Chapter 15

Piper and Leo were now in the attic at the manor.

Chris was looking through the Book of Shadows, occasionally glancing at his older brother, Wyatt, who was in the playpen.

He heard a sound. Chris called out, "Hello?"

There was no response. He then heard a floorboard creek. He looked at his brother. "It's time to get you out of here." As Chris moved to pick his brother up, he was suddenly telekinetically thrown across the room.

Gideon materialized next to the playpen. "Don't make me sacrifice you both," he warned Chris.

Chris immediately flicked his hand, telekinetically sending Gideon flying to the other end of the room. Gideon, athame in hand, became invisible.

Chris leaped to his feet and ran over to the playpen to retrieve Wyatt. As he was coming towards the playpen, Gideon materialized in front of him, stabbing him in the gut with the athame.

A searing pain shot through Chris as the athame cut into him. He cried out, "Dad!" before sinking to the floor as Gideon pulled the athame out.

Gideon had walked over to the playpen and was picking up Wyatt as Leo orbed in to his younger son's side.

Piper and Leo cringed at the sight of this scene. For Leo it was bringing back upsetting memories from the worst day of his life. For Piper, it was her first view of the horror that her son and husband had gone through while she was in labor.

As Leo hovered over Chris, Chris cried out, "Wyatt…Wyatt…"

Leo looked over and saw Gideon holding Wyatt.

"It's for the best, Leo," Gideon said, orbing out.

Leo looked back at Chris, who was writhing in pain from the wound in his gut. Leo felt torn between his two sons, but realized that right now Chris' danger was much more imminent. He would heal Chris first, then go after Wyatt.

He placed his hands over Chris' wound. The glow from his healing touch did not appear to be having any effect on the hole in Chris' gut.

"Go find Wyatt," Chris tried ordering his father, amid his pain.

"We will. I promise. I need to heal you first."

Minutes passed and still it appeared to have no effect on the wound. Chris was becoming weaker with each passing moment.

"Come on," Leo said, helping his son sit up. He orbed them both into Piper's bedroom and helped Chris on to the bed. He then placed his hands over the wound again, hoping the glow would begin to heal him.

"You have to go find Wyatt," Chris said, gasping. He was sweating and becoming very pale.

"We'll find Wyatt together," Leo said, continuing to try to heal him to no avail.

"It won't work. You already tried," Chris said, pushing his father's hands away. "Gideon's magic did this to me. He's the only one who can stop it. Go! Saving Wyatt saves the future, you know that."

"Gideon can't kill Wyatt, remember?" Leo said. "We still have time."
"Only until the trauma turns him," Chris reminded him.

"I'm not going to choose between you and Wyatt, Chris. I can't," Leo said desperately.

"You don't have to, Dad," Chris explained. "Find Gideon and you save us both."

Leo hesitated for a moment, torn. He then said, "Okay, but I'm not leaving you here alone."

"Where are you going?" Chris asked, gasping for breath.

"To get one of your aunts to watch over you," Leo said. "You're going to be fine, I promise." He bent down and kissed his son's forehead before orbing out.

Minutes after his father orbed out, Chris heard a commotion downstairs. He heard a parade of footsteps coming up the stairs. There were people in the house.

Then he heard Paige's voice calling out from the downstairs, "Chris!"

Then more commotion. Moments later, a member of the SWAT team, gun drawn, entered Piper's room. Spotting Chris lying on the bed, bleeding from the wound in his gut, he called out, "I found him! He's in here!"

More footsteps. Several more SWAT team members entered the room, guns drawn. They were followed by Darryl and Sheridan. The smiles disappeared from their faces when they saw Chris sprawled out on the bed, appearing to be dying. Paige came running in the room behind them, rushing to Chris' bedside. He was gasping for air and growing weaker.

"Hey," Paige said, forcing a smile. She brushed the hair out of his eyes with her hand.

"Where's my dad?" Chris asked weakly.

"He's gone after Gideon. He'll find him and we'll reverse his magic—what he did to you," she assured him.

"He won't be able to," Chris said, resigned. "I'm going to die."
"No, you're not. Just hang on, okay. Please just hang on, Chris," she was begging him. She could see him getting weaker by the moment, laboring for each breath. Paige was afraid he was right. "Hang on. I'm going to call your dad."
Paige left the room before Chris could stop her. As she left, a SWAT team member entered, handing Sheridan her forensics kit. She took out some items which she used to collect a sample of Chris' blood with.

"Who did this to you?" she asked.

Chris would not answer. He continued struggling with his breathing. Darryl prevented Sheridan from pushing it as they heard Paige out in the hallway calling for Leo.

Darryl ordered them all out of the room, telling Sheridan that they should leave him alone with his family. The SWAT team exited the room, followed by Sheridan and Darryl.

Leo then rushed into the room moments later, running up to Chris' side. Paige stood in the doorway, watching.

"Hey," Leo said.

"Hey," Chris said back.

"Hold on," Leo begged him, stroking his son's hair. "Just hold on. Hold on…Don't give up, okay."

Chris weakly replied, "You either." At that, he gasped a few times, turned his head and closed his eyes, all the while Leo was crying, "No. No…please…"

Leo buried his face in his son's chest.

At that moment, the entire room froze still.

Barbas flamed in. He placed a metal band around Chris' wrist, unfreezing him as he did this. The purpose of the metal band was to prevent him from using his powers.

When Chris' eyes opened, he saw Barbas looming over him menacingly. He then noticed the wound in his gut had disappeared.

"What?" Chris started.

"Your daddy's biggest fear for you was watching you die and not being able to help you. He just thought he couldn't heal you. And…with a little help from Gideon's magic, so did everyone else, including you," Barbas explained. "Now, with a little help from my new friends who so kindly have caused your auntie and daddy to freeze here, you will now get to experience your greatest fear."
With that, Barbas grabbed Chris by the arm and flamed out.

Once Barbas and Chris were gone, Paige and Leo unfroze to find Chris' body had disappeared.