Disclaimer: The plan to kidnap Brad Kern and hold the show as ransom has once again failed. Time for Plan B. Does anyone know of a way to get past five security guards and into a filming studio? (sighs) Didn't think so.
By the way, this is the last chappie. Enjoy!
Chris woke up at the crack of dawn, well aware of what he had to do. He wasn't coming back. He had to go live with the rest of the Rebellion—it was the only way. Besides, Leo never understood before now. Why would he be so willing to help in the cause against Wyatt now?
He leapt out of bed silently and made up the sheets, erasing the evidence of his presence. In the corner there was a small dresser where he used to keep some clothes. He stuffed them in his duffel bag along with a few other things he'd need. After he was pretty sure he was done, he tiptoed into the kitchen for something to eat.
There were a couple fruits in a plastic bowl on the table. He helped himself to one and leaned against the wall, apprehensively checking the wall clock above the couch.
Only the couch wasn't empty.
Chris choked in surprise, but managed to muffle the noise he made. Leo was sleeping on the couch! His father stirred, hearing the cough, and Chris orbed away with the bag in reflex.
"You're here," said a voice before he even fully formed.
"Bianca," he greeted her, heart pounding. They were in the underground, where there was a secret operation being held to stop Wyatt. Dirt walls surrounded them.
"You okay?" she asked with a grin.
"Yeah," he said, grinning back. "I just almost got caught. Would you believe that I ran into LEO of all people?"
"Youch," she laughed, shaking her head. A man passed by, scowling at Chris.
"What's his problem?" Chris asked after the man left, wrinkling his nose.
"I dunno. I guess they're a little scared since you're related to the guy we're trying to stop." She shrugged. "Hey, I'll show you to your room. We'll start with the training in about a minute or so, so we'll have to hurry." She grabbed his hand and ran down the hall excitedly. Chris felt his heart skip a beat; watching her excited expression, her shoulder-length black hair bobbing behind her.
"Here it is," she panted, opening the door to the room. It was just like all the others; a mattress, a single shelf, a bathroom. "You can put your stuff down here. I'll show you where the mess hall is when it's lunch time, okay?"
"Sure," he responded, setting down his bags. He looked at the bag's label and sighed. It was Wyatt's, from high school. He'd been on the football team and he'd gotten the bag from there. He left it behind along with everything else when he became an evil tyrant.
"I'll take you to the training room now," she said. She didn't seem excited anymore. In fact, it almost seemed as if her face had fallen. What was wrong? "Chris..."
"What?" he asked, staring into her eyes. She looked down, unable to meet his gaze. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
"N-No. Sorry. It's just...that I don't want you to get hurt if anything happens to Wyatt."
"I can protect myself," Chris assured her. He cocked an eyebrow. "I think it's you we need to worry about."
She managed a tiny smile. "Yeah...Oh, we'd better get going." She walked this time, not holding his hand. Her pace was slow and she seemed to be counting the steps to her grave.
"Bianca, you look pale..." Chris mentioned.
"Really?" she said quickly. "Hm, must be the lighting. The torches in the hallway and everything. Funny what it...it does to your complexion...."
"Hm." He didn't buy it. Something was up.
She took a deep breath and stopped in front of a large wooden set of doors. She twitched and opened the doors slowly.
Chris gasped and his eyes watered on impact. He clutched his stomach, immediately feeling the pain flood through him. Blood gushed down his shirt and he looked down as his knees buckled, only to see a darklighter arrow in his abdomen. He moaned and looked up at his smirking attacker, then raised his head to see Bianca standing over him, hesitating.
"Why...?" he choked out.
"Because," she answered tearfully. "It was you or me." Then she took off. The darklighter black orbed away.
Chris closed his eyes as he fell to the floor.
Leo woke with a jolt. Somebody in this room had just orbed. He leapt off the couch, silently cursing himself for falling asleep, and slammed Chris' bedroom door open.
To his shock, it looked as if nobody was ever there. The bed was carefully made and everything looked untouched and clean. The only evidence that Chris was ever there in the night was the empty drawers. He'd taken his stuff and run away.
Leo closed his eyes. He could sense him. Nothing seemed to be wrong. He sighed and knocked on the door to Victor's room.
"Victor," he called.
He came out a moment later, yawning groggily. "What?" he asked, looking around the apartment and not seeing anything remotely important.
"Chris—he was here last night," Leo stuttered.
"He was?" Victor crossed the hall and looked into Chris' room. "Uh-oh," he said, seeing the state of the room. "He didn't...did he...?"
"He was here last night, I saw him," said Leo frantically. "He orbed in and didn't see me, so I became invisible."
"You what?!"
"Whitelighter power," he said sheepishly.
Victor snorted. "So what happened? How'd you let him leave?"
"Anyways, he came pretty late and went to bed. I watched him for a while, then I sat down on the couch and the next thing I knew I was waking to the sound of orbs. I looked up and no one was there."
"This isn't like Chris. This isn't like him at all. You're a whitelighter...sense for him or something," he said lamely.
"I did," Leo told him. "He seems fine, actually. I don't think we should interfere just yet. It's like you said. Give him time."
"Yeah," Victor agreed reluctantly.
The two aimlessly wandered over to the kitchen. Leo looked down and saw an apple with a single bite mark punctured into it, laying on the floor. "He must have been eating when he orbed," observed Leo. He bent down to pick it up, and the instant it touched his fingers he gasped in shock.
"What? What is it?" demanded Victor. "Is something wrong?"
"It's Chris..." he wheezed. "He's hurt."
"Orb, then!" Victor cried.
Leo nodded, grabbing Victor's hand and orbing to the spot where he sensed him.
They orbed into the corner behind a man in dark clothes, carrying a crossbow. In front of him in a large doorway was Chris, knees buckled on the floor and bleeding by an arrow wound. Bianca seemed to look regretful, as if something in her eyes was making her stay.
Leo started to run up to him, wanting to heal, but Victor pulled him back roughly. "What are you, nuts?!" he whispered harshly, glowering at his son-in-law in anger.
"Chris..." Leo struggled to break free.
"Look, I may be mortal but I'm smart enough to know that that darklighter could very well kill you as well. And then Chris wouldn't have you to heal him. You're not invincible!"
"Why...?" Chris moaned, staring up at Bianca.
"Because," she said solemnly, staring away from him, avoiding his eyes. "It was you or me."
She turned and ran off as the darklighter black orbed away. Victor released Leo.
"Chris," Leo gasped as he fell to the floor in pain. "Remove the arrow," Leo ordered to Victor.
"What?" he asked, clearly not understanding.
"Remove it! I can't, the poison!"
"Right." Victor grabbed the arrow, mumbling a sorry to Chris before tugging it out. Chris flinched but didn't cry out. Leo immediately began to heal and the wound closed up.
Chris took a shuddering breath and sat up shakily. "I'm—I'm sorry..." he whispered.
"Don't be," said Leo, hugging him. "It wasn't your fault."
"What about Wyatt? I thought this was how we could stop him!" Chris cried. "Bianca lied to me!"
"Don't worry. We'll find a way to stop him. Together this time," Leo promised.
Chris smiled.
-Finished-
----Pink-Charmed-One----
