This is written under this new pen name, Twisted Flame. My old one didn't seem right for what I am writing now, so I changed it. Ok, same story, same everything, new pen name. Ok? Ok. Good.
DISCALIMER: - Hey ya'll. I don't own. You don't sue. Si? Comprende? Excellent!
Pixie Wildfire: - No! You can't have! They're my tissues, MINE!
Dark Fires: - Aw, don't cry, lol. Thanks for reviewing, though. You can keep doing that. ^_~ Cliff-hangers happen… A lot… Lol…
Queen of the Elven City: - Thank you!
Faith: - I try to make it good, lol. Thanks for your review.
X3: - Lol, I hope your heart doesn't break, or I expect I'd have to pay for it… -_- Thanks for reviewing, and isn't it sad how much I've made Chris' life suck?
xx*an*insomniacs*nightmare*xx: - Yeah, I know. Poor Chris… Thanks for your review.
Ennaurial: - Where'd you go on holiday? Was it anywhere nice? Lol. Thanks for your review. Yeah, a lot of people got hurt, didn't they? My holiday? Well it was too damn short, but apart from that, not bad at all.
Don't cry too much, I seem to have given all of my tissues away… Huh…
Lol, did you tell her what was wrong? Don't cry, it should get better… Hopefully should get better… I hope…
Nautica7mk: - Romantic comedies? Lol, I made you think of romantic comedies?! Lol, that's the only review that made me laugh… Anyhoo thanks for reviewing, it was really sweet.
DrewFullerFan4Life: - Lol, what was the ew for? Ok, I'll keep going, lol.
Terra fea: - There's more, there just wasn't in that chapter, lol. Thanks for reviewing and here is the hopefully long-awaited chapter 9!
Darla101: - Yeah, I made lots of people hate Leo… Whoops, considering my pen name, lol. Thanks for your review, and thanks for the compliment!
Magicgrrl: - Being grounded SUCKS a LOT… I need to see Spin City… It's on soon… Hopefully soon anways… Well get everyone at the asylum to throw their Coke cans at him and stuff… Then maybe he won't be so evil… Thanks for reviewing, lol… Your reviews are always so… Unique? (Another word for odd, by the way, lol).
Denna5: - Yup, as usual, sad for all except Wyatt… The way I'm writing him is making me hate him… Hm…
Karone Evertree: - I think that part was just Wyatt saying bad stuff to Piper… Yes, Leo is a BAD father… Piper should blow him up…
Cat: - Thanks a lot, and thanks for the review, lol. I'm sorry about the wait, though…
Claddagh Ring: - Aw, thank you! You really make me feel great about myself, thanks a lot. It means so much to me. Thanks for saying about my characterization, which I believe goes wrong sometimes, but anyway… Thanks so much.
Pheniox-skye: - Whoa, Caps lock! Lol, thanks for your review.
darkdestiney2000: - I know! So sad! Thanks for reviewing.
Taynna: - Lol, real life sucks! I'd much rather sit here and pretend that it doesn't exist… I could wear blinkers and stick my fingers in my ears and hum a little tune… But that's not gonna happen. Don't worry about it, I haven't updated for *checks* I think nine days now, because of my damn real life, so yeah… Hm… I had to make that up, because I'd protected the house too damn well and they couldn't get in any other way, lol… Thanks for a reviewing… THREE times, lol.
Jokes suck, half the time they're not even funny. They're mean… Yup, you were right Leo's ignorance didn't last too long… Oh well… No more bliss for him, then… Yeah, I'd stay away from my sister… Even though I wouldn't get pregnant to have the baby vanished… Hm…
Little Wyatt is at Darryl and Shelia's, they dropped him off after orbing out of the office and before they orbed into the back yard. I wrote that in, but it was only a line, so it wasn't that easy to see… Wyatt's trying his damn hardest not to do anything to the timeline… Well anything that wouldn't benefit him anyway. ^_~
cherry7up56: -Lol, ya… No one likes getting knocked out. Thanks for your review.
Princesscatie21: - Lol, if I hand you the gun you can pull the trigger, ok? Thanks for reviewing, it manes a lot to me.
Wow if you keep this up my head will be too big to fit anywhere! Thank you all so much, and I just want to say sorry for the delay… I went back to school this week and it's been a totally tiring nightmare from beginning to end.
Charmed Leo
**********
"You didn't do anything, Mom," Chris whispered, looking up at Piper's tear-streaked face. "You didn't do anything except leave me…"
"I'm so sorry…" Piper apologized, sniffing. "I didn't mean to…"
"Touching," Wyatt sneered. "Really, very touching. But I'm sorry, Mother. We have an agenda to meet, don't we, Chris?" Chris fell silent looked back at the floor.
Piper's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What are you going to do?"
Wyatt paused, trying to decide if he disclose his plan to his parents. Finally he spoke up. "In the future, taking over took too long. Too many good demons had to die. It was messy. Sloppy, even. And it all went wrong. But now I'm here I get another chance, a chance to do it all again. I get a twenty year head start, and this time I get to do it with Chris," Chris flinched at the mention of Wyatt using him to take over.
"He wouldn't join you," Leo spat angrily at his older son, finding his voice. "Chris is good," The Elder protested, completely contradicting all that he had said about Chris before. His hands were balled into fists at his side.
Wyatt blinked. "Well, how interesting. Tell me Leo, when did you grow a spine?" He paused. "Or was that Chris' doing?" He looked down at his brother. Chris was still leaning against the wall, his legs stretched out in front of him. Leo, remembering Valhalla, flushed slightly red.
"Chris, fight it," Piper demanded, reaching out to him. "You don't want to be evil…"
"What's the point?" Chris murmured, toying with a small piece of glass, pushing it along with his finger. "What's the point when all being good did was to cause me pain? You all hated me when I was good, and you completely doted on Wyatt, even when he was evil…"
"Chris…" Leo pleaded. "Please… Don't listen to him…"
Chris looked up at him, eyes blazing in the first display of emotion that Leo had seen since he had been in the room. "You always told me to listen to him. You always told me to be exactly like Wyatt, and when I couldn't you hated me. Wyatt looked after me, he protected me… You? You didn't even care…" Fresh tears welled up in Chris' eyes and the spark faded. He swiped them away angrily, but not before two could escape down his face. "No one even cared…" He told them, in an even smaller voice.
"That's not true!" Piper yelled, hurt in her voice. "I would always have cared!"
"That was a completely different me, Chris…" Leo said, backing Piper up.
"I'm sorry…" Chris said, looking up at Leo and waving an arm. Leo was catapulted through the air and hit the wall, sliding limply to the floor. Chris' glittering green gaze turned to his mother. "Mom…"
"Please, Chris…" Piper begged. "Please?"
He shook his head, feeling more tears prick his eyes. "I can't… I don't know how…"
"You do, all you've got to do is-"
Wyatt looked slightly panicked and waved his hand at his mother. "Sleep," Piper crumpled, completely unconscious. "Come, Chris…" Wyatt said, helping his brother almost tenderly off of the floor. Chris took one last look at his unconscious family and followed his brother from the room.
**********
"There it is…" Wyatt breathed, clearing some boxes out of the way. In front of the Halliwell brothers stood the Sword, embedded deep in its stone. Wyatt took the hilt, but then released it and stepped back. "Chris…" He said slowly and invitingly, making way for the younger man.
He looked to the floor, feeling inferior all over again. "It's yours, Wyatt…" Chris mumbled. "Only you and Mom can pull it out…"
"Ah, but did you ever try Chris? Did you ever get near enough to pull it out?" Wyatt asked, setting off niggling unanswered questions in his brother's brain.
"Nobody ever let me…" Chris whispered, suddenly mesmerized by the light glinting on the blade. "Nobody ever thought that I could, so nobody ever let me try…" Slowly an orange orb started to appear in the middle of the steel as the sun rose and cast its red-yellow rays onto the metal.
"Well I'm letting you try, Chris. Go on,"
Wyatt held his breath as Chris reached out a shaking hand, but as he brushed the Sword Chris made a fist and drew back, shaking his head. "I don't want to," He told his brother, slightly fearful about the result.
"Do it, Chris…" Wyatt said, a hint of a threat creeping into his voice. "Think about all of the times everyone held you back; think about how much you always wanted to just try to pull it out… Try to be like me, be accepted…"
Compelled by these words Chris' hand reached out again, this time grasping the handle. Considering that it was metal it felt warm to his touch. He stood there for a moment, grasping the weapon in his hand. He pulled and with a grating noise that set his teeth on edge the sword was wrenched free.
Chris gaped at it.
"How… But how?"
"You pulled the Sword, brother. Sign that we were meant to rule together. Side. By. Side."
Chris felt the power surge through him; leaping up his arms and seemingly making his hair stand on end. He gripped it tighter, curling another hand around it. "How come nobody ever let me try this? How come they always hated me, and never let anyone but you use it?" Chris breathed, feeling wonder as the strength became interlaced with his blood. He closed his eyes, letting Excalibur infuse him with its power.
"They were afraid, Chris," Wyatt began. "They were afraid of what we could do together…" He grinned, seeing Chris' eyes closed. "Doesn't it feel good? Doesn't the power you now wield make you feel better than you've ever felt in your life?"
"Yes…"
"Good… Then let's go," Wyatt extended an arm towards his brother and together the two Halliwells orbed away from the Manor.
**********
"Ow…" Phoebe said, sitting up too fast and sending searing pains through her skull. She closed her eyes, biting her tongue to stop a scream. Slowly she put her hand to the back of her head and it came back sticky, thick with dark congealing blood. She groaned, her vision blurring around her. Her eyes fell on Paige. "Oh my God, Paige!"
Phoebe crawled over to her sister and used Paige's power to orb the cabinet away. It landed on the floor even more splintered and skidded into the doorway. "Paige, wake up!" Phoebe tapped her sister's pale face. Paige stirred, turning her head to one side. She gave an indistinguishable groan that Phoebe almost missed.
"Don't wanna…"
"Paige,"
The witch-Whitelighter groaned, screwing her eyes shut. "What?"
"You've gotta wake up, sweetie…" Phoebe said, giving up bullying and trying gentle cajoling. "Come on…" Phoebe gripped her half-sister's shoulders, giving them a gentle shake.
"Alright already… My leg hurts…" Paige moaned, screwing up her face in pain.
"I know, it's broken…"
Paige groaned again and sat up, ignoring stabbing pains and waves of dizziness that threatened to overtake her. "Chris…?"
"I don't know, he's not here,"
"Ok, I'm in serious need of some healing…" Paige commented, looking down at the bone sticking out of her leg and feeling sick. "Where's Leo?"
"Over there. I'll just wake him up…" Phoebe crawled, still on all fours, to the unconscious Elder. "Leo…" She paused, hoping for a response. "Leeeeeeeo?" She got nothing. "LEO, DAMMIT!" Lying on its side on the floor beside her was a vase, and she picked it up, emptying what little water was left inside onto the Elder's face.
"Whoa! Wyatt!" He said, jumping awake.
"Wyatt's gone…" Phoebe said, helping him into a sitting position. "Are you hurt?"
Leo shook his head, mentally checking himself. "No, I don't think so…"
"Good. Paige's leg is broken…"
"Your head looks broken too…" He held up a hand and let a golden light shine over Phoebe's wound, sealing it completely.
"Thanks... Go see to Paige…" She looked over at her younger sister, who had passed out again. Leo made his way over to Paige whilst Phoebe, newly healed and able to walk, went over to Piper.
The oldest Halliwell was sleeping peacefully, a neutral expression on her face but with her arms curled protectively around her abdomen. Her knees were drawn up too, almost concealing the pregnant bump.
"Piper…"
"Mmm-hm?" She said gently, her smile faltering a little.
"Are you going to wake up?"
Piper's eyelids fluttered open slowly and Phoebe watched her pupils frantically shrink. "What happened?" Piper asked groggily, feeling as though her brain was clogged with molasses. "Where's Wyatt? And Chris?"
"I don't know…"
"Why?" Piper asked, shaking all traces of fatigue away. "What happened to them?"
"I don't know. Leo's healing Paige and then we're gonna find them, ok?"
"I'm finding them NOW," Piper said, heaving herself up and making for the stairs.
"Piper…"
"Catch up with me!" Piper's voice yelled, muffled from the top of the stairs. Phoebe sighed and went over to Paige and Leo.
"She's nearly there," Leo assured Phoebe, concentrating on Paige's leg. "Give me a couple more seconds," Phoebe nodded as Paige's leg sealed and the bone slipped back under the skin. The youngest sister woke up with a start.
"Whoa!"
"Easy, Paige…" Leo soothed, helping her up.
"Come on, Piper went up to the attic," Phoebe said, leading the way to the stairs.
**********
Piper was leaning over the map table, the scrying crystal hovering over a map of San Francisco. It swung in ever-widening circles, but came to rest nowhere.
"Why isn't this working?" Piper exploded suddenly, slamming the crystal down onto the map. "It should be finding Chris!"
Paige began to pace up and down the attic and Leo sat on the couch, apparently lost somewhere deep in his own thoughts. "It will, be patient," Phoebe shushed, gently pushing Piper aside. "Now you sit there and hold my hand and I'll have a go at it, ok?" Piper sat down heavily, squeezing Phoebe's hand.
For around five minutes the crystal circled over the map, and Phoebe's arm began to ache and her head began to become sore from watching it go round. That and scrying took a lot out of you. She regularly gave Piper's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Leo finally asked.
Piper was startled. "Because you were already giving up enough to be Up There. I didn't want your decision to change jut because you had another kid on the way!" She looked down at the rug, studying the pattern. She spoke up, quieter this time, "Maybe I should have told you, but would it really have made anything easier?"
"How long have you known?" Leo demanded.
"Since… Since the day on the Ghostly Plane, when he was conceived…"
"THAT LONG?" Leo yelled in disbelief. "You've all known that long? And didn't even think about starting to work out how to tell me?"
This is not what Piper needed right now, she was already starting to show the signs of becoming a nervous wreck. "We've known longer…" Paige said, glaring at Leo. "I've known since the whole genie incident…"
"And I've known since that mind quest I went on in Magic School. You remember the wolf?"
"Yeah, exactly. So don't yell at Piper, ok? Yell at all of us, she doesn't need this right now…"
"I don't believe you!" Leo exclaimed, shaking his head. " All of you!"
"I knew you'd react like this, Leo! I knew that you'd blow it out of proportion!" Piper said angrily, standing up and waving her hands in the air in such a way everyone waited for something to blow up. Small translucent white birds did circuits around the attic before dissolving in a swirl of lilac lights.
"Don't ask!" Piper snapped and Leo was about to ask a question.
"Piper… Do I not have a right to react like I am? Finding out six months after I had sex with my wife for the last time that I have another kid coming? And not only that I have another kid coming who's already come back from the future? To save his brother!?" He paused, his face draining of colour. He sat back down on the couch, his face in his hands. "I was such a bastard… Poor Chris…"
"We were all terrible to him, and I really think it hurt him badly. Although whatever Wyatt's doing to him is hurting him more, so can we please FOCUS!" Phoebe said, overturning the map table. Everyone jumped at the crash. Phoebe winced. "Sorry, sorry… All that anger went to my head for a minute there…"
"It's ok," Paige reassured her. "I think we were gonna need to use this anyway," She handed her sister a map of the world. "They could be anywhere."
**********
Chris sliced at the air with Excalibur, cleaving an energy ball into two. The two halves brushed past him harmlessly, exploding on the stone behind him. Another barrage of energy balls. He started twirling the weapon in a repeated figure of eight, the air screaming with a high-pitched whistle as the blade sliced through. He caught all of the deadly orbs and the sword came to rest near his side.
"Well done…" Wyatt complimented. "I think you're ready."
"Where are we going?"
"The Underworld. Come on," Chris, fully believing that nobody cared except Wyatt, disappeared once more with his brother.
**********
"There!" Phoebe yelled, pushing the crystal off of the place name. "They're in-" The crystal jumped again, rolling off of the map altogether. A disappointed silence filled the room. "Well we had them…" Phoebe muttered gloomily, taking the chain between finger and thumb once more.
**********
The orbing lights faded and Chris and Wyatt were standing in a cavern, right in the centre of a ring of demons. It appeared to be some kind of meeting, with all levels of demons there. Chris could see Darklighters and warlocks amongst the many demons. He shuddered at all of the cold eyes glaring at him. His brother held up his hand as fire and energy balls ignited around them.
"Don't throw those," Wyatt said callously. "Or you won't live to regret it," He cocked an eyebrow at the crowd and a few demons put them out, aware of the power coming off of this one individual. "Give me the Sword, Chris." Wyatt commanded, holding out his hand.
Chris was reluctant to let go of the power he felt in his hands. He held it out, meaning to give it to Wyatt, but something stopped him. Wyatt just held out his hand and the Sword wrenched itself away from Chris and into Wyatt's waiting hands.
"My sword, Chris. Remember that. I'm just letting you borrow it," Chris looked to the floor, scuffing a shoe at the sandy stone.
"Now…" The blond turned back to the demons, most of whom had their weapons still lit up in their palms. "Oh please. Are you still planning on throwing those at me?" A demon let loose an energy ball in answer but Wyatt caught it and crushed it.
A collective gasp went up and then a wave of muttering went through the assembled demons. Wyatt answered the attack with an energy ball of his own, burning the demon that had assaulted him to a pile of ash on the ground.
"Anyone else?" Wyatt spread his hands wide, still holding the sword with his right, an energy ball in his left. "Come on there, surely you can all do better than that…"
An energy ball and a fireball streaked towards him and he threw Excalibur, slicing through both of the orbs and dissipating them. The sword kept flying, spinning towards the demons. It lopped off the two heads of the demons that had thrown the balls and then, when Wyatt held out his hand, boomeranged back towards its master. The heads and bodies disappeared in a burst of fire.
Wyatt grinned.
Suddenly Chris screamed in pain, clutching at his side. Wyatt spun around and saw an arrow embedded deep into his brother's abdomen. A darklighter, realizing how they had entered, had taken advantage of the fact that Wyatt was distracted by killing demons and had shot Chris.
"WHO DID THIS?" Wyatt roared, revolving slowly on the spot, his face twisted with anger. "WHO SHOT HIM?" Another arrow sliced its way towards him, but with two swipes of Excalibur the bolt lay in three pieces on the ground. "You." His grey eyes blazing he stared at the man that had shot at him and his brother, stepping forward and splintering the arrow further, then flicking his wrist at the darklighter.
All of the poison tipped arrows rose from their quiver and hovered, point towards the darklighter, in the air. The darklighter's face contorted with fear. Wyatt flicked his wrist again and each arrow shot towards their owner, the final one burying itself deep into the darklighter's skull between his eyes and vanquishing him.
"It'll be ok, Chris…" Wyatt said, bending down and holding his hands out over the wound. A small gesture with two fingers made the arrow fly out of Chris' body, vanquishing the demon that it thudded into. Wyatt didn't notice or care. Chris was pale, with beads of sweat covering his forehead already. Wyatt looked concerned for the first time and held his hands over his fallen brother, slowly healing the wound. When Chris was healed Wyatt stood up.
"ANYONE ELSE? ANYONE ELSE WANT TO TRY AND KILL ME?" He roared to the cavern, watching demons bow their heads and kneel before him. He smirked at how easily they were bent to his will. "Anyone, and I mean anyone, tries anything like that with my brother again will have to answer to me, have you got that?" Another collective murmur, this one of agreement.
"Good! Now get out of my sight and don't come back until I call. One by one the demons and warlocks shimmered and blinked from view.
Chris, still sprawled at Wyatt's feet, looked up at his older brother with a new kind of fear.