A/N: Yeah, I'm sorry 'bout the cliff hanger. Didn't get any compliments about it, no people telling me I'm bad at them. In fact, I only got one review for my last chapter and even less for the previous ones. You make me sad guys!! Please??? Thank you.
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Wham! Something hit Chris so hard in his face that he moaned in pain. He looked around surprised to see who the hell had hit him so hard. He was even more surprised to see that no one was within one meter of him. They were all staring at him as if he had just broken the rules regarding family members, or something like that. Oh wait, that was probably exactly what he'd done.
'I shouldn't have said that', he thought to himself. This was pure shit, definitely. 'I mean, I have messed up before, but that wasn't in front of the whole family and it was not as insulting as this.' Like this he thought and like this he acted.
"Listen, you guys, I didn't mean it like that, OK? You understand, don't you?" Chris started pacing the room frantically, but once he'd get close to any one of his relatives or anybody else, in fact, they'd move back. They were all staring at him and he didn't feel quite comfortable. He didn't forget he couldn't orb, however.
"OK, so what do you want me to do? I can make up for it, can't I?" he asked them, desperate to find a way to get him out of this misery.
They just stood there, obviously wishing him the worst things they could think of. Next moment it started. As he looked at Jason for support he was teared up inside with the worst pain he'd ever felt. He felt embarassed, pained, desperate and on the verge of tears. He felt like his son had just said that he was nobody's son. He felt like Leo and he...he was Leo. He felt incredibly powerless. 'So much power and I'm still not able to make my son love me', he thought and then remembered: 'Wait Chris, you're not Leo. Get a grip on yourself.'
In the midst of all pain he looked at Paige and immediately he was hit more than once and bloody gashes appeared on his body. He rolled over and saw a demon standing over him. Funnily enough, the demon had Paige's face and she looked really pissed. He tried to get up, succeeded and, trembling slightly, motioned his hands to the demon and Piper used to do and blew it up.
'Great', he thought to himself, 'inner and outer pain, anything else, anybody?' He didn't say it out loud, he had just started to get his next portion of payback, probably Phoebe's, because he was alone. He was more alone than he'd ever been. 'Great', he thought, 'I've had Leo's, guess this is Piper's. So this is what being insane must be like. Cold and alone.'
"No it's not like that, Chris", said a voice behind him. He turned around a little too quickly and almost tripped over his own feet.
"What you felt wasn't me being insane, but just my good old self." She paused, taking slow steps in his direction. Chris knew he should feel heartened that somebody was approaching him, but Piper's pace was treacherous.
"You rarely think about others don't you?" she asked in a soft tone. She had stopped walking. Was just standing there. Was not crying. Which struck him as odd, as tears were running down his own face.
"I'm sorry", he cried, "I'm sorry, Mum! I never meant to do this all, it wasn't supposed to happen, please don't..." He stopped. His breathing rate had increased. Nobody could say that he had no sense for drama.
Next thing that struck him was Richard. He was beat again, with extremely spiky canes, or whatever they were. It hurt like hell, but it was bearable in comparison to Paige and Phoebe's wishes. Torture had never affected him as it had done to others. Wyatt had had a knack for hurting him, but had soon found out that he could hurt Chris worse through his mind.
When it was over, Chris got up. He looked directly at them, though still at no one in particular.
"Listen, I don't know if you give a damn, and I don't care, to be honest with you, but I'm gonna tell what I want to tell you", he said, determination flashing his face in a different manner. "I noticed...that the Charmed Ones stand up for each other. I noticed...that Leo has gained their full trust. I noticed...that they care for each other. It's too hard for me to live up to your standards. I am not trustworthy, but if you could only see what I saw and you would understand from who I got it. All of you, you think about each other first, and I came here and I saw it. I knew it was going to be hard, but I tried. And now, even now that you know I'm your son and nephew. I still haven't succeeded. You still wish me the worst. But you have quick understanding, just like Wyatt. You understand that you can hurt me most through my feelings."
"I ask you, I'm willing to give it up. To go back, to let go and to leave you. Why will you not let me go? I have done so many things wrong. Why keep me here against my will? Why? Why? WHY?"
"Chris", said Leo, "if you don't know why, then you would want to receive my 'wish' for you." Their eyes met and Chris was drawn to him.
Walk with me, the path of life,
to explore every bend of the road
Enjoy with me the beauty of life,
along its wonderful way
Find comfort with me, in each other's arms,
when grief crosses our path
Find strength with me, in each other's strength,
when despair lies in wait
Laugh with me, a single true laugh,
to enlighten another's distress
Cry with me, a single true tear,
to understand true happiness
Cherish with me, the wonders of life,
as they need to be preserved
Rejoice with me, in the mysteries,
of what is yet to be
Find peace with me, in each other's souls,
when the world has gone insane
Find love with me, in each other's hearts,
until this life has been fulfilled
Chris felt like he had slipped into a warm bath. His mother held him. His father had his arms around the both of them and they felt like a family. Suddenly, Wyatt orbed into Piper's arms. Nobody laughed, nobody looked angry, not even Chris. He just held his brother and felt his family. Just for once.
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We're sailing over San Francisco. We see the business and the early morning's traffic. At the background the song 'The Scientist' by Coldplay plays and we feel grateful for the moment of rest the producers have given us. Slowly, we leave San Francisco and center on the Halliwel Manor.
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Chris Halliwel lay with his eyes closed in a warm bath (literally speaking). He felt extremely relaxed. He couldn't remember getting into the bath, but he didn't really care. He was thinking about Melinda Warren and the Power of Three, but his train of thoughts was interrupted by Piper suddenly entering the bathroom.
Chris sat up quickly, causing the water to flow over the bath onto the floor.
"Mom! What are you doing? I'm –"
He was interrupted by Piper. She looked at him lovingly and forgiving.
"Chris. I'm your mother, remember? Plus, I got you into the bath. There's nothing there to be ashamed of, young man!" she said in a stern voice. Then she smiled and sighed.
"I guess you could need a guardian angel. Only, it'd need to be one to keep you from saying things you don't want to say."
"So...will you be mine, Mum?"
"I was destined to be yours, Chris..."
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Phoebe was the only one still in the attic. Or at least, that is if you don't count ghosts in. Melinda Warren was still there, too.
"I know that you are worried, Phoebe. But you must not let doubts get in your way." she said to a concerned looking Phoebe.
"Yeah, see it's kinda hard to not worry. Chris is still in denial-phase regarding his parents, who happen to be my sister and brother-in-law and the last one happens to be an Elder, thus forbidding him to spend time with his family, who happens to need him more than ever, especially Wyatt, who is gonna turn evil one of these days." She raised one eyebrow in an annoying fashion. "Get my point?"
"I see. There is too much for you to worry about. It will be solved and –" the dignant lady spoke in her characteristic calm voice, but Phoebe interrupted her.
"Yeah, not with magic I hope, because solving things with our powers has gotten us into trouble more than once..." she said, suddenly looking deprived of her usual healthy mocking tone.
"Magic can help, Phoebe, but it is not necessary sometimes. You, as a family, need to work hard on finding each other. That is my advice, Phoebe, and I will leave you here. From now on, use your empath abilities. Don't let them be blocked. Goodbye." And with that last word of advice she disappeared.
Phoebe looked taken aback for a few seconds. Then she shrugged her shoulders, sighed and started picking up the candles for the summoning, in which she was disturbed without words by a tall form standing in the doorway.
"Hey..." she said hesitantly. "So...I guess you want to leave now?"
"Phoebe", he said, "I was never going to leave you. I just needed time to sort things out. Now I think you are just the bit of sensation this busy businessman might need. You light up my world, Phoebe; you have always done and will always do." He looked at her lovingly and she could not just stand there. She rushed over to him and threw herself into his arms.
What follows is a whole lot of loving words, muffled by tears and Jason's shirt. When Phoebe finally let go, Jason's shirt is stained by her tears, but he looks happy and content.
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Wham! Something hit Chris so hard in his face that he moaned in pain. He looked around surprised to see who the hell had hit him so hard. He was even more surprised to see that no one was within one meter of him. They were all staring at him as if he had just broken the rules regarding family members, or something like that. Oh wait, that was probably exactly what he'd done.
'I shouldn't have said that', he thought to himself. This was pure shit, definitely. 'I mean, I have messed up before, but that wasn't in front of the whole family and it was not as insulting as this.' Like this he thought and like this he acted.
"Listen, you guys, I didn't mean it like that, OK? You understand, don't you?" Chris started pacing the room frantically, but once he'd get close to any one of his relatives or anybody else, in fact, they'd move back. They were all staring at him and he didn't feel quite comfortable. He didn't forget he couldn't orb, however.
"OK, so what do you want me to do? I can make up for it, can't I?" he asked them, desperate to find a way to get him out of this misery.
They just stood there, obviously wishing him the worst things they could think of. Next moment it started. As he looked at Jason for support he was teared up inside with the worst pain he'd ever felt. He felt embarassed, pained, desperate and on the verge of tears. He felt like his son had just said that he was nobody's son. He felt like Leo and he...he was Leo. He felt incredibly powerless. 'So much power and I'm still not able to make my son love me', he thought and then remembered: 'Wait Chris, you're not Leo. Get a grip on yourself.'
In the midst of all pain he looked at Paige and immediately he was hit more than once and bloody gashes appeared on his body. He rolled over and saw a demon standing over him. Funnily enough, the demon had Paige's face and she looked really pissed. He tried to get up, succeeded and, trembling slightly, motioned his hands to the demon and Piper used to do and blew it up.
'Great', he thought to himself, 'inner and outer pain, anything else, anybody?' He didn't say it out loud, he had just started to get his next portion of payback, probably Phoebe's, because he was alone. He was more alone than he'd ever been. 'Great', he thought, 'I've had Leo's, guess this is Piper's. So this is what being insane must be like. Cold and alone.'
"No it's not like that, Chris", said a voice behind him. He turned around a little too quickly and almost tripped over his own feet.
"What you felt wasn't me being insane, but just my good old self." She paused, taking slow steps in his direction. Chris knew he should feel heartened that somebody was approaching him, but Piper's pace was treacherous.
"You rarely think about others don't you?" she asked in a soft tone. She had stopped walking. Was just standing there. Was not crying. Which struck him as odd, as tears were running down his own face.
"I'm sorry", he cried, "I'm sorry, Mum! I never meant to do this all, it wasn't supposed to happen, please don't..." He stopped. His breathing rate had increased. Nobody could say that he had no sense for drama.
Next thing that struck him was Richard. He was beat again, with extremely spiky canes, or whatever they were. It hurt like hell, but it was bearable in comparison to Paige and Phoebe's wishes. Torture had never affected him as it had done to others. Wyatt had had a knack for hurting him, but had soon found out that he could hurt Chris worse through his mind.
When it was over, Chris got up. He looked directly at them, though still at no one in particular.
"Listen, I don't know if you give a damn, and I don't care, to be honest with you, but I'm gonna tell what I want to tell you", he said, determination flashing his face in a different manner. "I noticed...that the Charmed Ones stand up for each other. I noticed...that Leo has gained their full trust. I noticed...that they care for each other. It's too hard for me to live up to your standards. I am not trustworthy, but if you could only see what I saw and you would understand from who I got it. All of you, you think about each other first, and I came here and I saw it. I knew it was going to be hard, but I tried. And now, even now that you know I'm your son and nephew. I still haven't succeeded. You still wish me the worst. But you have quick understanding, just like Wyatt. You understand that you can hurt me most through my feelings."
"I ask you, I'm willing to give it up. To go back, to let go and to leave you. Why will you not let me go? I have done so many things wrong. Why keep me here against my will? Why? Why? WHY?"
"Chris", said Leo, "if you don't know why, then you would want to receive my 'wish' for you." Their eyes met and Chris was drawn to him.
Walk with me, the path of life,
to explore every bend of the road
Enjoy with me the beauty of life,
along its wonderful way
Find comfort with me, in each other's arms,
when grief crosses our path
Find strength with me, in each other's strength,
when despair lies in wait
Laugh with me, a single true laugh,
to enlighten another's distress
Cry with me, a single true tear,
to understand true happiness
Cherish with me, the wonders of life,
as they need to be preserved
Rejoice with me, in the mysteries,
of what is yet to be
Find peace with me, in each other's souls,
when the world has gone insane
Find love with me, in each other's hearts,
until this life has been fulfilled
Chris felt like he had slipped into a warm bath. His mother held him. His father had his arms around the both of them and they felt like a family. Suddenly, Wyatt orbed into Piper's arms. Nobody laughed, nobody looked angry, not even Chris. He just held his brother and felt his family. Just for once.
......::::::::::::......
We're sailing over San Francisco. We see the business and the early morning's traffic. At the background the song 'The Scientist' by Coldplay plays and we feel grateful for the moment of rest the producers have given us. Slowly, we leave San Francisco and center on the Halliwel Manor.
......::::::::::::......
Chris Halliwel lay with his eyes closed in a warm bath (literally speaking). He felt extremely relaxed. He couldn't remember getting into the bath, but he didn't really care. He was thinking about Melinda Warren and the Power of Three, but his train of thoughts was interrupted by Piper suddenly entering the bathroom.
Chris sat up quickly, causing the water to flow over the bath onto the floor.
"Mom! What are you doing? I'm –"
He was interrupted by Piper. She looked at him lovingly and forgiving.
"Chris. I'm your mother, remember? Plus, I got you into the bath. There's nothing there to be ashamed of, young man!" she said in a stern voice. Then she smiled and sighed.
"I guess you could need a guardian angel. Only, it'd need to be one to keep you from saying things you don't want to say."
"So...will you be mine, Mum?"
"I was destined to be yours, Chris..."
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Phoebe was the only one still in the attic. Or at least, that is if you don't count ghosts in. Melinda Warren was still there, too.
"I know that you are worried, Phoebe. But you must not let doubts get in your way." she said to a concerned looking Phoebe.
"Yeah, see it's kinda hard to not worry. Chris is still in denial-phase regarding his parents, who happen to be my sister and brother-in-law and the last one happens to be an Elder, thus forbidding him to spend time with his family, who happens to need him more than ever, especially Wyatt, who is gonna turn evil one of these days." She raised one eyebrow in an annoying fashion. "Get my point?"
"I see. There is too much for you to worry about. It will be solved and –" the dignant lady spoke in her characteristic calm voice, but Phoebe interrupted her.
"Yeah, not with magic I hope, because solving things with our powers has gotten us into trouble more than once..." she said, suddenly looking deprived of her usual healthy mocking tone.
"Magic can help, Phoebe, but it is not necessary sometimes. You, as a family, need to work hard on finding each other. That is my advice, Phoebe, and I will leave you here. From now on, use your empath abilities. Don't let them be blocked. Goodbye." And with that last word of advice she disappeared.
Phoebe looked taken aback for a few seconds. Then she shrugged her shoulders, sighed and started picking up the candles for the summoning, in which she was disturbed without words by a tall form standing in the doorway.
"Hey..." she said hesitantly. "So...I guess you want to leave now?"
"Phoebe", he said, "I was never going to leave you. I just needed time to sort things out. Now I think you are just the bit of sensation this busy businessman might need. You light up my world, Phoebe; you have always done and will always do." He looked at her lovingly and she could not just stand there. She rushed over to him and threw herself into his arms.
What follows is a whole lot of loving words, muffled by tears and Jason's shirt. When Phoebe finally let go, Jason's shirt is stained by her tears, but he looks happy and content.
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