Disclaimer: I don't own anything...
Leo felt a bit antsy, sitting in Victor's apartment. It was dark out now, and here they were, sipping coffee. He didn't even like coffee! It was just a way to keep him occupied, staring down into the mugs. Chris hadn't returned from this "Rebellion" thing yet and Leo was beginning to doubt whether or not Victor was right about leaving him be.
"You'd be able to sense it if he was hurt," Victor reminded him for the umpteenth time that night. "I say we head to bed. He'll probably show up when he thinks we're asleep—that's what he usually does, anyways. I find him here in the morning sometimes."
Leo nodded his head vaguely, his thoughts elsewhere.
"You can sleep on the couch. I'll be in my room."
It wasn't until the door to Victor's bedroom shut that Leo was snapped back into reality. He picked up the mug and put it into the sink, then crossed over to the light switch and flicked it off. He sat on the couch but remained wide awake, thinking.
There was a time when everything was perfect. Wyatt had just been born, Leo was still a whitelighter, and Piper was still alive and well. They had no idea that Leo would be an elder, no idea that yet another baby would join the family. Not that Chris was a bad part of their lives—it was just that he wasn't there for that limited time where everything was the way it should be.
After Piper became pregnant with Chris accidentally, everything went downhill. Leo became an elder and Wyatt was kidnapped—they couldn't find him for three months, and when he returned, he was never quite the same. Gideon cut off all ties with the family, no longer offering Magic School as protection for the children when demons attacked. And Leo hardly got to see his family anymore. When he was allowed to, though, he'd always go to Wyatt. The little brown-haired boy that would watch him from twenty feet away seemed invisible. Ever since Wyatt had been returned from his missing state, Leo just had to make sure he was still there...
But it wasn't enough to keep Wyatt from turning evil, and it wasn't enough to save Piper and the rest of the family from being murdered by him.
So why was it, after all of these years, that Chris ended up surviving and being the one that followed the right paths?
He'd been thinking fro nearly an hour when he saw a bright light—orbs!—illuminate the corner, by the closet. He went invisible so Chris wouldn't see him when he stood and walked over.
Chris was gasping for breath, shaking madly. He was kneeling on the carpet and staring at his hands, a wide grin spread across his face. Something evidently made him very pleased...but what?
Leo wanted to know what was going on, but he didn't dare reveal himself. Concerned as he might be, it didn't seem like the right time to be pestering Chris. Not after the fight.
Chris stood up shakily and grabbed at the wall for support, barely able to contain his glee. Leo wished he could hear what was happening inside of that boy's head sometimes—it seemed so weird, watching him so happy after all these years. There was something about the way he was smiling...
That's when it hit him. Chris was in love.
Leo grinned too. He remembered wistfully all those moments that Piper made him grin like a fool in the very same way...That's why it was so easy to tell. Leo and Chris had the same grin.
Chris walked slowly over to the kitchen and gulped down a glass of water, then went into the spare room beside Victor's. Leo silently followed him in, watching him throw off his shoes and flop onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Young love—it was so innocent. So naïve. Wyatt had never been in love...Leo wasn't quite sure if Wyatt even had a heart anymore. But seeing an important part of Chris' life after he'd missed the other parts of it made him feel that at least he was getting somewhere. He wasn't THAT bad if he could still read the signs.
But wait a minute—he was in love with the assassin!
Calm down, he told himself. Chris was a smart kid. He could handle himself. Besides, Leo couldn't sense any evil in Bianca. She hadn't been lying, so it seemed.
But then why did Chris come back in such a state? And then there was the fact that Leo couldn't even sense that Wyatt was evil in the first place. Though that was a bit different. He'd just ignored all the weird vibes.
Chris was asleep now. Leo saw the outlines of his face in the darkness and noticed that he may very well have his grin, but the rest of him was Piper's. His nose, the shape of his eyes, his stubbornness and determination, his strong morals.
But the green in his eyes were all his own.
Seeing Chris so giddy sent a mixture of emotions he didn't normally feel all at once. Happiness, pride. And sadness. Regret. Curiosity as to what he could have been if he could right all of the wrongs that he had committed. Would Piper be alive? Could they have been a real family?
He stepped closer to his son. This person had grown up to never know him. This kid had been left to fend for himself numerous times when he needed someone to rely on.
This boy was something he'd created.
And he created a monster along with him.
Leo ran a finger in Chris' hair. He flinched but didn't wake. Leo smiled, leaving the room. "I'll see you in the morning," he whispered, as if Chris could hear.
It wasn't until he'd left the room that he realized a tear was running down his cheek.
I'm sorry I haven't updated for awhile. Lol. I try...
