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 9
Chris gasped as he saw the massive wound on the young man's body. The young Whitelighter shifted into panic mode, his mind failing to register the event and at the same time, his body failing to react.
The Charmed Ones, not knowing quite what to make of the situation, debated the next course of action. From their vantage point, they could almost see Chris' inner struggle. It was obvious that Chris knew the victim. Almost at the same time, the Charmed Ones came to a realization as to the identity of the young visitor.
"Oh my god!" Piper gasped. "Ryan??"
Both Paige and Phoebe had similar reactions, all of which were ignored by Chris. "How could he?" he muttered, his voice shaking. All of a sudden, the portal opened again and a legion of demons flooded the attic. Immediately, the Charmed Ones got into battle mode.
"No," Chris said to the witches. "This is between me and them."
"But Chris," Piper protested.
"I SAID NO!!" Chris shouted, his voice so full of anger and hatred that Piper and her sisters were momentarily in shock. Chris laid Ryan on the attic floor before slowly standing up to meet the attackers. "Jetifa," his voice low and steady.
"Hand him over and come back with us, Christopher," Jetifa said. "Lord Wyatt is waiting for you."
"You can tell Wyatt to go to hell!" Chris spat bitterly.
"Seize him!" Jetifa ordered as the demons surged towards Chris. Immediately, Chris levitated himself before firing off two energy balls. The energy balls enveloped two demons, sucking the life out of the demonic soldiers. In a fit of rage, Chris sent the two energy balls crashing against the wall, destroying the demons.
Another two demons charged at Chris. Lifting his hands, he froze the attacking demons, levitated them into the air and blew them up into a million pieces. From behind Chris, demon unleashed a torrent of acid from his mouth. Chris held up his hand and deflected the acid back towards the demon, destroying him immediately.
The remaining demons attacked with a vengeance, but none of them could withstand the potent mix of Chris' powers and his immense rage. The young Whitelighter ruthlessly destroyed his attackers and soon, it was down to Jetifa.
"Impressive, Christopher," Jetifa lauded. "It seems like you are not as weak as Lord Wyatt had thought. It also seems like Lord Wyatt was right about making you use your powers. He still believes that you're gifted. His offer still stands if only you would swear allegiance to him."
Chris just glared at Jetifa. "You bastard! You'll pay for what you did."
"Maybe you should worry about your own safety first," Jetifa laughed.
Chris smirked. "Making threats now? I think you're playing out of your league, Jetifa."
"We'll see, won't we?" With that, Jetifa unleashed a fireball that Chris easily dodged. It was open season after that and all out war ensued. After a while, Jetifa smirked as he lifted his hand and closed his fist.
Chris' eyes widened in horror as he found himself being choked by an invisible hand. The young Whitelighter was brought to his knees as he struggled for breath. "Only....Wyatt...." he gasped.
"Did I forget to tell you that Lord Wyatt bestowed some of his powers to me so that I could take care of a nuisance like you in the event that you were uncooperative?" he laughed as Chris became increasingly weaker.
"Focus!" Chris told himself even as he felt his life draining away. In one desperate motion, he used his telekinesis to throw Jetifa off balance. With the momentary edge, Chris fired a huge energy ball that struck Jetifa right in the chest, vanquishing him immediately amidst his screams of agony.
The Charmed Ones, still in shock, finally rushed to Chris as he gasped for breath. Ignoring them, Chris crawled over to Ryan. After making sure that he still had a pulse, Chris carried Ryan to his temporary bed in the basement. He then made his way back to the attic where his mother and aunts were still conferring on the latest turn of events.
He flipped through the Book of Shadows, looking frantically for anything that could heal Ryan. Chris was so concentrated on his task that he didn't even notice his teardrops on the Book's pages. When he finally noticed, he angrily wiped the tears away as he relentlessly searched through the Book.
Piper, realizing that she now had two grown-up sons from the future under her roof, was trying very hard to come to terms with this new reality. She was just starting to get used to having Chris around but now, she had to contend with Ryan as well.
"Let me help," Piper coaxed her son as she tried to ease his burden somewhat.
"How come it's not in here?" he called out to no one in particular.
"What are you looking for?"
Again, Chris simply ignored her question. Piper was hurt by how Chris was treating her but she reasoned that it was only because he was upset about Ryan's situation. "What good is this Book when it doesn't even tell you how to heal someone?" he yelled in frustration as he buried his face in his hands.
Phoebe and Paige hugged Chris supportively, realizing that there was little that they could do at the moment. "Come on, Chris," Paige said softly. "You need to sit and calm down a bit. You're no good to Ryan when you're too frustrated to think. There has to be a way, right? We just need to find it."
Chris reluctantly sat down on the couch, trying to calm himself down. He knew that Paige was right. He needed to be calm so that he could think clearly. Ryan needed him now and Chris couldn't afford to let him down.
The young Whitelighter tried to gather his thoughts while Piper continued to look through the Book.
"I think I found something," Piper finally called out, causing Chris to immediately rush to the Book. Reading the entry quickly, he knew what he had to do. Gathering the ingredients that he needed, he quickly made the potion as described by the Book. Pouring it into a vial, he rushed downstairs to where Ryan was still resting.
Being ever so careful, Chris gently made a small incision on Ryan's arm. As Piper and her sisters entered the room, they could see the wound slowly turning purple. Chris set down the vial and began to slowly suck on the wound via the incision.
"Chris, what are you doing?" Piper cried out, alarmed at her son's actions.
"I need to get the poison out before the potion will have any effect," he said matter-of-factly before continuing with his task.
"Do you know how dangerous the poison is? You have no idea what the poison will do to you if some of it got into your system."
Chris paused for a second before nodding. "Yes, I know," he said softly. "This is what brothers are for," he added solemnly.
Piper knew that with Chris' stubbornness, there would be no way to change his mind. However, it didn't mean that she wasn't worried about Chris or Ryan. It took several minutes before Chris felt that enough poison had been drained to give Ryan the potion. He gently fed the younger man the potion before sitting down and waiting.
"You guys don't have to stay. I'll watch Ryan."
Knowing that this was Chris' way of saying "leave me alone," the sisters silently made their way out. Once they made their way back to the kitchen, they began to confer once again.
"Okay, now we have two future boys here," Phoebe said, stating the obvious.
"That should be interesting," Paige agreed.
"I wonder if Ryan be more willing to reveal details about the future than neurotic Chris."
"Hey," Piper protested, "those are my sons that you're talking about."
"Sorry," Phoebe mouthed as she continued contemplating the implications of Ryan's arrival.
Back in Chris' room...
Chris gazed at his younger brother as colour slowly returned to his face. He prayed that Ryan would be okay, although Chris was already well on his way in his self-blaming exercise.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered to the sleeping Ryan. "If I had known that he would do this..." Chris hung his head and tried to keep his tears from falling. "He promised me, Ryan. Wyatt said that he would never hurt you, no matter how much he hated me. You were supposed to be safe."
Ryan stirred in his sleep but did not wake up. Chris, meanwhile, continued to berate himself. "I should never have believed him. This is all my fault..." His little tirade was cut short when he saw a pair of blue eyes staring back at him.
"Chris?" the young man called out in surprise. "Oh my god! Chris!!!" he called out happily. He got up from the bed, slightly disoriented, and pulled Chris into a hug that the older boy gladly returned. "I've missed you so much!! Oh my god!!"
Chris closed his eyes as he listened to Ryan's voice. He too had missed his brother tremendously and seeing him again, having him near, was threatening to unleash a torrent of emotions. "I've missed you too, Ryan. I'm so sorry..."
"It's okay. It wasn't your fault," Ryan assured, knowing his brother's tendency to blame himself for everything. "You saved me – again," he laughed.
Chris laughter was mixed with his tears. "That's what brothers are for, right?"
"Yeah," Ryan replied as his smile slowly vanished. "If only Wyatt thought the same..."
The two brothers were unaware of an eavesdropper on their conversation. Piper slowly slid to the floor as tears streamed down her face. "So this is the future of my family," she thought sadly, "brother against brother...."
~ 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 9
Chris gasped as he saw the massive wound on the young man's body. The young Whitelighter shifted into panic mode, his mind failing to register the event and at the same time, his body failing to react.
The Charmed Ones, not knowing quite what to make of the situation, debated the next course of action. From their vantage point, they could almost see Chris' inner struggle. It was obvious that Chris knew the victim. Almost at the same time, the Charmed Ones came to a realization as to the identity of the young visitor.
"Oh my god!" Piper gasped. "Ryan??"
Both Paige and Phoebe had similar reactions, all of which were ignored by Chris. "How could he?" he muttered, his voice shaking. All of a sudden, the portal opened again and a legion of demons flooded the attic. Immediately, the Charmed Ones got into battle mode.
"No," Chris said to the witches. "This is between me and them."
"But Chris," Piper protested.
"I SAID NO!!" Chris shouted, his voice so full of anger and hatred that Piper and her sisters were momentarily in shock. Chris laid Ryan on the attic floor before slowly standing up to meet the attackers. "Jetifa," his voice low and steady.
"Hand him over and come back with us, Christopher," Jetifa said. "Lord Wyatt is waiting for you."
"You can tell Wyatt to go to hell!" Chris spat bitterly.
"Seize him!" Jetifa ordered as the demons surged towards Chris. Immediately, Chris levitated himself before firing off two energy balls. The energy balls enveloped two demons, sucking the life out of the demonic soldiers. In a fit of rage, Chris sent the two energy balls crashing against the wall, destroying the demons.
Another two demons charged at Chris. Lifting his hands, he froze the attacking demons, levitated them into the air and blew them up into a million pieces. From behind Chris, demon unleashed a torrent of acid from his mouth. Chris held up his hand and deflected the acid back towards the demon, destroying him immediately.
The remaining demons attacked with a vengeance, but none of them could withstand the potent mix of Chris' powers and his immense rage. The young Whitelighter ruthlessly destroyed his attackers and soon, it was down to Jetifa.
"Impressive, Christopher," Jetifa lauded. "It seems like you are not as weak as Lord Wyatt had thought. It also seems like Lord Wyatt was right about making you use your powers. He still believes that you're gifted. His offer still stands if only you would swear allegiance to him."
Chris just glared at Jetifa. "You bastard! You'll pay for what you did."
"Maybe you should worry about your own safety first," Jetifa laughed.
Chris smirked. "Making threats now? I think you're playing out of your league, Jetifa."
"We'll see, won't we?" With that, Jetifa unleashed a fireball that Chris easily dodged. It was open season after that and all out war ensued. After a while, Jetifa smirked as he lifted his hand and closed his fist.
Chris' eyes widened in horror as he found himself being choked by an invisible hand. The young Whitelighter was brought to his knees as he struggled for breath. "Only....Wyatt...." he gasped.
"Did I forget to tell you that Lord Wyatt bestowed some of his powers to me so that I could take care of a nuisance like you in the event that you were uncooperative?" he laughed as Chris became increasingly weaker.
"Focus!" Chris told himself even as he felt his life draining away. In one desperate motion, he used his telekinesis to throw Jetifa off balance. With the momentary edge, Chris fired a huge energy ball that struck Jetifa right in the chest, vanquishing him immediately amidst his screams of agony.
The Charmed Ones, still in shock, finally rushed to Chris as he gasped for breath. Ignoring them, Chris crawled over to Ryan. After making sure that he still had a pulse, Chris carried Ryan to his temporary bed in the basement. He then made his way back to the attic where his mother and aunts were still conferring on the latest turn of events.
He flipped through the Book of Shadows, looking frantically for anything that could heal Ryan. Chris was so concentrated on his task that he didn't even notice his teardrops on the Book's pages. When he finally noticed, he angrily wiped the tears away as he relentlessly searched through the Book.
Piper, realizing that she now had two grown-up sons from the future under her roof, was trying very hard to come to terms with this new reality. She was just starting to get used to having Chris around but now, she had to contend with Ryan as well.
"Let me help," Piper coaxed her son as she tried to ease his burden somewhat.
"How come it's not in here?" he called out to no one in particular.
"What are you looking for?"
Again, Chris simply ignored her question. Piper was hurt by how Chris was treating her but she reasoned that it was only because he was upset about Ryan's situation. "What good is this Book when it doesn't even tell you how to heal someone?" he yelled in frustration as he buried his face in his hands.
Phoebe and Paige hugged Chris supportively, realizing that there was little that they could do at the moment. "Come on, Chris," Paige said softly. "You need to sit and calm down a bit. You're no good to Ryan when you're too frustrated to think. There has to be a way, right? We just need to find it."
Chris reluctantly sat down on the couch, trying to calm himself down. He knew that Paige was right. He needed to be calm so that he could think clearly. Ryan needed him now and Chris couldn't afford to let him down.
The young Whitelighter tried to gather his thoughts while Piper continued to look through the Book.
"I think I found something," Piper finally called out, causing Chris to immediately rush to the Book. Reading the entry quickly, he knew what he had to do. Gathering the ingredients that he needed, he quickly made the potion as described by the Book. Pouring it into a vial, he rushed downstairs to where Ryan was still resting.
Being ever so careful, Chris gently made a small incision on Ryan's arm. As Piper and her sisters entered the room, they could see the wound slowly turning purple. Chris set down the vial and began to slowly suck on the wound via the incision.
"Chris, what are you doing?" Piper cried out, alarmed at her son's actions.
"I need to get the poison out before the potion will have any effect," he said matter-of-factly before continuing with his task.
"Do you know how dangerous the poison is? You have no idea what the poison will do to you if some of it got into your system."
Chris paused for a second before nodding. "Yes, I know," he said softly. "This is what brothers are for," he added solemnly.
Piper knew that with Chris' stubbornness, there would be no way to change his mind. However, it didn't mean that she wasn't worried about Chris or Ryan. It took several minutes before Chris felt that enough poison had been drained to give Ryan the potion. He gently fed the younger man the potion before sitting down and waiting.
"You guys don't have to stay. I'll watch Ryan."
Knowing that this was Chris' way of saying "leave me alone," the sisters silently made their way out. Once they made their way back to the kitchen, they began to confer once again.
"Okay, now we have two future boys here," Phoebe said, stating the obvious.
"That should be interesting," Paige agreed.
"I wonder if Ryan be more willing to reveal details about the future than neurotic Chris."
"Hey," Piper protested, "those are my sons that you're talking about."
"Sorry," Phoebe mouthed as she continued contemplating the implications of Ryan's arrival.
Back in Chris' room...
Chris gazed at his younger brother as colour slowly returned to his face. He prayed that Ryan would be okay, although Chris was already well on his way in his self-blaming exercise.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered to the sleeping Ryan. "If I had known that he would do this..." Chris hung his head and tried to keep his tears from falling. "He promised me, Ryan. Wyatt said that he would never hurt you, no matter how much he hated me. You were supposed to be safe."
Ryan stirred in his sleep but did not wake up. Chris, meanwhile, continued to berate himself. "I should never have believed him. This is all my fault..." His little tirade was cut short when he saw a pair of blue eyes staring back at him.
"Chris?" the young man called out in surprise. "Oh my god! Chris!!!" he called out happily. He got up from the bed, slightly disoriented, and pulled Chris into a hug that the older boy gladly returned. "I've missed you so much!! Oh my god!!"
Chris closed his eyes as he listened to Ryan's voice. He too had missed his brother tremendously and seeing him again, having him near, was threatening to unleash a torrent of emotions. "I've missed you too, Ryan. I'm so sorry..."
"It's okay. It wasn't your fault," Ryan assured, knowing his brother's tendency to blame himself for everything. "You saved me – again," he laughed.
Chris laughter was mixed with his tears. "That's what brothers are for, right?"
"Yeah," Ryan replied as his smile slowly vanished. "If only Wyatt thought the same..."
The two brothers were unaware of an eavesdropper on their conversation. Piper slowly slid to the floor as tears streamed down her face. "So this is the future of my family," she thought sadly, "brother against brother...."
~ to be continued ~