Author's Note: Hey! I'm back! Finally! Sorry, but the world has been disgustingly busy as of late. Here is another chapter and I hope you guys like it. Chris is finally mentioned here; don't completely believe Leo about what happened to him. This story, as it evolves, is going to start to take into account some of the events of Season 6 and completely ignore others, so fair warning…
"You wanted me; now you have me."
There was more anger in Wyatt Halliwell's voice than there had been in a while.
His father stood in front of him, thankfully in normal clothes now, trying his best to blend in but failing miserably after fifteen years of limited earthly contact.
"Wyatt, we need to talk," the father started, searching for anywhere to start this conversation. Leo had reviewed this conversation so many times in his head, but he still had no idea how to go about it.
"Fine. Under one condition."
"Name it."
"Answer this. Why and when did you leave us?"
"It is such a long, long story. I was with you until right before your second birthday, Wyatt, even after your mother and I split up. But then the Charmed Ones vanquished Chris and I no longer had an excuse to stay with you guys… It killed my soul, son, but I had to make a choice."
"Your family or all of good magic?"
The Elder nodded. "Which would you choose?" He held his breath to hear his son's answer. The way Wyatt handled this next question would have an effect on his destiny.
"It would be really hard and while I want to immediately say family… I know I'd choose all of good magic. It would torture me…" He trailed off and met his father's eyes. "I guess that is the point."
"Kinda…"
Wyatt closed his eyes, envisioning a choice between magic and Jordan and knowing despite how much he cared for her, she would not be his choice.
"What do you want?"
"To help you… And for you to help me. I know you think you don't need a father. Maybe you don't. But you're gonna need someone in this next year and I want to be the one who's here for you."
"So you wanna just pop back into my life after fifteen years? Are you crazy?" Wyatt asked, falling wearily onto the bench and leaning forward with his head in his hands.
"Your angel said you could use some help finding something to wear to Prom…"
The teenager raised his head and stared at his father. "How the hell does this angel know that kinda stuff about my life?"
"Your angel knows almost everything about you. Probably more than you know about yourself."
Leo sunk down onto the other side of the bench.
"You are crazy. What do you want? To come with me to find a Prom costume?"
"It's a start."
There was a heavy silence between them.
"Okay," Wyatt finally said without knowing why. "Let's go. Unless you're too busy…"
Leo winced. "No, no. I can go now. But remember, not a word to the girls."
"Fine," Wyatt sighed, glancing at his watch. "I'm expected home in two hours, so we better make this quick."
"I should have seen it earlier, Jordan. I should have said something," Leo began carefully, startling the White Lighter as she bustled about the kitchen of her lonely old Victorian. Because of the nature of her assignment, Jordan lived almost completely in the mortal realm, returning to Up There only when necessary. She lived like a mortal, behaved like a mortal, and now, loved like a mortal.
"Leo!" the pretty angel cried in surprise, yelping as she burned her hand on the pot. "What good is this healing thing when I can't heal myself?"
He smiled sadly at her and extended a gentle hand to mend the burn.
"You know what you're doing is wrong."
"Making macaroni and cheese? I didn't really think you could go wrong there," she teased, grabbing the pot handle with a mitt this time and going to the sink to strain it.
"Jordan… He loves you. And I know you love him. It is strictly forbidden."
Jordan looked down a little guiltily but then raised her head, green eyes flashing angrily. "Strictly forbidden?" She scoffed. "The love that ensured Wyatt's creation was just as forbidden."
He gave her a warning look. "We won't pull you off of this assignment yet, due to the sensitivity and importance of my son's future. But take this as your first and final warning."
"It's not like it's affecting my work!"
"Do you really want to be the queen of the next Camelot, Jordan? Don't you think that would interfere with your work? That's what his heart wants." Leo's voice rose louder than it had been in awhile.
She took a step back, almost shocked by this news. Through clenched teeth, the White Lighter answered her superior, "He doesn't know about Camelot. The girls hid it from him until they thought he would be old enough to handle it. You know that!"
"It doesn't matter, Jordan. Someday he wants to marry you. Are you ready to bear the heir of Excalibur?"
She turned away from the Elder. "He's seventeen, Master Elder. 'Bearing heirs' is far from his mind."
"He's a seventeen year old boy, Jordan… The process is always on his mind."
He could tell without seeing her face that she was blushing sheer crimson.
"Break it off, Jordan."
"I can't," she managed. "It will crush him." It will crush me, she mentally added.
"You have until after Prom. If it isn't broken off, you'll be pulled off of his case."
"So we don't even get the chance you and Piper got?" she asked brokenly.
"Jordan, he doesn't know you're a White Lighter, yet… He can't know, not yet… This is for his own good."
"Of course it is," she mumbled sarcastically as he orbed out, slamming the pot onto the counter.
She is so beautiful, he sighed, pausing a moment to drink in her gentle, natural beauty before sliding onto the picnic bench next to her.
Her hair was loose and falling in waves that she often pushed out of her face and the sun searched the breeze-tossed locks for natural red and blond highlights to bounce off of, vying for the most brilliant light display. Her pale eyes scanned the page in front of her hurriedly and the eraser end of a pencil was firmly set between her teeth. The intensity with which she studied always inspired him to be greater.
"Wyatt!" she looked up with a bright smile. She leapt up and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, sending waves of groans through their group of friends seated around the table.
"Oh puke," Jess, one of her best friends, teased with a grin.
"You're so disgustingly cute," Maddie continued with a grin, shifting over to make room for Wyatt at their table.
"Just wait 'til Prom," Tyler laughed, taking a swig of his Coke. "They'll be all over each other."
"Remember that talk we had about safe sex, Wyatt," George ribbed with a devilish smile and a wink.
The couple flushed red in unison and Jess smacked George for good measure.
"Thanks Jess," Wyatt said, removing his arms from Jordan's waist finally and sitting down between she and Maddie.
"Have you two chosen a war yet?"
Jordan grinned and passed a look over her shoulder at Wyatt, putting on her best Southern accent and saying, "Yes, indeed we have. We've chosen the War of Northern Aggression* just so I can play a Southern Belle."
"War of Northern Aggression," Tyler snorted. "They really call it that?"
"Oh yessir. I went to kin'ergarten down in South Carolina and they still think the war's goin' on," she continued in perfect Southern dialect. Accents and dialects had always been one of her talents.
"I should dress up like a Damn Yankee and we can stage a fight!" George grinned, his arm looped around one of the sophomore girls that constantly followed him around.
"Oh, Johnny Reb would win," Wyatt laughed, starting his lunch.
"Only two weeks 'til Prom!" Maddie cried excitedly. "I can't wait. This year is going to be the best."
"You have until after Prom. If it isn't broken off, you'll be pulled off of his case."
Jordan shuddered, remembering the Elder's words.
He's not just an Elder, she reminded herself, He's Wyatt's father!
"You okay, Jordan?" Wyatt asked softly, leaning his head in close to hers as conversation moved on away from them.
"I'm fine, Wy," she did her best to smile in return as she squeezed his hand. "Just got a sudden chill. Is it cold out here to you?"
He slipped out of his letterman jacket and laid it around her shoulders. She had her own, but she hadn't thought it would be cold enough to need it today.
"Better?" he asked.
"You'll freeze in that flimsy shirt!" she accused as she snuggled into his good-smelling leather jacket.
"Naw, I'm tough," he assured her with a grin. "You'll just have to keep me warm."
He pulled her into his lap and she laughed lightly.
Tyler made his usual gagging sound as Jordan kissed Wyatt's cheek.
"PDA! PDA!" George cried in fake dismay.
"Oh, like you're one to talk, George," Jess replied sarcastically, smacking him again. She did that a lot…
Just in case y'all got confused, this is the American Civil War… And indeed, it was referred to by the losing South as "The War of Northern Aggression" (ironically, the South shot first) and was taught as such until the early 1990s in some cities. And this I know, because, well I attend Georgia Public Schools… Oye….. Thank you, Mississippi, for making sure we're never number 50…….