Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the television show Charmed.
All characters belong to Spelling Television, and The WB.
I'd love to get feedback! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed the story so far. Please continue to review the story or e-mail me at jeff_langdon@hotmail.com!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The Pain of Future Wrongs – Chapter 4
Piper frantically tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter. As she read and reread the handwritten letter, she could feel her heart being shattered to pieces. The emotions she felt caused her to break out into pained sobs. Her hands shook as tears poured from her eyes, threatening to smear the ink on the letter.
"Dear Mom,
I know that I shouldn't be calling you Mom without your permission,
but I was hoping that you could forgive me for this one time.
I understand how shocked you must have been when Aunt Phoebe and Aunt
Paige told you about your pregnancy the other day. And I certainly
understand why you said that things that you said. I know how hard
the last few months have been for you, and to expect you to react with
joy when you found out that you would have to raise another child on
your own was just too much.
You must be blaming yourself for the things that you said, and I must
admit that your words really hurt. I can't even describe to you how
painful it was to hear them from you. And you're probably thinking
that if you had known that I was the baby that you were carrying, you
would never have said those things.
Despite all that, you and I both know that you were simply conveying
your honest feelings when you said those words. And I want you to
know that I'm not blaming you. Throughout the last few months, I have
done all sorts of things that were questionable in method. The things
that I changed were more than what I had originally planned, but in
all fairness, I did what I thought was best at the time. I knew that
this was a risk I had to take and I'm willing to accept the
consequences.
As you can see, I've cleaned up your office – finally. Don't worry
about me. I'll be fine. I just need some time alone right now.
I do have one request though. Even if you don't want me, please at
least let me be born – for Wyatt's sake. I need to finish what I
started, and I really can't do that if I ceased to exist. Even if you
decide to send the baby off to an orphanage, I'll be eternally
grateful. Take care and be careful...Mom.
Chris"
Piper fell on her knees and cried like she had never cried before. Reading her son's heartwrenching words, she could only feel the burden on her guilt get heavier with each passing moment. Phoebe knelt down and consoled Piper while Paige stared at the letter.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chris walked aimlessly around the park. After renting himself a room in a not-so-good part of town, he decided that he needed some quiet time to think. He finally picked a bench and sat down. His mind began to wander and all sorts of childhood images flooded him.
As he shook off those memories, he watched as a young couple brought their two young children to the park. The older boy played happily with his younger brother and the parents looked on happily. All of a sudden, the younger boy trips and falls on the gravel, scraping his knees. As he begins to cry, his parents rushed over and fussed all over him. It wasn't long before the kid stopped crying and all was back to normal again.
An intense feeling of longing and envy built up inside of Chris. He didn't notice as teardrops began to fall, slowly but steadily. Soon, he was wracking in soft sobs as he buried his face in his hands.
All of a sudden, he felt someone wrap an arm around his shoulders. As he looked up, he saw Paige giving him a sympathetic smile. Turning the other way, he noticed Phoebe sitting there as well. Immediately, the young Whitelighter got up and started to walk away, but Paige grabbed his arms and pulled him back to the bench, knowing that he wouldn't risk orbing in such a public place.
"We need to talk, young man," Phoebe announced as she fixed her stare at her nephew.
"That's nothing to talk about," Chris whispered, his voice hoarse.
"Piper is worried sick about you," Paige added.
For a moment, a look of concern swept across Chris' face. "Tell her I'm sorry," he finally added.
"Why don't you tell her yourself?" Paige asked. "I think that'll make her feel much better than having us tell her."
"I don't want to see her now," Chris answered. "I mean, I can't face her."
"She's sorry for what she said, you know."
"I'm not blaming her. She can't help it. It's just the way things are going to be. I guess some things don't change."
Paige and Phoebe stared at each other in confusion. "Are you telling us that in the future Piper hates you?"
Chris doesn't say anything, which only fuels more speculation from the two sisters.
"Chris, what exactly are you trying to say?"
The young Whitelighter sighed. "I'm not going to tell you anything, if that's what you're trying to do. Things are already messed up enough as they are."
"But Chris..."
"I can't tell you, okay?"
"Chris, you know this is eating away at you. You need to let us know so we can help you!"
"I don't need your help!" Chris protested as he became increasingly agitated.
Paige stepped in to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control. "Calm down, Chris. Just relax."
Chris was now hysterical. "NO! Don't tell me to calm down! You know nothing about me....nothing that happened..." His hands clutched his head as if he was fighting with an invisible opponent.
By now, Paige and Phoebe began to panic, not understanding what was going on. Phoebe reached out to try and calm Chris, but instead was hit with another premonition.
~ Premonition begins ~
"No! I'm not going to listen to this anymore!"
"I saw, Mom. I saw him!" seventeen-year-old Chris protested.
"That's enough, Chris," Piper warned. "Why do you always have to badmouth your brother?"
Chris desperately looked to Phoebe and Paige for support. "You got to believe me! Wyatt killed the witch in cold blood!"
Paige sighed. "Chris, honey, I know that you've been having a hard time in school. But this is just getting too ridiculous now. You just can't go around accusing your brother of these horrible things."
"I'm not lying!"
Phoebe smiled sympathetically at a distraught Piper. "Maybe Chris can go and talk to Alex tomorrow. I can call him and book an appointment for Chris."
"I'm not going to see a shrink! I'm not crazy!! I know what I saw!!"
"Chris, calm down. Just relax," Paige said.
Chris laughed bitterly though tears streamed down his face. "Oh yeah, right, I forgot. What was I thinking? Wyatt's the perfect one, right? The model son! And I'm the problem child...the one who let all of you down!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Chris."
"Why not? My whole existence is ridiculous! Just don't blame me when you find out that my perfect brother is not what he claims to be," he yelled before storming up to his bedroom. As Chris walked into his room and slammed the door shut, he stopped in his tracks, seeing Wyatt sitting on his bed.
"Get out!" Chris hissed.
Wyatt looked at Chris with a hurt expression. "What's wrong, Chris?"
"Drop the act, Wyatt. I know exactly what you did!"
A smile slowly made its way to Wyatt's face – a smile laced with evil. "So what if you know?"
"I wouldn't get so cocky if I were you. It's only a matter of time before they find out!"
Wyatt laughed. "And how will they find out, Christopher? It's obvious that they won't take your words over mine!"
Chris seethed in anger but could find no words to say.
"Face it, they will listen to me and me alone. You're just the problem child. And if things go according to plan, pretty soon they'll be convinced that you're just plain crazy," Wyatt laughed. "And judging from the way things are going, it wouldn't take too much to really make you lose it completely."
"You bastard!" Chris yelled in a rage as he swung his fist at his brother. Wyatt easily orbed out before the fist could connect. Wyatt's laugh echoed in the room even after he left, leaving Chris feeling more helpless than ever. As his brother's words echoed in his head, he realized that he was fighting a losing battle. With that realization, Chris punched the wall with his fists, leaving a lasting impression of his fury and frustration.
~ Premonition ends ~
~ to be continued ~
I'd love to get feedback! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed the story so far. Please continue to review the story or e-mail me at jeff_langdon@hotmail.com!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The Pain of Future Wrongs – Chapter 4
Piper frantically tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter. As she read and reread the handwritten letter, she could feel her heart being shattered to pieces. The emotions she felt caused her to break out into pained sobs. Her hands shook as tears poured from her eyes, threatening to smear the ink on the letter.
"Dear Mom,
I know that I shouldn't be calling you Mom without your permission,
but I was hoping that you could forgive me for this one time.
I understand how shocked you must have been when Aunt Phoebe and Aunt
Paige told you about your pregnancy the other day. And I certainly
understand why you said that things that you said. I know how hard
the last few months have been for you, and to expect you to react with
joy when you found out that you would have to raise another child on
your own was just too much.
You must be blaming yourself for the things that you said, and I must
admit that your words really hurt. I can't even describe to you how
painful it was to hear them from you. And you're probably thinking
that if you had known that I was the baby that you were carrying, you
would never have said those things.
Despite all that, you and I both know that you were simply conveying
your honest feelings when you said those words. And I want you to
know that I'm not blaming you. Throughout the last few months, I have
done all sorts of things that were questionable in method. The things
that I changed were more than what I had originally planned, but in
all fairness, I did what I thought was best at the time. I knew that
this was a risk I had to take and I'm willing to accept the
consequences.
As you can see, I've cleaned up your office – finally. Don't worry
about me. I'll be fine. I just need some time alone right now.
I do have one request though. Even if you don't want me, please at
least let me be born – for Wyatt's sake. I need to finish what I
started, and I really can't do that if I ceased to exist. Even if you
decide to send the baby off to an orphanage, I'll be eternally
grateful. Take care and be careful...Mom.
Chris"
Piper fell on her knees and cried like she had never cried before. Reading her son's heartwrenching words, she could only feel the burden on her guilt get heavier with each passing moment. Phoebe knelt down and consoled Piper while Paige stared at the letter.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chris walked aimlessly around the park. After renting himself a room in a not-so-good part of town, he decided that he needed some quiet time to think. He finally picked a bench and sat down. His mind began to wander and all sorts of childhood images flooded him.
As he shook off those memories, he watched as a young couple brought their two young children to the park. The older boy played happily with his younger brother and the parents looked on happily. All of a sudden, the younger boy trips and falls on the gravel, scraping his knees. As he begins to cry, his parents rushed over and fussed all over him. It wasn't long before the kid stopped crying and all was back to normal again.
An intense feeling of longing and envy built up inside of Chris. He didn't notice as teardrops began to fall, slowly but steadily. Soon, he was wracking in soft sobs as he buried his face in his hands.
All of a sudden, he felt someone wrap an arm around his shoulders. As he looked up, he saw Paige giving him a sympathetic smile. Turning the other way, he noticed Phoebe sitting there as well. Immediately, the young Whitelighter got up and started to walk away, but Paige grabbed his arms and pulled him back to the bench, knowing that he wouldn't risk orbing in such a public place.
"We need to talk, young man," Phoebe announced as she fixed her stare at her nephew.
"That's nothing to talk about," Chris whispered, his voice hoarse.
"Piper is worried sick about you," Paige added.
For a moment, a look of concern swept across Chris' face. "Tell her I'm sorry," he finally added.
"Why don't you tell her yourself?" Paige asked. "I think that'll make her feel much better than having us tell her."
"I don't want to see her now," Chris answered. "I mean, I can't face her."
"She's sorry for what she said, you know."
"I'm not blaming her. She can't help it. It's just the way things are going to be. I guess some things don't change."
Paige and Phoebe stared at each other in confusion. "Are you telling us that in the future Piper hates you?"
Chris doesn't say anything, which only fuels more speculation from the two sisters.
"Chris, what exactly are you trying to say?"
The young Whitelighter sighed. "I'm not going to tell you anything, if that's what you're trying to do. Things are already messed up enough as they are."
"But Chris..."
"I can't tell you, okay?"
"Chris, you know this is eating away at you. You need to let us know so we can help you!"
"I don't need your help!" Chris protested as he became increasingly agitated.
Paige stepped in to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control. "Calm down, Chris. Just relax."
Chris was now hysterical. "NO! Don't tell me to calm down! You know nothing about me....nothing that happened..." His hands clutched his head as if he was fighting with an invisible opponent.
By now, Paige and Phoebe began to panic, not understanding what was going on. Phoebe reached out to try and calm Chris, but instead was hit with another premonition.
~ Premonition begins ~
"No! I'm not going to listen to this anymore!"
"I saw, Mom. I saw him!" seventeen-year-old Chris protested.
"That's enough, Chris," Piper warned. "Why do you always have to badmouth your brother?"
Chris desperately looked to Phoebe and Paige for support. "You got to believe me! Wyatt killed the witch in cold blood!"
Paige sighed. "Chris, honey, I know that you've been having a hard time in school. But this is just getting too ridiculous now. You just can't go around accusing your brother of these horrible things."
"I'm not lying!"
Phoebe smiled sympathetically at a distraught Piper. "Maybe Chris can go and talk to Alex tomorrow. I can call him and book an appointment for Chris."
"I'm not going to see a shrink! I'm not crazy!! I know what I saw!!"
"Chris, calm down. Just relax," Paige said.
Chris laughed bitterly though tears streamed down his face. "Oh yeah, right, I forgot. What was I thinking? Wyatt's the perfect one, right? The model son! And I'm the problem child...the one who let all of you down!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Chris."
"Why not? My whole existence is ridiculous! Just don't blame me when you find out that my perfect brother is not what he claims to be," he yelled before storming up to his bedroom. As Chris walked into his room and slammed the door shut, he stopped in his tracks, seeing Wyatt sitting on his bed.
"Get out!" Chris hissed.
Wyatt looked at Chris with a hurt expression. "What's wrong, Chris?"
"Drop the act, Wyatt. I know exactly what you did!"
A smile slowly made its way to Wyatt's face – a smile laced with evil. "So what if you know?"
"I wouldn't get so cocky if I were you. It's only a matter of time before they find out!"
Wyatt laughed. "And how will they find out, Christopher? It's obvious that they won't take your words over mine!"
Chris seethed in anger but could find no words to say.
"Face it, they will listen to me and me alone. You're just the problem child. And if things go according to plan, pretty soon they'll be convinced that you're just plain crazy," Wyatt laughed. "And judging from the way things are going, it wouldn't take too much to really make you lose it completely."
"You bastard!" Chris yelled in a rage as he swung his fist at his brother. Wyatt easily orbed out before the fist could connect. Wyatt's laugh echoed in the room even after he left, leaving Chris feeling more helpless than ever. As his brother's words echoed in his head, he realized that he was fighting a losing battle. With that realization, Chris punched the wall with his fists, leaving a lasting impression of his fury and frustration.
~ Premonition ends ~
~ to be continued ~