Title: A Broken Crown
Author: Child of Twilight
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Summary: How far will Wyatt go to get his brother back? And can Chris resist the temptation? Can he turn his back on being ruler of the Underworld alongside Wyatt and turn his brother back to good? Or will the temptation of evil make him fail?
Author's Note:
Warning: This is slash people. That means male on male action. If you do not like that leave NOW. No flames accepted by homophobes after this point.
This story deals with incest, and rape. If you do not like that leave NOW. No flames accepted on the subject after this point.
To all those that remain: - I am very sorry for the delay but circumstances intervened to make my life super-busy and stressful and this fic kind of fell by the wayside as I struggled to keep up. I humbly apologise and promise to try to do better.
CHAPTER SIX:
- TIME'S UP
It was Chris's seventeenth birthday.
Cheek pressed to the glass, hands wrapped around his drawn up knees, he stared out the window towards the bay, the ruined Golden Gate Bridge sadly dominating the image. But he took no notice of it, he had seen it too many times before. Instead, he stared at he taunting illusion of freedom. Something he could no longer have.
During the months of his captivity, Chris had developed a grudging acceptance of his fate but lately he had gotten the feeling that Wyatt was up to something. It was just the little things but it was enough to set him on edge.
His powers had still not been returned to him, and Wyatt had steadily coaxed him into accepting his touches. It was disconcerting how readily he felt comforted by Wyatt's embrace, how he looked forward to the quiet talks. He had tried to steel himself against Wyatt's tricks but his brother had proven a greater adversary than he had expected and sooner than they would ever have expected, he found himself like this.
Totally lost and with absolutely no idea what to try next.
For a little while, it had seemed like Wyatt was backing off, giving him the space he desperately needed but the reprieve didn't last long. And Wyatt had resumed his fiendishly slow assault on Chris before the younger witch had even realised that they were at war again.
And he honestly didn't even know what he wanted.
Here, with Wyatt, he bore daily witness to the utter decimation of their heritage. After all, the Halliwell name was no longer revered by good but rather feared by it. The whole order of things and Wyatt was the new de facto King, just not in the good ol' King Arthur way that their parents had expected. And he was a mostly unwilling accomplice.
Unwilling because he still didn't believe in the whole 'power is everything - there is no Good vs. Evil' spiel that Wyatt had recited so many times he nearly knew it off by heart. An accomplice because he hadn't done very much to stop him. Instead, as the world order was torn to pieces, he had remained in relative safety with his brother, the world acknowledged Evil Overlord.
And he still didn't know how to feel about that. He still loved Wyatt. He was really the only family he had left. If Wyatt had asked him to side with him, only as his brother, Chris couldn't honestly say that he wouldn't have gone to Wyatt. But of course his brother couldn't be content with just that. And his ensuing actions had tossed Chris into a maelstrom of guilt, shame, confusion and unbidden longing.
Resting his head against the window, he stared out blankly at the city. He didn't know where the hell he was supposed to go from here.
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When Wyatt woke up, he didn't find Chris beside him or indeed anywhere in the room. Dressing quietly and quickly, he padded out of the bedroom, seeking his wayward little brother.
He found him curled up in the window-seat, breath misting the glass, dozing lightly. Wyatt didn't need to take a guess as to where his brother had spent most of the night. But as much as he would like to let Chris sleep on, he had a big day planned. It was Chris's seventeenth birthday, and Wyatt had decided to celebrate it by giving Chris some of the freedom he craved, before the more secret festivities to take place that night.
Whether he realised it or not, Chris had a big night ahead of him. It was time for him to take his place beside him once and for all. But before he let Chris know about his plans, it was time to have some fun.
Shaking his little brother's shoulder, he said warmly, "Come on Chris, wake up."
Sleepy green eyes blinked up at him, "Wyatt?" he mumbled, stretching slightly, "What do you want?"
"Just thought it was past time the birthday boy was up," Wyatt said lightly.
Chris carefully didn't look at him. - That creepy feeling that something was looming had come back again. "Why bother?" he said flatly, "You know I don't like it."
"You used to," his brother reminded him softly.
Chris flinched in remembrance, "Yeah, well that was before," he muttered, "Aren't you the one always telling me that it's a whole new world?"
Wyatt moved Chris's legs out of the way and sat down beside him, drawing him close with an arm around his shoulders, "It wasn't your fault, Chris," he said softly, "There was nothing you could have done."
"Except heal her." Chris said darkly, expression stony, "Just that little thing."
Wyatt's grip on him tightened, "Well, blame Leo for that, and the rest of those damn Elders. They made sure you never learned to do it. Guess they didn't want a half-Elder running around with their powers. But none of that was your fault Chris. And now, you don't have to worry about losing anyone again. I'll make sure of it."
Chris didn't answer and so Wyatt, determinedly cheerful, just smiled at him. "I've got a surprise for you anyway," he said, and changing his brother's attire out of his sleepwear, he orbed them out, foregoing flaming in favour of Chris's favoured means of travel.
They reappeared on a deserted beachfront, in front of the pounding ocean. After a second of shocked silence, Chris looked up at Wyatt as if to ascertain that the Source really had meant to bring them here.
Wyatt smiled at him and gave him a playful nudge, "A birthday present," he said cheerfully, "The whole beach is yours to roam for the morning. I thought you'd enjoy it. Happy birthday Chris."
Chris was shocked by his brother's thoughtfulness but the lure of his first taste of freedom in a year swiftly replaced it with fast-growing elation.
Spontaneously hugging a very surprised Wyatt, he dashed off in a run, revelling in the feel of the air on his face and the freedom to do what he liked without demon bodyguards trailing him.
Sitting down on the beach, Wyatt looked on indulgently at his brother's antics.
It felt surprisingly good to see Chris so happy.
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By the time they arrived back at Wyatt's manor, both were drenched from repeated dunkings into the sea and sand clung to them everywhere. Giggling at the all too fearsome Source's annoyed expression as sand and saltwater dropped onto his pristine floor, and scowling as gritty sand cropped up in the most unexpected places, Chris was surprised to feel so… so normal.
The morning had been fun, - more fun than he could remember having since… since the Event. And after he had coaxed Wyatt into losing the formidable façade of the ruler and join in the fun after getting him with an improvised ball of sand.
Breathless and exhausted, he flopped into the nearest chair, ignoring Wyatt's mock glare, and just enjoyed the good feelings before the tension that always seemed to exist these days could creep back in.
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Seeing Chris's indifference to their currently waterlogged state, Wyatt sighed and with a wave of his hand, restored them both back to their original immaculate state.
Nudging Chris to scoot over, he too plopped onto the sofa, relishing the chance to just relax. But as much as he would have enjoyed just doing nothing and riding out the euphoria of the morning, he was ever aware of the things that needed to be done to ensure that tonight's ceremonies went off without a hitch.
Subtly orbing the potion he needed into his jacket pocket, Wyatt forced himself to ruin the mood and turn to face Chris. His little brother looked at him from under heavy eyelids, one eyebrow arching at his expression, "What?" he said when Wyatt did nothing but look at him.
"Chris, we need to talk." Wyatt regretted the words almost as soon as he said them, seeing the stony mask instantly come down over Chris's features. Chris had heard that tone too many times to do otherwise.
Wyatt persevered nonetheless, "Chris, I'm not going to sugarcoat this. You've known you were going to be my consort for a long time now. I'm only making it official. Your coronation will be soon. Now I need to know whether you're going to cooperate?"
Slits of bright green fire bored into him, "Not a chance," Chris hissed, "I remember what happened to Aunt Phoebe after her time as Queen of the Underworld. No way Wyatt. I've put up with a lot from you, but not that."
Wyatt forced himself to keep calm, "You've put up with a lot?" he repeated warningly, "What about your temper tantrums? Your escape attempts? Your moods? Do you still think that this is some sort of cosmic joke? What do I have to do to prove to you that I care for you? When are you finally going to accept this?"
Chris didn't waver, "I'm your brother Wyatt. And I still haven't forgotten the things that mom thought us. You know? Right from wrong?"
"There is nothing 'wrong' in all this!" Wyatt exclaimed, "When will you get that through your head!" He was beyond frustrated. He knew that Chris was going to make this hard but he had thought that he had made more progress than this. And he couldn't afford to wait any longer. He had already waited as long as he dared.
The Elders were plotting again.
And while he could defend himself against whatever they had planned, they did know he had a weakness. And his name was Chris. His half-Elder brother. He wouldn't put anything past those idiots. After all, convictions were more dangerous than anything. And to protect them both, it meant that the timetable had to be stepped up. He couldn't afford to wait for Chris any longer.
"Chris," he began patiently, "This has to be done. You don't understand… The Elders are…"
"I don't care about the Elders!" Chris snapped, standing up and beginning to pace the room, "Goddamn it Wyatt! This is my life! And for the last year, you've been running it! I've never had a say in anything! And you expect me to just roll over and join your little demon gang! Well, I won't! Do you hear that! I won't!"
Seeing his brother's tightly clenched fists and white face, Wyatt rose to his feet and tried to slowly approach him, but Chris was having none of it. "I won't do it!" he cried, eyes wide and frantic as he registered the implications of what Wyatt wanted. Once the Source's consort, there would only be one way out - and that was when one of them died. And stayed dead.
Seeing Wyatt approach, he gave in to instinct and made a break for the door. He had just jerked the handle open when strong arms wrapped around his waist, grabbing him securely from behind and wrenching him back. He struggled desperately, trying to land a hit on Wyatt but his brother just dodged and dragging Chris away from the door, whispered a spell that caused the fight to drain out of Chris's limbs, allowing Wyatt to drag him over to the couch but the inertia didn't last long enough for Wyatt's purpose and Chris surged to life again as energy started flooding back through him, causing him to fight fiercely in Wyatt's grip.
The next thing Chris felt was a sharp sting in his arm and his head whipped around to see Wyatt remove a small syringe from his flesh. "What did you do!" he demanded.
Wyatt just pinned his arms to his side, containing his struggles as he waited for the potion to take effect on the furious witch. When Chris suddenly stopped struggling and his head lolled back onto Wyatt's shoulder, the elder man felt that it was safe to release Chris from the tight grip and he helped the witch onto the couch.
Chris glared at him and repeated his question, "What. Did. You. Do?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"I know you," Wyatt said bluntly, "And you were in no mood to cooperate. So this is to ensure you don't decide to run out on me during the ceremony. Whether you believe me or not, this is for your own protection Chris. Trust me. In the long run, you'll thank me for it."
Wyatt orbed Chris over to the bed and tucked him in under the covers, "I'll wake you up when its time to get ready," he said softly, "Now sleep." Against his will Chris followed Wyatt's command and his eyes fluttered closed.
He was soon too deeply asleep to notice the look of regret on his brother's face.
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Response to reviews!
Akuma Memento Mori - thank you! No, it isn't the reason Wyatt turned. That was something more complex, to be explained as this fic progresses.
Candy Caine - thank you for the review!
Charlotte - yes, there is definitely more.
Eloise - sorry, did you give me a link in your review? Because I think the site ate it. If you could give it again, with gaps so the site will take it, I would be very grateful. Thanks for your review!
Endoh Chiaki - Killing you? How?
Ennui deMorte - thanks so much! And I figured that Chris had to be more powerful than he let on. I mean, Wyatt was the son of a Charmed One and a Whitelighter. Chris was the son of a Charmed One and an Elder. At the very least, he should have been able to fry people like Leo did. And on the show, we see him as very self-sufficient. I mean, he did come back every time they yelled at him, chucked him out of the house, threatened to kill him… etc… That either means he had to be used to it already or made of really stern stuff. And I never thought of Wyatt as entirely evil. After all, he sent Bianca to retrieve Chris not kill him outright. That showed he cared somewhat. And after seeing that it was an Elder who tried to kill him when he was little, it would have become more and more obvious to Wyatt as he was growing up was that he couldn't trust them. And yes, it should be interesting to see if Chris's stubbornness can outmatch Wyatt's resolve.
Fiery Pheonix - thank you so much! Any plans about killing Wyatt shall remain undisclosed, but let's just say that Chris isn't going to make things easy. And Wyatt is not going to give up.
FightingDestiny - thanks! And I kind of figured that he had to be since Chris hated him so much in season 6.
Gloria - Really? I never knew! What's your pen-name then! Also, who is Grumpy writer? Are they on this site? Because I tried to find them and I couldn't. If you could give me a link, that would be so great! Thanks so much for reviewing! Your compliments always bring a smile to my face! And yes, I love writing about the brothers' little power struggle. The rape scene was really only a prelude to this chapter though… and I like smart Wyatt. Obviously, you can't become and stay ruler of the world without having a lot of intelligence. Poor Elders…. And I like a little psychological warfare, and considering that I've never taken psychology, I think I'm doing okay at it! Again, thank you!
Good Witch - thanks again! Your comments are always encouraging!
Keira - Thank you!
Lex - thank you! And I never thought that Wyatt was ever 'Evil' Evil. He turned his back on the side of good, but he's not totally evil because of it. Due to that ambiguity, that shade of grey, I think that he can love, but God help anyone who crosses his path.
Martina G - thank you for reviewing! And there are lots of things in fanfiction that are not and will probably never be on the show. The only problem is to search through the ok-good ones to find the ones that are brilliant.
Midnite-magic - Thanks a lot!
mizunderstood writer - thanks anyway!
Night-Owl-123 - Well, I did try…
Nikki4u - thank you! And please, keep with the updates on all of your fics!
Puffin - thanks a lot!
Sarah - thank you for the compliment!
Shadow Dark Night - unnaturally high expectations? And perchance, what are they? You got me curious now.
Ssj- thank you for all your comments! They were so encouraging!
Sue - thanks! And yes here's the update!
Winterwinds - Thank you very much!
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A/N: Please review and feed the author!