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!
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The Pain of Future Wrongs – Chapter 5
Phoebe drew back as her premonition ended, her body shaking with fear. Her deathly pale face immediately attracted Paige's attention. "Phoebe, are you okay?"
"No, not really," Phoebe whispered, as she was still trying to take in the new information that she gathered from the premonition.
"What did you see?" Paige asked, curiously as to what caused Phoebe to be so upset.
"You don't want to know," Phoebe answered, shaking her head.
As Phoebe and Paige were talking, they did not notice Chris orbing out until it was too late. "Great, we lost him!"
"Can't you sense him?" Phoebe asked.
"After this little sneak-up, I think he'll be more careful around us now. It's obvious that he doesn't want to be anywhere near us at this point."
"I guess we better go back to the manor to check on Piper. I don't feel comfortable leaving her alone for too long."
"Good idea," Paige said before doing a quick check to make sure no one was watching. Satisfied that the coast was clear, Paige took her sister's hand and orbed back to the manner.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Several days later...
"Want another cookie, Wyatt?" Piper cooed as she tried to sort through the mail at the same time. Wyatt laughed happily as he took the cookie from his mother's hand. Standing up, she noticed a nicely wrapped package sitting on the dining room table. Smiling at Wyatt, she walked over to the package and brought it into the kitchen.
"Let's see what Aunt Phoebe bought Mommy for her birthday!"
Wyatt clapped his hands, excited to see the present. Piper laughed at his reaction as she carefully unwrapped the package. She took out small stuffed teddy bear. "Oh my, look at the present, Wyatt. Isn't he cute?" Piper made a mental note to thank Phoebe when she came home. Putting the bear in the box, she took out the card and was about to read it to Wyatt when she felt her eyes begin to tear.
"Dear Piper,
May this small gift brighten up even your darkest days. Happy
Birthday.
Chris"
Piper barely had time to react when two demons shimmered into the room. She quickly blasted one of the demons but the other one easily escaped. It shimmered in behind Piper and sent her flying across the room.
"No!!" she screamed, knowing that the child that she was carrying would be in danger from her pending fall. There was nothing that she could do to soften the impact. Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms stopping her fall. She opened her eyes to find Chris holding her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned etched on his young face.
"I'm fine," she replied with a weak smile. "Chris, watch out!" she yelled as the demon readied a fireball. Chris flicked his hands and the fireball was swallowed up by Chris' energy ball. Putting Piper down on gently, he turned his attention back to the demon.
"You've got some nerve, coming into the Manor alone."
"Who are you?" the demon growled.
"Your worst nightmare," Chris smirked.
"You're just a Whitelighter. What harm can you do?" the demon sneered.
Chris laughed. "But you see, I'm no ordinary Whitelighter. He fired a massive energy ball at the demon, incinerating him instantly." With the threat gone, Chris turned his attention back to Piper.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, still full of concern.
"Yes, I'm fine," Piper answered with a smile. "Thank you."
"I should've known this would happen. I shouldn't have left you alone," he chastised himself.
"It's alright, Chris. Everything turned out okay, didn't they?"
An awkward silence filled the room as neither of them knew what to say next. Chris stared at the floor, avoiding any eye contact with Piper. "Uh, I guess I better get going," he muttered softly.
"Chris," she called out. "Don't go."
Chris' back was turned to Piper, but she could sense his body tense up. "I really need to get going," he said, his breath ragged and his voice faltering.
"You're still angry with me," Piper said sadly. "I never meant what I said."
"Yes you did," he whispered.
"No!" Piper protested, "how can you say that?" She walked up and turned Chris around so that she could look him in the eye. She was shocked to see him trembling, eyes brimming with tears. Aside from the day when he overheard her very ill-conceived comments, she had never seen Chris so emotional.
"I was a mistake," he said, his voice wavering. "I cause nothing but trouble and I..." he stopped as he choked on his tears. "And I'm...I'm an embarrassment to the Halliwells," he stammered out before the floodgates opened.
Piper stood there in shock, not knowing where his ideas were coming from. "You know that's not true!"
~ flash forward ~
"I've had it with you, Christopher!" Piper yelled. "I give up. You're hopeless!"
"Mom, why won't you believe me?" eighteen-year-old Chris pleaded.
"Because the only thing you're concerned with is discrediting Wyatt. I'm really beginning to think that you were a mistake."
Chris gasped at his mother's words. "You don't mean that..."
"You cause nothing but trouble around the house, at school. I can't take my eyes off of you for one minute without you causing another crisis. How can we rely on you to carry on our work in the future? Sometimes....sometimes I really think you're an embarrassment to the Halliwells..."
"I can't believe you, Mom. How could you say that?" Chris yelled before orbing out.
~ flash forward ends ~
"Oh my god," Piper gasped, not believing that her future self would behave that way towards Chris.
"That was the last thing that you ever said to me before..." Chris stopped as he relived the darkest moments of his life. "...before you were all killed."
Piper was now crying as well. She crossed the distance between herself and Chris and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry, baby. I don't know what came over me but I want you to know that you're not a mistake. I want you in my life and I love you. Please give me a second chance."
Chris hugged Piper, his first hug with his mom since that fateful day. Reluctantly, however, he pulled away. "You might love me now. But the day will still come when that love will turn to hate."
Piper shook her head. "No! We'll change it. You've already changed the future, remember? You can help me so that I won't make the same mistake again."
Chris looked at Piper with sad eyes. "I don't think I can. I'm not strong enough to change that..."
Desperate, Piper did the only thing she could do to salvage her relationship with her son. Without hesitation, she dropped to her knees. "I'm begging you, Chris. Please don't go. Please..." she cried with anguish.
Chris' eyes widened with horror as he saw Piper's actions. "Oh my god!" he exclaimed as he got on his knees as well. "What are you doing? You can't beg me....you...you just can't do that!!" he cried as he realized the pain that Piper was feeling.
Piper felt Chris' face with her hand. "You're my son, Chris. I can't lose you. Please let me be a good mother to you. Give me this chance..."
Seeing his mother's pain shattered the resolve that Chris had built up. He pulled Piper close and held her tight. "I'm so sorry, Mom. What have I done??"
The two of them held each other tightly, afraid that if they let go, the other would disappear. And this was how Paige and Phoebe found them when they returned from the supermarket.
~ 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 5
Phoebe drew back as her premonition ended, her body shaking with fear. Her deathly pale face immediately attracted Paige's attention. "Phoebe, are you okay?"
"No, not really," Phoebe whispered, as she was still trying to take in the new information that she gathered from the premonition.
"What did you see?" Paige asked, curiously as to what caused Phoebe to be so upset.
"You don't want to know," Phoebe answered, shaking her head.
As Phoebe and Paige were talking, they did not notice Chris orbing out until it was too late. "Great, we lost him!"
"Can't you sense him?" Phoebe asked.
"After this little sneak-up, I think he'll be more careful around us now. It's obvious that he doesn't want to be anywhere near us at this point."
"I guess we better go back to the manor to check on Piper. I don't feel comfortable leaving her alone for too long."
"Good idea," Paige said before doing a quick check to make sure no one was watching. Satisfied that the coast was clear, Paige took her sister's hand and orbed back to the manner.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Several days later...
"Want another cookie, Wyatt?" Piper cooed as she tried to sort through the mail at the same time. Wyatt laughed happily as he took the cookie from his mother's hand. Standing up, she noticed a nicely wrapped package sitting on the dining room table. Smiling at Wyatt, she walked over to the package and brought it into the kitchen.
"Let's see what Aunt Phoebe bought Mommy for her birthday!"
Wyatt clapped his hands, excited to see the present. Piper laughed at his reaction as she carefully unwrapped the package. She took out small stuffed teddy bear. "Oh my, look at the present, Wyatt. Isn't he cute?" Piper made a mental note to thank Phoebe when she came home. Putting the bear in the box, she took out the card and was about to read it to Wyatt when she felt her eyes begin to tear.
"Dear Piper,
May this small gift brighten up even your darkest days. Happy
Birthday.
Chris"
Piper barely had time to react when two demons shimmered into the room. She quickly blasted one of the demons but the other one easily escaped. It shimmered in behind Piper and sent her flying across the room.
"No!!" she screamed, knowing that the child that she was carrying would be in danger from her pending fall. There was nothing that she could do to soften the impact. Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms stopping her fall. She opened her eyes to find Chris holding her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned etched on his young face.
"I'm fine," she replied with a weak smile. "Chris, watch out!" she yelled as the demon readied a fireball. Chris flicked his hands and the fireball was swallowed up by Chris' energy ball. Putting Piper down on gently, he turned his attention back to the demon.
"You've got some nerve, coming into the Manor alone."
"Who are you?" the demon growled.
"Your worst nightmare," Chris smirked.
"You're just a Whitelighter. What harm can you do?" the demon sneered.
Chris laughed. "But you see, I'm no ordinary Whitelighter. He fired a massive energy ball at the demon, incinerating him instantly." With the threat gone, Chris turned his attention back to Piper.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, still full of concern.
"Yes, I'm fine," Piper answered with a smile. "Thank you."
"I should've known this would happen. I shouldn't have left you alone," he chastised himself.
"It's alright, Chris. Everything turned out okay, didn't they?"
An awkward silence filled the room as neither of them knew what to say next. Chris stared at the floor, avoiding any eye contact with Piper. "Uh, I guess I better get going," he muttered softly.
"Chris," she called out. "Don't go."
Chris' back was turned to Piper, but she could sense his body tense up. "I really need to get going," he said, his breath ragged and his voice faltering.
"You're still angry with me," Piper said sadly. "I never meant what I said."
"Yes you did," he whispered.
"No!" Piper protested, "how can you say that?" She walked up and turned Chris around so that she could look him in the eye. She was shocked to see him trembling, eyes brimming with tears. Aside from the day when he overheard her very ill-conceived comments, she had never seen Chris so emotional.
"I was a mistake," he said, his voice wavering. "I cause nothing but trouble and I..." he stopped as he choked on his tears. "And I'm...I'm an embarrassment to the Halliwells," he stammered out before the floodgates opened.
Piper stood there in shock, not knowing where his ideas were coming from. "You know that's not true!"
~ flash forward ~
"I've had it with you, Christopher!" Piper yelled. "I give up. You're hopeless!"
"Mom, why won't you believe me?" eighteen-year-old Chris pleaded.
"Because the only thing you're concerned with is discrediting Wyatt. I'm really beginning to think that you were a mistake."
Chris gasped at his mother's words. "You don't mean that..."
"You cause nothing but trouble around the house, at school. I can't take my eyes off of you for one minute without you causing another crisis. How can we rely on you to carry on our work in the future? Sometimes....sometimes I really think you're an embarrassment to the Halliwells..."
"I can't believe you, Mom. How could you say that?" Chris yelled before orbing out.
~ flash forward ends ~
"Oh my god," Piper gasped, not believing that her future self would behave that way towards Chris.
"That was the last thing that you ever said to me before..." Chris stopped as he relived the darkest moments of his life. "...before you were all killed."
Piper was now crying as well. She crossed the distance between herself and Chris and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry, baby. I don't know what came over me but I want you to know that you're not a mistake. I want you in my life and I love you. Please give me a second chance."
Chris hugged Piper, his first hug with his mom since that fateful day. Reluctantly, however, he pulled away. "You might love me now. But the day will still come when that love will turn to hate."
Piper shook her head. "No! We'll change it. You've already changed the future, remember? You can help me so that I won't make the same mistake again."
Chris looked at Piper with sad eyes. "I don't think I can. I'm not strong enough to change that..."
Desperate, Piper did the only thing she could do to salvage her relationship with her son. Without hesitation, she dropped to her knees. "I'm begging you, Chris. Please don't go. Please..." she cried with anguish.
Chris' eyes widened with horror as he saw Piper's actions. "Oh my god!" he exclaimed as he got on his knees as well. "What are you doing? You can't beg me....you...you just can't do that!!" he cried as he realized the pain that Piper was feeling.
Piper felt Chris' face with her hand. "You're my son, Chris. I can't lose you. Please let me be a good mother to you. Give me this chance..."
Seeing his mother's pain shattered the resolve that Chris had built up. He pulled Piper close and held her tight. "I'm so sorry, Mom. What have I done??"
The two of them held each other tightly, afraid that if they let go, the other would disappear. And this was how Paige and Phoebe found them when they returned from the supermarket.
~ to be continued ~