A Child's Prayer


Summary: Wyatt is now a six-year-old. Leo is gone, disappeared, and the Charmed Ones were appointed a new whitelighter, but he's been slacking off. Some say, Leo has died. Piper is ill, and she has cancer. And now Wyatt has to suffer alone. The big great feeling of losing his parents. His aunts are occupied with helping Piper, but she gets worse every day. This story is based on a child's bedtime prayer. "Now I lay me down to sleep . . . "


A/N: This is a major AU story. My first FF focused really on "Piper" and on "Wyatt." Also, I know they probably don't believe in 'God' since they are witches and everything. But, it is an AU, Wyatt is just thinking, if his mother can't be healed for some reason with the powers of magic, maybe religion, Christianity could help. [Review please, I don't care if you flame me all you want. I didn't really even like this fic, but I just put it out there for the hell of it. It didn't really make sense to me... but I just let my thoughts out and my fingers flow. Hope some of you enjoyed it? ]




Now I lay me down to sleep . . .


Wyatt woke up with a start. He was drenched in sweat, his teeth chattering. For some time now, he had been waking up in the middle of the night, in sweat and shuddering. Like if he was cold. He really didn't understand now why he woke up like that, but he knew it had to do with his parents. The problems that were going on. He wasn't dumb. He was very intelligent, and he knew his mother was dying, slowly. And that his father was gone, probably forever. His little six-year-old mind, was like a mind of a sixteen-year-old. He knew much, and a lot. His mind wasn't fully of an adult, but he knew, that his mother was dying of cancer, that his father was died, gone. Their 'reassigned' whitelighter was slacking on the job of keeping everyone safe. And that his aunts were too busy with Piper and themselves to really notice, that there was a child, an innocent child in all this chaos.

Wyatt climbed out of bed, and knelt down on the floor beside it. And clasped his hands together in a prayer. For a while now, he had given up hope for a cure for his mother from magic. It wasn't helping. It did nothing for his dad, and now nothing for his mother. So he turned to the widely preached above religion. Christianity. Even though he didn't fully believe in God and Jesus and all those things about God creating man. He had faith in God. He had faith that his mother would be cured, that she would live again, and not die slowly that he would witness it.

He prayed the same prayer he used every night. The bedtime prayer for a child. He always started with that one, since he had no one else to watch over him, he figured God would, or if he died, he'd go up to heaven. And be in peace. After he finished, he would start with blessing his family, even though they were pretty much neglecting him. He still loved them. He ended his prayers with hoping to cure his mother, and maybe find his father. But he knew all hope on his father was gone, but there was still some left for his mom. Piper, she needed to be helped, to be cured. So she could take care of him again, and be there for him when he was scared or confused or alone. But she wasn't. And he felt more alone than ever.

As he climbed up onto his bed again, and tucked his self in, he mumbled his bedtime prayer and went to sleep. This time, peacefully dreaming, and dreaming of what could have been of their lives with his family, if worst didn't come to worst.


I pray the lord my soul to keep . . .


Things in the Manor had turned for worst. Not only has his mother been dying slowly, the whitelighter they were assigned, the one that was slacking off. He was the one to be blamed for his fathers death. Although Wyatt, knew of this, he didn't react. He couldn't. There was no more pain in himself except if his mother was to really die. There would be tremendous pain. He already knew his Father would meet a worst fate, and he did. Wyatt didn't dwell on the fact, that their whitelighter was a killer. And now an angel. The Elders were all screwed up. Very screwed up. They didn't even know who were the bad guys and the good guys. How could they assign this whitelighter to them, and then let Leo die, and let it pass like it was a demon being killed? They were screwed up.

Wyatt's faith in magic was diminishing. He no longer believed magic could help any matters. His mind was changing, and he use his powers less and lesser. Enjoying the simple pleasures of thinking he was just like anyone else. Except he knew, he wasn't, and that his family was going through a terrible time.

He felt himself withdraw from the magical world as each day passed. He was only six and he already felt he aged a hundred years. He felt old, trapped in some young boys body. In a place where he felt, he didn't belong. The only thing that made him feel alive or okay, was the thought that God, was watching over him. That if anything ever happened to his beloved mother. He knew the Lord was there for him. God knows, that his aunts cared nothing for him, but only tolerated him because of Piper. But once she was gone, he knew something would happen. Maybe nothing, maybe something terrible.


If I should die before I wake . . .


There was nothing now that could save him from his aunts wrath. They blamed him for Piper's sickness, for Leos' death, for anything and everything that was wrong or bad in this world. All he could do was stand there, being poked, shook, and yelled at. He didn't cry, he stopped crying ever since he knew his mother wouldn't get better. There wasn't a cure for Cancer in the mortal world, and there wasn't one for the magical world.

He knew his fate was going to be a one he could only dream of. Escaping. But there was no escaping fate, if there was. His mother wouldn't be dead right now. He wouldn't be the black sheep in the family. The one that did everything wrong, and was blamed for everything. He would be right now, with his mother, her arms wrapped tightly around her only son. Safe from the cruelty of the world.

Day by day he went under torture of the world. Everything was his fault, and sometimes he felt it was. His aunts yelling, and blames on him, somehow started to invade his mind and embed itself there. He would cry himself to sleep most nights, wanting his mother, and the loving family it had been before she had gotten sick, before Leo died. Like it was when he was four. He could remember it now. It was the only precious memory he had of the real charmed family.

They all were at Golden Gate Park. He was chasing one of his aunts around, a game of tag. While his mom and dad were sitting on a blanket cuddling together, laughing and watching as he tried to catch his favorite aunt. The other one smiling and laughing, setting out goodies for them to eat, once the game was done. When it was, he ended up catching her, and she picked him up as though he was light as a feather. They all settled down on the large checkered blanket, eating and gossiping and just talking like any other normal family that was picnicking there.

It was there that his mother picked him up and tickled him into laughs, and then whispered into his ear that she loved him so much and nothing would change that. That he was the pride and joy of her life.

Wyatt woke up with tears in his eyes. He had been dreaming of that day in the park. Of that day when he felt everything was safe around him as long as mommy was there to protect him. But she wasn't there anymore. And he felt the world turn dangerous, and scary.

He looked around his room as she climbed out of and made his way over to his bedroom door. He wanted to get a glass of water, and knew that every time he set foot out of his own bedroom. His aunts would be upon him like a bunch of mosquitoes, never once leaving him alone. Sucking the hope of peaceful future without them in his lives dying. He knew he was being paranoid, but he felt that his aunts' intentions on him weren't good. He felt they wanted to get rid of him. He was just a taking up space. He felt that his very own life was at risk.

He tiptoed carefully down the stairs and into the kitchen. Pouring a glass of water for himself as quietly as possible. And putting the glass back where he found it, to not arouse superstition that he was down there. As he walked back up the stairs, he tripped on a step and slipped only a few steps down. His heartbeat thudded in his chest. He even thought his heartbeat was loud enough to wake the dead. But he heard nothing. Nothing at all. And breathe out a sigh of relief.

As he reached the landing of the second floor, he was grabbed roughly by the shirt. Sending him into a all attack mode, on whoever grabbed him. Whoever it was, he didn't care. He just wanted to return to the haven he had in his room, and not with this person. As he swung his arm and legs at the person, he opened his eyes to reveal it was Paige holding him up in the air tightly by his pajama shirt. Whatever he had done seemed not to affect her. She looked nothing like upset, more amused.

Wyatt was going to stutter a sorry, or that he thought she was a kidnapper, when she pushed him roughly away from her. Wiping her hands on her pants, as if she touched something repulsive. He had a terrified look on his face, and tried to wipe it away, but to no avail. He didn't know what this aunt would do to him. He knew Phoebe didn't have the guts to kill him, but Paige was a little mystery to him. She smiled at Wyatt and walked away from him, downstairs. Leaving him only to shiver and crawl his way into his room. Where he made sure he locked the door tightly.

He climbed in bed, afraid of everything around him. He felt himself slowly get more paranoid, and more afraid of the world. He just wanted his mommy. Nothing else. But he had no mom anymore, and turned his face upward to the heavens.

He prayed his mother was there, that his father was there, that they were watching over him and would not let anything happen to him. And that someday he would be there with them. Someday . . . He went to sleep with that thought in his mind.


I pray the lord my soul to take.


Wyatt was now nine, and he couldn't stand being in the same house with the same aunts that plagued him each and every day. He didn't go to school, because he couldn't. They wouldn't let him. He couldn't go outside. He couldn't go downstairs even, without them knowing. He had become a captive in his own home. With each day, he felt his hope slowly dimming, until maybe nothing was left, and he was condemned to a life of emotional abuse and pain.

It was only a few weeks later, after he felt his hope dimming when he had reached somewhere inside of himself. And orbed himself to a cathedral. He hadn't used his powers for two years, and thought maybe he didn't have it anymore.

Before he landed himself in the cathedral, he had been covering his ears, and rocking back and forth. Trying to block out the screaming and yelling his aunts were abusing him with. They might have not been physically hurting him, but his insides for all scarred and bleeding from the pain.

He just kept thinking to himself that he wanted to be closer to his mom, he wanted to get away. And then he thought of God, and had thought of trying to be closer. And somewhere inside of him, he grabbed hold of it, and orbed inside a cathedral. It was where he was now. He gapped at the large stain glass windows, depicting saints, doves, Jesus and many more symbolic things of the church. He marveled over the wonderful description and detailed carvings of the stations of the cross.

He walked quietly around the cathedral, and then walked into a peyou, pulling down the cushion to kneel on, and started to pray. He prayed for all sorts of things, to have a reunion with his parents in heaven someday. For his aunts, even though he felt they didn't deserve his prayers, for all the other people in the world that are far worse off than him. And for that all could be better one day.

He kept his hands folded and clasped together, his head bowed down in respect, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped up startled, and looking behind him to find no one there. Then looked in front of him, witnessing glowing blue and white orbs and sparkles circling around each other until it formed a man.

Wyatt's mouth opened slightly as his eyes grew huge. He was staring up into his figure, this man, this person. This person, smiled down at Wyatt, and ruffled his hair. Automatically his recognized who he was. It was Leo! It was his father! He'd come back. He was never dead. He never died? Wyatt had no many questions running through his mind, all he could do was run out of the peyou and into his father's waiting arms.

"Hey Champ." Leo said.

"Dad! I've missed you, so much! You're not dead, how?" Wyatt asked, in a rush.

"Dead?" He cocked an eyebrow. "Son I'm already dead. But I was being held captive far away from here. I couldn't reach you and Piper. I've missed you terribly. Where's your mom?" He asked, looking around Wyatt.

Wyatt ushered him to a seat, and explained everything that happened in the last four years. Everything. It was then that Leo broke down crying, to hear the news he was too late to be there for Piper in her time of need, or when his son needed him the most. He just took Wyatt in his arms, and hugged him tightly. Happy for one grate thing he had left in his life him Piper.

Leo, had explained what had happened to him, and how he couldn't get in contact with anyone. No one at all. Not even the Elders. And that he felt completely abandoned by everyone. He thought that no one cared for him anymore, but he told Wyatt, that he couldn't just give up. And when he finally got to escape from his captors, he orbed to the first person he wanted to see most. His son. And that's how he ended up here.

Wyatt, smiled, finally knowing why his life was so bad in the beginning, and turned up to have a great ending. There are always the bad, and then there's always the good. He remembered his mom saying this to him, when he came home from a bad day at school, and he felt that nothing ever went right, but in the end his mother had a surprise for him. And that lifted up his spirits. Now he felt that he believed in that wholly. There are always the bad, and then there's always the good.

With that remembrance, he took his father by the hand, and they orbed away, to start a new life, a new life without the past, but there would always be Piper in it.