be trapped with one of the last people on earth he'd ever want to be stuck with, his father, by a spell of his own making. He could reverse it of course, but without the counter-spell on him, it would take some time, time he likely didn't have from that glint he'd seen in Leo's eyes right before he'd orbed them away. And then there was the exposure issue.
"Alright, then I'll have to question him myself," Leo told the warriors authoritatively, shoving Chris into the cage, "Alone."
Chris swallowed as Leo stepped into the cage with him and slammed the door closed. Shit. Chris watched as he picked up two swords lying on the ground, swinging them around easily in his hands.
Shit! Not good. Not good at all.
"What are you doing? Leo, what's going on?" he asked, trying to inject just the right mix of fear and confusion into his voice. The fear was easy. The confusion, not so much. Chris, unfortunately, was fairly confident he knew where this was headed.
He knew the part he needed to play. Whitelighters weren't fighters. After five weeks in Valhalla, Leo expected to have the upper hand. And even though Chris had years of experience on Leo, none of it was of any use to him now. It wasn't like Chris could use it against him. Even if he was willing to reveal himself, he couldn't take the risk that something might happen to the Elder, which would erase him from existence. So rather than raise his arms, ready to fight, Chris began to retreat, seeking to put as much distance between himself and Leo as he could.
"I'm gonna get the truth out of you one way or another," Leo stalked towards Chris, "No sisters around here to help you this time. No orbing, no way out. Just you and me."
Chris stumbled, looking down and realising that he'd almost tripped over a skull. Well, at least it gave credence to the bumbling pacifist persona he was so desperately trying to portray.
A sword landed at his feet. Chris swallowed. Swords had never been his weapon of choice. He'd never stood a chance against Wyatt and Excalibur, and there really wasn't a whole lot any other sword could do. So rather than try, he'd always relied on evasion and his powers to escape.
"You're joking, right? I mean, shouldn't we be getting back to fill in Phoebe and Paige and find Piper?" he spoke quickly, wondering if he might be able to talk his way out of this one. It had worked before, but never on Leo, even in his own time.
"I already lost Piper. Pick it up."
"You know, this isn't funny anymore. This isn't very Elder-like either," Chris pointed out, backing away as Leo stalked closer.
"Being trapped here for five weeks and fighting for my life has changed me a lot. Pick it up," Leo spat venomously.
Chris shook his head, "Forget it."
And suddenly there was a shield flying towards him. On reflex, Chris caught it, and just managed to lift it to block Leo's sword, which was being swung at his head. The force of the sword against his shield was enough for Chris to lose his footing. He landed on his back, close enough to the sword to be able to grab it and raise it towards Leo.
"I didn't do it," he insisted.
But it was no use. Leo knocked the sword out of his hand and pressed his sword against Chris's throat. This was just a warning, Chris realised, his breathing quickening. It wasn't enough to draw any blood, but one wrong move and his throat would be slit.
Chris swallowed, "You can't kill me. I'm a whitelighter."
Only Leo could kill him. Much easier than if he was, in fact, a full whitelighter. And what was worse, Leo didn't know. He may not have intended to kill Chris in that moment (though Chris was becoming increasingly doubtful of that every second that went on with the sword pressed against his throat), but not knowing the whitelighter-witch's limits, he could very, very easily kill him unintentionally.
"No?" Leo challenged, pushing the point of the sword to make his point, "Then why are you sweating?"
He paused at that, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes in realisation.
"Why are you sweating?" he repeated, more to himself than to Chris.
Crap, Chris could see Leo putting the pieces together.
"Unless I can kill you. Because you're not a full whitelighter."
Leo stated this factually. He wasn't asking Chris to confirm. He was certain.
Well, nothing to lose now, he thought, lifting a hand from the sand. He flicked his wrist towards Leo, who was suddenly wrenched away from him. Leo collided with the cage, landing on his stomach on the ground. Chris pulled himself to his feet, watching Leo do the same.
Chris stood defensively, ready to dodge or run, whichever the situation called for. He held his hands close to his side, poised, ready to strike if Leo chose to charge at him again. But Leo didn't seem to be attacking anymore. He was staring at Chris's hands.
"You're a witch too," Leo said, his eyes moving back to Chris's face.
No point in denying it.
"Yes," Chris said flatly.
"You lied to us," Leo folded his arms across his chest, "Why?"
Chris remained silent and still, letting Leo come to his own conclusions. If he gave Leo nothing, there was a chance that he may provide Chris with a way out of the mess he'd found himself in. But the longer the silence went on, the more worried Chris became that Leo had figured him out.
"Who are you really?" Leo asked, finally breaking the silence.
"I already told you. I-"
"You lied about being a whitelighter. What else are you lying about?"
Chris clenched his hands into fists. This was not going the way he'd hoped. Time to try deflecting.
"Technically, I didn't lie. The sisters saw me orb and they just assumed," he pointed out, "But I didn't lie about anything else."
Leo looked at him disbelievingly, but said nothing. The two men stood in tense silence, both sizing the other one up, waiting for him to speak or make a move. Chris's heart thudded harder and harder in his chest with every passing second, becoming increasingly fearful that Leo was on the verge of realising his secret. And that just couldn't happen. He had planned meticulously for every single possibility. Every possibility except this one. And he had no idea what he could say to throw him off.
"Do you know us?" Leo asked suddenly, "In the future?"
Though he tried not to react, Chris flinched instinctively. He didn't respond though. Denying it was no use, Leo didn't trust him enough to believe that. But he didn't want to confirm it either. Confirming it put Leo one step closer to the truth.
"You must know us. In this time as well as your own. Why else lie?" Leo said, mostly to himself, "But you'd have to be a baby in this time, to come from twenty years in the future. A baby… whitelighter-witch." Leo's eyes widened in realisation.
Oh come on, Chris fought the urge to roll his eyes as he realised where Leo's mind seemed to have gone to.
"My father's name was Christopher," he breathed, taking a deep breath before asking hesitantly, "Are you… Are you my son? Are you Wyatt?"
Chris couldn't help himself. He laughed bitterly as Leo looked at him confusedly. Of course he'd think I'm Wyatt. His favourite son. He couldn't think of any other possibility.
Admittedly, it was a little unfair to expect Leo to realise who Chris was without any help, given that he didn't even exist in this time yet. But it still hurt, and after so many years of constantly being compared to Wyatt, of constantly coming second best with Leo, he couldn't help the old feelings of bitterness and resentment that welled up inside of him. Not to mention that they didn't even look all that similar either.
"Are you?" Leo asked again.
For a second, Chris thought about saying yes. But what Leo didn't know yet was the real reason Chris had come to the past. The sisters knew, the sanitised version at least, and they would question how Wyatt could come back in time to save himself. Not to mention that all it would take was anyone asking him to use the shield or anyone of the ridiculous number of other powers his brother possessed that he didn't to give himself up. And they'd definitely expect him to be able to wield Excalibur when it came into their possession in a few months' time, if he could even fool them for that long. Regardless of how it happened, when he eventually got caught out pretending to be Wyatt, he could guarantee that Leo and the sisters would never believe another word that came out of his mouth, whether he was telling the truth or not.
No, there was no way around it. Time to fess up.
"I can see why you'd think that. Why you'd want to believe I'm Wyatt. Sorry to disappoint, Dad," Chris spat.
The confusion on Leo's face deepened. Chris could see the gears turning in his head. Not Wyatt. So who…?
"Let me help you out. My name's not Chris Perry. It's Chris Halliwell. I was born, or will be born," Chris corrected himself, "In November 2004, about fourteen months from now."
Leo looked shocked now. Stunned really. Too stunned to even speak. Chris rolled his eyes. Alright, guess I'm gonna have to spell it out for him.
He sighed, "I am your son. But I'm not Wyatt."
And boy did you let me know it growing up, he thought bitterly.
Actually saying the words seemed to shake Leo out of the stupor he'd fallen into. Kind of.
"But I… Piper and I… I'm an Elder. How could we have another son?" he asked, still not entirely understanding.
"Let's just say I made some necessary changes to the timeline, which I plan to undo later," Chris shrugged. Somehow, he added to himself, If by some miracle, I haven't caused irreparable damage and completely erased myself forever. Or worse, made my parents not want me anymore.
"Why would you risk your own existence? If you only came back to save the world from the Titans, you didn't need to…" Leo trailed off, another realisation coming to him, "You didn't come back to stop the Titans, did you?"
"No. No, I didn't. In my timeline, the sisters defeated the Titans without my help. The real reason I came back is to save Wyatt," Chris said carefully, wanting to protect the one secret he still had left.
"To save Wyatt? From what?" Leo's whole demeanour changed at the mention of a threat to his son.
Bitterness washed over Chris. Of course that's all he cares about. Wyatt. Never mind the very real possibility that I've completely screwed my own existence. Anything to protect Wyatt.
But then, couldn't the same be said about Chris as well? After all, he was only risking erasing himself from existence completely to save his big brother. Of course, his own choices didn't make Leo's obvious preference for his firstborn hurt any less.
"Figures that's what you'd care about," Chris spat, ready to end the conversation, "We don't have time for this. We have to find Piper."
"Mom," Leo corrected softly, "We have to find your Mom."
Chris stiffened. This was exactly why he hadn't wanted his secret revealed. He'd told himself it was to protect the future, and to make sure he could do whatever was necessary to save Wyatt, but what he was really worried about was Piper becoming Mom. This Piper was still so different to the mother he'd known. It made it easy to keep them separate in his head. And he needed to separate them, to protect himself from future heartache, when he eventually returned to the future. If he ever returned to the future.
"She's not my Mom," Chris said darkly, ignoring the shellshocked expression Leo directed at him.
"Chris…" Leo stepped towards him.
"Stop it!" Chris cried out in frustration, "You asked why I lied? This is why I lied! I'm not here for a family reunion. I'm here to save Wyatt. That's it. And step one is finding Piper and bringing her home."
With that, Chris flicked his hand towards the cage door, flinging it open with such force, the cage shook. Without looking at Leo, he stormed out of the cave, out of the bounds of his anti-orbing spell. As soon as his feet stepped over the spell's boundary, he orbed, reforming a moment later in the Manor living room.
It was empty. In fact, the whole house was empty. Phoebe must have left after Leo orbed them to Valhalla. Chris closed his eyes for a moment, and let his mind wander to his aunt. The paper. He scoffed. Of course Phoebe had gone to work. Never mind the fact that the Power of Three was at risk, that her sister was at risk of becoming a full-blown Valkyrie.
How the hell does she become the Aunt Phoebe I know? Chris wondered. The Phoebe he'd known in the future put her family and the Power of Three above all else. It was hard to reconcile that with the irresponsible, self-absorbed child he had come to know over the last five weeks.
But he had bigger problems than Phoebe at that moment. Bigger problems than his mother becoming a Valkyrie even; although that really was a pressing issue, because who knew what would happen to him if she did. Valkyries didn't have children.
Leo knows.
Chris sank to the couch, his hands gripping his hair in frustration. This is bad. This is really, really bad. How the hell did this happen? How did things get so out of control, so quickly? He knew where it all went wrong though. Or had an idea, at the very least. In all of his planning, he hadn't counted on Leo using his newfound Elder powers to take away Piper's pain. If Leo hadn't taken away Piper's pain, there would have been no reason for Phoebe and Paige to want to call him back down to Earth. And if they hadn't wanted to call him, Chris wouldn't have been forced to reveal that Leo was missing, Paige would have never gone looking for him, and Leo would still be locked away in Valhalla, none the wiser about who Chris really was.
Five weeks, Chris thought to himself grimly, How the hell was I figured out in five weeks?
Phoebe and Paige may not have been able to convince Piper to stay, but they'd seen her use her powers. Her witch powers. She hadn't given up being a witch, not completely. Which meant there was still a chance they could get her back.
"There's gotta be a way to get Piper out of there. I know it," Phoebe said.
"Well, unfortunately, the reversal spell, as you so kindly pointed out, didn't exactly help Piper remember who she was," Paige pointed out.
"What do the Elders think?" Phoebe asked, turning her attention to Chris and Leo.
She looked between the two of them. Something was different. Something had changed. When they'd orbed out, Leo had been so furious. It had radiated off of him. But now, he was a whirlpool of emotions. Bewilderment, shock, apprehension. And Chris. Chris had looked fearful, but that hadn't matched the feelings Phoebe was sensing off of him. He'd been a little worried, for sure, but he definitely hadn't seemed the least bit scared of Leo. But now, now there was definitely fear. Anger and a burning resentment too. That last emotion was the one that was really puzzling Phoebe.
"What the hell happened between you two?" Phoebe cried, interrupting whatever it was that Leo had been saying.
Chris blinked, dragging his gaze from the pattern on the rug he'd been so intently staring at when Leo began talking, to Phoebe. His eyes widened apprehensively as he realised she could feel what he was feeling. And what Leo was feeling.
Why did she have to become an empath now, of all times?
"Something's changed," Phoebe continued, "I can feel it. What happened?"
"Did you know Chris is a witch?" Leo asked, ignoring the daggers Chris was shooting at him.
Can't a guy catch a break? Chris thought frustratedly.
"What?!" Phoebe and Paige spoke at the same time.
"He didn't tell you," Leo surmised.
"So that's why you couldn't heal. You're not a student-lighter, you're a witch…lighter. Like me," Paige realised.
Chris said nothing, staring at Leo and willing him to hear his silent plea, Come on Leo. Don't tell them anything else.
It did no good, because Leo pointed out, "Like Wyatt."
Phoebe and Paige looked between Chris and Leo confusedly, not understanding what Leo was getting at.
"Okay, we really don't have time for this!" Chris interjected, desperate to change the subject, "This is about Piper, not about me."
Leo looked at Chris, "Maybe it's about both."
Chris recognised the beginnings of an idea in Leo's voice.
"What are you talking about?" he asked warily, folding his arms across his chest.
"You said that Piper used her powers," Leo turned back to Phoebe and Paige, "Her witch powers. That means the witch within is still alive. If we can get through to Piper, get her to feel again, I think we can get her back."
"Yeah, okay, but what does that have to do with Chris?" Phoebe asked, looking equally as confused as her sister beside her.
"We just need Piper to see Wyatt and Chris," Leo said casually, noticing Chris stiffen out of the corner of his eye.
"Wyatt and Chris?" Phoebe asked, still not understanding, "Why would seeing Wyatt and Chris make Piper want to come home?"
Phoebe was looking between Chris and Leo, not quite able to put the pieces together. Paige, on the other hand, was staring intently at Chris. Chris, who suddenly wouldn't meet anyone's eyes.
"Because he's family," Paige stated simply, "You're her son too, aren't you?"
Phoebe gasped as all of the pieces fell into place, "Oh my god."
Chris kept his gaze fixed on the floor, not yet able to look either Phoebe or Paige, his aunts, in the eye. He told himself it was out of frustration that all of his secrets were slipping away from him so easily, the moment Leo reappeared in his life, and sure, that was part of the reason. But a much larger part of the reason was the fear of what he might see if he looked at either of the sisters. He hadn't done anything that terrible since arriving in the past, other than banishing Leo, and killing Leysa (although thus far no one other than Leo had asked any questions about where he'd sourced the Valkyrie pendants from). And yet, he couldn't help but wonder what they would think of him now that they knew who he really was.
Leo spoke before either sister could start interrogating their new nephew, "I know you both have a lot of questions. I do too. But we don't have a lot of time. If we want to save Piper, we need to act now. Chris…"
Chris reluctantly raised his head to look at Leo.
"We need to get Wyatt, so we can get to Valhalla."
"I don't know that it's such a good idea that you go, Leo," Phoebe interjected, "You being the reason Piper's in this pain cocoon and all."
"Okay," Leo said grimly, "Just Wyatt and Chris then."
"Are we sure this is the best plan?" Paige asked, "What about a spell?"
Leo shook his head, "No. Magic got us into this mess in the first place. Right now, your magic and mine are interacting with one another, making it harder for Piper to know what to feel, let alone start to process her feelings. I really think a non-magical solution is the way to go… But maybe be ready with that spell as a back-up."
All eyes turned to Chris expectantly. Every molecule in his body was screaming in protest as he just barely suppressed the urge to orb away at the expectation in their eyes. This wasn't supposed to happen. But as much as he didn't want to be there, as much as he dreaded what he was being asked to do, he couldn't just leave. Never mind the risk the current situation posed to his own existence, no matter how much he tried to keep separate the Piper of the present and his mother in the future, he would never be able to abandon any version Piper in any time period.
"I'll still need one of you to help me get Wyatt. He brings his shield up around me. He- he thinks that I'm a threat," he said finally, hesitantly.
None of them seemed to know how to react to that. A couple of hours ago, the confession would undoubtedly have had Chris on the receiving end of suspicious glares, a crystal cage, and most likely a magical threat or two. Hell, Leo might have even hit him again. But now… like it or not, he was a Halliwell. And Halliwells didn't turn on their own. At least in this time.
"Okay," Leo said after a moment of contemplation, "I'll come with you. I can get Wyatt to bring down his shield for you."
Before Chris could react, Leo's hand was on his shoulder and he felt his body separate itself into tiny blue orbs. As soon as they reformed, Chris jerked away from Leo, annoyance clear on his face. Being orbed by someone else never felt quite as natural as orbing himself, especially when it was unexpected. It wasn't as unpleasant as being shimmered, but it still left him with a niggling feeling of wrongness when he reformed.
"Sheila?" Leo called, seemingly unbothered by Chris's reaction.
Chris glared at the Elder's back as Leo stepped into the Morris family's living room. What did you expect? he berated himself, Leo didn't care when he was actually your father? Why the hell would he care now when you don't even exist in his time?
Swallowing down as much of the bitterness as he could, Chris followed Leo in the living room. Sheila Morris sat on the sofa, looking at Leo in surprise, holding Wyatt on her lap.
"Leo? You're back."
"Yeah, I am," Leo flashed her a small smile, "And as much as I would love to stay and catch up, we need to grab Wyatt and get out of here."
Sheila nodded, not quite understanding what was going on, but drawing on her years of experience as a 'person-in-the-know', "Of course."
It was as Sheila passed Wyatt to Leo that a curious thing happened. It was as if Wyatt noticed Chris for the first time. Chris who was standing there, glowering at an oblivious Leo, as he hugged his son in close to his chest, holding him for the first time in weeks. Instantly, Wyatt's shield went up, knocking Chris away from Leo and into the corner behind him.
"Ow," Chris groaned, pulling himself to his feet, "You see what I mean?"
Leo looked between Wyatt and Chris curiously. For a moment, Chris worried he would be accused of lying about his true identity. Why should they be expected to believe the words of the mysterious whitelighter-witch from the future, over the instincts of the overpowered, miracle child they'd known and loved for months?
But then Leo whispered something in Wyatt's ear and the shield came back down. Chris swallowed hard as the baby-version of his big brother was held out towards him. This is always going to be weird, he thought grimly, recalling all of the effort he had gone to since coming to the past to avoid holding his baby-big brother.
Piper, he reminded himself, Save Piper. Save yourself. Save Wyatt. Save the future. That's the mission.
So pushing aside any awkwardness he felt, Chris stepped forward and took Wyatt from Leo. He held the baby away from his body for a moment, partly because he couldn't get over how weird and wrong this felt, and partly because he was struggling to work out how the hell you're supposed to hold a baby! Chris quickly realised he couldn't hold Wyatt out in front of him forever. His arms were already beginning to protest at the strain. Slowly, he pulled Wyatt in closer to him, trying to hold him the way that Leo had just a moment ago. It took a bit of juggling, repositioning his arms and such, but it felt better. His uncertainness was resolved when, a moment later, Wyatt rested his head on Chris's shoulder, seemingly comfortable in his big-little brother's embrace.
Chris looked up at Leo, who was watching him in amusement.
"What?" he snapped.
Leo chuckled, which only infuriated Chris further, "Nothing, it's just… no baby cousins or nieces or nephews in the future huh?"
"You know I can't answer that. And even if I could, we don't have time for this."
"No, we don't," Leo replied, all traces of amusement gone.
Chris took a deep breath, steeling himself for who he was about to face. 'Can't put it off any longer.' And with that thought in mind, he orbed. He reformed a moment later in Valhalla, a mere foot away from where he could sense Piper was.
Piper was alone, thankfully. She eyed Chris in confusion before her eyes landed on the baby in his arms.
"Wyatt?" she murmured, tilting her head in contemplation.
Chris remained still and silent, hoping that the sight of one son would be enough to bring Piper back to herself and he wouldn't have to do what he was dreading. But they didn't have long before the Valkyries would be upon them, and when it became clear that Wyatt wasn't getting through to Piper fast enough, he forced himself to speak.
"Mom," his voice cracked. He hadn't called her that in seven years. And now… he really didn't know how she would react. Would she believe him? Would she recognise him, somehow, even though he didn't yet exist?
It had simultaneously been his biggest fear and his deepest hope when he'd begun planning to return to the past. A part of him had expected his parents to take one look at him and somehow, inexplicably, instantly know who he was, in spite of the fact that he didn't yet exist. And though he'd never admit it to anyone, when they didn't, his devastation almost outweighed his relief.
Piper's eyes widened in astonishment. She wasn't angry or suspicious or disbelieving, but she didn't make any moves towards them either. She remained silent and rooted in place. Chris closed his eyes for a moment, knowing that it was going to take more than that to bring Piper back.
Damnit.
"We need you. Your sons need you," he could feel the lump forming in his throat, tears filling his eyes and threatening to spill over at any moment, "Come home. Please Mom."
Piper blinked. When she opened her eyes, Chris knew whatever magic she had been under had been lifted. He also knew that whatever success he'd had at separating this Piper from his mother was shattered. While the change in Chris's emotional state was an unwelcome and complicated one, Piper's was timely, as seconds later they were surrounded by Valkyries. Though Freyja, Mist, and Kaya were among them, something told Chris this wouldn't be as easy as orbing out, particularly not for him. The Valkyries may have agreed to house Leo, reluctantly, for the sake of the future, but doing so had bought the Charmed Ones down on them, caused the deaths of three of their own and led to unleashing three of their best warriors on an unprepared San Francisco, resulting in the deaths of innocents. They were unlikely to forget Chris's role in this easily. And with Wyatt still held in his arms, Chris was hardly in a position to defend himself.
"Did he harm you?" Freyja asked, stepping towards Piper.
"No," Piper shook her head, "He helped me."
When none of the Valkyries moved, Piper continued, removing the Valkyrie pendant from her neck and offered it to Freyja, "I know what you do here. I understand your purpose, so you can trust that your secret is safe. But I think it's time for me to go home. To my sons."
Her gaze flickered to Chris and Wyatt as she said that last part. Too quickly for Chris to even attempt to read her eyes and gauge what she might be thinking or feeling about the bombshell he'd just dropped on her.
Her words had the desired effect on the Valkyries. After a short nod from Freyja, the warrior women straightened up.
"Very well," Freyja replied, slipping the pendant into a pocket, "You are free to go."
Chris stiffened as Freyja's attention turned to him. "You!" she hissed venomously, "You have proven more trouble than you are worth, whitelighter. Do not call on us again. We won't be as amenable the next time."
"I know. I'm sorry," he replied softly, hoping the Valkyries could see the apologies in his eyes as he put one hand on Piper's shoulder and orbed them all home.
Phoebe, Paige, and Leo leapt to their feet at the sight of the familiar blue orbs reforming in the Manor living room, breathing a sigh of relief as Piper, Wyatt and Chris all appeared, seemingly unharmed. As soon as they reformed, Chris all but shoved Wyatt into Piper's arms and backed away, putting some distance between himself and the rest of them. Phoebe could feel his emotions, but the others didn't have to be empaths to know how Chris felt. They could see the anxiety in his frantic, wide eyes, stiffened posture and clenched fists.
"Chris," Leo said carefully, looking at him as if he were an animal he didn't want to spook.
Chris could see the questions in Leo, Phoebe and Paige's eyes. He didn't dare look at Piper and try to gauge her reaction, afraid that his already tenuous control over his emotions would break if he did.
What if she hates you, he couldn't help but wonder, What if she doesn't? He really didn't know which would be worse. All he knew was that this wasn't supposed to happen!
Panic welled up in his chest and all he could say was, "I… I can't do this."
Before anyone could stop him, he orbed. Chris found himself at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, a place he had often gone (or would often go) when seeking solitude in the future. Immediately, his ears were filled with the sounds of his family, (No, charges) calling his name, though they were quickly silenced by throwing up a mental block. It was a familiar one, one he'd used (would use) in the future to stop Wyatt from being able to call or sense him. It should hold Leo and the Charmed Ones off, at least for a while.
Leo. The thought of the Elder made Chris frown. Not just because of the deep chasm of issues he'd had with Leo's future counterpart, but because there was little he could do to stop this version of Leo from sensing him, and dragging him back to the Manor. There was also little he could do to stop his family (The Charmed Ones, he reminded himself) calling him back with the blood-to-blood spell. He hoped that they'd respect the fact that he needed some space, and maybe the versions of them that he had known would have, but these versions of them were impatient, impulsive and downright entitled a lot of the time. He wouldn't put it past either of them. And if he was being honest with himself, he didn't know whether he was more scared that they would call him back, or that they might not care enough to even try.
Suddenly restless and fidgety, Chris orbed again. To the backroom of P3 this time. It was probably one of the first places they'd look for him, if they planned to go looking that was. But he didn't plan to stay long. Just long enough to grab some vanquishing potions and an athame he kept hidden among his things. The vanquishing potions he slipped into the many pockets of his cargo pants, while the athame was tucked safely into the waist of his pants. All up, he was at P3 maybe two or three minutes before he orbed again, this time, to the Underworld.
Might as well put all this restless energy to work, he mused, on high alert as he stepped forward stealthily, Who knows when I'll get another chance to hunt demons now that they know?
Pushing that thought aside, Chris cast his eyes around the cavern he'd orbed into. It was empty, which was probably a good thing in hindsight. Best not to orb himself into the middle of a pack of angry demons. It didn't take long to come across something he could take his frustrations out on. A group of Krychek demons. They were lower-level demons for hire, which meant they probably weren't the evil that was after Wyatt. But they were evil and they could certainly be used by whatever Big Bad was hoping to turn his big brother, both of which were good enough reasons for Chris to launch an attack.
Before any of them could notice him, he threw an arm out, flinging all five of the demons into a nearby wall. One of the demons struck a particularly sharp piece of rock at just the right angle and burst into flames.
One down.
The other demons snarled at him, immediately conjuring fireballs. Chris held his hands up in front of him defensively. He didn't want to waste his potions or risk losing his athame on some lowly Krychek. Not if he could avoid it. Those were reserved for a much greater evil. Luckily, he didn't have to use them. A dodge here and there, and a few deflected fireballs, and the four remaining demons joined their fallen comrade in the Wasteland.
Chris wasted no time seeking out the next evil. The fight with the Krychek had certainly taken his mind off of everything, but restlessness still lingered in his body, alongside a burning desire to fight and kill as many evil creatures as he could find. He came across a group of Thorn demons, who were vanquished almost as easily as the Krychek, and then had a run in with a couple of warlocks. That was a good fight, one that ended with Chris vanquishing them both with a potion.
It was easy to lose track of time down in the Underworld. Time was measured in the length of time between battles, with the battles themselves getting longer and more difficult the further Chris ventured, as he encountered more and more upper-level demons. He could feel himself tiring physically, but still, that restless feeling remained, and so he pushed himself to continue.
Until he stumbled upon a pack of Darklighters. Two or three, he could have taken. But he counted at least ten, and he only had a couple of vials of potion left. Not to mention that all it would take was a single Darklighter to land a shot on him and he would be dead.
Acknowledging that this was probably a sign from the universe to stop, Chris orbed away before any of the Darklighters could raise their weapons. He breathed a sigh of relief as he reformed in the alley behind P3, not wanting to risk going into the back room where he'd been sleeping in case one of the sisters, or worse Leo, was waiting for him (Or even worse, if they weren't). There was just a hint of light, the first rays of the sun beginning to rise, which made him realise he'd been down in the Underworld longer than he'd thought.
Chris knew he should sleep. He could feel the weariness settling into his body. But he was still too wired. Without the distraction of demons to kill, his mind was racing. And besides, the only place he could go to get any sleep was P3. Even if there was no one waiting for him there, someone was bound to check there sooner or later, if only to berate him for neglecting his duties as the Charmed Ones' whitelighter.
This wasn't supposed to happen, dammit, he though grimly, They were never supposed to know.
But now they knew. And over a year's worth of meticulous research and planning was for naught. He honestly had no idea what to do next. Squashing down the feelings of panic rising again in his chest, and blinking away the traitorous tears that had begun filling his eyes, Chris fell back on an old, reliable habit from the future, one that had kept him safe in countless deadly situations, not to mention kept him sane when the grief and pain of the future threatened to bury him whole.
He ran.
Or walked, rather. He walked for hours, the streets getting lighter and lighter as the sun rose higher in the sky. He walked until his legs ached so badly, he thought he might fall over. Until his mouth became dry as sandpaper, and his throat screamed at him for hydration. The streets were still relatively empty. Most of the city wasn't yet awake, making it easy for Chris to drag himself into another empty alleyway and orb himself into the backroom at P3.
He didn't know if he was disappointed or relieved to find the room empty when he reformed. That, combined with the fact that he'd been gone for at least twelve hours and none of the sisters had tried to summon him, gnawed at him, confirming every fear and feeling of inadequacy he'd had, not just since returning to the past, but his entire life.
They know who you are and they don't care! The harsh words sounded in his mind, the last thought he had before he collapsed on the couch and drifted off to sleep.
Chris couldn't tell how long he'd been asleep when he woke. There was light creeping through gaps in the shutters signalling it was daytime, but that didn't tell him all that much. His eyes felt heavy and sore, which usually meant he'd been asleep for a while.
He sat up, and looked down at the blanket that someone had draped over him while he was asleep. Someone had found him while he'd been asleep. One of the sisters maybe.
Piper? he wondered wistfully. It was something the Piper of his time would have done. But this Piper wasn't her, wasn't his mother. Not yet, he reminded himself. No matter how much the lines had been blurred yesterday, no matter what she now knew, he was more determined than ever to keep Piper and Mom separate. Both to protect himself in this time, if she rejected him, and to protect himself when he finally returned to his own time, to a time where she was no longer.
Chris swung his legs onto the floor and let his head drop into his hands. His life had been complicated before, just by virtue of having travelled back through time. But his future family knowing who he was made things infinitely more complicated. He knew he couldn't avoid them forever. Not only were they his family, as much as he kept trying to keep the present separate from the future, they were crucial to his mission.
"Protect baby Wyatt and you protect the Charmed Ones. Keep them alive for our future," Bianca's words came back to him. Just thinking of her words in that last conversation they'd had was enough to spur him into action. He had given up almost everything to come back to the past and there was far too much at stake for him to let his family knowing who Chris really was get in the way of the lofty goal he had set out to achieve.
Get your brother back. Make a better future for Bianca. Save the world, he reminded himself.
It was with that thought in mind that Chris reluctantly dropped his mental block and let his mind seek out the sisters. He was surprised to find that they were all still at the Manor. He still wasn't quite sure what time it was, but surely Phoebe and Paige, at least, should have been at work?
He wondered if he should be grateful that Phoebe and Paige were there. Facing Piper alone was not something Chris was anywhere near ready to do yet.
Let's get this over with.
Steeling himself for what was to come, Chris closed his eyes and orbed. He reformed in the Manor attic, where he could sense Phoebe was. Alone. He didn't really have a good answer for why he'd chosen to go to Phoebe. He wasn't any closer to her than he was to Paige in the future. Maybe it was because of her newly developed power of empathy. She was probably the least likely to launch straight into an interrogation when she could sense his inner turmoil.
Phoebe looked up from the potion ingredients she appeared to be cataloguing at the sound of Chris reforming. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him. For a second, Chris worried she might try to hug him, as she was prone to doing, but she dropped her arms to her side, realising it would likely scare him away again.
"Chris," she breathed a sigh of relief, "We've been calling for you."
"I put you on mute," he replied.
"Oh," Phoebe thought about that for a moment, her brows furrowing in surprise, "You can do that?"
Chris nodded, not trusting himself to speak any more than was necessary.
"Are you here to…" Phoebe broke off, uncharacteristically lost for words, "Are you here for the Book or…?"
She looked at Chris hopefully, only he didn't know what exactly she was hoping for. Did she want him to be there for the Book? Was she trying to pretend everything was normal, like she hadn't just found out they were, or would be, related? Or was she hoping he'd come to talk to them?
"No, I'm not here for the Book. I thought I should come clear the air. So we can get on with hunting down whatever it is that gets to Wyatt," he explained finally.
Phoebe's face fell slightly. Had she wanted him to be there for the Book?
"Wyatt," she repeated, "Right."
"Are Piper and Paige around?" Chris asked. It was more for something to say than because he needed an answer. He could sense the other two witches downstairs.
"Yeah. Do you want me to get them… or should we go down there?" she asked.
Chris shrugged. There wasn't exactly a protocol for conversations with yet-to-born relatives from the future.
"Piper! Paige!" she called.
Paige appeared in a flurry of orbs a second later. She was tense, until she realised Phoebe had called because Chris was there, not a demon.
"Chris."
He turned to the sound of his name. It was Piper, who had just stepped into the attic herself. Her voice was hoarse and her eyes were red rimmed. She'd been crying. Whether her tears were for her relationship with Leo or the fact that Chris had taken off and not answered their calls or some combination of both, he instantly felt responsible for them. She may not have been the mother he'd loved so dearly in the future, but she would be one day, and she didn't deserve whatever hell he was putting her through.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have taken off like that," he said apologetically.
"It's okay," Piper replied, somewhat unconvincingly, "You're here now."
"You deserve an explanation for… well, everything. You all do."
Chris sighed, realising they really did all deserve an explanation.
"Leo," he called, regret already welling up inside of him.
It was, perhaps, the fastest Leo had ever come when called. Well, when called by Chris anyway. He hadn't expected the Elder to appear so quickly.
"I want to explain," Chris said, before Leo could say anything. With his emotions so close to the surface, he didn't know if he could hold his anger back if Leo said something he didn't like, "There are some things I just can't tell you. To protect the future. But I'll tell you what I can."
If he led the conversation, he could control what he shared and what he got to keep to himself. Or at least, that's what he was telling himself.
"Okay. We understand," Leo replied.
Where to even begin? Chris wondered.
"This… This really wasn't supposed to happen," he said finally, "You weren't supposed to find out like this. Actually, you weren't supposed to find out at all."
"Why? Why weren't we supposed to know? Why didn't you just tell us from the start who you were?" Leo asked.
Chris sighed, "Well, for starters, it's time travel 101. 'Don't tell anyone who you are.' Especially when you haven't even been conceived yet and run the risk of erasing yourself from existence. And…" he hesitated, "How could I be sure you'd believe me? I mean, time travelling whitelighter from the future is a stretch. But time travelling whitelighter-witch relative who doesn't even exist in this time, that's pretty unbelievable. Even for us."
If there had been any doubt in anyone's mind that Chris was a Halliwell, the casual way he spoke of their family's history with the inexplicable quashed it.
"That's not the whole reason though, is it?"
Though she'd phrased it like a question, the way Phoebe said it made it sound more like a statement. She really was getting the hang of that empath power quicker than he'd expected, Chris realised distantly. She could sense that he was holding back. He really couldn't catch a break here.
Before Chris could say anything though, Piper spoke finally, her voice soft but still sounding on the verge of tears, "You said you never got to know your family. Is that why you didn't want to tell us who you were? It was too hard to know us, knowing what happens?"
Fuck. His mother had always been able to read him much too easily. Chris had hoped that him not being born yet may have thrown off whatever motherly-sixth sense Piper had always possessed, but apparently not.
"That wasn't entirely true," he said finally, "I just said that to motivate you to stop the Titans."
"But there was some truth to it?" Piper replied and Chris cursed himself for not having chosen his words more carefully.
"I can't tell you that. Whatever happens, I don't want to change the future in worse ways."
He didn't expect Piper, or Phoebe or Paige for that matter, to give up that easily, but whatever they had planned to say was silenced by Leo, "Okay. We accept that you can't tell us what happens to us in the future. But you have to tell us more about what you're really doing here."
Chris folded his arms, not liking where the conversation was headed at all, "I did tell you. I'm here to save Wyatt. The Titans were just a cover so I could gain your trust, and get access to the Book, the Power of Three, and Wyatt. That's the truth."
"But that doesn't make any sense. Why would you come back from twenty-something years in the future to stop a demon from getting to Wyatt before you're even born? Does whatever happens really have that much of a ripple effect on the future?" Paige asked.
"Yes," Chris answered simply.
"Okay, so why didn't we fix it when it happened? Why did we wait so long?" Paige replied.
Chris could see the realisation on Piper, Leo and Phoebe's faces. Yet another reason why he hadn't wanted anyone to know who he was. At their core, the sisters were intelligent witches. They may not have been as seasoned as the versions he'd known, but they'd survived this long with their wits and limited knowledge of Wicca. He'd known that once the truth started coming out, he wouldn't be able to keep the rest of it from them for too much longer.
"Because you didn't know that it had happened. None of you did. Not until it was too late," he said, trying to keep his answers as vague as possible, knowing it would frustrate his family, but trying desperately to keep the last secret he had left.
"Surely that's as good a reason as any to tell us? We need all the information we can get if we're going to change your future," Paige argued.
She had a point, even Chris had to admit that. But once he told them this, there was no going back. Whatever tenuous trust and acceptance they held for him now would be shaken to its very core, and he didn't know if his relationships with any of them would survive. And he didn't know if he would survive that.
"Chris," Piper reached a hand out to Chris's arm hesitantly, "Whatever it is, you can tell us."
Chris tensed the moment she touched him. Every instinct he had was telling him to run. To pull away from her gentle touch and orb as far away as humanly possible, not stopping until they had lost his orb trail completely. But then his panicked eyes met Piper's, and she was looking at him so desperately, looking so much like the Mom of his time. More like his Mom than she had ever looked since he'd arrived in the past.
He'd never been able to deny his mother anything. Especially not since…
"The evil from the future I came back to stop isn't a demon. It's Wyatt."
Chris bit the inside of his cheek nervously the moment the confession came out of his mouth, watching the rest of the family process his words. He looked down at the floor, waiting for the words of denial and the accusations of being a liar that he was expecting. Only they never came. Piper's hand tightened around his arm, and he looked up at her. Both of their eyes were filled with tears.
"What… How?" she choked out.
"I don't know," Chris admitted, "All I know is that something got to him before I was born and… infected him with evil. And that evil lay dormant for a long time until something snapped; he started terrorising people with his powers. Took over. Killed-"
The words died in his throat at Piper's reaction. She looked heartbroken, and tears began falling down her cheeks. She pulled her hand away from Chris's arm, burying her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Chris felt the loss immediately, like a part of him was suddenly missing. He could feel his own tears spilling from his eyes as well, but couldn't bring himself to wipe them away.
"How… how do you know that whatever happens to Wyatt happens now?" Leo asked, his voice also sounding strangled.
"Because when I couldn't save Wyatt in the present, I started wondering if maybe I could stop him from ever being turned in the first place. And every oracle, fortune teller, and soothsayer I spoke to told me that whatever it was, it infected him when he was a baby. No one could tell me who or how or even exactly when, but they could give me that timeframe. Whatever happens to Wyatt, happens before I'm born."
"So we have until November 2004 then?"
Chris was startled by Leo's question, but then he remembered that his birthday had been one of the things he had rattled off to the Elder in Valhalla, to convince him he wasn't Wyatt. He hadn't been aware Leo had been listening that intently. The whole conversation felt like a lifetime ago.
"Yes," he replied wearily, "I know you probably have, like, a million more questions, but I really don't know anything else."
Piper lifted her head from her hands, tear tracks running down her cheeks.
"You said he… terrorised people. Did he- did he terrorise you?" she said slowly, painfully.
Chris looked away again. What could he possibly say to that? Yeah, Mom, he terrorised me. Worse than anyone, but also not worse because I still have my life, which is a hell of a lot more than most of his other victims. It wouldn't do any good for any of them to know.
When it became apparent Chris wasn't going to answer, Leo spoke, "We're not going to let that happen. We're going to stop this, whatever it takes."
There was an undeniable vow in his voice. It made Chris feel conflicted. On the one hand, he was being promised help. Actual help, something he hadn't had in such a long time. On the other hand, it was being offered by Leo. Leo, who had broken so many promises to his youngest son over the years. And as much bitterness as he carried, as much as he claimed to hate his father, there was a part of him that would always love Leo. Always want to believe in him. He'd never been able to silence that hopeful part of himself.
That's why every broken promise and disappointment always hurt so much.
He couldn't help himself though. And that was how he found himself nodding, "Okay."
There was still so much to be said. His relationship with Leo in particular. That was the real elephant in the room, although the Elder didn't know it yet. There was also the problem of whatever evil it was that got to Wyatt. And, of course, the small matter of Chris protecting his heart in all of this. But as Piper, his mother, swept him up in her arms, all of those other issues fell away.
They know. And they don't hate you.
And at that particular moment, that was all that mattered.