Learning to Say Goodbye
Izzy and her father had moved back into the Manor after it had happened. She was given Phoebe's old room and Chris and Wyatt shared a room again while her father took the last remaining room. Leo had come around more often but he never stayed. Jason became the parent in resident at the Manor. Richard still lived at his family's estate with the girls.
Years later Izzy would never forget the day her father sat her down and told her that she had a choice to make. Leo wanted them all to go to magic school, it seemed like the best idea since well he couldn't very well train anyone to use their powers and Richard wasn't very stable with magic. Jason told her that it was her decision to make and no one else's and that if she decided to go to the magic school, he would understand.
"But Daddy I don't wanna leave you. I've already lost mom and I can't lose you too." She had said, and she had meant every word of it. Leo could try and force her all he wanted but she wouldn't go.
"You'll never lose me sweetie." Jason replied hugging her tight.
Later that day Richard showed up with the girls and Leo came. They took them all to the magic school; the only one who stayed behind was Jason. Izzy had been there a few times before and every single time she had come across Gideon, chills had gone down her spine. There was just something she didn't like about him. Wyatt and Chris both knew this but she never told anyone else about it. When they arrived the first person they saw was Gideon, much to Izzy's dislike.
After a tour of the school and seeing all the kids and classes there, Gideon said, "I know this isn't easy for any of you. But Leo and I think it would be in all of your best interests to attend the magic school now. Here we can teach all of you to control your powers and you would have a home as well."
"We already have a home!" she said, "I'm not leaving the Manor or Daddy!"
"Izzy—"Leo began.
"No! I don't care if they're gone! I'm not leaving my home or my father! Mom wouldn't want that!" she shouted.
"Leo, the decision does ultimately rest upon her and her father, you and Richard have already agreed but her father has not." Gideon said.
"Izzy, we are the children of the most powerful witches ever to live and we shouldn't separate ourselves from each other, we're more vulnerable separated!" Wyatt said.
"And you wanna go here? Piper wanted you and Chris to have a normal life! You won't get that here and you won't be honoring her memory by staying here either! Piper didn't want this!" She couldn't believe this, Wyatt actually wanted to leave home and go to some boarding school.
"Izzy's right, Mom didn't want this. And I don't wanna stay here either Dad." Chris said.
"Chris, this isn't your decision." Leo started.
"Oh don't act like you suddenly care dad! You were never there for us before now! Why do you suddenly care about what happens to us?" he shouted. Chris never got along with Leo very well. Shortly after Chris had turned five he had become an Elder and left the Manor. He never visited, only sent letters to Wyatt and Chris. Izzy remembered all to well how hard that had been, letting go of a family member. Now she had to let go of three, and not just any three her mom was one of them. She didn't want to lose anyone else but she wouldn't leave her father either.
"Because I'm your father, Christopher! I've always cared, you know why I couldn't be there and why I still can't be there!"
"Oh what so your just gonna abandon us again now? When we need you the most?" Chris shouted, "I'm not staying here and you can't make me! Just like you can't make Izzy! Jason let her decide and she's right!"
"Chris, unlike Izzy, Jason's not your parent! He's not responsible for you like dad is and if dad thinks we should stay here—"
"I don't care what he thinks! He never cared before now and now that mom's gone he suddenly thinks he has more say of what goes on! Jason's more of a dad to us then he's ever been!"
"Chris—"Richard began.
"No," Leo stopped him, "Jason did leave the decision up to Izzy and she's decided. If Chris wants to stay with her and Jason at the Manor then he can."
Izzy never forgot the look on Gideon's face when Leo had said that. Shortly after that they all left and went back to the Manor. Wyatt began packing his things.
"I can't believe your actually gonna go, Wyatt." Chris said.
Wyatt looked at his brother and sighed, "I'm going because I don't feel right staying here Chris. Before we had mom, now...now we don't have her protecting us, making all our problems go away. If you get in trouble with magic, whose gonna fix it? You know Richard can't, he can barely handle magic and he can't make things right like mom could. And well Jason...yeah he's a great dad to Izzy, but he's not mom or even magical for that matter. You know dad won't stay here much longer. This isn't like how it was with mom when she grew up, she had Grams protecting her and her powers were also bound. I can understand Izzy's reasons for wanting to stay, but yours?"
"Mom didn't want us to go there. She wanted us to have as normal a life as possible."
"I know that Chris, but at the same time we can't have a normal life cuz we aren't like everyone else."
"But it doesn't mean we can't at least try to have one." Izzy said. Wyatt and Chris looked up and saw her in the doorway. "Don't go Wyatt."
"I have to, it's for the best." He replied. Sighing he continued, "I'd rather you two came with but since you won't, it's better that you aren't alone. At least you have each other. Take care of her Chris."
Chris smiled as he looked at his older brother. Izzy walked into the room and gave Wyatt a hug, "We'll take care of each other." She said.
*****
Izzy sat upstairs in the attic several months later. It had been the first time she was able to bring herself there. A few days ago it had been her eleventh birthday, the first birthday she had celebrated without her mother. She now stood in front of the Book of Shadows and stared at it. Her mother had never let her page through it before. Instead Phoebe had only shown her a few entries. As she stared at it Izzy's hand traced over the triquatra on the cover.
"What are you doing?" she heard.
Looking up she saw Chris standing there. "Nothing....nothing." she replied shaking her head and stepping away from the book.
Chris slowly walked into the room. "I haven't been up here since..."
"I know, neither have I."
They both remained quiet. It was an awkward silence, each knew what the other was thinking. They were recalling times in the attic. Demon attacks had been few and far between in their younger years, but they had heard stories of what it had been like before they were born. Izzy's gaze went back to the book still sitting on its podium.
"Didn't they say something about a spell to summon the dead once?" Izzy asked.
Chris looked at her, "If there is one, it would be in the book."
"We shouldn't." she said looking away once more, "They didn't want us using magic like that until we were older."
"But...that was before..." Izzy looked at him as he trailed off.
"We may have to in order to protect ourselves." She said following his train of thought.
"It wouldn't hurt if we at least familiarized ourselves with the book." He said. They both looked back at it. It seemed to be calling to them and they were unsure if they should. All the caution they had been given beforehand seemed pointless now since they were on their own now. They didn't have their mothers protecting them and who knew what could come after them now. Izzy moved towards the book and took it off the stand. After staring at it for several seconds she walked towards the love seat and sat down. Chris joined her and they opened the Book of Shadows and began paging through it unsupervised for the first time.
Izzy and her father had moved back into the Manor after it had happened. She was given Phoebe's old room and Chris and Wyatt shared a room again while her father took the last remaining room. Leo had come around more often but he never stayed. Jason became the parent in resident at the Manor. Richard still lived at his family's estate with the girls.
Years later Izzy would never forget the day her father sat her down and told her that she had a choice to make. Leo wanted them all to go to magic school, it seemed like the best idea since well he couldn't very well train anyone to use their powers and Richard wasn't very stable with magic. Jason told her that it was her decision to make and no one else's and that if she decided to go to the magic school, he would understand.
"But Daddy I don't wanna leave you. I've already lost mom and I can't lose you too." She had said, and she had meant every word of it. Leo could try and force her all he wanted but she wouldn't go.
"You'll never lose me sweetie." Jason replied hugging her tight.
Later that day Richard showed up with the girls and Leo came. They took them all to the magic school; the only one who stayed behind was Jason. Izzy had been there a few times before and every single time she had come across Gideon, chills had gone down her spine. There was just something she didn't like about him. Wyatt and Chris both knew this but she never told anyone else about it. When they arrived the first person they saw was Gideon, much to Izzy's dislike.
After a tour of the school and seeing all the kids and classes there, Gideon said, "I know this isn't easy for any of you. But Leo and I think it would be in all of your best interests to attend the magic school now. Here we can teach all of you to control your powers and you would have a home as well."
"We already have a home!" she said, "I'm not leaving the Manor or Daddy!"
"Izzy—"Leo began.
"No! I don't care if they're gone! I'm not leaving my home or my father! Mom wouldn't want that!" she shouted.
"Leo, the decision does ultimately rest upon her and her father, you and Richard have already agreed but her father has not." Gideon said.
"Izzy, we are the children of the most powerful witches ever to live and we shouldn't separate ourselves from each other, we're more vulnerable separated!" Wyatt said.
"And you wanna go here? Piper wanted you and Chris to have a normal life! You won't get that here and you won't be honoring her memory by staying here either! Piper didn't want this!" She couldn't believe this, Wyatt actually wanted to leave home and go to some boarding school.
"Izzy's right, Mom didn't want this. And I don't wanna stay here either Dad." Chris said.
"Chris, this isn't your decision." Leo started.
"Oh don't act like you suddenly care dad! You were never there for us before now! Why do you suddenly care about what happens to us?" he shouted. Chris never got along with Leo very well. Shortly after Chris had turned five he had become an Elder and left the Manor. He never visited, only sent letters to Wyatt and Chris. Izzy remembered all to well how hard that had been, letting go of a family member. Now she had to let go of three, and not just any three her mom was one of them. She didn't want to lose anyone else but she wouldn't leave her father either.
"Because I'm your father, Christopher! I've always cared, you know why I couldn't be there and why I still can't be there!"
"Oh what so your just gonna abandon us again now? When we need you the most?" Chris shouted, "I'm not staying here and you can't make me! Just like you can't make Izzy! Jason let her decide and she's right!"
"Chris, unlike Izzy, Jason's not your parent! He's not responsible for you like dad is and if dad thinks we should stay here—"
"I don't care what he thinks! He never cared before now and now that mom's gone he suddenly thinks he has more say of what goes on! Jason's more of a dad to us then he's ever been!"
"Chris—"Richard began.
"No," Leo stopped him, "Jason did leave the decision up to Izzy and she's decided. If Chris wants to stay with her and Jason at the Manor then he can."
Izzy never forgot the look on Gideon's face when Leo had said that. Shortly after that they all left and went back to the Manor. Wyatt began packing his things.
"I can't believe your actually gonna go, Wyatt." Chris said.
Wyatt looked at his brother and sighed, "I'm going because I don't feel right staying here Chris. Before we had mom, now...now we don't have her protecting us, making all our problems go away. If you get in trouble with magic, whose gonna fix it? You know Richard can't, he can barely handle magic and he can't make things right like mom could. And well Jason...yeah he's a great dad to Izzy, but he's not mom or even magical for that matter. You know dad won't stay here much longer. This isn't like how it was with mom when she grew up, she had Grams protecting her and her powers were also bound. I can understand Izzy's reasons for wanting to stay, but yours?"
"Mom didn't want us to go there. She wanted us to have as normal a life as possible."
"I know that Chris, but at the same time we can't have a normal life cuz we aren't like everyone else."
"But it doesn't mean we can't at least try to have one." Izzy said. Wyatt and Chris looked up and saw her in the doorway. "Don't go Wyatt."
"I have to, it's for the best." He replied. Sighing he continued, "I'd rather you two came with but since you won't, it's better that you aren't alone. At least you have each other. Take care of her Chris."
Chris smiled as he looked at his older brother. Izzy walked into the room and gave Wyatt a hug, "We'll take care of each other." She said.
*****
Izzy sat upstairs in the attic several months later. It had been the first time she was able to bring herself there. A few days ago it had been her eleventh birthday, the first birthday she had celebrated without her mother. She now stood in front of the Book of Shadows and stared at it. Her mother had never let her page through it before. Instead Phoebe had only shown her a few entries. As she stared at it Izzy's hand traced over the triquatra on the cover.
"What are you doing?" she heard.
Looking up she saw Chris standing there. "Nothing....nothing." she replied shaking her head and stepping away from the book.
Chris slowly walked into the room. "I haven't been up here since..."
"I know, neither have I."
They both remained quiet. It was an awkward silence, each knew what the other was thinking. They were recalling times in the attic. Demon attacks had been few and far between in their younger years, but they had heard stories of what it had been like before they were born. Izzy's gaze went back to the book still sitting on its podium.
"Didn't they say something about a spell to summon the dead once?" Izzy asked.
Chris looked at her, "If there is one, it would be in the book."
"We shouldn't." she said looking away once more, "They didn't want us using magic like that until we were older."
"But...that was before..." Izzy looked at him as he trailed off.
"We may have to in order to protect ourselves." She said following his train of thought.
"It wouldn't hurt if we at least familiarized ourselves with the book." He said. They both looked back at it. It seemed to be calling to them and they were unsure if they should. All the caution they had been given beforehand seemed pointless now since they were on their own now. They didn't have their mothers protecting them and who knew what could come after them now. Izzy moved towards the book and took it off the stand. After staring at it for several seconds she walked towards the love seat and sat down. Chris joined her and they opened the Book of Shadows and began paging through it unsupervised for the first time.