Author's Note: Hey, sorry this took so long to get up, but I was distracted
with other writing projects. Hopefully this chapter is worth the wait.
Chris picked his way through the trash and debris of the alley, "Why do they insist on hiding in alleys?" grumbled Chris. He was trying to keep himself distracted, trying not to think about what he would have to do if he came across a witch. 'It's my own fault, I was the one that didn't want to interrogate any more. I thought I was going to be fighting demons though, I never expected this.' He silently cursed Wyatt.
An energy ball flew near his head shaking Chris, rather roughly, from his thoughts. Chris automatically retaliated with his own energy ball. He didn't even have to see where the attacker was, he could tell just by the angle the energy ball was at. Wyatt had trained him well.
He heard a scream and finally caught sight of his victim. A boy slightly younger than him, he had blonde hair and was shorter than Chris. He had several cuts and scars on his face and now he had a large wound on his arm from Chris' energy ball. Chris formed another energy ball and approached the witch.
"Please don't hurt me," the younger witch pleaded.
"In case you have forgotten, you are the one that attacked me," said Chris sounding very much like Wyatt.
"I—I got scared," said the boy, backing away from Chris.
"You don't just attack me and expect not to pay the price."
"No please, I swear I'll leave you alone!"
"Nope, sorry, you have to die," said Chris throwing the energy ball. The witch's dieing cries echoed in his head. Chris smiled grimly and kept walking. He knew that any other witches that had been the area would have fled by now. His stomach growled, telling him it was time for lunch.
He orbed into the kitchen, almost right on top of Wyatt. "Haven't I taught you to sense if there is anyone in the house before you orb in?" said Wyatt, quickly jumping out of the way.
"Sorry, I was hungry, and distracted...," Chris said, trailing off. He was thinking about the young witch he had killed.
"Don't ever let yourself get distracted, if you are distracted your guard is down," Wyatt threw a fire ball, testing to see how well Chris' reflexes were working. Chris didn't even look up from the refrigerator he was rifling through, he simply lifted a hand and easily deflected it.
"I knew you were going to do that," said Chris smiling.
"So did I," said Wyatt, "Why are you home so early?"
"Isn't it obvious?" said Chris around a mouth full of food. He swallowed and said, "I got hungry."
"Did you kill a witch?" asked Wyatt. Chris nodded, "I thought so, killing always makes me hungry. Just one?"
"He was the only one brave enough to throw an energy ball at me, the rest all ran." Chris tried hard to not gag while he was eating. The thoughts of what he had done made his stomach turn. 'Self defense' he kept repeating in his head, trying to justify his actions.
"I see, do you want to go back out? Maybe not today but some other time?" Wyatt was still testing Chris, he could see that it bothered Chris having to kill that witch. It bothered Wyatt that it bothered Chris, maybe he should take it easy on Chris. Give him an assignment where he only had to kill demons. Wyatt knew that Chris wasn't like him and never would be, not completely anyway. "No, never mind," said Wyatt, he noticed the relieved look on Chris' face, "I need someone who wont come home after every witch they kill, it would take forever to get anything done."
Chris laughed nervously and said, "Right." That had been a close one, he would have had to say yes, but he didn't think he could handle killing another witch.
"But," said Wyatt, "You have to go out again tomorrow, I have no one else that I can spare to go patrolling." Chris's heart sank, but he decided to change the subject.
"Why can't you spare anyone? Is there something major going on?" asked Chris.
"No."
"Then why don't you have spare people?"
"Why are you being so resistant?"
"I'm not," said Chris, avoiding eye contact with Wyatt.
"Good, then you will go out again tomorrow."
Chris was walking through another alley when he spotted a witch. She turned to face him, but Chris didn't look at her, trying to avoid looking her strait in the eyes. He quickly formed and energy ball and threw at her. He turned to leave when he heard a girl scream "Mom!"
Chris turned around and saw a girl, about ten, kneel down next to what must have been her mother's body. "No mom, come on, you can't be dead, I need you!" she said desperately. The exact words that Chris had said when Piper had died. Chris swallowed hard and made a decision.
He sense where his brother was and orbed to him. As soon as he was fully formed he said, "I quit."
Wyatt looked up, startled and said, "What?"
"I quit, I just killed a witch and her daughter said the same thing I said when mom died, so I quit! I can't handle this any more Wyatt!" said Chris getting slightly hysterical.
"Chris, it was just one witch," said Wyatt, trying to calm down Chris. A hysterical Chris was a dangerous Chris.
"Not just one witch! She had children! I mean, the demon that killed mom probably said 'It was just one witch' How can you sink to their level?" He sunk down into a chair and covered his face with his hands.
"It wasn't your fault Chris, I shouldn't have asked you to do a patrol," said Wyatt.
"It shouldn't be like this Wyatt! Do you ever look out the window and see what you've done to the city, the world?"
"I did it all for you!" said Wyatt, standing up.
"You did it for yourself and you know it," spat Chris before he orbed out. He reappeared on what was left of the Golden Gate Bridge. He saw his mother's face, and felt her warm embrace, he had so many precious memories of her, but each time he remembered them they were a little more faded than before. The only memory that had stayed fresh, like it had happened just a minute ago, was the one of her death. He felt so much pain, and now he had cause that same pain to a child, even younger than he was, with less memories of her mother.
Something had to be done. Something to stop Wyatt. Chris set his jaw and clenched his fists, he orbed out to see just how much he could do about that.
Chris picked his way through the trash and debris of the alley, "Why do they insist on hiding in alleys?" grumbled Chris. He was trying to keep himself distracted, trying not to think about what he would have to do if he came across a witch. 'It's my own fault, I was the one that didn't want to interrogate any more. I thought I was going to be fighting demons though, I never expected this.' He silently cursed Wyatt.
An energy ball flew near his head shaking Chris, rather roughly, from his thoughts. Chris automatically retaliated with his own energy ball. He didn't even have to see where the attacker was, he could tell just by the angle the energy ball was at. Wyatt had trained him well.
He heard a scream and finally caught sight of his victim. A boy slightly younger than him, he had blonde hair and was shorter than Chris. He had several cuts and scars on his face and now he had a large wound on his arm from Chris' energy ball. Chris formed another energy ball and approached the witch.
"Please don't hurt me," the younger witch pleaded.
"In case you have forgotten, you are the one that attacked me," said Chris sounding very much like Wyatt.
"I—I got scared," said the boy, backing away from Chris.
"You don't just attack me and expect not to pay the price."
"No please, I swear I'll leave you alone!"
"Nope, sorry, you have to die," said Chris throwing the energy ball. The witch's dieing cries echoed in his head. Chris smiled grimly and kept walking. He knew that any other witches that had been the area would have fled by now. His stomach growled, telling him it was time for lunch.
He orbed into the kitchen, almost right on top of Wyatt. "Haven't I taught you to sense if there is anyone in the house before you orb in?" said Wyatt, quickly jumping out of the way.
"Sorry, I was hungry, and distracted...," Chris said, trailing off. He was thinking about the young witch he had killed.
"Don't ever let yourself get distracted, if you are distracted your guard is down," Wyatt threw a fire ball, testing to see how well Chris' reflexes were working. Chris didn't even look up from the refrigerator he was rifling through, he simply lifted a hand and easily deflected it.
"I knew you were going to do that," said Chris smiling.
"So did I," said Wyatt, "Why are you home so early?"
"Isn't it obvious?" said Chris around a mouth full of food. He swallowed and said, "I got hungry."
"Did you kill a witch?" asked Wyatt. Chris nodded, "I thought so, killing always makes me hungry. Just one?"
"He was the only one brave enough to throw an energy ball at me, the rest all ran." Chris tried hard to not gag while he was eating. The thoughts of what he had done made his stomach turn. 'Self defense' he kept repeating in his head, trying to justify his actions.
"I see, do you want to go back out? Maybe not today but some other time?" Wyatt was still testing Chris, he could see that it bothered Chris having to kill that witch. It bothered Wyatt that it bothered Chris, maybe he should take it easy on Chris. Give him an assignment where he only had to kill demons. Wyatt knew that Chris wasn't like him and never would be, not completely anyway. "No, never mind," said Wyatt, he noticed the relieved look on Chris' face, "I need someone who wont come home after every witch they kill, it would take forever to get anything done."
Chris laughed nervously and said, "Right." That had been a close one, he would have had to say yes, but he didn't think he could handle killing another witch.
"But," said Wyatt, "You have to go out again tomorrow, I have no one else that I can spare to go patrolling." Chris's heart sank, but he decided to change the subject.
"Why can't you spare anyone? Is there something major going on?" asked Chris.
"No."
"Then why don't you have spare people?"
"Why are you being so resistant?"
"I'm not," said Chris, avoiding eye contact with Wyatt.
"Good, then you will go out again tomorrow."
Chris was walking through another alley when he spotted a witch. She turned to face him, but Chris didn't look at her, trying to avoid looking her strait in the eyes. He quickly formed and energy ball and threw at her. He turned to leave when he heard a girl scream "Mom!"
Chris turned around and saw a girl, about ten, kneel down next to what must have been her mother's body. "No mom, come on, you can't be dead, I need you!" she said desperately. The exact words that Chris had said when Piper had died. Chris swallowed hard and made a decision.
He sense where his brother was and orbed to him. As soon as he was fully formed he said, "I quit."
Wyatt looked up, startled and said, "What?"
"I quit, I just killed a witch and her daughter said the same thing I said when mom died, so I quit! I can't handle this any more Wyatt!" said Chris getting slightly hysterical.
"Chris, it was just one witch," said Wyatt, trying to calm down Chris. A hysterical Chris was a dangerous Chris.
"Not just one witch! She had children! I mean, the demon that killed mom probably said 'It was just one witch' How can you sink to their level?" He sunk down into a chair and covered his face with his hands.
"It wasn't your fault Chris, I shouldn't have asked you to do a patrol," said Wyatt.
"It shouldn't be like this Wyatt! Do you ever look out the window and see what you've done to the city, the world?"
"I did it all for you!" said Wyatt, standing up.
"You did it for yourself and you know it," spat Chris before he orbed out. He reappeared on what was left of the Golden Gate Bridge. He saw his mother's face, and felt her warm embrace, he had so many precious memories of her, but each time he remembered them they were a little more faded than before. The only memory that had stayed fresh, like it had happened just a minute ago, was the one of her death. He felt so much pain, and now he had cause that same pain to a child, even younger than he was, with less memories of her mother.
Something had to be done. Something to stop Wyatt. Chris set his jaw and clenched his fists, he orbed out to see just how much he could do about that.