He did it for me
Chapter 17
By: teal-lover
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Being twice blessed, Wyatt thought that nothing could ever hurt him. It's devastating to find out how wrong you can be. Takes place in the future that Chris changed.
Chris just turned 19, and Wyatt is three months shy of his 21st birthday.
Disclaimer in chapter 1
Once they were safely hidden in the shadows, Piper unfroze the younger Elder who had called himself a friend to their family. She narrowed her eyes at him, silently debating that fact. She watched as his fingers glided over the back of the envelope, studying the symbol as he committed it to memory. William did indeed glance at its contents before whispering an indiscernible chant, effectively dissolving the seal before her very eyes. He placed it in its rightful slot before continuing on to the next one.
She caught Leo's eye with one raised eyebrow of her own, seeking the mutual agreement to initiate their plan. When he nodded, she froze William with a simple thought before joining her husband to stand by his side.
When William opened his eyes again, he was startled to find himself facing two very angry parents. "Leo? Piper?" he began, "How did you-what are you doing in here? You know this isn't allowed…" Leo's stony expression caused him to drift off uncomfortably.
Leo placed his hand on the man's chest to discourage him from moving, "We'll ask the questions…You answer them. And you answer truthfully," he warned dangerously.
Nervously, William relented and nodded vigorously. "What do you want to know?"
"For starters—why did you lie to me? You said you didn't know who was behind this…"
His gaze flickered nervously between the couple, "I didn't lie to you about that, Leo."
"But you did—you know who gave me that-" he hissed distastefully, "convenient little assignment. And that person is the one who set up my son to be murdered."
The younger Elder clasped his hands together fearfully, hoping to convey sincerity. "I swear to you, Leo. I don't know who is responsible for this. Not exactly."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that the only thing I know is who issued the assignment. But I thought I could help you without really helping you. I thought if I put you on the right track, that it would be enough for you to figure things out without having to involve me. I told you already—if they think I had something to do with helping you—they'll recycle my soul so fast your head will spin."
Leo leaned in formidably, his face hovering inches from the man's face. "WHO?"
"Head Councilman Matthias," he answered quickly.
Clenching his fists angrily, Leo was seething as he cursed, "That sonofab-"
Piper quieted her husband with a look, then turned and glared suspiciously at William, sensing that he had more to say. "What else?"
William seemed eager to talk now that he had been confronted. The words seemed to flow from his lips with ease. "I overheard Matthias and Raina talking this morning."
Piper interrupted, "…Councilwoman Raina?"
"Yes. I couldn't get close enough to hear much of what they were saying, but the only things I could hear clearly were "both of them" and "destruction of the world", and I quote. They orbed away as soon as I got closer. I assumed they meant Chris and Wyatt, but I can't say for sure. But they seemed kind of scared—almost like there was someone else pulling the strings."
"Let's go, Piper. We've got to go see a man about a job…"
William stopped them before they could leave, "Wait—you can't tell them that I helped you."
Despite his cooperation, Leo was still angry with his "friend" for what he considered aiding the people that murdered his son. Piper smiled up at him, knowing what he was thinking after spending so many years together. He turned back to William, "That just wouldn't be right. Tell them," he appeared to think about it, "—tell them I gave you no choice."
"They're not going to believe that!" he snapped.
Leo smiled almost sinisterly, "You're right buddy. You're gonna' need an alibi. You'll thank me for this later…"
William's eyes widened in realization of what the older man intended. He threw his hands up defensively as the electricity from Leo's fingertips came barreling toward him, painfully encircling his body until everything went black.
Piper smirked as she took her husband's hand, "Hmm. That's gotta' hurt. Do you think he's gonna' be mad when he wakes up?"
He raised his eyebrow as if to say, 'Do you think I'm gonna' care?'
Paige leaned in and whispered, "What do you suppose it means?"
Phoebe wrinkled her nose as she focused on the other side of the room, "I don't know. I just get these really strong feelings from him. I just wish my empath powers were a little stronger so I could get a better impression."
Paige rolled her eyes, "Well if his attitude is any indication of how he feels, then you don't need to be an empath to read it."
"No, it's more than that. When I look at Chris, I get these surges of negative emotions—anger, fear, and despair. And that flashback I had—how could he know about that?"
"It's possible that Sheila told Wyatt, and then he told Chris while we were down there."
Phoebe was adamant and shook her head, "No, I saw it as it actually happened—not as if I was hearing it from someone." Fearfully, she covered her mouth and grabbed her younger sister's wrist tightly, "I don't see any other way for this to be possible. Unless when he was killed, somehow it triggered the memories of the other Chris."
Paige bit her lip anxiously, "That would sure give him reason to be pissed. If that's true, what are we going to do about it?"
Phoebe sighed and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. While Paige looked to her for an answer, she tried to draw on her intuition and experience as an advice columnist. What would she tell her readers? Snapping her fingers as an idea formed, she took a deep breath and gestured with her hands while explaining her solution. "Ok, ok. Well, he's focusing on all the negative things of a life he didn't even lead—so we're just going to have to remind him of all the good things about this life. And how we'll get him back. And all that other stuff is just over—not important. Right?"
Paige nodded reluctantly, trusting her sister's advice. "Right. Then we've also got to tell Piper and Leo when they get here too."
As the sisters made their way over to the trio, Phoebe jumped right in with her theory addressing Chris. "Chris, I'm sorry about before. I think I understand what's going on now. You're remembering things, right? I don't know how this happened, and I know you're angry about what Wyatt and I saw in that vision—but none of that matters anymore." Ignoring the gasps of disbelief that were uttered all around her, and taking them as a sign that she was correct, she continued, "It's not important because you're a different person now, Chris—better—happier. You've got so much more going for you now and that you don't need to focus on any of those memories—because we will find a way to bring you back. I promise." She smiled encouragingly, totally oblivious to the stupefied and downcast look on Chris' face.
Wyatt huffed loudly, slapping his forehead for a universal symbol of stupidity. "I-I can't friggin' believe you!"
Penny glanced at the dark-haired young man, who looked decided ill and swore loudly, encouraged by Wyatt's outburst, "DAMM IT PHOEBE! OH FOR HEAVENS SAKE, I swear you can be so dense sometimes…"
Paige pulled her sister back into the corner to prevent her from irritating the situation further, "That went well. I'll tell you what-Let's leave it alone for now, ok? Let Piper and Leo handle it."
Meanwhile on the other side, Penny had dragged her great-grandsons to talk away from her granddaughters. She tried to calm both boys as they continued to glare in the direction of their Aunts. She called their names gently, but neither appeared to be listening. Resorting to physically grabbing Chris's chin to face her, she stared into the green eyes as she quickly calmed herself for his sake. "Chris—she doesn't mean that, my granddaughter tends to be clueless sometimes. And don't let Phoebe touch you again. We can't risk another vision-" pausing mid sentence, Penny's head shot up as if she were listening to something that only she could hear. Her markedly calm features were immediately edged with panic. "Wyatt—listen to me very carefully. Take Chris and get him out of the house. Go somewhere, just keep him safe."
Wyatt was startled by her sudden change in demeanor, "What? Why? What's going on?"
"—DON'T ARGUE WITH ME! JUST DO IT!" Her commanding tone was laced with fear that she tried unsuccessfully to hide. She gave in to part of his question guiltily, "Ahh—I've just heard from Prue. I've got to go back ASAP. And you've got to get him out of here. NOW!"
Chris was decidedly worried over her reactions, "But you said I couldn't leave here, Grams?"
She rushed over to the podium and grabbed their family heritage, bypassing the Charmed sisters who rose to their feet at her shouting. Dropping it in Wyatt's hands, she instructed the two boys, "Take the Book of Shadows—all Halliwell spirits are tied to it, not the actual Manor. Set up your shield and cloak yourselves with the spell on page 98. Summon ONLY me when you get where you're going, and I'll find you and explain. Now go! We don't have much time. Don't come back until I tell you it's safe."
Wyatt obeyed and grabbed for Chris, but he pulled out of his grasp.
"Chris, please—do as I say." she ordered again noticing him stalling. She feared he was going to protest until he wrapped his arms around her securely, refusing to leave until he was contented. She kissed his forehead gently, wishing him luck as he let go and held his hand out for his brother.
Paige and Phoebe stood by anxiously as they watched the streaming orbs dissipate until they were left alone with their grandmother. "What happened?"
"We've got a problem."
Tbc…
