Chapter Eighteen: Tragedy
Chris stood at the window looking out into the night. Upstairs Daniel was resting, his wounds healed and the pain finally subsiding and Derrick was pacing in the kitchen, trying to think of what needed to be done. Cathy had left not too long ago, knowing Max needed to be fed and wanting Derrick to spend time with his son and talk to Chris about who was after him.
Cathy entered her house as if it were any other night, but for some reason something did not seem right. The lights were off and Max ran to greet her as usual, and there were quite a few messages waiting to be heard, but there was still something amiss. But, shrugging the eerie feelings aside, Cathy went about her business and entered the kitchen were she filled Max's bowl with kibble and opened the fridge to get something to drink.
Walking to the living room, Cathy seated herself on the couch and turned the television on, but quickly turned it off. She was still shaken from earlier. Though she might not have shown it, Cathy was terrified at the thought of someone being after her son. Chris was a wonderful boy who had never done anything wrong in his life and though he may have had strange powers that he did not understand, she had never thought any less of him. Cathy only prayed that this was not his punishment for having gifts that he never asked for.
One of the things that really bothered her was the fact that she was powerless to help him. A mother was supposed to protect her children not matter what and that was something that Cathy could not do. Sure, Chris had Daniel, but it wasn't the same. She wanted to be able to run to Chris, stand in front of him and fight away his demons for him. What kind of a mother was she if she couldn't even protect her son?
It was still late at night that she was contemplating this. She knew Chris wouldn't be home for a while because he wanted to make sure Daniel was safe from whoever it was that was after them. As the clock in the living room struck ten there was a knock at the door and instantly Max was at his feet. Cathy got up to answer the door, thinking it was her neighbor Mr. Winters, who had a few things he needed to return and had no concept of time. Opening the door slowly, Cathy found herself facing a young man not much older than Chris.
"Can I help you," she asked, noticing how Max was at her side, growling.
"I'm looking for Chris," he answered.
Cathy's eyes widened, wondering what the chances were that this was who was after her son. "I'm sorry, he's not home right now."
"I know, I just needed to be sure," came the reply.
"Excuse me?"
"I am terribly sorry it had to happen this way."
Cathy never saw what pushed her back, all she knew was that she had hit her back against something hard and she couldn't stand. She heard the front door close and soon felt a shadow looming over her. Looking up, she saw the young man again and knew that he was definitely the one after her son. Using all the strength she had, Cathy tried to sit up, but felt a heavy foot force her back down.
"What do you want?" she screamed, looking up. "Why are you after my son?"
"I can't have him standing in my way."
"What are you talking about? Who are you?"
"Who I am is none of your concern. As for your son, he is a threat to me and he needs to be taken care of. It's as simple as that."
Cathy winced in pain. "A threat? I don't understand why you are doing this to us!"
"You know, for a woman who has an extremely powerful son, I am surprised to find you so powerless," the young man said with a slight laugh. "At least it will make this much easier."
Cathy closed her eyes and cried. "Please," she begged, "leave us alone. Don't do this."
The young man leaned close. "That is something I can't do."
Chris was still standing at the window when he knew that something was wrong. He didn't know how to describe it, but there was a sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach as if to let him know that something was not right. Confused, Chris looked up toward the ceiling as if looking through it to see Daniel. Knowing his friend was safe upstairs, Chris wasn't sure what his gut was telling him.
Derrick entered the living room just as his son was walking down the stairs. The two glanced at the other, Derrick giving Daniel a glare as if to ask why he was out of bed, but both turned their attention to Chris. They could each sense that something was bothering him, but they didn't know what it was.
"What the matter, Chris?" Daniel asked, drawing his friend's attention from the window to himself and his father.
"I don't know," he answered. "What are you doing downstairs?"
"I feel better, besides, you can't keep me locked away in there forever," Daniel said with a laugh, but his expression did not last long. "Are you sure you're okay, Chris?"
Chris turned back to the window and looked out, as if the night sky were the answer to all of his questions. As he watched the stars, he realized that his mother was at home. Alone. Turning to the others, Chris told them he had to go and opened the front door to leave.
"Where are you going?" Derrick asked. "What if that guy Wyatt is still out there?"
"My mom is alone at the house," Chris answered. "If Wyatt would go after Daniel, what's to say that he won't go after her? I know something is wrong...I just hope I'm not too late."
Forgetting the open door, Chris disappeared in blue and white lights. Daniel looked at his father. "I'm going after him."
"Daniel, wait."
"Dad, what if Chris is right and Wyatt is there waiting? I'm not going to let anything happen to my friend."
Taking a step back, Derrick nodded and watched his son shimmer away. Daniel reappeared behind Chris in the ruin that was once the living room of the house. It looked as if everything had been destroyed, broken glass across the floor, the couch over turned, the tables broken. Hearing a whimpering like noise, the boys followed it and found Max trapped underneath the remains of what was most likely the coffee table. Pulling the pieces away, they freed the dog, which ran toward the kitchen.
"Mom," Chris said, almost a whisper.
Running after Max, Chris stood in the doorway to the kitchen and stopped. There in front of him lay his mother, her body twisted and bloody. Walking in slowly, tears forming in his eyes, Chris knelt at her side and gently turned her over. She was still breathing, but barely. Cradling her limp body in his arms, Chris bent his head down to hers and cried.
"Chris..."
He opened his eyes and found her staring up at him. "Mom, I am so sorry. This is all my fault...he was here, wasn't he?"
Cathy tried to nod, but gave a weak smile instead, as if to answer yes. "He'll be back...you have to get out of here..."
"I'll take you with me, I can heal you."
"No, Chris. You have to leave now...leave me here and get yourself someplace safe..."
"I can't leave you! I won't!" Chris screamed. "You can't die, mom. I won't let you."
"You don't have a choice, Chris...just remember that I love you...I'm sorry I couldn't save you from him, but I love you and hope you will remember that..."
"I love you too, mom," he cried, holding her close. "I will always love you."
Releasing his hold, Chris found that she was gone and laid her on the ground gently as he cried. It wasn't fair that this had to happen; she hadn't deserved to die. She had been innocent and didn't need to be punished. Hearing footsteps, Chris turned and found Daniel standing beside him. He too was crying, but inwardly, wanting to be strong for his friend. Bending down, Daniel put his hands on Chris' shoulders and tugged at them.
"Chris, we have to go," he said in a whisper.
"I don't want to leave."
"The police are coming," Daniel told him. "I saw the lights out the window and can hear the sirens. We have to get out of here. Now."
"But my mom..."
Daniel helped Chris stand. "Leave her here. We need to get out and go someplace safe. I'll talk to my dad and maybe we can get those witches I talked about to help. I have a feeling we are going to need all the help we can get."
It as just as the police came barging through the front door that Daniel shimmered out with Chris. Derrick was in the living room when they both appeared and helped Daniel walk Chris over to the couch. He wasn't crying or displaying any type of emotion, instead Chris stared straight ahead blankly and silently. Moving into the kitchen, Derrick looked Daniel in the eye and asked what the matter was. Slowly, Daniel explained what they had seen when they had arrived at his house and how they had found Cathy.
"She didn't make it, dad," Daniel said, lowering his head. "She died in his arms."
Derrick stood in the doorway of the kitchen and living room and looked at Chris. His heart sank as he realized that he himself had not only lost a friend, but Chris had lost his mother. Turning back to the kitchen, Derrick began to rummage through drawers, pulling out papers and little notepads.
"What are you looking for, dad?" Daniel asked.
"My address book," he answered, removing a small book from underneath a pile of papers. Flipping through its pages, he found what he had been looking for, but after seeing the time, knew he would have to call the next morning.
"Halliwell," Daniel read, "Piper, Phoebe and Paige. Who are they?"
"Remember how I told you about those witches?"
"The ones who saved me from the Manticore, yeah I remember," he answered.
"I'm going to call them tomorrow and see if they can help. I have a feeling this is something that the Power of Three is going to have to help us handle."
Knowing that his father never steered him wrong, Daniel nodded and glanced back at Chris. He was standing at the window again, this time his head against the cool glass. His eye not looking for anything in particular, Chris gazed out into the night as he had done before. There were clouds in the sky and as they opened and let the rain fall, Chris wept for his mother.
