Chapter 8
Leo spun around so quickly he nearly fell over. "Chris?!" he asked, staring at his son in amazement and wonder.
Chris grinned and laughed. "Yeah dad, it's me." He smiled and stared at the ground.
Leo looked on in a state of shock. There was the son he hadn't seen in 5 years, standing before him. He wore the same clothes as the day he died - only there was no bloodstain on the front of his shirt. Leo felt tears in his eyes, and it wasn't long before they rolled down his cheeks.
Chris- for once in his life- didn't actually know what to say. He stared straight at the ground. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to look up. Then, he felt two arms wrap around him and pull him into a hug.
"Dad..." Chris cried onto his fathers shoulder
"Chris, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Dad it wasn't your fault! It was Gideon's."
"I should have been there to help you..."
"Dad! Listen to me! None of this was your fault! Don't blame yourself anymore please!" Chris pleaded with his father. "You've been blaming yourself for 5 years, and I can't take it anymore!" Chris cried out.
Leo looked at his son, seeing him like this was breaking his heart, and then again seeing him again was mending his already wounded heart. "W-what? You haven't moved on?"
Chris looked away. "No." he mumbled.
"Why?"
"I couldn't! I just couldn't go ok? You guys, you all feel guilty in some way or another, even though it was my destiny to die! I can't move on, because you won't move on!" Chris cried. "I mean, Mom. She feels she should have been there for me more, and that she should have known it was Gideon all along. Paige? Paige wishes she had said something to me when I was dieing, she feels the same as Mom does too. Phoebe, she feels everything. She feels what Mom and Paige feel. And you. You keep blaming yourself! You think you're a bad father, even though you've been great with..." Chris stopped not knowing how to phrase the sentence. "Um...me?" he looked confused but continued. "See dad, I know how you all feel and what you all think. And what you all regret. But you have to stop blaming yourself. For your sake and mine. You know that I love you, and you became the father I always wanted you to be the few weeks before I-I died. And now you're being the best father to...me...that you could possibly be!" Chris stopped, looking somewhat relieved to have said that.
Leo stared at Chris, every word he said sinking in. "Do you really mean that?"
Chris sighed "Dad, would I have said it if I didn't mean it?" he smiled and looked at him in a typical Chris fashion.
"So you've seen everything?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, the day you went to the Elders. I saw you and me on my first birthday" he said, the confused look took over his face again after that sentence "Do you know how confusing this is? It's really strange for me to see me on my first birthday. Did that make sense?" He asked thinking about what he had just said.
Leo smiled. "Yeah, it made perfect sense."
"Good." Chris smiled back and laughed a bit. "And the day Wyatt orbed me into the basement and locked the door when I was two, after Phoebe told us the story about the Woogie? And you came straight away when I called you and got me out? And when you taught me how to orb? That was quite funny from my point of view" Chris grinned.
Leo laughed. "Not from where I was standing, if I remember correctly, you were meant to orb to the attic. You ended up in Antarctica" he stopped and asked "So you've been there, with us, all the time then? After you left?"
"I never left Dad. I'm still there. You just need to remember that."
Leo smiled to himself, but the smile soon faded away. "I guess, I'm not gonna be there for you after-all."
Chris, looked at Leo and shook his head. "It's not you time to go yet Dad."
Leo looked confused. "What do you mean? I'm dead Chris.... aren't I?"
"No. You're not dead, believe me, you're going to be fine." Chris replied
"But how?" he asked, shocked.
Chris grinned, "You'll see soon enough"
Leo spun around so quickly he nearly fell over. "Chris?!" he asked, staring at his son in amazement and wonder.
Chris grinned and laughed. "Yeah dad, it's me." He smiled and stared at the ground.
Leo looked on in a state of shock. There was the son he hadn't seen in 5 years, standing before him. He wore the same clothes as the day he died - only there was no bloodstain on the front of his shirt. Leo felt tears in his eyes, and it wasn't long before they rolled down his cheeks.
Chris- for once in his life- didn't actually know what to say. He stared straight at the ground. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to look up. Then, he felt two arms wrap around him and pull him into a hug.
"Dad..." Chris cried onto his fathers shoulder
"Chris, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Dad it wasn't your fault! It was Gideon's."
"I should have been there to help you..."
"Dad! Listen to me! None of this was your fault! Don't blame yourself anymore please!" Chris pleaded with his father. "You've been blaming yourself for 5 years, and I can't take it anymore!" Chris cried out.
Leo looked at his son, seeing him like this was breaking his heart, and then again seeing him again was mending his already wounded heart. "W-what? You haven't moved on?"
Chris looked away. "No." he mumbled.
"Why?"
"I couldn't! I just couldn't go ok? You guys, you all feel guilty in some way or another, even though it was my destiny to die! I can't move on, because you won't move on!" Chris cried. "I mean, Mom. She feels she should have been there for me more, and that she should have known it was Gideon all along. Paige? Paige wishes she had said something to me when I was dieing, she feels the same as Mom does too. Phoebe, she feels everything. She feels what Mom and Paige feel. And you. You keep blaming yourself! You think you're a bad father, even though you've been great with..." Chris stopped not knowing how to phrase the sentence. "Um...me?" he looked confused but continued. "See dad, I know how you all feel and what you all think. And what you all regret. But you have to stop blaming yourself. For your sake and mine. You know that I love you, and you became the father I always wanted you to be the few weeks before I-I died. And now you're being the best father to...me...that you could possibly be!" Chris stopped, looking somewhat relieved to have said that.
Leo stared at Chris, every word he said sinking in. "Do you really mean that?"
Chris sighed "Dad, would I have said it if I didn't mean it?" he smiled and looked at him in a typical Chris fashion.
"So you've seen everything?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, the day you went to the Elders. I saw you and me on my first birthday" he said, the confused look took over his face again after that sentence "Do you know how confusing this is? It's really strange for me to see me on my first birthday. Did that make sense?" He asked thinking about what he had just said.
Leo smiled. "Yeah, it made perfect sense."
"Good." Chris smiled back and laughed a bit. "And the day Wyatt orbed me into the basement and locked the door when I was two, after Phoebe told us the story about the Woogie? And you came straight away when I called you and got me out? And when you taught me how to orb? That was quite funny from my point of view" Chris grinned.
Leo laughed. "Not from where I was standing, if I remember correctly, you were meant to orb to the attic. You ended up in Antarctica" he stopped and asked "So you've been there, with us, all the time then? After you left?"
"I never left Dad. I'm still there. You just need to remember that."
Leo smiled to himself, but the smile soon faded away. "I guess, I'm not gonna be there for you after-all."
Chris, looked at Leo and shook his head. "It's not you time to go yet Dad."
Leo looked confused. "What do you mean? I'm dead Chris.... aren't I?"
"No. You're not dead, believe me, you're going to be fine." Chris replied
"But how?" he asked, shocked.
Chris grinned, "You'll see soon enough"