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 20
Before Chris could holler again, Leo appeared in front of his son. By the look on Leo's face, he was not amused. "Chris, what do you think you're doing?"
"I should be asking you the same question!" Chris spat.
"What are you talking about?" Leo asked, truly puzzled by his son's behaviour. "And what would possess you to come up here and cause such a ruckus?"
Chris rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Fine. Explain this," Chris challenged as he demonstrated his newfound power.
Leo's eyes widened as he witnessed Chris' demonstration. "Impressive," he muttered.
"Impressive?" Chris shouted incredulously. "That's all you can say? Impressive?"
Leo looked at his son, trying desperately to understand where his anger was coming from. "I'm not quite sure how else you would expect me to react."
Chris was now hopping mad. He had expected to get answers and at this point, he was getting nowhere. "Let me make this clear for you, Leo. I've never had this power. I shouldn't be having this power. And I sure as hell don't want this power. So you and your fellow know-it-all Elders better explain what they hell you did to me and then you can take your freaking power back!!"
"Chris, calm down!!" Leo pressed. "You're making a scene out of nothing. And for your information, this had nothing to do with us. We didn't do anything to you to give you this new power."
Chris stares at Leo and the rest of the Elders. "I knew you wouldn't understand. None of you ever did," he said, throwing his accusations at all the gathered Elders before orbing out.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chris rematerialized in his room, his mind swirling, and his body shaking. "Why are you doing this to me?" he whimpered softly as he stared at his hands. He was so deep in thought that he barely noticed Piper sitting down beside him, wrapping her arms around his slumping shoulders.
"Chris..."
"I don't want these powers," he whispered.
"You were destined to have them, Chris," Piper answered soothingly. "You will do great things with these powers. I know you will."
Chris shook his head. "You don't understand...I can't have these powers."
Piper hugged her son, wanting to shield him from the pain and confusion that he was experiencing. "Yes I do, Chris. Don't ever think that we will love you any less just because you have powers."
Chris tensed and looked Piper in the eye. "What did you just say?" he whispered.
"We know about why you don't want your powers."
"But how?" he asked before the realization dawned on him.
"Don't get mad at Ryan," Piper pleaded. "We kind of put him in a very awkward position."
Chris sighed in defeat. "Mom, I could never yell at Ryan, no mattered what he did."
Piper hugged her son once again. "You really love him a lot, don't you?"
Chris nodded. "I promised you that I would protect him. I just didn't know what I would have done if I lost Ryan too..." he said as a solitary tear slid down his face.
"I see why Ryan adores you so much," Piper answered. "I'm so proud of you, Chris."
"You are?" Chris asked, his voice full of uncertainty, his eyes betraying his vulnerability.
"Without a doubt," Piper replied. "Look at everything that you've accomplished. And I can never forget everything that you've given up for this family. How can any mother not be proud of that?"
Chris managed to laugh through his tears. These were the words that he always longed to hear from his mother, the person that he respected and loved the most in his life. For a while, Chris was sure that he would never hear those words again. "I love you, Mom," he said. "And I'm so sorry for all the trouble that I've caused."
Piper's heart ached as he heard the hurt in her son's voice again. "I love you too, Chris. I really hope that you can believe me when I say that. And don't apologize for your actions. You did what you knew needed to be done. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me and your aunts."
She smiled when she felt Chris pull her into a hug. Deciding that this might be a good time to bring up the subject, she decided to ask another question. "Chris?"
"Hmm?"
"I was just wondering why I turned out to be such a bad mother in the future..."
"Mom, you know I can't talk about that," Chris answered.
"How can we change for the better if we don't know what mistakes we made?"
Chris looked away, not wanting his mother to see the conflict that he was experiencing. "I'm sorry, Mom. I can't tell you..." he finally decided.
Piper sighed as she realized that Chris wouldn't talk about the subject. On the one hand, she really wanted to know the truth. On the other hand, she really admired Chris' selflessness and resilience. Deep down, she knew that Chris wanted to tell his family but felt that doing so would do more harm than good.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"It looks like your brother managed to turn things around yet again," Mokrian said in disgust.
"Patience, Mokrian," Wyatt smirked sadistically. "The show has just begun. Chris is weak. It'll only be a matter of time before we break him and destroy him," he continued as a broke into a maniacal laugh.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Phoebe tossed and turned in her sleep as she was brought from one dream to another. There was a common theme to all of her dreams – they involved her family. She saw Prue in a few of the dreams. Even Grams were in a number of scenes. Many of the dreams were in fact memories, although some of them seemed more like premonitions.
As her dreams continued, it was as if Phoebe was moving through some timeline. Soon, Wyatt began to show up in the scenes. After a while, Chris showed up as well.
The dreams began to take strange turns. Now Phoebe was sure they were premonitions of events to come. She saw Wyatt and Chris in their teenage years. She saw the two brothers arguing, fighting. She saw Piper trying to make peace.
The scene shifted again. She gasped as she saw Chris moving amongst demons of the Underworld. More disturbingly, he wasn't hiding from or spying on the demons. He didn't hide his identity. In fact, all the demons knew him. He moved amongst them openly, talking with them. There were scenes where he shared laughs with them. The last scene was the most horrific of all, causing Phoebe to wake up from the dreams in cold sweat. Even with her eyes open, she could remember that scene well – Chris shaking hands with an upper level demon, as if they had come to some sort of agreement...
~ 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 20
Before Chris could holler again, Leo appeared in front of his son. By the look on Leo's face, he was not amused. "Chris, what do you think you're doing?"
"I should be asking you the same question!" Chris spat.
"What are you talking about?" Leo asked, truly puzzled by his son's behaviour. "And what would possess you to come up here and cause such a ruckus?"
Chris rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Fine. Explain this," Chris challenged as he demonstrated his newfound power.
Leo's eyes widened as he witnessed Chris' demonstration. "Impressive," he muttered.
"Impressive?" Chris shouted incredulously. "That's all you can say? Impressive?"
Leo looked at his son, trying desperately to understand where his anger was coming from. "I'm not quite sure how else you would expect me to react."
Chris was now hopping mad. He had expected to get answers and at this point, he was getting nowhere. "Let me make this clear for you, Leo. I've never had this power. I shouldn't be having this power. And I sure as hell don't want this power. So you and your fellow know-it-all Elders better explain what they hell you did to me and then you can take your freaking power back!!"
"Chris, calm down!!" Leo pressed. "You're making a scene out of nothing. And for your information, this had nothing to do with us. We didn't do anything to you to give you this new power."
Chris stares at Leo and the rest of the Elders. "I knew you wouldn't understand. None of you ever did," he said, throwing his accusations at all the gathered Elders before orbing out.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chris rematerialized in his room, his mind swirling, and his body shaking. "Why are you doing this to me?" he whimpered softly as he stared at his hands. He was so deep in thought that he barely noticed Piper sitting down beside him, wrapping her arms around his slumping shoulders.
"Chris..."
"I don't want these powers," he whispered.
"You were destined to have them, Chris," Piper answered soothingly. "You will do great things with these powers. I know you will."
Chris shook his head. "You don't understand...I can't have these powers."
Piper hugged her son, wanting to shield him from the pain and confusion that he was experiencing. "Yes I do, Chris. Don't ever think that we will love you any less just because you have powers."
Chris tensed and looked Piper in the eye. "What did you just say?" he whispered.
"We know about why you don't want your powers."
"But how?" he asked before the realization dawned on him.
"Don't get mad at Ryan," Piper pleaded. "We kind of put him in a very awkward position."
Chris sighed in defeat. "Mom, I could never yell at Ryan, no mattered what he did."
Piper hugged her son once again. "You really love him a lot, don't you?"
Chris nodded. "I promised you that I would protect him. I just didn't know what I would have done if I lost Ryan too..." he said as a solitary tear slid down his face.
"I see why Ryan adores you so much," Piper answered. "I'm so proud of you, Chris."
"You are?" Chris asked, his voice full of uncertainty, his eyes betraying his vulnerability.
"Without a doubt," Piper replied. "Look at everything that you've accomplished. And I can never forget everything that you've given up for this family. How can any mother not be proud of that?"
Chris managed to laugh through his tears. These were the words that he always longed to hear from his mother, the person that he respected and loved the most in his life. For a while, Chris was sure that he would never hear those words again. "I love you, Mom," he said. "And I'm so sorry for all the trouble that I've caused."
Piper's heart ached as he heard the hurt in her son's voice again. "I love you too, Chris. I really hope that you can believe me when I say that. And don't apologize for your actions. You did what you knew needed to be done. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me and your aunts."
She smiled when she felt Chris pull her into a hug. Deciding that this might be a good time to bring up the subject, she decided to ask another question. "Chris?"
"Hmm?"
"I was just wondering why I turned out to be such a bad mother in the future..."
"Mom, you know I can't talk about that," Chris answered.
"How can we change for the better if we don't know what mistakes we made?"
Chris looked away, not wanting his mother to see the conflict that he was experiencing. "I'm sorry, Mom. I can't tell you..." he finally decided.
Piper sighed as she realized that Chris wouldn't talk about the subject. On the one hand, she really wanted to know the truth. On the other hand, she really admired Chris' selflessness and resilience. Deep down, she knew that Chris wanted to tell his family but felt that doing so would do more harm than good.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"It looks like your brother managed to turn things around yet again," Mokrian said in disgust.
"Patience, Mokrian," Wyatt smirked sadistically. "The show has just begun. Chris is weak. It'll only be a matter of time before we break him and destroy him," he continued as a broke into a maniacal laugh.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Phoebe tossed and turned in her sleep as she was brought from one dream to another. There was a common theme to all of her dreams – they involved her family. She saw Prue in a few of the dreams. Even Grams were in a number of scenes. Many of the dreams were in fact memories, although some of them seemed more like premonitions.
As her dreams continued, it was as if Phoebe was moving through some timeline. Soon, Wyatt began to show up in the scenes. After a while, Chris showed up as well.
The dreams began to take strange turns. Now Phoebe was sure they were premonitions of events to come. She saw Wyatt and Chris in their teenage years. She saw the two brothers arguing, fighting. She saw Piper trying to make peace.
The scene shifted again. She gasped as she saw Chris moving amongst demons of the Underworld. More disturbingly, he wasn't hiding from or spying on the demons. He didn't hide his identity. In fact, all the demons knew him. He moved amongst them openly, talking with them. There were scenes where he shared laughs with them. The last scene was the most horrific of all, causing Phoebe to wake up from the dreams in cold sweat. Even with her eyes open, she could remember that scene well – Chris shaking hands with an upper level demon, as if they had come to some sort of agreement...
~ to be continued ~