Same SPOILER WARNING as last Chapter
CHAPTER THREE
Leo and Chris sat silently for a few minutes while they both absorbed what Wyatt had just said.
"So you're telling us Mum wasn't supposed to die when I was a baby?" Chris said trying to clarify what Wyatt had just told him.
Wyatt could see that both Chris and his Dad were not really getting what he was trying to say, so thought it best to explain everything from the beginning. "Okay, this is what happened. I was sitting on the couch in the attic reading like I always do on Sunday evening when all of a sudden I find myself in 2005, having been summoned by Mum and Dad. Before I was summoned my life was great, Mum and Dad were both here and alive. I had a girlfriend, and so did you Chris. I was studying to be a doctor, and Chris you were in University. Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige were both married with kids too. Demon attacks had lessened over the years after Zankou had been vanquished. Really, we had the occasional problem, but mostly life was pretty normal."
"Mum was still alive, I had a girlfriend, and I was in University. And we could use magic without fearing for our lives." Chris repeated, amazed. "What about Zankou?" He asked.
"Zankou was gone, dead, vanquished when I was a child. He wasn't around to have complete control over the magical community like he does now. Anyway, as I've already told you, I was sent back to my own time, and a whole new set of memories hit me, and that is what made me pass out. I guess it was too much for me to take in all at once." Wyatt explained.
"You see, that is exactly why time travel is too dangerous!" Leo exclaimed. "Why we didn't want to risk bringing you back to the past again Chris!"
"What do you mean, again?" Chris asked. "I've never time travelled before."
Leo suddenly realised what he had said, and looked to Wyatt.
"Have I time travelled before?" Chris asked his Dad, who was still looking at Wyatt not knowing what to say. Chris looked at Wyatt, "Wyatt, what do you know that you're not telling me?"
"You should tell him Dad, he deserves to know." Wyatt said to his Father.
"Tell me what?" Chris asked looking back at Leo again. "After a lengthy silence, Chris became impatient, "Will someone please tell what's going on?"
With Leo's continued silence, Wyatt turned to Chris. "I only found out while I was back in the past because Mum and Dad decided not to tell us both for some reason."
"Tell us what, Wyatt?" Chris asked again, his voice getting louder with his impatience.
"We didn't tell you both because there was no reason to." Leo finally said. "Everything had been fixed, so there was nothing to be gained by telling you what had happened." Leo looked at Chris as he spoke.
Chris went to ask him again what he was talking about, but decided this time to give his Dad some time to continue.
"Back about 18 months before you were born Chris, we had a visit from someone from the future. This person kept his identity a secret from us for a long time. First of all he told us he had come back to save Wyatt from a great evil that had threatened him in the future. As time went on he revealed to us that he had actually come back to save Wyatt from turning evil." Leo said looking more at Chris than Wyatt.
"And who was this person?" Chris asked cautiously, almost afraid of the answer.
"He pretended to be a Whitelighter and was therefore appointed the sisters Whitelighter when I was made an Elder. Thinking back now, he was incredibly brave to do what he did. It's a very long story, Chris, but we eventually found out this person was you, and you'd come from the future to save your brother."
"Me?" Chris repeated, surprised.
"Well, it wasn't actually you, obviously," Wyatt clarified, "but it was another version of you, from a different future."
"A future where you were evil."
"Yes."
"So you had already turned evil before." Chris checked with him.
"So it seems. Weird, huh!"
"Totally!" Chris replied.
"You okay?" Leo asked Chris.
"Well, this is not something I ever expected to hear you telling me, if that's what you mean." Chris told him. "But, I'm cool. So what happened to him, or me?"
"It was the day of your birth." Leo started to say, but then sighed wondering how to explain what happened. "It's all very complicated. I was taking you back to the future, but we were sent to an alternate reality instead. To cut a very long story short, we made it back from the other world and I was out trying to find the person responsible for turning Wyatt evil, and Chris, or the other you, was left to protect Wyatt. Gideon, who was an Elder and my mentor, attacked the other Chris and kidnapped Wyatt."
"An Elder was responsible?" Chris asked.
"Believe me, we were all just as surprised as you are. No one suspected him, that's why it took us so long to work out that it was Gideon. Anyway, your Mum was in the hospital having complications with your birth…" Leo's voice trailed off as he was remembering that day.
Wyatt continued, "Well obviously Mum and you survived. Dad rescued me and then took care of Gideon, and I was saved from turning evil."
"And Me?" Chris asked again.
"The other version of you, died in my arms from his wounds." Leo said sadly.
"I died? Why didn't you just heal me?" Chris asked.
"Gideon had cursed the athame he used, there was nothing I could do to save him."
"Wow, Dad, that must have been really tough on you." Chris said sympathetically.
"It was devastating Chris, but saving Wyatt was all the other Chris cared about." Leo emphasized to Chris. "He came back to save Wyatt and his future, and he achieved that. He was happy in the knowledge that Baby Chris, you, would grow up in a better world where your brother wouldn't be the ruler of all evil."
"And he looked like me?" Chris asked.
"Yes, he looked exactly like you." Leo answered.
"It must have been really hard on you watching me grow up this time, knowing what happened to me last time." Chris said to his Dad.
"Your Mother didn't even let you leave the house for the first few months of your life." Leo told him. "Now you can see why I've been a little overprotective, of both of you!"
"A Little!" Both Wyatt and Chris exclaimed together.
Leo laughed. "Okay, a lot." He conceded.
"Now that you've told us how dangerous time travel is, Dad, you've got to forget all that and let me go back and fix whatever happened this time." Wyatt said to him.
"No way, Wyatt!" Leo answered him, firmly.
"I'm coming with you this time." Chris told him.
"Didn't you hear me, I said, no way!" Leo reaffirmed, only louder this time.
"Dad, listen to me," Wyatt pleaded with him, as calmly as he could. "Something I did back in the past changed this future. It's not just us suffering, it's the whole world. I don't know about you, but I cannot live with the fact that something I did for the short time I was in 2005 caused Mum's death, and of course Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige as well. You have to let me go back and put it right again. Please."
"But you could make things even worse, Wyatt." Leo said to him.
"Dad, you have to let me try." Wyatt begged him.
"I'll make sure he's okay Dad." Chris added.
Leo looked at both of his sons. He was so conflicted as to what to do. He knew it was the right thing to let them go and try to fix the future because even thinking about having his beloved Piper back with him again was reason enough to say yes, but he didn't want to risk losing them either.
"Dad, my new memories tell me that you've done an amazing job raising us by yourself, especially being mortal. But my old memories remind me that was not how the future was meant to be. You're supposed to be enjoying your retirement with Mum." Wyatt told him gently.
"Dad, I don't even remember Mum. Please, let me go back and see her. You know how well Wyatt and I work together, we'll look out for each other, and if we both go back in time together, as a united front, you'll take us more seriously in the past." Chris added.
Leo nodded slowly as he closed his eyes. He opened them again and looked at both Wyatt and Chris, "okay," he whispered.
"You won't regret it Dad, I promise," Wyatt assured him. "Now we've just got to figure out how to get there."
