A/N: Wow! I passed the 100 review mark! I can't believe it! (blushes) Thank you all so very much for the encouragement and comments. As a thank you, I've included a sneak peak of Chapter 13 at the end of this chapter...just a little something to say 'thanks!' for reading and reviewing.
Hoshi tamamushiirono: Thank you! I'm so happy you like it. I was afraid that everyone would get bored with yet another of my exploratory chapters.
Flephanie: Updating as fast as I can...I, too, would like to know what happens next, heehee!
Sailorwind: Thanks! I just hope that I can continue to keep your interest peaked.
Cat: Thanks! Yes – I think Chris IS getting a headache...because I know I am!
Buffspike: Completely humbled...I'll try my best.
Ilovedrew88: Yeah, Chris is so mean to her!
Ccharmed 24/7: I'm glad you love the story!
Drewfuller4eva: He is bossy, isn't he? ;-) I keep flashing back to the episode where he tells the girls not to put their personal lives in front of their wiccan ones...
Sickle Sword: Yep, the future sucks. Glad you're liking the story!
Rhia: Thanks – will definitely do my best.
Zeria: I'm glad the story could take you away from your research, if just for a bit.
Alexis Rose: Mystery explained in this chappie, I hope.
Zoned-out: I do want to update before the end of the weekend, unfortunately, you would then only get about half of a chapter, and a badly written one at that. Which is why it usually takes me a week to update...sorry! But I hope you'll still read...
Pukah: Heh, Buffy, eh? I really miss that show. Can't say I've seen stargate though. Hmmm, you know, it never occurred to me about relating Leslie to the Terminator movies...so definitely don't worry about that – Leo is, and always will be, Chris' father.
Chapter 12
"One teaspoon of black poppy..." Paige directed Piper, as Leo dutifully stirred the bubbling cauldron. "One level teaspoon, Piper! Not a heaping one!"
"Who's the cook here?" Piper snapped. "Just tell me the next ingredient."
Raising her eyebrow at Piper's display of short temper, Paige glanced at Leo over her sister's head. He shrugged his shoulders, not sure how to tell Paige that Piper wasn't mad at her. Rather, his wife was upset with their son. Leo sighed. We haven't even been in the future very long, and already Chris has regressed back to his smart ass ways. Just when I thought we had worked through all those issues. Leo shook his head. Sometimes it was difficult to wrap his head around the fact that his 'adult' son had 20-odd years on his parents in terms of knowledge; Chris didn't hesitate to use this to his advantage by pushing all the right buttons – in Piper's case, calling Piper by her name, instead of 'mom' had been a calculated and deliberate slight, as far as Leo could tell.
"Hey, you guys just about done there?" Phoebe asked, raising her head from the book she currently had her nose buried in. "I think we've come up with a half decent spell, just in case."
"Mmmm...I think we're just about done here too," Paige began to transfer the potion into little vials. "Should we use the spell or potion?"
Leslie frowned. "I think a potion would be safer, but why don't we wait and ask Chris' opinion when he gets here?"
"Fine," Piper said, curtly. "In the meantime, what do we do until he gets here?"
"How about we catch up?" a new voice asked.
"Darryl!"
Smiling at Leo and the sisters, Darryl gently shut the door behind him, stepping into the magic room. "I seen you've made yourselves comfortable." His hand waved at the table, covered with open books and ingredients strewn across the surface, not a square inch available.
"Yeah, sorry," Paige smiled sheepishly. "We'll clean it up, I promise."
"Just make sure you put everything back where it came from. Ben's a bit of a fussy professor," Darryl grinned.
"I can't believe that was Ben! How many more of guys from Magic School are running around here?" Paige wondered.
Leslie began to stack the books on the table, tidying up. "Oh, quite a few actually. It's why your work at Magic School is so important, you know."
"See! I told you it was perfect for you," Phoebe felt justified, as Paige glowed with happiness.
"And how have you been, Darryl? How are Sheila and the children?" Leo asked.
Darryl's chest puffed with pride. "The kids are great. Although they're not kids anymore. Chris has them coordinating all the covert ops."
"Covert ops?" Leo questioned. "There's such a thing as covert ops?"
"Chris likes to keep his ear to the ground. For anything..." Leslie looked at Darryl for permission, before sharing. "We use a lot of...demon informants."
"That's why he was so comfortable with dealing with demons in the past! Don't the Elders have something to say about that? I mean, demons are demons, right?" Phoebe voiced, her tone accusatory.
Darryl sighed. "That's why they don't know. We...pay...them and they give us information. Fair exchange, all things considered. Only Chris and a couple of us know about this. Keep it to yourselves, okay?"
"I'm not sure I like the idea that my son deals with demons," Leo mused, aloud.
"Maybe when you've lost your family to demons, you can judge us," Darryl glared. "Must be nice, all safe and pretty on your pedestal."
Before Leo could muster a defense, Leslie put his hand on Darryl's shoulder, "Darryl – don't." Turning his attention back to Leo, "Darryl lost Sheila to Wyatt's demons three years ago."
"I'm sorry," Leo stuttered, as Phoebe placed a comforting hand on Darryl's arm.
Darryl shook his head. "They were betrayed. Sold out. She was on her way back from a foraging scout, and their team was ambushed. Outnumbered. The bastards were waiting for them," Darryl raised his eyes to meet Leo's. "This is a war, Leo. There's no honour when you fight with demons. It's dirty. So if I have to break the rules, deal with demons, or sell my soul in the process, I will. 'Cause at the end of the day, all that matters to me is protecting those I hold dear."
Unable to hold Darryl's reproachful gaze, Leo dropped his eyes to the floor. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Darryl sighed. "I didn't mean to accuse you of anything, Leo. I don't want to make you feel bad. I just want you to understand where I'm coming from, where Chris is coming from."
Clearing his throat, Leslie decided a change in topic was necessary. "Any word from up world?"
Darryl shook his head. "So far, everything is quiet. Couple of teams ran into some of those tracker demons, but they managed to lose them."
"Is it just me, or have there been more and more run-ins, lately?" Leslie asked, anxiously.
Darryl nodded. "Not your imagination. Just before you left, we got some intel from Phinks. We've been keeping an eye on them, and we think that's why Wyatt's been so quietly lately, magic wise. He's stockpiling."
"Stockpiling?" Piper asked, confused. "What do you mean?"
Leslie shuddered, "He means that Wyatt's getting ready to launch an army of those things."
"An army?" Phoebe gasped, horrified. Looking around, she saw similar expressions on Leo and her sisters' faces.
Darryl's eyes darkened, as he said grimly, "That's why we needed Chris. We think Wyatt's getting ready for the final showdown." Grimacing, Darryl glanced at his watch. "I have to go. But I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?" Without a backwards glance, Darryl exited the room.
Leo and the sisters were still stunned. An army of those horrible demons? That magic didn't work on? That were near impossible to kill? How the hell did Darryl think Chris was going to stop them?
"He'll think of something," Leslie reassured them, correctly reading their facial expressions. With quiet confidence, "He always does."
"Come on, let me take you to Chris' quarters. I'm sure you guys are exhausted."
Leading them down the darkened hall, Leslie glanced back at the Halliwells in concern. Ever since Darryl had dropped his bomb on them, they had been depressingly pensive. Unsure of what to say to comfort them, Leslie chose to remain silent instead.
The former shopping mall had been retrofitted as much as possible to accommodate the Resistance and its human population. More than ten kilometers in length, the current corridor that they were passing housed most of the Resistance fighters. Previously stores, the units had been converted into quarters for the thousands inside the base.
Pausing at a heavy steel door, similar to those found in submarines, Leslie gripped the wheel, unlocking the door and swinging it open. Motioning for Leo and the sisters to enter, he waited for them to step inside before following them inside and shutting the door with a bang.
Inside Chris' quarters, Piper felt her curiosity overcome her current peeve with her adult son. The room, with a bed and a couch on opposing sides, wasn't much bigger than Piper's room at the Manor. She saw a framed photograph sitting on one of the shelves. She picked it up, instantly recognizing the couple in the photo as her son and Bianca. She gently touched the photo with her finger, noting that although both were smiling, there was an infinite sadness to their smiles.
Leslie was pointing to a small door at the back of the room, explaining that it was the bathroom. "You're lucky Chris is the head honcho. He's got his own bathroom...most of us have to share facilities."
"Okay...ewwww!" Phoebe wrinkled her nose. "There is a thing called oversharing, you know."
Rolling her eyes, Paige glanced around the room. "So this is where Chris sleeps?" The far wall was covered with papers, tacked in a haphazardly fashion. She walked toward it, as it begged for closer attention.
"Yep. I'll see if I can scrounge up another cot for you guys, and that should tide you over," Leslie nodded. "I'm sure Chris won't mind crashing on the couch."
"And just where is Chris?" Leo wondered. "I mean, it's been more than a couple of hours since we left him. I would have thought he'd have met up with us by now."
Leslie shrugged. "He's been gone five months...a lot can happen in five months, I guess."
"And that's another thing," Phoebe interjected. "Why has he been gone five months? I thought we would have traveled to the exact moment when Chris left, right? That's normally how these time travel thingys work, right Piper?"
"What? Oh, yeah," Piper said, absently, clearly not paying attention to what Phoebe was saying, as she continued to stare down at the picture in her hand. The picture looked to be at least a couple of years old – Bianca looking younger with a slightly chubby face, and Chris looking cute in sweater and jeans. Piper realized that though Chris had been practically been living with them for a year, she knew very little of his life in the future. Just how long did they know each other?
"Not sure," Leslie shrugged again, turning Phoebe's question over in his mind. "We'll have to ask Ben later – he may know. After all, he wrote his thesis paper on time portals."
"Impressive," Paige remarked, with a lift of her eyebrow, before turning her attention back to the wall in front of her.
"Piper," There was something in Paige's voice that made Piper jerk her head up, and quickly place the photo back on the shelf, before moving her way over to Paige.
"What is it?"
"You should really see this,"
Following Paige's gaze, Piper gasped.
The papers on the wall were photos. Dozens and dozens of photos were spread over the wall. Most of them were strangers to Piper. But the one that Paige was staring at was a photo of them. A little older, but Piper definitely recognized her features staring back at her.
"What is this?" Piper wondered, as she stepped back to get a better perspective. The photos seemed to radiate outwards from the middle, almost covering the entire surface of the wall. Some smiling, others somber, there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the odd collection littering the wall. As her gaze rested on a familiar face staring out at her, she felt a sickening feeling begin to build in her stomach. "God, no. Sheila..."
"Piper?" Leo rushed to wife's side, and wrapped his arms around her, concerned, as she sagged against him weakly. "What is it?"
"Gone but not forgotten," Leslie nodded, confirming Piper's instinct, as the sisters gasped. "It's his wall of memories. Lest we forget."
"Oh God. Oh my God." Piper moaned, as if in physical pain. So much death. So much destruction. Chris had been right. This wasn't the future. It was hell.
"It's okay, Piper. It's okay," Leo soothed, suppressing his own urge to shudder. "It's going to be okay, because we're going to change all this. Okay?"
Drawing in a shaky breath, Piper was grateful for Leo's strength, for she had never needed it more. "Right." She looked into her husband's eyes, "Promise me that this will never happen. That we won't let it happen."
"I promise."
God, he was tired.
He hadn't even been back a full day, and already he felt exhausted. Probably something to do with that four hour meeting, Chris thought wryly. Odin and the others had quickly brought him up to speed; it was almost like he had never left. In more ways than one.
The command room was now quiet with inactivity. A handful of telepaths sat at the table were the only ones left. Sighing, Chris moved away from the windows that overlooked the base, instead entering a small room that jutted off the one side of the command room. Entering it, he shut the door behind him, sagging against the door wearily.
The room was scarcely bigger than a closet; sparsely furnished to conserve space, a single lamp was suspended from the ceiling over a solitary desk. Two chairs completed the furnishings. Along the perimeter of the room, maps were pinned onto the walls, the only 'decoration' in the room. Pushing himself away from the door, Chris tiredly made his way to the chair behind the desk, sinking down into the seat. Picking up a sheet from one of the many piles on the desk, he began to read.
An hour later, he was still in the same position when Darryl found him. At the sound of the door opening, Chris glanced up from the report he had been reading to see Darryl enter the room.
"Hey," Darryl nodded. "All caught up yet?"
"Just about," Chris leaned back into the chair, indicating, with a wave of his hand, for Darryl to take a seat in the other. "What's up?"
"Just wanted to check up on you," Darryl made himself comfortable. "We haven't had a chance to catch up yet."
"Are you telling me I dreamed that whole four hour meeting?" Chris joked.
"More like suffered a nightmare," Darryl grinned back. "Seriously, Chris. What are you going to do about Leo and the girls?"
Picking up another report, Chris circled something on it with his pen, replying absently, "Les is taking care of it."
"Chris," Darryl leaned forward, putting his hand on top of the report, preventing Chris from reading it. "I just wanted to say...I'm glad you're back. We've really needed you. Wyatt is going to get us, and only he knows when. Everyone's been feeling the pressure. This calm...it's so deceptive...something's coming and we've got to be prepared."
"Thanks for the added pressure," Chris retorted, wryly. "You always know the right words to say to me."
Acknowledging Chris' need to inject a little levity, Darryl grinned, "What can I say?"
Chris continued to stare down at the papers, as if he could read them right through Darryl's hand. "You haven't asked me yet."
"Asked you what?" Darryl's brows furrowed.
Chris snorted. "Why I wasn't able to change the past."
"I figured you'd tell me when you were ready," Darryl pulled his hand back, picking up a pencil on the desk, twirling it carelessly.
"Pretty much screwed it up," Chris' voice was low, as he continued to stare down at his hands. "Obviously. I thought I stopped whatever turned Wyatt, but I guess I didn't. You were right. It was a waste of time. I should have never gone back."
"Yeah, you and I didn't see eye to eye on your trip to the past, but I understood. That's why I didn't protest more," Darryl looked at Chris' bowed head in sympathy. "Look, Chris. That's the way it goes sometimes," Darryl paused, picking his next words very carefully. "That's something the sisters taught me. Listen carefully to me, Chris. You're not always going to be able to stand between another person and their fate."
Jerking his head up, Chris flinched. From anyone else, Chris would have taken affront, but Darryl knew his feelings on destiny and fate. Those words had been chosen and spoken with deliberation.
Regretting voicing his opinion already, Darryl strove to break the tension. "Honestly though, Chris, we're glad you're back. Everyone is."
At that moment, the pressure on his chest was so great, Chris thought for a moment he was suffocating. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, "I'm not sure...I don't know...what can I do? I'm just one person." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I couldn't stop the past from happening, how can I change the future?"
"You may be one person, Chris, but you're a key one," Darryl patted Chris' arm, awkwardly. "It's people like you who make the universe turn, never doubt it. Everyone believes in you."
"They believe in me, just what I needed to hear. Great," Chris grimaced. Unsure of himself, he voiced his concerns, whispering, "I'm afraid, Darryl. I'm afraid that everyone is so confident, so trusting in me that...if I make one wrong move...no one will be able to see it. To tell me. To stop me."
"Do you honestly think Odin wouldn't put you in your place the first chance he got?" Darryl quirked his eyebrow at Chris.
Chris let out a self-deprecating laugh. "You're right. As always. Odin would have no problem telling me where to go the first chance he got."
"Then my work here is done," Darryl smiled, getting up from his seat. "I'll see you tomorrow. Get some sleep, Chris. You're going to need it."
Piper woke with a start. Cautiously, she looked over her shoulder to see Leo still sleeping soundly. Sitting up in bed, she glanced around the room. The gas lamp on the table had been dimmed, barely giving off enough light in the darkened room. Eyes searching, Piper looked at the other bed where her sisters lay sleeping. Her gaze rested on the couch in the corner.
It was empty.
Chris hadn't come back.
Granted, maybe he had decided to find somewhere else to sleep, given that his family had virtually taken over his space, but Piper doubted it. Earlier, Leslie had mentioned that they were tight on space, which was why he had to stick them all in Chris' quarters. There just weren't any empty rooms available. Fortunately, Chris' quarters were the largest, so they had plenty of space to crash. Sometimes it paid to be related to the top guy, Piper thought dryly.
Carefully, she swung her legs down, and gently shifted the blankets as she slowly left the bed. She didn't want to wake Leo or her sisters. It had been a long day, starting with rescuing Chris from hell, accidentally traveling to the future, running like mad to avoid demons and working on the potion to try to get them back to their time. But Piper knew she wouldn't be able to go to sleep, at least not until she knew where her son was.
Stumbling to the entrance, she held her breath as she unlocked it, and bit by bit opened the door. As soon as she managed to open the door just enough, she slipped through, and gently closed the heavy door behind her. Flushed with success, Piper quickly turned, wondering which way to go when she tripped, letting out a little scream as she fell to the floor.
"Oof!" was the first thing Piper heard, as she realized that she had actually fallen on someone. "Going somewhere?" Leslie's voice asked, dryly.
Scrambling to her feel, Piper mustered all her dignity, as she looked down her nose at the man sprawled in front of the door to Chris' quarters. "What exactly are you doing down there?"
"Sleeping. Which is what you should be doing, right now," Leslie quirked his eyebrow at her. "It's the middle of the night. Where are you going?"
"Why?" Piper asked, suspiciously. "What's it to you? And you still haven't answered my question...what exactly were you doing, sleeping outside our door?"
Rolling his eyes, Leslie muttered under his breath, praying for patience, before answering Piper, "Just a friendly question, that's all. And I wasn't doing anything sinister...Chris says you're my responsibility while you're here," Leslie shrugged. "So I'm guarding the door."
"Is that really necessary?" Piper asked, still a little suspicious. "After all, isn't your base 'secure'?" she sneered.
Again, Leslie shrugged. "Yeah, but you can never be too careful. And as long as you and your family are my responsibility here in the future, where you are, I am. Where you go, I go."
"Isn't that a little...dramatic?" Piper wondered. "Anyways, I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, so I thought I'd take a walk around."
"Would you like me to accompany you? I can call Duncan to come by and guard the door while we go for your walk," Leslie offered.
"Oh no! I don't want to be any trouble," Piper protested. "I'll be fine, really. Besides, I'm the one with the offensive powers, remember?"
Leslie nodded. "Is there somewhere you wanted to go in particular? If not, I'd stick to the main hall, it's safe, and pretty peaceful at this time of night, or so I've been told."
"Actually," Piper hesitated, but decided to let Leslie know her intent. She'd need his help if she wanted to locate Chris. "I want to know where Chris is. I woke up and noticed that he...didn't come back, yet. Do you know where I can find him?"
"If he's not in there, then he's in the command room," Leslie grimaced. "I'm not sure Chris knows what sleep is, if you get my drift."
"Yeah, well, maybe I can get him to listen to me. I'm his mother, after all," Piper grumbled.
Leslie's face broke into an unholy grin, thinking of Chris' reaction, as he pointed in the general direction of the command room. "That you are. Think you can still remember your way there?"
Piper smiled back, wolfishly. "Yeah. Thanks."
Leslie's grin faded. "Piper – don't be too hard on him, okay? He's trying."
Glancing back over her shoulder as she trotted down the corridor, she smiled sadly at Leslie. "I know."
"Darryl, I need you to bring me – "
"It isn't Darryl," Piper leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed, studying her son. He was seated behind an enormous desk, with papers littered across the surface, much like the desk he had occupied at P3. The command room was completely empty, save for Chris. Extra lighting had been brought in, giving a soft glow to the room. Looking over her shoulder at the main room of the command area, Piper thought it was weird, considering how busy the room had seemed earlier that day, buzzing with motion, to see it void of any activity. She turned her attention back to her son, sitting in front of her.
"Hey, Mom," Chris said softly, looking up at Piper. "I'm kind of busy right now. Can this wait?"
Shaking her head, Piper stepped into the small meeting room, to take a seat across from her son. She waited for her son to acknowledge her, as he continued to study the papers in front of him. Realizing that he was ignoring her, Piper decided to take the initiative. "You called me Piper."
Chris didn't look up; hunched over the desk, he was studying the papers scattered in front of him. "What's that?" he said absently, chewing on the end of his pen, before circling something on one of the sheets.
"You – called – me – Piper. Before," Piper reached across the desk to gently grasp her son's chin in her hand, forcing him to raise his eyes to meet hers. "I thought...Chris, I love you. Did I do something wrong? Talk to me," she pleaded.
"Mom, you didn't do anything wrong, okay?" Chris smiled a fake smile into her eyes. "Why don't you go back to sleep? I've just got a couple more things I have to go over."
Dropping her hand, Piper shook her head. "No, it's not okay. Calling me 'Mom' now doesn't explain what happened earlier. Are you punishing me for something?"
"No! Look, I'm really tired," Chris sighed, leaning back into his chair, rubbing his eyes wearily. "I was hoping we wouldn't have to talk about that."
"Yeah, I kind of got that feeling," Piper could see the exhaustion etched in his face. At that moment, he looked significantly older than his 22 years that she knew him to be. Undeterred, she waited patiently for him to open up to her. "I'm not leaving until you explain yourself to me."
"Well, maybe you should!" Chris shouted. "Why can't you just let it go?"
Taken aback by her son's venom, Piper physically flinched, before apologizing softly, "I'm sorry if I upset you. It wasn't my intention. I'll...I guess I'll see you later then."
Seeing the hurt in his mother's face as she moved to leave, Chris relented, just a bit. "No, Mom. It's not your fault. I'm sorry. I'm...I'm just under a lot of stress here, okay?" Chris stretched his arms above his head, tiredly, glancing at the clock. He had about four hours till sunrise; it was time to call it a night. He'd have to finish off the rest tomorrow.
"Talk to me Chris," Piper begged.
"It's hard. Everything is so hard here," Sighing at his mother's blank look, Chris tried to explain his feelings to her. "I...you and Dad and Paige and Phoebe...being with all of you again – it's hard, Mom. It's hard being with you, when I know you have to leave soon."
"I don't get it," Piper shook her head, not following Chris' logic.
"I'm not...I'm not as strong as everyone thinks I am. I push you away because it's easier. Easier for me. If I can keep you at an arm's distance..." Chris looked away from his mother's sympathic gaze, "Maybe it won't hurt so much when you do leave me. Again."
"And that's it? That's the reason you called me Piper?" Piper questioned, needing to hear him say it one more time.
"I'm sorry," Chris nodded, wearily.
"I don't want to hurt you, Chris. If...if it really hurts you that much, then I guess I can accept it," Piper tried not to let her disappointment show too much. "But...it hurts me too, Chris."
"I'm trying, Mom. Really, I am."
Sniffling, she watched as Chris began to tidy the desk, putting papers in different piles, "What were you doing?"
"Studying maps." He pointed to one on top of one of the piles, "That's a supply map. That one over there is a tactical map, and that one is a terrain map and that –,"
"So maps?" Piper grinned, as she grabbed the terrain map so she could look at it. She stared at the minute details and tiny, red notations that were scattered across the map. The handwriting was clearly Chris', but she couldn't make out any of his comments. The markings were so small that her eyes watered, trying to read what they said.
"Mom," Chris sighed resignedly, taking the paper from her hands, he moved to roll up the map, tucking it away inside the desk this time. "Come on, let's go get some rest."
"Is this what you do?" Piper glanced at some of the other documents on the desk. Arbitrarily she picked up another paper from one of the many piles, "Look at maps all day?"
Chris futilely tried to snatch the paper back, but his mother swatted his hand away. Groaning, he replied, "No. But maps do take up a lot of my time."
"What is this? What do these dates and names mean? You keeping a birthday list?" Piper joked, as she scanned the sheet in front of her.
"No. It's a tally sheet," Chris said, flatly. "Of our losses."
"Your losses – ," Piper looked up into her son's eyes. As the implication sank in, Piper abruptly stood up, handing her son back the piece of paper. "I'm sorry."
Chris shrugged, nonchalantly, taking the sheet and placing it back on top of the proper pile. "It happens. Comes with the territory when you're at war." He kept his expression carefully neutral, keeping his feelings shuttered from his mother.
"You know," Piper hesitated, not wanting to come on too strong, in case she scared him away. "You can talk to me."
"There's nothing to talk about," Seeing his mother's hurt expression, Chris suddenly shoved his chair back from the desk, pacing. Abruptly, Chris shook himself. What could he tell her? Whine that he hated being leader of the Resistance? Bellyache that he had never wanted the responsibility of thousands resting on his shoulders? Cry that it was all so unfair?
Wish that he could wake up from this nightmare that was his life?
Shaking his head, he muttered, "Never mind."
"Talk to me, sweetie. Tell me what's wrong," Piper begged, gently, her eyes beseeching. She hated seeing him this way – his feelings repressed, his emotions buried, so much so that he appeared almost cold. She watched as her son struggled with his feelings, the conflicting emotions of pain, guilt and loneliness flit across his face, so fleetingly that she wasn't even sure she had seen them.
Chris felt himself relent, just a bit. It had been so long since he'd had someone he could talk to, really talk to. Bianca had been the only person he could unload all his burdens to, without the fear of being judged. He could be himself with her, warts and all. With her, he had found a partner who was strong enough to bear not only her own responsibilities, but could pick up his burden if he faltered. That security blanket was now gone, and he had never felt so alone.
"You're not alone."
Jerking his head up, he flinched as his mother's words found their target.
He snorted. "I'm not a child. I'm way past the age where you can tell me everything is going to be all right."
"I didn't say you were," Piper reproved him, gently. Piper was exasperated. She was beginning to notice how adept her son was at changing topics and avoiding subjects he didn't want to talk about.
"I don't have time for this."
"And when do you have time?" Piper asked, frustrated. "In the past it was 'future consequences.' Here, your excuse is you don't have time. Tell me when you have time."
"Gee, Mom, let me look at my calendar. Oh, it looks like I've only got one demon attack scheduled for Monday, so I'm sure we can have tea afterwards and share our feelings, "Chris said, sarcastically.
"Don't you dare take that tone with me, young man," Piper's voice was low, almost threatening. "I am your mother. Your mother."
"You're right. I'm sorry," Chris apologized, ruefully. "Wyatt's coming, and everyone here knows it. We aren't ready. We aren't going to be ready, even if we had all the time in the world. I'm fighting a losing battle, and it's all uphill. So forgive me if I haven't had a chance to spend some bonding time with you."
"I'm not asking for that! All I'm asking is that you let me in, Chris. Let me help you. Let all of us help you."
Sagging against the nearest wall, Chris closed his eyes. "You can help me by going back." He opened his eyes, meeting his mother's. "Go back and stop this from all happening. Don't sit back and let your 'magical destiny' take care of things. I need you to do this, Mom."
"Change fate, you mean," Piper whispered.
Chris shook his head. "No, change 'the future'."
"And what about you?" Piper asked, timidly. "What will happen to you? To this timeline?"
"I'll grow up to be a healthy and happy kid," Chris smiled sadly, not answering his mother's question the way she wanted. "I'll have an older brother to look up to, even if he is the twice-blessed child."
"You really do have an inferiority complex, don't you?" Piper joked weakly with her son, letting his answer stand. She couldn't bear to think what would happen to this Chris, here, in this time. She had gotten to know her adult son, and she didn't want to lose him. But they both knew there was nothing she could do. Instead, Piper moved over to stand next to him, gently touching his shoulder, leaning on him. "You know, power isn't just about who has the most magic. There's power in relationships. It's about family, friends. A good heart. And from what I can see here, that's a power you've got in spades."
She let the words sink in and waited for him to respond. When he remained silent, she sighed, reaching out with her hand to brush his hair out of his eyes, so she could look into them. "Look, you're right. I'm tired, you're tired. Let's try and get some sleep, okay?" Slowly she trudged her way towards the door, glancing over her shoulder at her son, still leaning against the wall. "Coming?"
Chris raised his gaze to meet his mother's. He saw the compassion and the love for him shining in her eyes. And his defenses began to crumble.
"I'll never forget all that I lost. I feel like I'm stuck in a bad dream," Chris whispered, pushing himself away from the wall, his arms hugging himself. "Everyone is counting on me...and I feel like I'm suffocating. I just want to curl up and go to sleep and wake up when this is all over. I..,I don't know if I can take this feeling anymore."
Piper was speechless. She groped clumsily for the right words to comfort her son, but none would come to mind. She watched, helplessly, as her son's calm façade began to crack.
"Sometimes I feel like... It's all so...overwhelming," Closing his eyes, Chris imagined all his friends, past and present, the innocents and everyone who was counting on him. "It...it hurts, mom." Everything was spiraling out of his control, no matter how hard he tried to steam the tide. "Can you take this feeling away?"
"Oh honey –," Piper ran over to reach out and hug her son close, putting all her love for him in that one embrace. "Chris, you're stronger than you think. You'll get through this. I know you will."
He let himself be comforted. "Tell me I won't feel a thing." He drew back and opened his eyes to meet his mother's. "Tell me everything will be all right."
Staring back into his vulnerable eyes, she told him what he needed to hear. "Everything will be all right, Chris. I promise."
As she hugged him tightly, she thought she heard him whisper...
"God help us all."
To be continued in Chapter 13....
A/N: Like I mentioned at the start, here's a little something as a 'thank you' to all my reviewers. It's you guys who have given me the creative energy to get this thing written.
Next chapter – may take a bit longer to update (I'm thinking 2 weeks, sorry folks, it's going through a lot of re-writes), as it's going to be jam packed with action...so....make sure you check back when I finally do get it uploaded! But for now...enjoy!
A scene from the upcoming Chapter 13...
And all at once, the sky fell...
The sky was an orange fireball now, fiery sparks streaking across the air, erupting in a shower of fire. The impact from the deadly magic attacks thundered in the distance, and the ground trembled and buckled beneath the onslaught.
The Halliwells and their men were thrown to the earth by the series of explosions that rocked the area. Paige opened her eyes to find herself on the ground, dazed and raised her head, searching for her sisters. Around her, people were streaming forward, charging forward to meet Wyatt's army of demons.
Leslie frantically looked for Phoebe; coughing from the dust generated from the debris from the blasts, he made his way over to her, lying prone on the ground a few feet away. Checking her pulse, he breathed a sigh of relief, as he felt it strong and steady beneath his hand. Glancing around, he noted that Paige seemed to be okay, and Chris was helping Leo pick Piper off the ground.
"Get them out of here!" Chris yelled at Leslie, "Get them back to their time, now!" He turned, when he felt his arm caught held by something.
"You can't go!" Piper said in a frightened rush, her fingers digging deep into her son's arm. "Chris – I can't lose you, not again!" She pulled desperately at his arm, trying to tug him to safety, her instinct to protect her son, her family, overwhelming her.
"We have to get to safety! We've got to get you back to the past, Piper!" Leslie grabbed Piper's arm, trying to pry her death grip from Chris' arm. "If you really love him, let go of him! He's the leader – they need him! That's his life!"
"No!" Piper half screamed, half sobbed. "This isn't his life! This isn't the future! This...this can't be happening!"
Chris shook his head, taking hold of his mother's shoulders, trying to calm her. "Mom! Mom! Listen to me! We're trying to put an end to this! That's why you need to go! You can stop this! I know you can!"
An energy ball exploded nearby, causing Chris to throw himself forward, using his body to shelter his mother from the cinders and burning embers. Leo and Leslie struggled to their feet, watching as Chris pulled his mother up from the ground, reassuring her, "Mom, it's okay. Trust me. This isn't the future. This won't be the future. Because I know you'll change it. Saving Wyatt saves the future. You know that."
"I love you so much, mom."
Piper raised her tear stained face to stare into her son's calm eyes. Sobbing, she frantically clawed at his arm, trying to keep him with her, as he gently shook himself free. She would have dragged him back, if Leo hadn't been holding onto her.
"Take care of her," Chris said to his father, as turned to leave. His father's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, as he solemnly nodded.
"Come with us, Chris. Come with us back to the past...we can save it...together..." Piper begged, watching her son back away from her.
"Someday you'll understand!" he shouted over his shoulder.
She watched her son disappear into the surrounding chaos, to lead his friends into what would surely be the final battle.
To face his future.
To meet his fate.
And her heart broke into a million pieces.