Author's Note: Finally having the time to update, here is the latest chapter in my little story. I am so glad that you all enjoyed Chapter 24, it seemed that it was a chapter that many of you had been waiting for. Anyway, being at a loss for words, I am going to get out of here so I can write some more before I go to work. Thank you all for the reviews and make sure you leave a few more after you read.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Memories and Ideas
Standing in a darkened corner of the Underworld, Leo and Daniel spoke amongst themselves about what they had and had not uncovered. Much to Leo's dismay, the young man in black who had attacked Chris at the Manor had been Wyatt. Heartbroken at what his son had become, Leo was more than determined to fix it. Daniel thought otherwise and did not believe that there was any saving Leo or his wife could do to bring Wyatt back from evil.
"I told you it was true," Daniel whispered.
"Well, if it were your son I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't want to believe it," Leo retorted. Sighing, he apologized for his outburst. "It's just that we tried so hard to prevent this from happening. Seeing that our worst fears have come true is somewhat of a shock, if even that."
"What do you meant tried to prevent this from happening? You didn't know that this was going to happen, did you?"
Leo shook his head. "It's a little more complicated that that. I don't know how much you heard while Piper and I spoke with your father, but when you were a baby the sisters had another Whitelighter along with me. We didn't know until it was almost too late who he really was, he was secretive and was not fond of telling us anything."
"What does this have to do with how you knew Wyatt was going to turn evil?" Daniel demanded. His patience was wearing thin and he wanted to get back to the real world, to his father and to his friend. Thought he might have been half demon, Daniel felt anything but at home in the dark world that housed all kinds demons.
"The Whiterlighter's name was Chris, Daniel," Leo answered making the teen's eyes widened. "Yes, your friend Chris. My son came from the future to save his brother from turning evil. But, it looks as if we failed."
Daniel stared at the floor. His friend Chris had come back from the future to try and save his family? Placing a hand on his head, Daniel was trying to make sense of the situation. Everything was getting even more complicated as he began to learn more about the kidnapping and the past of the Charmed Ones. After he let the new information sink in, Daniel listened patiently as Leo explained everything about those years before when "future" Chris had come and what the Charmed Ones had done over the years.
"The sisters almost gave up on magic when the boys were taken," Leo said. "Piper was never that accepting of her magic and wanted to try and keep it from our sons as best she could and when the boys were gone...it was all the more reason to give it all up after there was no way of bringing them back. It was hard when she learned about future Chris' death and loosing him again was too much for her, as was loosing Wyatt."
"I had no idea," Daniel whispered. "But what are you going to do now? We were coming to you for helping in getting rid of Wyatt, and now that we know who he is I'm sure that you aren't going to be as willing to kill him as we had originally wanted."
Leo shook his head. "I am not going to kill my son, but that is the question, isn't it? What are we going to do? I have asked myself that over and over. He killed Cathy and has attacked both you and Chris continuously, but what's to say that is going to stop even when he learns the truth?"
"But, maybe that is what he needs," Daniel suggested.
Leo made a face. "What are you saying?"
"Well, that demon took him from you, didn't he? What if Wyatt knew that the demon had taken him? Had it been me and I found out the truth, I would start to question everything, including who I was. I'm not saying he is going to change and see the light, but he may not come after any of us once he knows."
Leo understood what Daniel was saying, but the truth was he doubted that it was true. It was what Paige had called nature versus nurture: Wyatt had been raised to think that good was evil and therefore it needed to be destroyed, it had been drilled into him and no matter how many times he told himself that he wasn't evil was not going to make a difference. Of course, Leo wanted to believe Daniel, but he still had and would have his hesitations.
"I think we better be heading back," Leo said. "Piper is probably getting worried and Chris needs to be found. When Piper is ready she can tell her sisters what is going on and they can looking the Book and see if there is anything useful on Barbas-the demon we talked about-that can help in his being vanquished."
"Right," Daniel said.
Knowing where he was going, he followed Leo's orb in a shimmer and they both reappeared in the attic of the Manor. The two were surrounded by dust and broken furniture making them instantly think that Wyatt or his demonic minions were attacking. Trying to find their way around, Leo caught sight of Piper and rushed to her side through the smoke.
"What's going on?" he shouted.
"We were just practicing," she answered as the dust settled to reveal Chris standing at the other end of the attic.
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Practicing or destroying the attic?"
"I am sorry," Chris said, taking a step forward. "I didn't mean to break anything, but Piper was helping me with my powers."
Understanding, Leo nodded and looked around the room. He was sure Paige would see the damage and cast a spell to repair everything, after asking what had happened and getting no answer. Leo was surprised to see that Chris had returned on his own, but was glad that his son had felt open enough to have Piper instruct him on his under-trained powers.
Chris grinned sheepishly at Daniel as his friend stood in awe of the room. He had to admit, it had been fun knowing that it was all right if anything was broken during his so-called "training" and Chris found that Piper was a patient teacher. She had answered each of his questions and explained everything from concentrating between freezing and blowing up things to how emotions were tired onto their powers. During their time together, Chris had returned to calling his mother Piper. Perfectly okay with it, Piper knew it would take time for Chris to fully warm up to her and she noticed that during their time together Chris was hesitant with what he said and how he felt.
"My god, you went crazy," Daniel laughed. "What'd you do, show her everything you've got?"
Chris smiled. "Basically."
"This is insane," Daniel replied.
"No it's not. And now I finally know what all of my powers are."
"Okay, Mr. Smart One, what do you call that thing you do when you are in two places at once?" Daniel asked, crossing his arms.
"Astral projecting," Chris answered.
"Anyway," Leo interrupted as he walked to the Book of Shadows, "I think we have more important matters to discuss at the moment. Piper and Chris should be filled in on what we know."
"That being?" Piper asked.
"It was Wyatt," Leo said, causing Piper to take a deep breath. "He apparently is pretty powerful in the Underworld. Daniel and I ran into a group of his minions and listened to them for a while. It seems that Wyatt was raised by Barbas and that he is trying to break away from the demon to become the new Source."
"We also found out the reason Wyatt has been going after Chris," Daniel added. "Turns out that Barbas and the Seer are putting him up to it, as a way of getting rid of a Great Good and to make sure that Wyatt never finds out the truth about his real identity."
Chris fell back on the couch that sat behind him. "You mean he's going to come after me until I'm dead? That's not good news."
"Well, there is some good news," Leo said. "There are a few rumors going around that some darklighters are planning on exposing Barbas to Wyatt, therefore thinking he will kill the demon so that once Barbas is dead, the Darklighters can kill Wyatt. Thus, there is no threat of either of the two becoming the new Source."
Piper gave Leo a questioning stare. "You call our son being killed by a darklighter arrow good news?"
"Good news being that Barbas is going to be exposed," Leo answered.
At the mention of the word Darklighter, Chris shivered. His thoughts drifted back to when he read the entry in the Book and to the nightmare he suffered from for years. Noticing his discomfort, Piper sat beside her son and asked him what was wrong. Chris hesitated, not knowing if he wanted to reveal his dream, but it had always felt so real and he began to wonder if it really was a dream at all.
"I just...There is this nightmare I had when I was little," he began.
"A nightmare about what?" Piper inquired, trying not to push him.
"I'm little and I'm in the woods with a man," Chris continued. "Suddenly, this man in black appears and he points something at the man I'm with, the man holding me. We fall to the ground and the man shouts for someone to come and a woman runs over, but she is too late. The man in black reaches out and grabs me and we orb away, but not in bright lights...it looks more like ash...I don't know, but I thought of that when I looked in the Book and when they talked about the darklighters."
Piper glanced over at Leo and could see the remembrance that had washed over him. He stood as if in a dream as he recalled the day Chris had been kidnapped. Turning away, he spoke. "It wasn't a dream, Chris. That was real."
"Real?"
"The man in black was a darklighter," Leo went on. "I was the man holding you, but I was shot by a darklighter arrow and was too weak to protect you. Had I been able, you never would have been taken, but the poison from the arrows are deadly and there was nothing I could do."
Chris looked away. So it wasn't a dream after all. Perhaps some of his other dreams and nightmares had been memories all along? Facing Leo, Chris knew how much it must have hurt him, knowing that he hadn't been able to protect his son. Chris didn't blame him, Piper had explained about Darklighters and what their poison did to Whitelighters and half Whitelighters, like Chris.
"And all this time I thought it was just a nightmare," Chris whispered. He looked up at Leo. "I'm sorry."
"It wasn't anyone's fault. But it makes me wonder," Leo paused and walked around the attic. "Wyatt was taken just after you were and if there is one thing you learn while living in this house it's that nothing is coincidence."
Piper moved toward Leo. "What are you thinking, that the darklighter was in league with Barbas?"
"Think about it: Barbas wants Wyatt and to do that he needs us preoccupied. So what does he do? Has a darklighter kidnap Chris and while we search for him, Barbas has his chance to take Wyatt easily," Leo continued.
Daniel nodded. "It does make sense. And then once the darklighters get Wyatt to realize this he will kill Barbas and the darklighters can kill Wyatt. Everything fits."
Piper sighed. "Well, as much as I want my son to find out the truth, I am not looking forward to his being killed. We have to get to Wyatt before any darklighter does, or at least before Barbas."
"And do what?" Chris asked, standing. "If you find him first and try to explain everything, he won't believe you. Maybe we should let the darklighters tell him and then find him before he goes after Barbas. This way when you find Wyatt, he will know everything and will want Barbas dead like we do and won't object to your killing him."
Piper and Leo looked at one another and nodded. Chris was right, Wyatt would never believe them if they tried to tell him that they were his parents. This being the case, it came to everyone's attention that they did not know where Wyatt was and at that point, it was safe to assume that he was still after Chris. Thinking it over, both Piper and Leo tried to think of the safest place to keep Chris and Daniel until Wyatt was found and Barbas had been taken care of.
"Why not have us go back to my house?" Daniel suggested.
Leo shook his head. "If Wyatt was able to find Chris' home, then he will find yours. If we send you both somewhere that he is unfamiliar with and would have to sense for Chris, it would be much safer."
Daniel sighed and then realized that his father was not with them in the attic. "My dad."
"Why don't you go and bring him here so we can keep you all together and protected," Piper said. She watched Daniel nod and then shimmer off. Pacing around the Book, she tried to think of a good place to send the three. The Manor was out of the question, Wyatt knew where it was and had found Chris there before. There was also the possibility of Magic School, but both Paige and her husband were currently there teaching and Kellan and Kai were running around the campus and Piper knew that her sister would only need one look at Chris to know who he was.
"Can't think of anywhere?" Chris asked, interrupting their thoughts.
"We would keep you here," Piper began, "but Wyatt knows this place."
"And we already know that I am not ready to meet my family," Chris continued, "so I couldn't stay with them."
Leo looked up. "Why not?"
Piper turned to her husband. "Leo, you know that both Phoebe and Paige will freak when they meet him and we all are under enough stress as it is."
"I'm not saying your sisters," Leo said.
"Then what? You want me to summon Grams or my mom?"
"What about Victor?" Leo asked. "I thought you said that he got along with Chris in the future. There wouldn't have to be too much magic and he would be able to see his grandson."
Raising an eyebrow, Piper thought about the chances of Wyatt finding them. "And how is my father supposed to protect them if Wyatt or any demons attack?"
"We can put crystals around the house or in a room and keep them in there," Leo answered. He placed his hands on Piper's shoulders. "It will be fine. So long as they don't mind."
Piper went to Chris. "How does that sound, if I send you three to my father's?"
Chris smiled. "I'd love to meet my grandpa."
