I think there's one chapter left of this and maybe an epilogue, depending on how many issues I need to wrap up.
Wow, I wanna say wow… Thanks so much for all of your reviews, my head feels very inflated. You're all so kind, thank you! I also think that ff.net is being slightly odd, and the following are replies to reviews that were given to me for chapter 10, but if you reviewed chapter 9 after I posted chapter 10 they don't appear to be properly listed -- So I do appreciate you! I just can't see you to thank you…
Marie Walker: - No problem, you're fic was EXCELLENT.
Xxaninsomniacsnightmarexx: - It only took me… 9 days… Oops… well thanks for reviewing and being patient!
Flephanie: - Yes, I bash Chris… I'm not sure why, shall get back to you on that one… Anyways thanks for reviewing!
Random insane person: - Blood… It's a cool colour though, no? Thanks for your review, and I'm not that bothered, you don't have to suppress hyperness… I've seen lots on my time…
Dark Fires: - Lots of people like Chris bashing… You like a character you've just got to bash them, huh?
Russifoe: - Chris shall get healed… Whether that's the end of his troubles or not is a completely different matter…
Karone Evertree: - Yeah, poor Chris… I promised to write one fic where he didn't get hurt…
X3: - Patience is a virtue… there was a really funny saying about that which I have now forgotten… Anyways thanks for you review!
Pixie Wildfire: - Chapter 11! Here it is! Thanks for review, love ya!
Nautica7mk: - everyone wants Chris to win! And quite right too! Thanks for reviewing!
Teresa: - You only had to wait… Uh… a little over a week, lol… Which is too much time, really… Sorry… Thanks for your review.
Claddagh Ring: - Yup, Chris always keeps fighting, right to the end. And yeah, why not inject some Piper/Leo fluff? It would work, it really would… Thanks for reviewing, I love your reviews!
Wait, that's twice! Lol, I'm slow ' eleven things?! Well I must admit I wasn't counting but ouch… Yeah, ouch… Sorry for taking so long!
Tp96: - Aw, thanks!
Chrisoriented: - Thank you!
denna5: - Wyatt = very creepy in my opinion… But anyways… Thanks for reviewing!
Taynna: - Chris is running, right back to his family. Aw… Although I'm not sure how long I could let any happiness last… insert evil grin here I'm not too good at evil mastermind writing… Wyatt will have nothing! Hahahaha! Good, serves him right!
Queen of the Elven City: - Nah, how can you emotionally torture a corpse? Thanks for reviewing.
X Raya: - Wow, thanks! I loved your review! I think I read Riddle Me This… If not poke me hard and I shall read and review… Thanks a lot!
Charmed Amber: - Lots of people have been cringing… Well it makes a change from crying, right? Lol… farewell!
cherry7up56: - Lots of people seem to be thinking jerk… Hm, wonder why? Lol…
Melissa: - hopefully you're now unstuck for your screen…That could get messy, lol. Thanks for reviewing!
princesscatie21: - Chris is definitely beating Wyatt…
Chattypandagurl: - Aw thanks! Thanks for reviewing!
Thanks for everything!
Twisted Flame
"I've got it!" Piper exclaimed, looking up, it was Leo. Slightly uncomfortable, she looked back down at the seething potion again, throwing in a sprig of thyme. The resulting explosion lifted her off of her feet and threw her backwards.
Leo waved an arm quickly and she disappeared in a cloud of orbs and reappeared by the couch in the living room, falling back onto it and scattering the cushions onto the floor. "I thought I had it…" She absently put her hand to her stomach and rubbed in gentle circular motions, her eyes glazing over slightly. How could this be happening? How did her family turn out like this?
"Piper…" Leo prompted gently, wandering through from the kitchen and standing somewhat nervously in the doorway.
"Hm?" Piper looked up, startled. "Oh, right… I guess thyme wasn't the best ingredient to add, huh?"
"Guess not…" She sighed and chewed on her bottom lip, deep in thought. Leo leaned against the doorframe, silent and letting her think. Suddenly they both heard a loud crash from upstairs.
Leo dashed over to the couch, grabbed Piper's arm as she struggled to get up and orbed them both to the attic before Piper could say a word.
As the reappeared Piper began to sway on the spot, and put a hand to her head under her fringe. She started feeling dizzy, and bile rose in her throat. "Whoa…"
"Sit down…" Leo said, gesturing to the couch that was currently occupied by the two sleeping, younger Halliwells. "Ok, the rocker…" They turned behind them to see that the chair had become completely obliterated; splintered stakes of wood had rolled across the floor and in the middle of the destruction was…
"Chris!" Piper squealed, running over to him and couching down, her pregnant stomach getting in the way. She brushed hair out of his face and touched sticky, drying blood on his forehead. "Oh baby…" Piper murmured, tears blurring her vision.
His face was swollen; his jaw had been knocked into an odd angle. He was currently unconscious, although his fingers were still curled tightly around Excalibur. Piper suddenly felt hatred from the gleaming blade and wrenched it from Chris' grasp, striding over to the stone and thrusting it so hard into it that it touched the boarded floor underneath.
"Leo, heal him…" She turned and found Leo standing there, completely frozen. She looked down at her hands, wondering if her anger had triggered Chris' ability to tap into her powers. "Leo!" She yelled, making Paige stir and stretch.
The half-witch blinked and screwed her eyes closed, stretching long and luxuriously and giving a wide yawn. "P-p-piper?" She asked through a gaping mouth. Her stretching had dislodged Phoebe's head and slowly the middle sister began to wake as well.
"Ok, so you don't hear a huge crash but when I call for Leo you wake up?" Piper asked irritably.
"Crash?" Paige asked, looking at he sister and rubbing her eyes.
"Oh my God, Chris," Phoebe said, jumping off of the couch and going to see her nephew. "What happened?"
Piper looked at her youngest son with sad eyes. "Wyatt."
"Why is Leo frozen?" Paige asked, slowly circling the Elder and looking curiously at him. She touched his arm. The blond man sprang to life, looking confused.
"What happened? Piper?"
"Don't ask, just go heal Chris…" Leo looked over to the corner, where a pool of blood was beginning to creep from underneath his son.
He ran over to Chris but suddenly his legs tangled, and he tripped, hitting the floor hard. His hand reached up and clutched weakly at the arrow embedded deeply between his shoulder blades.
Paige eyes widened and she called for, "Arrow," and sent the orbs flying into a cardboard box. "Leo?"
"What happened?" Phoebe asked, looking for signs of an attack. The attic was eerily empty, considering that something had just shot Leo in the back.
Paige felt an odd disturbance in the air behind her and turned to see another poisoned arrow flying at her chest. She twisted her body and the bolt barely missed, the cold barbed tip just grazing past her neck and leaving a long dark line that oozed with poison. The brunette cried out and slapped her hand to her neck immediately, watching the arrow embed itself, quivering, into the wall.
"Wyatt," Piper breathed, staring over Phoebe and Paige's shoulders. The two sisters turned to see their other nephew, a cruel smile twisted on his face. His mother saw the crossbow that he had in his right hand, pointed at the floor.
"You weren't supposed to guess, mother," Wyatt told her, curling his finger tighter around the trigger.
"Paige…" Piper warned, seeing the slight movement. Paige nodded and orbed away.
"Hm," Wyatt said, sounding disappointed. "I was really hoping to shoot her,"
Slowly orbing lights appeared behind Wyatt. Wyatt sensed the orb and turned, only to come face to face with his aunt. "Bastard," Paige spat, struggling with him as he tried to raise the weapon to shoot her. "Uh…" Paige panicked realizing that Wyatt was stronger than she was. She only had the advantage because of surprise…
"Arrow!" The arrow orbed out of the crossbow and into Wyatt's stomach, it had hardly needed to move. "You play with fire, you get burned… See how you like it," Wyatt looked down in shock at the bloodstain spreading across his shirt. The crossbow clattered to the floor as he sank to his knees.
Paige's hands were balled into fists, her face contorted with hate. He had tried to kill her! And he had shot Leo, and God only knew what he had done to Chris… "Bastard," She said again, callously stepping over the form of her nephew.
"Paige!" Piper's face was rather pale in shock. "It's no more than he deserves," Phoebe noticed a small trail of darkened blood leaking into her sister's shirt. Paige caught Piper reproachful look and sighed. "Look, I was angry, ok? Look what he did…" She touched her neck again, her fingers coming back sticky with poison and blood.
"I've got to switch powers with Leo," Phoebe announced, trying to remember the spell.
"Phoebe, no. I'll do it," Piper said. "I've done it before, I know the trigger…"
"Yes, but what if you add baby Chris' powers into the mix? You could give baby Chris Leo's powers, and then give your powers to Chris as well… Or whatever. I don't want that to happen…"
Piper nodded, reluctantly realizing that Phoebe made sense. "Fine. The trigger's love,"
Phoebe nodded as well. "Ok…" She inhaled, taking a deep breath and shaking out her shoulders. "Love… the trigger is love…
"What's mine is yours,
What's yours is mine,
Let our powers cross the line.
I offer up my gift to share,
So switch our powers through the air,"
Nothing happened.
"What?" Phoebe asked, sounding confused.
"It's ok, you should have his powers now…"
"Ok… I'll give it a go…" She closed her eyes and took Leo's hand, holding her other hand out over the wound. "Ok, something should be happening around about now…" She tried again, willing the power out of her hands to the point that she was shaking with the effort.
"Phoebe, try Chris or Paige… You'll probably get more love out of direct family," Piper advised.
Phoebe moved over to Chris, and a look of sympathy crossed her face. He looked so peaceful asleep, and yet he was covered in wounds… She pulled a piece of rocker out from underneath him to make him more comfortable and he rolled over. Phoebe gasped, seeing the gaping holes that the light darts had made.
"Told you," Paige said, saddened eyes sweeping over Chris' bloodied and bruised form. "A darklighter arrow was no more than he deserved. Heal him, Phoebe."
Phoebe closed her eyes, putting her hand on his forehead. She sucked in a deep breath of air and when she opened her eyes a golden glow was enveloping Chris. The light soothed him, creeping over every part of his body, slowly and gently healing what Wyatt had done.
Piper crouched down next to Chris, gently brushing his hair away as his eyelids fluttered. "Hey, Honey…" Chris opened his eyes and slowly his mother came into focus.
"Hey…" He replied, reaching underneath him and pulling out a splintered piece of wood and wincing. "Did I land here?"
"Yeah…"
"Sorry…" Suddenly his face changed and he snapped back to proper reality. "Look, Wyatt's coming here really soon. He wants me dead…"
"No, look…" Piper gestured to where Wyatt was sprawled on the floor.
"What did you do to him?"
"I shot him," Paige said, a hint of regret coming into her voice for the first time. "Like he shot Leo…"
"Don't let him die. Please,"
"Chris, he tried to kill you!"
"I know… just… just don't let him die, ok? He's still my brother…"
"Ok. We won't… Don't worry…"
Phoebe looked down at her hands and realized that they hadn't stopped glowing yet. "Ok, this is weird…"
"Heal Leo first. Mine's just a scratch…" Paige said, gesturing to the unconscious Elder. Phoebe crouched down next to Leo and soon the golden light had healed him as well. He rolled onto his back and sat up.
"Need your power for a little longer, ok, buddy?" Phoebe said and went to heal Paige without waiting for an answer. The small cut healed quicker that everyone else's wounds and then Phoebe looked to Wyatt. She turned her head away as he gripped the shaft of the arrow and wrenched it free, the barbed tip pulling flesh out with it.
Flashes of pain crossed Wyatt's face and when he tried to throw the arrow away his arm failed him and the bolt fell limply to the boards and rolled. Phoebe walked over to him and he pushed her away.
"Hey, do you want to die?" She snapped. She took his sullen silence as a no and healed her nephew. "There. Wasn't so hard, was it?" Wyatt climbed to his feet.
"I'll take what's mine and leave, then," He held out his hand but Excalibur, buried deeply in the stone, didn't answer his summons. "What did you do with it?"
"You're not supposed to hurt people, Wyatt," Piper said, stepping forwards. "You weren't brought up that way…"
"But I became this way, didn't I, Mother?"
"You can change. You're only evil because you choose to be evil-"
"I can see where Chris got all of his morals from," Wyatt said, rolling his eyes. "Look. Good and evil are just words. They don't exist, not really. It's all about power, mother. Power and those who wield it," He looked directly at Chris, a look of contempt curling his lip into a sneer. "And those who refuse to,"
Chris glared back, not up for a fight right now. He remembered Wyatt saying exactly the same words as he had killed his best friend in front of Chris. Those exact words were etched into his memory for an eternity, garnished with screams of torment…
"Just leave, Wyatt. The future is still yours. Leave us alone,"
"But how much longer is the future mine, Chris? How much longer have I got security there with you screwing things up back here? Huh? Tell me that, Chris,"
"I don't want to fight you…" Chris told his brother, getting up from the floor. "So just leave,"
"Can't do that, Chrissy… You'll cease to exist yet," He grabbed Piper by her upper arm and dug his fingers into her flesh. She squirmed as he gently caressed her swollen stomach.
"Leave her alone," Chris said, shaking with anger.
Wyatt snorted and smirked in amusement. "Or what? You'll go running to Mommy? Oh wait, I've got her,"
"Better than being a Daddy's boy," Chris spat.
Wyatt narrowed his eyes and flung out an arm, sending Chris crashing into a wall. He slid to the floor. "Don't try and stop me. You know full well that you never could." Wyatt and Piper orbed away.
"Oh my God…" Phoebe said, having felt all of the animosity between the two brothers. It had left her near tears. "What are we going to do?"
"We're gonna do what we do most days, Pheebs. We're going vanquish a huge evil," Paige told her. "We need to lock and load, who's with me?"
"There's no time," Chris told them. "We've got to move now,"
"Chris, if we can just-"
"No, dammit! Now!" He strode across the room, grabbed the hilt of the Sword and pulled.
"Chris…" But Phoebe was cut off by a grating noise as Excalibur came free.
"Whoa… Ok, so there's more than one King Arthur?" Chris orbed away, avoiding Paige's question. "Damn that kid!"
Chris doubled over in pain as soon as he appeared in the cavern. The throne was still there but Wyatt and his Mom were nowhere to be seen. Searing pain caught him across the chest and he fell to his knees.
"Wyatt!" He called through gritted teeth.
"What's the matter, Chris? Not enjoying this?" Wyatt uncloaked himself and Piper, and Chris saw that he had a fist in her stomach. He dug his nails into his palms to stop himself screaming as Wyatt slowly rotated the fist, sending spasms of pain through him.
"Stop it!" Piper yelled, kicking backwards and connecting hard with her son's shin. Wyatt howled in pain and released her arm. She ran to Chris, gently rubbing his back while he caught his breath.
"I see you brought me something…" Wyatt held out his hand and the Sword leapt from Chris' weakened grasp and flew to his brother's hand. "Thanks, Chris…"
"You pulled Excalibur?" Chris nodded. "Oh my God…" Piper enveloped her youngest son in a hug. "That's brilliant…"
Wyatt snorted, twirling his sword lazily in his hand. "Please."
"Jealous, Wyatt?" Piper challenged, straightening up.
"Of him? No…" Piper smirked triumphantly, obviously he was. "Go sit down, mother."
"What? But I-" Wyatt waved a hand and Piper's eyes glazed over. "Yes." She walked over to the throne and sat down, staring blankly ahead.
"Mom?"
"She's fine, Chris… You on the other hand…" Chris raised an arm and flung out his power, but it hit the blade and dissipated. "That's the best you can do?" Chris saw the lump of stone he had used earlier and used his power to fling that at Wyatt, but in moves to swift for Chris' eyes to follow it fell to the floor, cleaved into four.
Chris weighed up the situation and realized that, without the Sword, he was not going to win. He began to orb towards Piper, intent on waking her and taking her away from Wyatt. Why hadn't he come with backup? Why had he been so damn rash?
He felt a hot pain in his side as Wyatt swung the Sword into his orbing lights. He reappeared instantly, clutching at the gash, blood flowing feely through his fingers. He pressed another shaking hand to his side and fell to the floor, his face screwed up in pain.
Wyatt stepped closer, looking down upon his dying brother and smirking. Chris' vision started to blur and dim.
"Aw, look. It this the end for Chrissy? The second-born, second-rated and most definitely second-best? Is this how he's going to go?" Wyatt grabbed a fist full of his brother's hair and pulled Chris' face close to his. "I'm gonna watch, Chris. And then I am going to take your baby self and turn him. And together we'll do great evil."
Chris shook his head, words sticking in his throat. Slowly a ringing began to overtake his hearing and garbled flashing scenes crossed his mind.
"Aw, is Chris dying? Mommy, Wyatt hurt me, Mommy, Wyatt's mean, Mommy…" Wyatt mocked as Chris slid into a weird and twisted world.
A blue cape fluttered lightly as Chris zoomed around the room. Wyatt came in and snatched it away, tying it around his own neck. "It's mine!"
"Yeah, Chris. Go do some drawing Chris!"
"We don't want you!"
"But I did!" They were ignoring him, and he tugged at his Mom's skirt, holding the drawing aloft. "See?" The scene began to rush away, leaving Chris standing there as his family sped away without him. "Mommy!" He yelled, running after her. They disappeared into a point of light, which turned into an orange glowing standby light.
"Let me go!" Chris yelled to Wyatt's guards as the flung him down. Wyatt held out his computer and the light enveloped him, swallowing him up and drawing him into the darkness, where he was flung across the room and down some stairs.
"Help!" He yelled as he fell, watching his parents ignore him.
"Isn't he sweet?" Piper cooed, tickling a baby Wyatt.
"Mom!" He hit the floor hard, hearing a car honk and then Wyatt's footsteps thundered past him.
"Bye Mom!" Wyatt called.
"Bye, Sweetie! Don't tread on Chris!" But Wyatt did, trampling over Chris' stomach in a hurry to get out the door.
"Hey!"
"Earthquake!" Piper yelled. "Where's your Dad? Oh well, it's not like he cares anyway… Mind out!" The floor opened up to swallow Chris.
"Well done, Wyatt!" Leo congratulated, his face appearing at the hole to watch Chris fall.
"Watch it!" Bade yelled, slamming Chris into the lockers. "You're a witch, Halliwell. You should die!"
"Die!" The demon shouted, flinging an energy ball at Piper. She hit the floor and rolled, morphing into Wyatt.
"You weren't supposed to kill her!" He screamed at the demon. "Why did you kill her?" The demon burst into flames.
A spark from the flames ignited candles, it was Piper's funeral. Chris watched the coffin going up the aisle and then the smoke wreathing around the ceiling, which turned into…
"Hey!" Wyatt yelled, slapping his face. Chris was jerked out of it, seeing stars.
"What?"
"What did you see?"
"You killed Mom!"
"That was a demon, Chrissy,"
"No, you made a deal with the demon? You twisted, sick bastard! And then you acted like you were mourning! It was guilt, dammit!" Chris moaned in pain, the shouting pulling at his wound. "I hate you," He hissed, turning away and seeing the bloody Sword where Wyatt had flung it. He held out his hand and called it to him, turning and stabbing out.
There was a gasp of surprise and Wyatt looked down at his stomach, to see the hilt of Excalibur sticking out from his gut. "C-Chris…?"
"Oh my God…" Chris put his head in his hands as his brother fell. "I'm sorry, Wyatt… I didn't mean to, don't die… Dad! Dad, Leo! Please…" His pleas for help echoed off of the dead empty walls of the Underworld. "Dad, God, please…" His eyes began to tear up, and then suddenly glistening tears tracked their way down his cheeks and fell onto Wyatt's chest.
"Chris? I'm sorry, Chris…" Wyatt whispered, his lips turning blue.
"Wyatt! No, please… Don't, I didn't mean it…" A sob wrenched at his heart as he saw white creeping across Wyatt's face, and then the lids closing over the grey eyes… "Wyatt…" Chris whispered, shaking his brother's shoulders. "Wyatt, please! Wyatt, no, don't leave me! Please don't leave me…" Wyatt's body began to fade, until there was just the outline. Wyatt's body disappeared in Chris' arms.
"Chris?" Piper called, coming out of her Wyatt-induced trance. "What happened? Where's Wyatt?"
"Wyatt won't hurt anyone anymore…" Chris assured, her, taking a shuddering gasp and falling sideways.
"Leo!" Piper yelled, seeing the sword wound. "LEO!"