Chapter 14

"I'm so glad that everything worked out" one very happy Piper Halliwell said as the group reformed in the attic.

"So am I. Now there's only one thing left to do" the Elder began.

"What's that?" asked an intrigued Paige.

"Well as much as I hate to say it and as much as I'd hate for them to go, we really need to send you boys back home" the man said looking at his oldest son who gazed seemed to be fixated on his brother. Who of which was studying his surroundings as if he'd never been there before.

"Wyatt" he called out getting his son's attention.

"Yeah" the witch replied without taking his eye off his younger sibling. Something was wrong and he could sense it.

After everything Chris went through the boy didn't seem happy or relieved about what his trip to the past had accomplished. That was nothing like his brother. Chris would be under him making sure that he was ok and wasn't still feeling guilty about what was now known as the "other" timeline. But instead of comforting him and working on some sort of potion to take them back home he was walking around the attic in circles, touching things he had seen a thousand times before as if they were all new to him.

"Hello earth to Wyatt and Chris!" yelled Phoebe who was waving her hands around in a dramatic fashion.

"Hey" Piper spoke as she touched the arm of her oldest son. "You look a little lost there. Is everything ok?"

"Yeah Mom, I'm fine" the boy said while still studying his younger sibling.

Following the direction of his eyes Piper also began looking the boy over. What's going on with him, she thought. Even though she had only known Chris a few months, she was certain she had never seen him act like that. Not even on the day when he saved Phoebe from the Titians. Sure he was amused by how long they held on to things but he definitely knew his way around the manor, but now? He appeared to be lost. Out of place even.

"Chris sweetie, are you alright?" When the boy didn't respond to her voice or his own name she was convinced that something wasn't right.

"Chris what the hell is the matter with you?" asked Paige annoyed by her nephew's refusal to answer his family.

"Hmm" was his only response as he began to study the various potion bottles that rested on the table.

That was the last straw for the young female witch as she started walking in her nephew's direction before being stopped by the boy's brother.

"Chris" Wyatt spoke walking over to his brother and putting hand on his shoulder. He knew that if he could get close enough to the boy then he would be able to tell just what the hell was going on. And if something truly was wrong he would be able to gain the upper hand without whatever it was inside of him catching on.

"What is it brother?" came a voice Wyatt and the others didn't recognize. Not to mention that in all the years Wyatt knew his sibling; Chris never called him "brother". He would always call him Wy or Wyatt when he was angry or frustrated with him.

Piper and the others were ready to battle and get rid of whatever it was that had evaded their son and nephew. Holding up his hand to keep everyone else at bay Wyatt thought about what he should do next. If he acted to hastily then this being would escape with his brother's body and do God only knows what with it, or to it. No, he had to play his cards very carefully.

That's when it hit him. He could ask Chris a question or talk about a situation or childhood memory that only his brother would know the answer to, but what? In an instant Wyatt knew exactly how he would trap it.

"I bet you're relived that we were able to take out those Phantoms" the man began as he looked the being right in the eye.

"Yeah I couldn't be more filled with joy" he responded receiving sideways glances from everyone.

Leo wanted to run to his son and kill whatever it was that had inhabited his body. But he knew that it would be best to let his older son take care of the situation. Damn it, he thought. How much more shit is my family going to have to go through, especially my little boy, the man said to him self.

"I know what you mean. Now we can return to the future. One where Mom and Dad are still alive" Wyatt continued searching the face of the person in front of him.

"Of course" came yet another short reply.

"So tell me little brother. How does it feel to kill the Phantoms that murdered our parents" Wyatt asked painfully knowing that it was he who had killed his parents, not the Phantoms.

"It feels wonderful"

"Really?" the man spoke before moving back a few feet.

At this point he knew that he had been found out. Not willing to go down without a fight the Phantom threw a plasma ball at the twice blessed son who dodged it easily.

"Piper blow him up!" yelled Phoebe who dived to the floor and taking her younger sister with her to avoid getting hit.

"NO!" Wyatt said knocking his mother down to the ground causing the blast to hit the ceiling. "If you kill him, you kill Chris" the boy said not wanting to do permanent damage to his brother.

"I thought that there were only two of them in the damn cave" the woman responded stood up only to get dragged back down to the floor by her husband.

"What the hell are we supposed to do?" asked Phoebe as she watched her nephew through his younger sibling into a wall.

"Call for the crystal cage Aunt Paige" the man called out.

Obeying her nephew's request the woman called out "Crystals, circle!"

"Ha, do you really think that this will stop me" the evil that wore the face of Christopher Halliwell spoke. "Well let me show you a little trick" he said smiling mischievously before turning grey and walking out of the circle.

"What the hell!" yelled Phoebe.

"Ok, how did he do that" added Paige before she and the rest of the group was knocked on their rears.

Recovering quickly Wyatt threw a low voltage energy ball at his brother's form injuring him before he orbed away.

"Damn it, now what are we supposed to do" Piper's voice called out from behind him as he walked over to the grey matter on the floor and studying it before dropping to his knees, instantly alerting his family.

"Wyatt, honey, what is it? What's wrong?" she asked as a knot formed in her throat and her vision became blurry. Her son hadn't answered her yet but she knew from his actions that it was bad, really bad.

"The grey blood means that it's a Drexcellous Phantom" he spoke in almost a whisper.

"Ok, how do we vanquish it and set Chris free?" question Paige as she moved to stand by the book of shadows.

"You can't. The only way to vanquish it is to…to…" the boy tailed off as silent tears feel from his eyes.

"What do you mean we can't? No, there has to be a way" the boy's father spoke determined to rid his youngest child of the evil sprit.

"LISTEN TO ME!" the man cried out in pain. "The only way to vanquish this kind of Phantom is…is.." he trailed off once more trying not to lose control.

"To what Wyatt" Piper said calmly placing her hands on both of the boy's shoulders.

"Is to kill its host. There is no other way. I wish there were, but there isn't"

"No, you're lying!" screamed the boy's father in agony. "You hate Chris, you're jealous of him and you want to kill him that's the only reason why you're saying this. You hate your brother for not being weak, pathetic and easy prey for evil like you!" the man said as eyes became watery.

Wyatt tuned out his father's painful cries and his mother's comforting words as she led her husband to love seat on the other side of the attic. He also turned a blind eye to the desperate cries of both of his aunts as they grieved for their nephew and searched the book frantically for answers that he knew wasn't there.

All this lead up to the one thought that he never wanted to enter his mind. The one thought that Wyatt Halliwell never even dreamed of, even when he was at his worse. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard as his body started to shake and his tears became no longer silent as he allowed the words to sink into his mind.

The words "I have to kill my own brother"