Love and Fear

Chapter 6: Luther's plan

"Who are you?" Barbas asked the man who had offered him his 'help' while he took in his appearence. He was tall, dressed in black and had dark longish hair. His eyes were light grey, almost white and he had claws on his hands.

The man smirked and answered "It doesn't matter. What matters is that we will kill the Charmed Ones, the elder and the kids from the eldest witch."

Barbas looked at the man in amused disbelief. "Don't you think you're setting your goal too high? No one has ever succeeded to take them all out."

"I almost have" the man said, growing at bit impatient. He just wanted to vanquish the whole damn family before his master would notice what he was doing. If he did then he would be dead before he could even lay an eye on the Charmed Ones.

"What do you mean, you almost have?" Barbas asked confused.

The man groaned and snapped "I'm from the future and I've killed the Charmed Ones there. I can easily do it again. I just need your help with the kids."

"So you're from the future. Interesting" Barbas said and walked over to the man. He wanted to read his fears but the man hold up a hand to stop him.

"Don't even think about it" he warned. "Now, we have a plan to set in action."

Piper and Leo were still sitting next to Chris who suddenly started to mumble something. Curiously and also a bit worried they leaned closer to make out what he was saying. "Mom... no, don't leave..."

Piper tried to hold back the tears. Although she knew that she wasn't responsible for her own death she felt horrible for causing her son so much pain. "Maybe we should wake him up" she suggested and after a moment Leo nodded in agreement.

Piper reached out with her hand and caressed her son's cheek while she tried to wake him up from his nightmare.

DREAM/FLASHBACK

"Mom, I'm home" Chris yelled once he had closed the door behind him. He threw his school bag on the floor and went into the kitchen to search for his mother but she wasn't there. He sighed and wanted to go to his room but then he noticed that the door to the living room was closed. He frowned confused. Normally the door was never closed.

Chris walked over to it and opened the door, prepared for a demon or something like this. In the last months there had been a lot attacks, even more than usual. But instead of a demon he was met with the faces of his family and a loud "Happy birthday!"

Chris was really surprised. He had actually thought that everyone had forgotten about his birthday because no one had even mentioned anything today – not even his mom. He had been a bit disappointed and sad about it but he knew that with all the attacks in the last month it was clear that they didn't have time to think of it. But now his mom went over to him and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Happy bithday, baby" she said lovingly.

Chris smiled happily. They hadn't forgotten after all. Well, his dad wasn't there, but truth be told, Chris didn't care that much. His father hadn't been there for any of his birthdays except for one and it didn't surprise him that he wasn't there now. But it didn't matter. His mom, his aunts and his brother were there, that was all he needed. "Thanks" he said and hugged his mother.

After a while they pulled apart and Piper smiled at him. "We actually wanted to invent some of your friends too but with all the demons..."

"It's okay" Chris quickly cut her off. "As long as you are here, I'm fine" he added and caused Piper to smile even brighter.

"Oh, you're such a mommy boy" Wyatt said mockingly.

"Stop teasing your brother, it's his brithday" Paige scolded and smacked her elder nephew playfully on his arm.

"Whatever" Wyatt said and sat down on the couch.

For a second Chris thought he could feel someone standing behind him and quickly turned around but no one was there. Relaxing a bit he turned to his mother again who looked at him worriedly. "What's the matter, Chris?" she asked.

"I don't know" Chris answered. "I just had this strange feeling that..."

He never got to finish his sentence because in the next second Phoebe screamed out in pain and deep cuts appeared on her chest which started to bleed heavily. Paige, who was standing beside her, caught her when she fell to the ground. Before Piper and Chris could reach them Paige also cried out in pain when she felt claws cutting her skin on her chest deeply and piercing her heart.

"No!" Piper yelled and fell down on her knees beside her sisters who were lying motionless on the floor.

"Wyatt, heal them!" Chris yelled frantically when he saw that his brother was still sitting calmly on the couch.

"I don't think so, lil' brother" Wyatt said casually and continued to watch the scene in front of him coldly.

Chris began to panic now. He couldn't sense his auts anymore, that meant they were close to die or even dead already. "Damn it Wyatt, what the hell is wrong with you!" he shouted furiously. "You heal them right now!"

"Do you think you can give me orders?" Wyatt asked amused.

Chris looked at him in disbelief. Their aunts were dying and not only did Wyatt refuse to heal them but he was also amused by the situation. He couldn't understand what was going on but he didn't have time to dwell on it any further because what happened next filled him with incredible horror.

He could hear his mother scream out and he knew right there and then that her scream would haunt him until his dying day. Holding back the urge to beat the hell out if his brother he quickly bent down next to Piper who had her back towards him. When he turned her around he chocked back a sob and the tears that threatened to fall. His mother had also deep cuts over her whole chest. They weren't as deep as his aunt's but deep enough to be life threatening.

"Wyatt, please heal her" he begged and looked up at his brother while he gathered his mother into his arms allowing her blood to flow over his lap.

After a second Wyatt stood up and went over to them and Chris was slightly relieved that at least he wouldn't let their mother die. That was until Wyatt waved his hands into the air, revealing a man wih white eyes and long claws that were covered with blood. Chris couldn't believe his eyes. He wasn't able to accept the meaning of the events in front of him but his brother's next words made everything clear.

"Very well done" he said to demon, who had just attacked their family. "Go back to your lair and wait there for my next orders." The demon nodded and shimmered away.

"Wyatt..." Piper gasped. She too couldn't believe what was happening.

Wyatt looked at them coldly. He ignored his mother and turned to Chris. "I'm sorry that it had to be like this. But they wouldn't have been able to see things my way. It's all about power, Chris. I hope you realize that before I'm forced to kill you too." With that said the twice-blessed child orbed away, leaving Chris alone with his dead aunts and his dying mother.

END OF DREAM/FLASHBACK

"Mom!" Chris exclaimed when he jolted upright in his mother's bed.

"Shh, it's okay Chris, I'm here" Piper said soothingly and tried to calm her son.

Chris needed a moment to realize that he was in his mother's room, not in the living room holding her in his arms while she was slowly bleeding to death. He took a deep breath and looked at her. He wanted to hug herbut hesitated. He was still not sure if she even liked it when he did it. What if Barbas had been right with what he had shown him?

Piper saw the scared expression on her son's face and immediately embraced him. Chris tensed clearly at first but then he relaxed again. Suddenly orbs filled the air in front of him and Wyatt appeared. He grabbed Chris' arm and giggled happily when his 'little' brother took him into his arms. Piper and Leo watched half amused, half touched how their boys hold onto each other.

When Chris looked down at his brother he could see nothing of the evil tyrant in him that had ordered the murder on his family. Instead he was met with a happy, innocent face and he was determind to keep it that way. He would save his brother. He had to. He couldn't let history repeat itsself. His family wouldn't fall apart this time, he wouldn't let that happen.

IN THE FUTURE

Wyatt Halliwell was pissed. And it wasn't really a good thing if he was in this state. The two demons who were in front of him could feel the proof. Wyatt let them burn in flames for about ten seconds before he threw two energy balls and vanquished them. He then sighed heavily, trying to control his temper but he didn't succeed. Too many things had gone wrong in the last months and that was all because of his damn little brother.

Wyatt had tried everything to get him back to the future but he hadn't managed it yet. And now a lot of his best demons had just vanished. He knew that this was Chris' fault. His brother was vanquishing them in the past and that caused them to vanish here. And now one of his best demons, Luther, had also vanished. Angrily he went over to the lair from Luther that was now empty.

"Damn you Chris" he cursed but then he realized something. The lair was still in the same state as it was a few hours ago when he had his last meeting with Luther. The demon's things were still there and that was confusing Wyatt. If he had been vanquished in the past then none of his things could be here any longer. And his family would be also alive again because Luther was the one who had killed them but that wasn't the case.

Wyatt walked over to the stone desk in the middle of the cave and looked at it. A few drops of blood were there and a piece of paper. He grabbed the paper and turned it around but nothing stood there. Wyatt concentrated a few seconds before he recited a spell to reveal him what had been writing once on the paper.

Immediately a spell appeared on the paper and when Wyatt read it he quickly realized what had happened but he didn't know why. The spell was a time travel spell that had brought Luther to the past. But why did he do that? To get Chris back? He somehow doubted it. Luther knew that he didn't have to proof himself to Wyatt so why would he take the risk of time travel? Of course it would make sense if he had his own reasons to go back.

Suddenly Wyatt grew really angry. It was all too much. He had worked so hard to create this new world and now everything started to fall apart. The resistance got stronger every day because of the many demons that vanished and he couldn't allow this to go further. Looking down at the spell in his hands Wyatt decided to take his chances. He would figure out why Luther went back to the past and while he did this he would also capture, or kill, his little brother.

BACK IN THE PAST

Luther was pacing in Barbas' lair and waited for the demon of fear to return. He had said that he had to do something before they could attack the Halliwells but Luther didn't have much time. He knew that Wyatt was smart and he would soon figure out that he went back to the past. And then he would came after him. His only chance to survive this mission was to kill his master's baby self before Wyatt got here.

After he'd killed the Halliwells he would go and have a chat with himself from this time. He would make sure that in the new future he'll be the source of all evil and ruler of the world. And Wyatt Halliwell will be dead. A grin came across his face when Barbas finally returned. "Are you ready?" he asked and Barbas nodded. "Fine, then let's go and end the life from the Charmed Ones."

TBC...