Phoebe tiptoed up the stairs, following her daughter quietly as if she
might turn around and see her—even though that wasn't possible. Prue took
graceful steps into what was once the guest room, opening the door to
reveal light green wallpaper. There were three beds all in a row: one
surrounded by boy band posters; another with trophies; and the last with
photos of Halliwell smiles taped to the wall.
Prue fished under her bed and retrieved a purple backpack, then pulled out a disposable camera gleefully. "I'm gonna get you..." she whispered with a smile. "3, 2,—"
Bianca opened the door—FLASH—and tried to hide her face, a moment too late.
"Ha ha! I got you!" Prue laughed victoriously. "And you said I'd never catch you off-guard..."
"But—" Bianca protested.
"Nuh-uh! I got you this time, no excuses!"
"But wait..." said Bianca, face etched with worry. She dropped her black book- bag onto the boy-band bed. "Normally I would've felt your presence in here. I always can feel yours and Mel's presence from at least ten feet away before I come in...oh well, maybe it's an off-day or something."
Prue shrugged. "But I still got you!"
Bianca pretended to sigh in defeat. "Whatever shall I do?" she said dramatically, falling onto the bed. "My face shall be exposed upon a lowly photograph—I'm done for!"
"Yup."
Phoebe couldn't help but laugh. They were so happy, so good-natured. It was hard to believe Brian had even mentioned the two of them not getting along. They both joked for a half hour or so until the grandfather's clock chimed at six.
"It's time." Bianca sprang up and grabbed Prue by the hand, whisking them through the door. "The meeting, we said to go to the bridge at six...Here, into the bathroom. He won't see us."
"What about Aunt Piper?" Prue asked. "Won't she know we're gone?"
"Chris handled that," Bianca replied, grinning. "You know how long he can freeze time. Better than Piper's power, since the clocks freeze, too. They won't even know we left for a minute."
"Alright, shimmer me then," Prue gulped.
Bianca shoved them both into the bathroom, Phoebe following close behind. The two of them shimmered away.
"What...?" Phoebe gawked.
They were gone.
Meanwhile, Paige and Piper followed Mel, Chris, Wyatt, and Colin up the stairs and into what was once the study. The walls were white, but the beds were red for Wyatt, yellow for Colin, and red for Chris, as was shown when they all sat down. Mel sat next to Chris.
"Dude, this is the boy's room. Out," Wyatt ordered Mel.
"Nuh-uh. Just because you're a jerk doesn't mean I don't wanna hang out with Chris and Colin." She pulled her hair into a ponytail. "You can leave if you want to, though," she suggested, pointing to the door.
"No, YOU can leave."
"Go swallow a vanquishing potion!" Mel shot back in anger.
"This is OUR room," Wyatt complained.
Chris pulled Mel down to him and whispered something in her ear. Piper went up next to him and vaguely heard the words, "Just another half hour, then you can come back, I promise."
She nodded curtly, then strode out of the room—with a shriek. "Wyatt! LET GO OF MY HAIR, YOU FREAK! DAMN TELEKI—"
"Woops, accident," he lied.
She slammed the door behind her.
There was a significant pause as Wyatt fiddled with his shoes and Colin and Chris gave each other confused glances.
"So, Chris...how's everything with Bianca?" Wyatt said mischievously, a glint in his eyes.
"Huh?"
"Oh, you know...your 'girlfriend'?" he snickered.
"WHAT? Ew, that's so—WRONG—man, she's my sister! If I—if we—EW. You've gotta be kidding me!"
"Denial," Colin sighed, shaking his head in mock sorrow. "The first sign of the terminal illness that some people like to call love."
"Aw, stuff it!" Chris protested, throwing a pillow at him.
Colin laughed, grabbing the pillow and hugging it. "Chris and Bianca sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G—"
Chris tried to clap a hand to Colin's mouth but he threw up his shield, shocking Chris as he continued to sing.
Piper and Paige were in fits of giggles now, watching their boys quarrel playfully. "It's so cute!" Paige exclaimed. "But I feel kinda bad about Mel...what was that all about, anyways? Are she and Wyatt like, enemies? I certainly hope not."
"I heard Chris mentioning something about coming back in a half hour, so at least that means that he and Colin like being around her. But Wyatt...that was freaky."
"So, who wants to play a round of pretend-we-did-our-homework-even-though- we-were-really-goofing-off? It's sure been a while since our teachers cut us some slack."
"Hey Wy, in case you haven't noticed, we have FINAL EXAMS tomorrow. It's the last week of school—even high schoolers with a license get em, bro. I'm gonna study. You can make your own decisions..." Chris laughed.
"I already have been studying the whole year," Colin said proudly.
"Ha ha, go ahead and brag," Wyatt grumbled. "Guess I'll study, too."
They sat in silence for a half hour, eyes scanning text and pages of textbooks flipping. They were so absorbed that not even all of their whitelighter senses put together could sense their past mothers in the corner of the room, whispering...
"At least their good students!" Paige exclaimed. "Even if one is evil..."
"Yeah, well, if Colin's so smart, either Richard was a good student or there was a genetic mutation, cuz he definitely didn't get it from you," Piper joked.
Paige nudged her sister. "Hey, wonder where Phoebe is?"
"Probably with the—"
The clock downstairs chimed six.
"Now!" Colin ordered.
Chris flicked up his hand and froze Wyatt—and when he did, the clocks froze with him. Time had literally STOPPED!
"Oh my god, he can't—that's not possible—can he...freeze time and space?"
"Good one, Chris—now go downstairs and get the grown-ups. It's time for the meeting...I'll go get Mel, she'll be in the attic—MEL!"
"Shut up, shut UP!" she whispered. "They're not frozen yet, you dummy—QUIET. Okay, Bianca said she'd shimmer Prue...is Chris done down there yet?"
"Yup," Chris announced proudly, running back up the stairs. "That'll easily hold them for a good hour or two. Just enough time to...check on him."
"Check on who?" asked Piper.
"Huh? This isn't—where are they—OW!"
"Oh, sorry—didn't mean to," Phoebe apologized after bumping into Paige. "Look, Prue and Bianca just shimmered away—something about—"
"A meeting?" Piper finished. "Yeah, we heard."
The three kids orbed away, leaving a shocked Phoebe, Paige, and Piper in their midst.
"Where are they going?" asked Paige.
"They said something about...a bridge? I don't know, I'm lost. Wait! They must be talking about the Golden Gate Bridge, there's no other bridge that they'd go to! Ooo, but I hate heights...Orb us, Paige, it's not as if we'll die if we fall..." Phoebe whimpered.
They orbed away to see the five kids all sitting on the top of the pillars, talking to one another.
"Everyone's here," Chris mumbled, the closest to them. "You guys, quiet down! We need to discuss this QUICKLY, before they all unfreeze!"
They immediately silenced.
"You guys, I can see Wyatt's turning even more evil. I can't fend him off much longer. He thinks I don't know that he's trying to turn me...but I do, he's trying to get me vulnerable in my sleep now! We have to do something, he's already gotten to Leo!"
Piper gasped. "No...way...Leo...?"
"Maybe the spell's worn off," Bianca offered.
"I don't think so," Chris said softly. "The last time I called him, he tried to kill me..." He immediately wiped away his hurt expression and put up a bold front. "But it was the spell," he insisted, "not him."
"Hey, after Wyatt kicked me out, I had this vague idea...how about we just vanquish him?" Mel asked hopefully.
"Mel!" Chris burst. "Honestly!"
"Well, SORRY..."
"I think we should start the spell and the potion soon—oh, I got it! When Wyatt's at that stupid sleepover thing with those 'popular' kids he's always wanted to hang out with. He won't miss it, I know him. He's always wanted to hang out with David and Jackson. He'll be gone long enough for us to make the battle plans."
Prue sighed. "Well, now that that's figured out..."
"...we'll have to call your dad," Bianca finished.
"Don't call him that. He's Wyatt's dad." Chris looked down. "Do we HAVE to?"
Bianca nodded. "But you guys, everyone be ready to orb out if he gets violent. Chris, try to get through to him. Maybe there's some Leo left in him, you never know..." She squeezed Prue's hand, ready to shimmer.
"Alright..." he said bracingly. "L-Leo?"
There was no response.
"Leo? Dad? Hello Up There..."
Prue let out a fake, mangled shriek. "Aaaah, Uncle Leo, I'm dying!!" she screamed. "Oh, the pain, OH, the AGONY!! SAVE ME!!"
Mel and Colin forced back laughs.
Piper felt like she was going to be sick to her stomach. "Leo's a good person, a good person, he wouldn't...Wyatt wouldn't...Leo's not..."
"We know, honey," Phoebe consoled her. "He's under a spell, remember? Besides, Chris came to the future to change this, and I'm confident that he can."
"Prue, are you alright?" future Leo asked urgently. "Huh...? You're not hurt," he said bluntly.
"Um...yeah...about that..."
"Dad," Chris called. "It's me, Chris—are you gonna try to kill me again?"
Leo's eyes flashed from longing to hatred, as if he was trying to fight it but gave up in the end. "That depends..." he hissed. "Did you set me up?"
"ORB!" Chris demanded. "Get outta here, all of you!"
They left Chris on the bridge to face Leo. Chris gulped. "Leo, it's a spell...Don't you remember me? Chris, your second son, Wyatt's little brother...Leo, please, remember..."
"No, you're a liar!" Leo screamed, throwing an elder ball of electric energy. "Stop calling me, you're not my son! Wyatt's my only son—you're the enemy!" He threw another ball at Chris.
Chris narrowly ducked the first, but the second hit him square-on in the stomach. He groaned in pain and collapsed, orbing back home.
"Stop it, you bastard!" Piper screamed. "Get away from Chris!"
To her surprise, Leo turned around to look at her. "Piper...I didn't know you were here. Did you change your hair? What's going on?"
"ROT IN HELL," she said between clenched teeth as Paige orbed them both away.
They fell in a heap in the attic, landing at someone's feet.
"You've really done it now," Brian informed them gravely. "You've altered time."
A/N—woops! thank you to those who informed me—in the last chapter, I accidentally had Colin call his father "Uncle Richard." my mistake! won't happen again! hey, I'm blonde, whaddaya expect? anyways, I SWEAR that there'll be a chris centered plot after this chapter...you'll see...MWHAHAHA!!
Prue fished under her bed and retrieved a purple backpack, then pulled out a disposable camera gleefully. "I'm gonna get you..." she whispered with a smile. "3, 2,—"
Bianca opened the door—FLASH—and tried to hide her face, a moment too late.
"Ha ha! I got you!" Prue laughed victoriously. "And you said I'd never catch you off-guard..."
"But—" Bianca protested.
"Nuh-uh! I got you this time, no excuses!"
"But wait..." said Bianca, face etched with worry. She dropped her black book- bag onto the boy-band bed. "Normally I would've felt your presence in here. I always can feel yours and Mel's presence from at least ten feet away before I come in...oh well, maybe it's an off-day or something."
Prue shrugged. "But I still got you!"
Bianca pretended to sigh in defeat. "Whatever shall I do?" she said dramatically, falling onto the bed. "My face shall be exposed upon a lowly photograph—I'm done for!"
"Yup."
Phoebe couldn't help but laugh. They were so happy, so good-natured. It was hard to believe Brian had even mentioned the two of them not getting along. They both joked for a half hour or so until the grandfather's clock chimed at six.
"It's time." Bianca sprang up and grabbed Prue by the hand, whisking them through the door. "The meeting, we said to go to the bridge at six...Here, into the bathroom. He won't see us."
"What about Aunt Piper?" Prue asked. "Won't she know we're gone?"
"Chris handled that," Bianca replied, grinning. "You know how long he can freeze time. Better than Piper's power, since the clocks freeze, too. They won't even know we left for a minute."
"Alright, shimmer me then," Prue gulped.
Bianca shoved them both into the bathroom, Phoebe following close behind. The two of them shimmered away.
"What...?" Phoebe gawked.
They were gone.
Meanwhile, Paige and Piper followed Mel, Chris, Wyatt, and Colin up the stairs and into what was once the study. The walls were white, but the beds were red for Wyatt, yellow for Colin, and red for Chris, as was shown when they all sat down. Mel sat next to Chris.
"Dude, this is the boy's room. Out," Wyatt ordered Mel.
"Nuh-uh. Just because you're a jerk doesn't mean I don't wanna hang out with Chris and Colin." She pulled her hair into a ponytail. "You can leave if you want to, though," she suggested, pointing to the door.
"No, YOU can leave."
"Go swallow a vanquishing potion!" Mel shot back in anger.
"This is OUR room," Wyatt complained.
Chris pulled Mel down to him and whispered something in her ear. Piper went up next to him and vaguely heard the words, "Just another half hour, then you can come back, I promise."
She nodded curtly, then strode out of the room—with a shriek. "Wyatt! LET GO OF MY HAIR, YOU FREAK! DAMN TELEKI—"
"Woops, accident," he lied.
She slammed the door behind her.
There was a significant pause as Wyatt fiddled with his shoes and Colin and Chris gave each other confused glances.
"So, Chris...how's everything with Bianca?" Wyatt said mischievously, a glint in his eyes.
"Huh?"
"Oh, you know...your 'girlfriend'?" he snickered.
"WHAT? Ew, that's so—WRONG—man, she's my sister! If I—if we—EW. You've gotta be kidding me!"
"Denial," Colin sighed, shaking his head in mock sorrow. "The first sign of the terminal illness that some people like to call love."
"Aw, stuff it!" Chris protested, throwing a pillow at him.
Colin laughed, grabbing the pillow and hugging it. "Chris and Bianca sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G—"
Chris tried to clap a hand to Colin's mouth but he threw up his shield, shocking Chris as he continued to sing.
Piper and Paige were in fits of giggles now, watching their boys quarrel playfully. "It's so cute!" Paige exclaimed. "But I feel kinda bad about Mel...what was that all about, anyways? Are she and Wyatt like, enemies? I certainly hope not."
"I heard Chris mentioning something about coming back in a half hour, so at least that means that he and Colin like being around her. But Wyatt...that was freaky."
"So, who wants to play a round of pretend-we-did-our-homework-even-though- we-were-really-goofing-off? It's sure been a while since our teachers cut us some slack."
"Hey Wy, in case you haven't noticed, we have FINAL EXAMS tomorrow. It's the last week of school—even high schoolers with a license get em, bro. I'm gonna study. You can make your own decisions..." Chris laughed.
"I already have been studying the whole year," Colin said proudly.
"Ha ha, go ahead and brag," Wyatt grumbled. "Guess I'll study, too."
They sat in silence for a half hour, eyes scanning text and pages of textbooks flipping. They were so absorbed that not even all of their whitelighter senses put together could sense their past mothers in the corner of the room, whispering...
"At least their good students!" Paige exclaimed. "Even if one is evil..."
"Yeah, well, if Colin's so smart, either Richard was a good student or there was a genetic mutation, cuz he definitely didn't get it from you," Piper joked.
Paige nudged her sister. "Hey, wonder where Phoebe is?"
"Probably with the—"
The clock downstairs chimed six.
"Now!" Colin ordered.
Chris flicked up his hand and froze Wyatt—and when he did, the clocks froze with him. Time had literally STOPPED!
"Oh my god, he can't—that's not possible—can he...freeze time and space?"
"Good one, Chris—now go downstairs and get the grown-ups. It's time for the meeting...I'll go get Mel, she'll be in the attic—MEL!"
"Shut up, shut UP!" she whispered. "They're not frozen yet, you dummy—QUIET. Okay, Bianca said she'd shimmer Prue...is Chris done down there yet?"
"Yup," Chris announced proudly, running back up the stairs. "That'll easily hold them for a good hour or two. Just enough time to...check on him."
"Check on who?" asked Piper.
"Huh? This isn't—where are they—OW!"
"Oh, sorry—didn't mean to," Phoebe apologized after bumping into Paige. "Look, Prue and Bianca just shimmered away—something about—"
"A meeting?" Piper finished. "Yeah, we heard."
The three kids orbed away, leaving a shocked Phoebe, Paige, and Piper in their midst.
"Where are they going?" asked Paige.
"They said something about...a bridge? I don't know, I'm lost. Wait! They must be talking about the Golden Gate Bridge, there's no other bridge that they'd go to! Ooo, but I hate heights...Orb us, Paige, it's not as if we'll die if we fall..." Phoebe whimpered.
They orbed away to see the five kids all sitting on the top of the pillars, talking to one another.
"Everyone's here," Chris mumbled, the closest to them. "You guys, quiet down! We need to discuss this QUICKLY, before they all unfreeze!"
They immediately silenced.
"You guys, I can see Wyatt's turning even more evil. I can't fend him off much longer. He thinks I don't know that he's trying to turn me...but I do, he's trying to get me vulnerable in my sleep now! We have to do something, he's already gotten to Leo!"
Piper gasped. "No...way...Leo...?"
"Maybe the spell's worn off," Bianca offered.
"I don't think so," Chris said softly. "The last time I called him, he tried to kill me..." He immediately wiped away his hurt expression and put up a bold front. "But it was the spell," he insisted, "not him."
"Hey, after Wyatt kicked me out, I had this vague idea...how about we just vanquish him?" Mel asked hopefully.
"Mel!" Chris burst. "Honestly!"
"Well, SORRY..."
"I think we should start the spell and the potion soon—oh, I got it! When Wyatt's at that stupid sleepover thing with those 'popular' kids he's always wanted to hang out with. He won't miss it, I know him. He's always wanted to hang out with David and Jackson. He'll be gone long enough for us to make the battle plans."
Prue sighed. "Well, now that that's figured out..."
"...we'll have to call your dad," Bianca finished.
"Don't call him that. He's Wyatt's dad." Chris looked down. "Do we HAVE to?"
Bianca nodded. "But you guys, everyone be ready to orb out if he gets violent. Chris, try to get through to him. Maybe there's some Leo left in him, you never know..." She squeezed Prue's hand, ready to shimmer.
"Alright..." he said bracingly. "L-Leo?"
There was no response.
"Leo? Dad? Hello Up There..."
Prue let out a fake, mangled shriek. "Aaaah, Uncle Leo, I'm dying!!" she screamed. "Oh, the pain, OH, the AGONY!! SAVE ME!!"
Mel and Colin forced back laughs.
Piper felt like she was going to be sick to her stomach. "Leo's a good person, a good person, he wouldn't...Wyatt wouldn't...Leo's not..."
"We know, honey," Phoebe consoled her. "He's under a spell, remember? Besides, Chris came to the future to change this, and I'm confident that he can."
"Prue, are you alright?" future Leo asked urgently. "Huh...? You're not hurt," he said bluntly.
"Um...yeah...about that..."
"Dad," Chris called. "It's me, Chris—are you gonna try to kill me again?"
Leo's eyes flashed from longing to hatred, as if he was trying to fight it but gave up in the end. "That depends..." he hissed. "Did you set me up?"
"ORB!" Chris demanded. "Get outta here, all of you!"
They left Chris on the bridge to face Leo. Chris gulped. "Leo, it's a spell...Don't you remember me? Chris, your second son, Wyatt's little brother...Leo, please, remember..."
"No, you're a liar!" Leo screamed, throwing an elder ball of electric energy. "Stop calling me, you're not my son! Wyatt's my only son—you're the enemy!" He threw another ball at Chris.
Chris narrowly ducked the first, but the second hit him square-on in the stomach. He groaned in pain and collapsed, orbing back home.
"Stop it, you bastard!" Piper screamed. "Get away from Chris!"
To her surprise, Leo turned around to look at her. "Piper...I didn't know you were here. Did you change your hair? What's going on?"
"ROT IN HELL," she said between clenched teeth as Paige orbed them both away.
They fell in a heap in the attic, landing at someone's feet.
"You've really done it now," Brian informed them gravely. "You've altered time."
A/N—woops! thank you to those who informed me—in the last chapter, I accidentally had Colin call his father "Uncle Richard." my mistake! won't happen again! hey, I'm blonde, whaddaya expect? anyways, I SWEAR that there'll be a chris centered plot after this chapter...you'll see...MWHAHAHA!!