A Mission's Worth
Standard Disclaimers apply.
Legend/Key
blah blah ... thoughts
"blah blah" ... dialogue
"blah blah" ... action during speech
blah blah / "blah blah" ... emphasis
blah blah ... sound/action outside of dialogue
#FLASH#
blah blah ... a flashback
#BACK#
((Pssst...)) ... I'm talking to you..
Warning
This fic is rated T for dark themes (i.e. death, suicide, self-mutilation, torture, etc.) You know, the dark and angsty stuff. Now some of the listed things behind that 'i.e.' will not be in this fic, but others will. Just a warning.
Oh, and let it be noted that this is my first Charmed fic, so please try and distinguish between constructive criticism and flaming, or just being mean. Also, this fic does contain canon events, but does not follow the show exactly. So let's mark it AU and maybe TWT, just to be safe.
Rulings: You have "Prince Charmed" occur and Piper kicks Chris out. Leo never said he trusted Chris. "Chris-Crossed" happened right afterwards, so life sucks right now for Chris, okay?
Now on with the fic.
Edited: I broke up some paragraphs, as per the comments in the reviews. (July 3, 2005)
A Mission's Worth: Chapter One: He's Back
Phoebe jumped as the portal she had seen open once before, opened again. The triqueta glowed a brilliant blue and the sound of a man's shout and a heavy THUD were heard next. And there, in a motionless heap on the floor, lay their former Whitelighter, Chris. He had been gone for a while, as in a few hours, and the others had left. A demon had flamed in and went after Wyatt. He got away when he saw Paige in the doorway. So they now had something else to deal with. Phoebe was put on Book of Shadows duty. The short-haired woman approached the young man cautiously, but not because she thought he'd try something. No, the way he was just lying there in a heap was bothersome. He wasn't moving at all and she couldn't tell if he was breathing from here.
It worried her.
She didn't call for her sisters because she knew Piper was still highly pissed off about the whole Order thing and the newly found fact that Chris was part witch…just like Paige…only angered her more. She and Leo were on the same page in that respect. Neither would want to see the boy right now, no matter how bad his condition was. Paige was a tad undecided. She had confided in Phoebe that she didn't know what to think. She actually liked the fact that Chris was a half-Whitelighter, half-witch like her. She said it made her feel like she had a connection with him now, something they could have talked about together. Phoebe sort of agreed, as she didn't appreciate him not just saying so in the first place. After all, it would have been a great point to work on, something that they could have used to get Chris to open up.
"Chris," she called out softly. Nothing happened; Chris remained still. Downstairs, her sisters and Leo were trying to solve a new problem, on top of the previous one...ones. A violent storm was brewing over San Francisco all of a sudden and the situation reeked of magic. It had been sunny and cloudless only minutes before.
"Chris?" He didn't answer her and she moved closer, kneeling by his side. A silent sigh of relief was expelled as she was able to notice the rise and fall of his chest. Thinking him to be unconscious, she rolled him onto his back. She fell on her bottom as she gasped in surprise. His eyes… Phoebe had always liked Chris' eyes; they were very nice to look at. She adored his eyes, as they could be sage green at one point, tiger jade at another point, ocean green at some times, and then turn around and be a startling emerald at others. But now…now those beautiful green eyes were pale and opaque-looking. He started to spasm suddenly and Phoebe jumped again, barely stifling a startled yelp.
"Chris?" she squeaked out. He kept convulsing on the floor, eyes rolling back. Alright, that's it, she thought to herself. She couldn't fix this alone. "Piper, Paige, Leo! Get up here, now!" Blue-white lights and soft chiming signaled that someone had orbed in. She knew it was them.
"Phoebe, what is it sweetie? We were still—"
Dead silence.
Phoebe wasn't sure if it was shock or something else, but Piper had stopped mid-sentence. She didn't have to turn around to know that all three had to be gaping at the still-convulsing half-breed. The storm outside continued to brew, clouds becoming darker.
Paige was the first one to attempt speech. "Wh-what happened to him!" Whatever she had been feeling about Chris before he had left was thrown out of the window as she kneeled by him. He stilled again, eyes still rolled back.
Phoebe shook her head, deciding that waiting on Piper and Leo to say something wasn't the safest thing to do. "I don't know. I was going through the Book of Shadows, you know, looking for that demon person that came after Wyatt earlier and then the wall started to glow and – low and behold – there was Chris…"
Paige looked at her sister suspiciously. "But…?"
"He wasn't moving. I mean, he really just sort of laid there for a while. I couldn't even tell if he was breathing. So I went over and found that he was still breathing." She paused, recalling how the next moment had startled her so badly. "Well, I had thought he was just unconscious or something, so I rolled him over."
"And?" Piper seemed to be trying to keep her cool, though she and Leo were eyeing the boy suspiciously.
"And his eyes were all pale and clouded. Then he started, like, spasming on the floor and his eyes rolled back." She looked at Chris again, wondering if he would start convulsing again.
Paige felt his forehead carefully, just in case he started convulsing again. "Well, he's real close to burning up… Maybe he's sick?" she suggested with a shrug.
"Or maybe he's faking it," Leo said. Piper scrutinized Chris' motionless form, looking like she could buy that.
Can't they give this kid a break for the moment? "What could he benefit from faking it Leo?"
Leo looked to his sister-in-law. Former sister-in-law, he bitterly reminded himself. "Pity," he started simply. "He could capitalize on our pity or sympathy for his condition and use that to get us to forget about all the crap he had pulled."
Paige gestured to the prone form of the accused and said dryly, "Oh yeah, this looks like a scam to me."
Leo sighed, seeing where Phoebe and Paige were coming from. "I understand your affection for him," Though I really don't, he threw in mentally, "but you have to admit that he's been lying and scheming over something since the very beginning."
Phoebe sighed in return. "But I thought that we had all agreed that Chris really did come to save Wyatt. Don't tell me that you've changed your mind and think he's evil again." Phoebe almost groaned when Leo didn't answer. "Leo…"
"You said to not tell you."
"You honestly think he's evil?"
"Maybe not evil," he would give the boy that much. "But definitely up to something- his own agenda/vendetta, whatever it may be."
"And you believe this too Piper?"
Piper was busy trying to kill the sharp note of discomfort she felt at seeing Chris in this state. She didn't understand why, but seeing him so…badly off bothered her. Some part of her wanted to cradle his head on her lap or hold him and keep him there until those beautiful green eyes opened to look at her. She ruled that as her motherly side trying to take over. Chris had been through some things, obviously, but he was still just a kid in her eyes. Maybe something about him just appealed to her motherly instincts. Said instincts said that there was a mother out there wondering where her baby had gone off to. Well lady, whoever you are, your baby boy is right here, bothering the hell out of us.
She wouldn't try to sway her sisters, their eyes told her all she needed to know. Until Chris was better and back to his normal, neurotic, Bossy, pushy, overbearing, lying, crafty… self again, they were basically going to ignore his past transgressions against them all. But…then again, what if Leo was right? Some part of her, mean she called it, asked her nastily, Are you sure you're not just trying to be good to him? Convince him to stay still? You still love him, any idiot can see that? Are you sure you aren't using this whole 'Chris' thing to get Leo back? To keep him here? Piper didn't answer those questions, claiming self-incrimination to her own mind. "Yes." Her sisters looked disappointed, but Leo sure did seem pleased.
All attention fell on Paige as she had just yelped in surprise. "Chris!"
The six-footer, eyes now closed, was stirring, groaning in what sounded like pain. Green eyes looked around, obviously disoriented, and probably not taking everything in. He looked confused and his lost look won over Phoebe instantly. Paige scooted away as Phoebe unknowingly did just what Piper's motherly instincts had told her to- she gently rearranged Chris so that his head was on her lap. "Hey there," she said softly. Paige gave him a wave, and a small, awkward smile, but he still wasn't completely there. Leo orbed out, saying he would keep an eye on Wyatt. Piper said nothing, silently trying to figure out why seeing Phoebe cradle Chris that way bothered her.
Chris turned his head away from Paige slowly, looking up at Phoebe. Phoebe was happy to see brilliant emerald eyes staring back at her, but unhappily noted that he was still out of it. He might as well have been unconscious. "Chris?" she ventured. Paige looked on curiously. Their Whitelighter, as the two of them had subconsciously re-claimed him as their Whitelighter again, frowned at Phoebe, and appeared highly confused. The first thing out of his mouth made them all gasp in shock. Paige gaped, Piper was stifling the slight unidentifiable pain in her heart, and Phoebe was just plain shocked. What did he say, you ask? His first words, word really, as it was just one thing, was more of a question. A request for identification.
"Mom?"
Hah! There you go. A little, bitsy chapter/tease for you. So what do you think? Is it okay for a first try or should I quit while I'm ahead?