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 14
Chris' fiery eyes betrayed his anger and everyone in the room were slightly intimidated by the young Whitelighter. "Ryan, can I speak to you in private?" Chris asked very pointedly.
Ryan hesitated slightly. He recognized this look from Chris. He didn't see it often but this was the look that Chris wore whenever he was really angry. Not wanting to provoke his brother, he meekly followed Chris into the next room.
Once he entered the room, Chris took Ryan's hands and orbed out of the manor. They rematerialized at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. Neither of them spoke at first, but finally Chris broke the silence.
"Just what did you think you were doing, Ryan?" Chris asked, his voice somewhat calmer than before, although his irritation clearly showed.
Ryan knew why Chris was angry. If his older brother hadn't shown up, he might have already revealed many secrets about the future to his mother and to Leo. "I'm sorry. Just seeing him...I guess I just wasn't thinking..." In truth, Ryan was upset more with himself than with Leo. First, he hated the fact that Leo actually got to him the way he did. He would have thought that after all these years, seeing Leo would no longer get him so worked up. More importantly, he was upset with himself for getting Chris angry. Somehow, Ryan felt like he had let Chris down.
Chris' features softened as he saw Ryan mentally scolding himself. The young Whitelighter sighed. He didn't mean to snap at Ryan, but the sight of his younger brother engaging in a verbal war with Leo really unnerved him. "We're all allowed do these things once in a while, I guess," he finally said.
"I'm sorry, Chris..." Ryan said softly. The last thing that he wanted was to disappoint Chris, since his older brother's opinion of him mattered more than anything in the world.
Chris walked over and hugged Ryan. "I shouldn't have snapped at you," he acknowledged. "So I guess we're even. Are we cool?"
Ryan smiled and nodded, happy to be on good terms with Chris again.
"About Leo," Chris continued, not quite sure how he wanted to proceed with this conversation. "At the risk of sounding like a complete hypocrite, Ryan, I think you should go easy on him."
"What?" Ryan exclaimed, totally bewildered. "Are you saying that you want me to treat him nicely?"
Chris nodded, aware of the incredulous look on Ryan's face. "He loves you, Ryan."
"He was never there for us," Ryan retorted. Then after a brief pause, he corrected himself. "He was never there for you," he said softly.
Chris sighed and hugged Ryan. "That's between me and him. Leo loves you, and you know that. Don't destroy what you have with him."
"I can't forgive him, Chris."
"Why not?"
"Not after the way he treated you."
"Like I said, that's between me and him," Chris answered. After another moment of silence, he continued, "Can we both at least try to be civil towards him? For mom's sake?"
"I'm only doing this for you and for mom," Ryan finally relented, though he still didn't like the idea.
* * * * * * * * * * * * Meanwhile, in the future...
"Idiots!!" Wyatt yelled in anger. "They can't even take care of one kid!!"
"Lord Wyatt, he had the assistance of a very powerful magical being."
"Silence, you fool! Christopher is no match for me. He will pay for what he has done."
"Yes, Lord Wyatt. He must be destroyed!"
"I would go back myself to finish up the job if I could, but this latest rebellion is most annoying. And after this fiasco, I will not leave it to you incompetent fools to take care of the situation."
"Lord Wyatt, I have an idea which may interest you," the demon smiled evilly.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Back in the present...
Ryan walked into Piper's room to find her sitting on her bed, flipping through a photo album. "Hey mom," he said softly.
"Ryan," she greeted as she looked up from the photos. She gently patted a spot on the bed, signaling her son to sit with her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Ryan answered. "I'm sorry about earlier."
Piper hugged her son. After the last little while, she was slowly getting used to having her grown up sons in the house. "Want to talk about it?"
"I can't tell you," he said softly. "But he wasn't bad to me."
"You mean Leo?"
"Yeah."
"So why did you lash out at him?"
"Because of how he treated Chris."
Piper nodded in understanding. "I see. From what I hear, your aunts and I didn't treat him all that well either." Ryan looked away, not wanting to answer the question. Even without answering, Piper knew that her suspicions were confirmed, causing another guilt attack to start. "Ryan, you have to tell me what we did so that we don't repeat the same mistakes again."
"I can't, mom," Ryan pleaded. "I promised Chris not to tell."
"Honey, I know you want to do what Chris told you, but do you think that you're really helping Chris if you don't tell us?"
"Mom..." Ryan hesitated, not knowing what to do. "Let me think about it, okay?"
Piper relented, not wanting to push her son. "Sure, honey," she answered before hugging him again.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
For the first time in a long time, Piper slept soundly that night. She was in such a deep sleep that she didn't even notice a silent intruder in her room. The demon smiled deviously as he sprinkled Piper with a magical dust. Moving along, he shimmered into Paige's room and similarly sprayed his magical dust on her.
Meeting no resistance, the demon did the same thing to Phoebe and Ryan before shimmering away for good. Everyone in the manor continued to sleep soundly, unaware of their uninvited visitor.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The demon shimmered into Wyatt's fortress and bowed before his master. "It is done, Lord Wyatt."
"Are you sure this is going to work?"
"Absolutely. Very soon, your brother and the Charmed Ones will be weakened to a point where they will no longer pose a threat to your great plans."
"Excellent," Wyatt laughed maniacally. "Let the show begin then..."
~ 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!
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The Pain of Future Wrongs – Chapter 14
Chris' fiery eyes betrayed his anger and everyone in the room were slightly intimidated by the young Whitelighter. "Ryan, can I speak to you in private?" Chris asked very pointedly.
Ryan hesitated slightly. He recognized this look from Chris. He didn't see it often but this was the look that Chris wore whenever he was really angry. Not wanting to provoke his brother, he meekly followed Chris into the next room.
Once he entered the room, Chris took Ryan's hands and orbed out of the manor. They rematerialized at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. Neither of them spoke at first, but finally Chris broke the silence.
"Just what did you think you were doing, Ryan?" Chris asked, his voice somewhat calmer than before, although his irritation clearly showed.
Ryan knew why Chris was angry. If his older brother hadn't shown up, he might have already revealed many secrets about the future to his mother and to Leo. "I'm sorry. Just seeing him...I guess I just wasn't thinking..." In truth, Ryan was upset more with himself than with Leo. First, he hated the fact that Leo actually got to him the way he did. He would have thought that after all these years, seeing Leo would no longer get him so worked up. More importantly, he was upset with himself for getting Chris angry. Somehow, Ryan felt like he had let Chris down.
Chris' features softened as he saw Ryan mentally scolding himself. The young Whitelighter sighed. He didn't mean to snap at Ryan, but the sight of his younger brother engaging in a verbal war with Leo really unnerved him. "We're all allowed do these things once in a while, I guess," he finally said.
"I'm sorry, Chris..." Ryan said softly. The last thing that he wanted was to disappoint Chris, since his older brother's opinion of him mattered more than anything in the world.
Chris walked over and hugged Ryan. "I shouldn't have snapped at you," he acknowledged. "So I guess we're even. Are we cool?"
Ryan smiled and nodded, happy to be on good terms with Chris again.
"About Leo," Chris continued, not quite sure how he wanted to proceed with this conversation. "At the risk of sounding like a complete hypocrite, Ryan, I think you should go easy on him."
"What?" Ryan exclaimed, totally bewildered. "Are you saying that you want me to treat him nicely?"
Chris nodded, aware of the incredulous look on Ryan's face. "He loves you, Ryan."
"He was never there for us," Ryan retorted. Then after a brief pause, he corrected himself. "He was never there for you," he said softly.
Chris sighed and hugged Ryan. "That's between me and him. Leo loves you, and you know that. Don't destroy what you have with him."
"I can't forgive him, Chris."
"Why not?"
"Not after the way he treated you."
"Like I said, that's between me and him," Chris answered. After another moment of silence, he continued, "Can we both at least try to be civil towards him? For mom's sake?"
"I'm only doing this for you and for mom," Ryan finally relented, though he still didn't like the idea.
* * * * * * * * * * * * Meanwhile, in the future...
"Idiots!!" Wyatt yelled in anger. "They can't even take care of one kid!!"
"Lord Wyatt, he had the assistance of a very powerful magical being."
"Silence, you fool! Christopher is no match for me. He will pay for what he has done."
"Yes, Lord Wyatt. He must be destroyed!"
"I would go back myself to finish up the job if I could, but this latest rebellion is most annoying. And after this fiasco, I will not leave it to you incompetent fools to take care of the situation."
"Lord Wyatt, I have an idea which may interest you," the demon smiled evilly.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Back in the present...
Ryan walked into Piper's room to find her sitting on her bed, flipping through a photo album. "Hey mom," he said softly.
"Ryan," she greeted as she looked up from the photos. She gently patted a spot on the bed, signaling her son to sit with her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Ryan answered. "I'm sorry about earlier."
Piper hugged her son. After the last little while, she was slowly getting used to having her grown up sons in the house. "Want to talk about it?"
"I can't tell you," he said softly. "But he wasn't bad to me."
"You mean Leo?"
"Yeah."
"So why did you lash out at him?"
"Because of how he treated Chris."
Piper nodded in understanding. "I see. From what I hear, your aunts and I didn't treat him all that well either." Ryan looked away, not wanting to answer the question. Even without answering, Piper knew that her suspicions were confirmed, causing another guilt attack to start. "Ryan, you have to tell me what we did so that we don't repeat the same mistakes again."
"I can't, mom," Ryan pleaded. "I promised Chris not to tell."
"Honey, I know you want to do what Chris told you, but do you think that you're really helping Chris if you don't tell us?"
"Mom..." Ryan hesitated, not knowing what to do. "Let me think about it, okay?"
Piper relented, not wanting to push her son. "Sure, honey," she answered before hugging him again.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
For the first time in a long time, Piper slept soundly that night. She was in such a deep sleep that she didn't even notice a silent intruder in her room. The demon smiled deviously as he sprinkled Piper with a magical dust. Moving along, he shimmered into Paige's room and similarly sprayed his magical dust on her.
Meeting no resistance, the demon did the same thing to Phoebe and Ryan before shimmering away for good. Everyone in the manor continued to sleep soundly, unaware of their uninvited visitor.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The demon shimmered into Wyatt's fortress and bowed before his master. "It is done, Lord Wyatt."
"Are you sure this is going to work?"
"Absolutely. Very soon, your brother and the Charmed Ones will be weakened to a point where they will no longer pose a threat to your great plans."
"Excellent," Wyatt laughed maniacally. "Let the show begin then..."
~ to be continued ~