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 15
Paige was jolted awake as she felt her heart pounding. She noticed that she was gripping her sheets and her hair was damp with sweat. She took deep breaths to calm herself as she tried to figure out what was going on. After sitting on her bed for a few minutes, she slowly got washed up and dressed, still perturbed by what had transpired.
She emerged from her room and met Phoebe in the hallway. "Paige, you look terrible."
"Thanks," she replied sarcastically.
"That's what happens when you don't have a regular man in your life," Phoebe commented and laughed at the same time.
"Very funny," Paige answered as she plastered a fake smile on her face.
They both walked down to the kitchen to have breakfast, which Chris had already prepared.
"Morning Ryan," Phoebe greeted as she poured herself a glass of juice.
"Morning, Aunt Phoebe," he replied cheerfully. "Aunt Paige, you don't look too good. Are you okay?" he commented with genuine concern, sending Phoebe into another fit of giggles.
"Thanks, Ryan," Paige answered, ignoring Phoebe. "I just didn't sleep too well last night."
Ryan nodded and proceeded to the cabinet to grab a few ingredients. Within minutes, he brought a steaming cup to Paige. "Here, drink this," he suggested.
"What is it?" Paige asked, wrinkling her nose at the strange smell.
"Trust me, it works for me every time I have a rough night."
"If you say so," she answered before drinking the liquid. To her surprise, she did begin to feel better almost immediately. "Wow!"
"See, I told you!" Ryan grinned triumphantly.
"Where did you learn to make this?"
"Chris taught me. He used to make this for me all the time."
At the mention of Chris' name, Paige dropped her cup shattering it on the kitchen floor.
"Are you okay?" Ryan exclaimed, as he quickly picked up the shattered pieces.
"Uh...yeah," Paige stammered. "I'm just tired, that's all."
Both Ryan and Phoebe looked at Paige skeptically but neither decided to pursue the matter.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chris orbed into the kitchen along with several bags of groceries. With Piper pregnant, Chris had volunteered to take on kitchen duties. After getting a taste of his culinary skills, no one objected to the new arrangements.
Strangely, Chris enjoyed his new 'chores.' Despite his cocky, confident persona, deep down he simply enjoyed spending time with his family. This was what he always wanted, but never had a chance to experience. The young Whitelighter carefully put the groceries into the fridge and proceeded to prepare dinner.
"Chris, is that you?" Piper called from the second floor.
"Yeah, Mom," Chris called out. "Did you need anything?"
"I'm fine, Chris. Thanks for asking."
Smiling, Chris decided to fix a quick snack for his mom. After all, she needed to eat for two people now. Once he was done, he orbed upstairs to the nursery where Piper was playing with Wyatt.
"Hey," Piper smiled as she saw Chris.
"Hey," he smiled back and chuckled as Wyatt clapped happily at the sight of his brother. "I got you a little snack."
"Thank you," Piper answered, genuinely surprised and grateful. "I'm sorry that they've delegated grocery shopping to you."
"That's okay, I'm fine with it," he laughed with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "And anyways, there are tons of cute girls shopping and working at the store." He laughed out loud as Piper's eyes widened with shock. "I'm just kidding, Mom," he laughed before orbing out.
"Oh, you'll get it come dinner time, young man," Piper called after his son, a smile plastered on her face.
"I'll look forward to it," Chris called back as he strode in the kitchen. He stopped just before he walked right into Paige. "Aunt Paige! Sorry, I didn't see you there."
An awkward expression met Chris' glance. "Uh, that's okay," Paige answered.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," she answered, trying to keep a safe distance away without appearing awkward. Despite her efforts, her strange behaviour failed to escape Chris' observations. "I'll be in my room," she finally said before orbing upstairs.
Chris stood alone in the kitchen with a puzzled look. This seemed like a regression, back into the awkwardness that took place when Chris first arrived from the future. But none of this made any sense. "Maybe she's just not feeling well," Chris convinced himself as he continued to prepare dinner.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Dinner was delicious as usual. The entire household was slowly becoming spoiled by Chris' daily gourmet meals. Nevertheless, neither Paige nor Chris did much with their food. Paige attributed her lack of appetite to not feeling well while Chris blamed fatigue.
What the rest of the people could not see was Chris' heart breaking. No matter how well Paige tried to cover it up, Chris could feel his aunt trying to avoid him, trying to shut him out. He couldn't understand why this sudden change occurred. Chris tried to analyze his behaviour over the last few days. Was it something he had done? Was it something he had said? No matter how many times he thought things over, he couldn't pinpoint any incident that could lead to this awkwardness.
One immediate effect that this change had brought on was the resurgence of the self-doubt that had plagued Chris for so long. All he wanted was his family's acceptance of him, and now it seemed that things were heading in the wrong direction once again.
That night, Chris sat in the parlour gazing out into the San Francisco sky. His memories were haunting him once again but instead of fighting them like he usually did, Chris chose to let them take control. As the memories overtook his mind, Chris could feel himself sliding into depression. "Face it, Chris," he told himself over and over again, "you're not wanted. You're just a burden. You never were wanted in the first place...and that will never change."
~ 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 15
Paige was jolted awake as she felt her heart pounding. She noticed that she was gripping her sheets and her hair was damp with sweat. She took deep breaths to calm herself as she tried to figure out what was going on. After sitting on her bed for a few minutes, she slowly got washed up and dressed, still perturbed by what had transpired.
She emerged from her room and met Phoebe in the hallway. "Paige, you look terrible."
"Thanks," she replied sarcastically.
"That's what happens when you don't have a regular man in your life," Phoebe commented and laughed at the same time.
"Very funny," Paige answered as she plastered a fake smile on her face.
They both walked down to the kitchen to have breakfast, which Chris had already prepared.
"Morning Ryan," Phoebe greeted as she poured herself a glass of juice.
"Morning, Aunt Phoebe," he replied cheerfully. "Aunt Paige, you don't look too good. Are you okay?" he commented with genuine concern, sending Phoebe into another fit of giggles.
"Thanks, Ryan," Paige answered, ignoring Phoebe. "I just didn't sleep too well last night."
Ryan nodded and proceeded to the cabinet to grab a few ingredients. Within minutes, he brought a steaming cup to Paige. "Here, drink this," he suggested.
"What is it?" Paige asked, wrinkling her nose at the strange smell.
"Trust me, it works for me every time I have a rough night."
"If you say so," she answered before drinking the liquid. To her surprise, she did begin to feel better almost immediately. "Wow!"
"See, I told you!" Ryan grinned triumphantly.
"Where did you learn to make this?"
"Chris taught me. He used to make this for me all the time."
At the mention of Chris' name, Paige dropped her cup shattering it on the kitchen floor.
"Are you okay?" Ryan exclaimed, as he quickly picked up the shattered pieces.
"Uh...yeah," Paige stammered. "I'm just tired, that's all."
Both Ryan and Phoebe looked at Paige skeptically but neither decided to pursue the matter.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chris orbed into the kitchen along with several bags of groceries. With Piper pregnant, Chris had volunteered to take on kitchen duties. After getting a taste of his culinary skills, no one objected to the new arrangements.
Strangely, Chris enjoyed his new 'chores.' Despite his cocky, confident persona, deep down he simply enjoyed spending time with his family. This was what he always wanted, but never had a chance to experience. The young Whitelighter carefully put the groceries into the fridge and proceeded to prepare dinner.
"Chris, is that you?" Piper called from the second floor.
"Yeah, Mom," Chris called out. "Did you need anything?"
"I'm fine, Chris. Thanks for asking."
Smiling, Chris decided to fix a quick snack for his mom. After all, she needed to eat for two people now. Once he was done, he orbed upstairs to the nursery where Piper was playing with Wyatt.
"Hey," Piper smiled as she saw Chris.
"Hey," he smiled back and chuckled as Wyatt clapped happily at the sight of his brother. "I got you a little snack."
"Thank you," Piper answered, genuinely surprised and grateful. "I'm sorry that they've delegated grocery shopping to you."
"That's okay, I'm fine with it," he laughed with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "And anyways, there are tons of cute girls shopping and working at the store." He laughed out loud as Piper's eyes widened with shock. "I'm just kidding, Mom," he laughed before orbing out.
"Oh, you'll get it come dinner time, young man," Piper called after his son, a smile plastered on her face.
"I'll look forward to it," Chris called back as he strode in the kitchen. He stopped just before he walked right into Paige. "Aunt Paige! Sorry, I didn't see you there."
An awkward expression met Chris' glance. "Uh, that's okay," Paige answered.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," she answered, trying to keep a safe distance away without appearing awkward. Despite her efforts, her strange behaviour failed to escape Chris' observations. "I'll be in my room," she finally said before orbing upstairs.
Chris stood alone in the kitchen with a puzzled look. This seemed like a regression, back into the awkwardness that took place when Chris first arrived from the future. But none of this made any sense. "Maybe she's just not feeling well," Chris convinced himself as he continued to prepare dinner.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Dinner was delicious as usual. The entire household was slowly becoming spoiled by Chris' daily gourmet meals. Nevertheless, neither Paige nor Chris did much with their food. Paige attributed her lack of appetite to not feeling well while Chris blamed fatigue.
What the rest of the people could not see was Chris' heart breaking. No matter how well Paige tried to cover it up, Chris could feel his aunt trying to avoid him, trying to shut him out. He couldn't understand why this sudden change occurred. Chris tried to analyze his behaviour over the last few days. Was it something he had done? Was it something he had said? No matter how many times he thought things over, he couldn't pinpoint any incident that could lead to this awkwardness.
One immediate effect that this change had brought on was the resurgence of the self-doubt that had plagued Chris for so long. All he wanted was his family's acceptance of him, and now it seemed that things were heading in the wrong direction once again.
That night, Chris sat in the parlour gazing out into the San Francisco sky. His memories were haunting him once again but instead of fighting them like he usually did, Chris chose to let them take control. As the memories overtook his mind, Chris could feel himself sliding into depression. "Face it, Chris," he told himself over and over again, "you're not wanted. You're just a burden. You never were wanted in the first place...and that will never change."
~ to be continued ~