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 25
Strangely enough, Ryan felt like a weight had been taken off him once he told his family the truth about Rachel. At the same time, though, he also knew that his place is the Halliwell manor would never be the same again. "I'm sorry for everything Mom," he said softly as he ran back to the basement.
Several minutes passed before any of the Charmed Ones managed to get up from their seat. It was Piper who was the first to snap back to reality. Slowly, she made her way to the basement. She was surprised when she found Ryan cleaning out his closet. "Ryan, what are you doing?"
Ryan continued to pack as he answered Piper's question. "I just needed to pack a few things with me. I hope that's okay, Mom."
"Pack? Where are you going?"
"I don't know yet. I'll find something."
Piper took her son's arms and they both sat on the bed. "Ryan, why do think that you have to leave?"
Ryan looked into his mother's eyes. "Because now you know that Rachel's death was my fault."
"Oh, Ryan..." Piper whispered as she pulled him into a hug. "It wasn't your fault...you didn't know that was going to happen."
"Rachel is still dead because of me..."
"Ryan, I'll love you no matter what," Piper reassured her son. "Don't forget that..."
Phoebe and Paige came into the room just as Ryan pushed Piper away. A look of hurt flashed on Piper's face at her son's reaction.
"Why is everything so unfair?" Ryan lashed out angrily.
"Ryan? What are you talking about?" Phoebe asked.
"Wyatt was a killer, a murderer, the evil of all evils...and yet you all treated him like he was the perfect child. I just told you that I had killed my sister...and you all accept me as if nothing happened. But Chris...why doesn't anyone treat him the same? He never even did anything wrong...he was just protecting me, protecting Wyatt, even. And everyone treated him like trash!!"
Ryan's latest outburst increased the feeling of guilt that was already plaguing the sisters. Leo felt even worse as he heard his son's accusations. All of them began to wonder about the truth behind Ryan's words.
"Ryan..." Piper finally began. "We..."
"Don't," Ryan cut her off. "I don't want to hear another explanation. You can try all you want, but you can't always explain everything away! Chris is your son too!"
"Listen to me, Ryan," Piper said forcefully. "I can't explain why I reacted the way I did. But I need you to help me get my other son back...before it's too late."
"You really think it's going to be that easy to get Chris back now that you've rejected him a second time? Do you know how badly he took it the first time? To have it happen all over again..."
"We still have to try," Phoebe joined in. "We're not just going to sit here and hope for everything to work out by themselves."
"Please Ryan," Paige pleaded. "We really need you to help us fix this mess."
Ryan sighed as he sat on the bed. He felt confused and angry. He was angry at his family for treating Chris the way they did. He had thought that this time things would be different. He ran his hand through his hair and tried to think. "Fine," he finally relented. "But I don't know if I can do very much."
Piper moved to hug Ryan again and was grateful when her youngest son didn't push her away. "Thank you, Ryan."
"We need to work this out before we try anything," Ryan stated. "Let's think everything through, okay?"
Everyone agreed and they soon congregated in the parlour again. As they began to discuss their plan, Leo decided to ask a question that had been nagging him ever since Ryan's earlier revelation about Rachel.
"Ryan, how come Wyatt and I didn't show up when you called us to heal Rachel?"
The mention of her daughter's name inflicted a new wave of sorrow on Piper, but she struggled hard to maintain her composure, realizing that at this point, getting Chris back was more urgent than mourning the death of her daughter.
Ryan glared at Leo once again with hatred. "Because you and Wyatt were spending the day on another stupid plane," he hissed. "Whenever you were around, you always spent time with Mom or Wyatt anyways. Not like you ever had time for the rest of us..."
Leo stared at the floor in shame as he heard his son's response. He was afraid that this was what happened and now that Ryan had confirmed it, the Elder felt even worse than before, as impossible as it may seem.
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"Are you sure this is going to work?" Phoebe asked, uncertainty evident in her voice.
"It's not like we have any better ideas," Paige replied. "Plus, Ryan has a closer connection to Chris than any of us, so I think we should trust him on this one."
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Leo asked, hoping that everyone would change their minds.
"Leo, no offense," Paige began, "but we're going to try and bring Chris home, not to provoke him further." Feeling sympathetic when Leo's face fell in disappointment, she added, "I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to make it up to him, okay? But we just need to get him back first."
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"Mokrian," Wyatt laughed. "This is excellent! Poor Chris is isolated and vulnerable now. We will be able to destroy him and the Charmed Ones soon."
Mokrian smiled evilly. "Yes, Lord Wyatt. Our victory is at hand!! We will soon be rid of the thorn in our sides."
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Ryan and the Charmed Ones rematerialized on some remote mountain. They had no idea where they were but this was where Ryan had instructed them to go. The rain pelted against their faces and the wind was threateningly strong. As they looked around, they gasped at the desolation that the weather had caused. They looked down towards the valley and saw the forest burning from numerous lightning strikes. As they witnessed the destruction in awe, another lightning bolt struck nearby, sending more trees into flames.
Ryan moved towards the other end of the plateau and the Charmed Ones quickly followed, not really knowing where he was leading them. It was at that moment that they saw him. Chris. He stood at the edge of the cliff with his back facing them. Piper wanted to run towards her son but Ryan blocked her way.
"Chris?" Ryan called out tentatively.
"What are you doing here?" Chris asked, without turning around.
"Chris, please stop this," Ryan began. "This...this destruction...this isn't you!"
Chris turned around and faced his brother. Piper heart shattered as she saw her son, his eyes hard and cold, his fists clenched, his face void of the love and concern that she had gotten so used to seeing.
"Chris..." Piper began.
"I don't want to hear your explanations, Piper," he sneered, stressing his mother's name.
"Ryan's right," Phoebe joined in. "This isn't you! This isn't the Chris that we know..."
Chris laughed bitterly at the comment. "Of course this is the Chris that you knew. What else would you expect from someone who works with demons...or someone who would murder his own sister?"
Paige took a tentative step towards her nephew. "Chris, we know that we really hurt you. But please come back to the manor and we can work things out. We know the truth, and we know we were wrong."
"That's good for you, Paige," Chris spat. "But that has nothing to do with me."
"Chris," Piper pleaded. "Don't do this...please!"
"Didn't I warn you that you would end up hating me? But you promised that you wouldn't make the same mistake again. You lied to me, Piper."
Piper realized that what Chris said was right, but that didn't stop her from trying to get her son back. "I know you're good, Chris. You don't want to unleash all this destruction. Please, Chris."
Chris extended his hand and a bolt of lightning sliced a nearby tree in half. "Maybe Wyatt was right. There is no point in being good. Look where being good has gotten me?"
"Chris, stop it!" Ryan shouted, hoping to be heard above the howling winds. "You know that you're my role model. I look up to you. There's a reason why I look up to you and not to Wyatt. I want that Chris back!"
Chris smiled sadly at Ryan. "Sorry, Ryan. That Chris is dead. That Chris was a loser, a nobody."
"No, you don't believe that," Paige cried out.
"Leave me alone," Chris ordered as he turned his back on them.
"No, I'm not going to leave my son like this!" Piper said defiantly.
At this point, Leo orbed in, drawing angry glares from Paige and Phoebe. "What are you doing here?" Phoebe hissed. "Didn't we tell you to wait at the manor?"
Leo ignored the questions and called out to his son. "Chris! Son, listen to me."
"Shut up!" Chris hollered. "You have no right to call me that." Turning back to the Charmed Ones, he clenched his fist. "You know what? I don't need you. I DON'T NEED ANY OF YOU!!!" In anger, he swung his hand towards them and a massive wind blew everyone off of their feet. The next thing they knew, everyone except for Chris was back in the attic of the manor. The sad realization dawned on everyone – they had lost Chris.
~ 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 25
Strangely enough, Ryan felt like a weight had been taken off him once he told his family the truth about Rachel. At the same time, though, he also knew that his place is the Halliwell manor would never be the same again. "I'm sorry for everything Mom," he said softly as he ran back to the basement.
Several minutes passed before any of the Charmed Ones managed to get up from their seat. It was Piper who was the first to snap back to reality. Slowly, she made her way to the basement. She was surprised when she found Ryan cleaning out his closet. "Ryan, what are you doing?"
Ryan continued to pack as he answered Piper's question. "I just needed to pack a few things with me. I hope that's okay, Mom."
"Pack? Where are you going?"
"I don't know yet. I'll find something."
Piper took her son's arms and they both sat on the bed. "Ryan, why do think that you have to leave?"
Ryan looked into his mother's eyes. "Because now you know that Rachel's death was my fault."
"Oh, Ryan..." Piper whispered as she pulled him into a hug. "It wasn't your fault...you didn't know that was going to happen."
"Rachel is still dead because of me..."
"Ryan, I'll love you no matter what," Piper reassured her son. "Don't forget that..."
Phoebe and Paige came into the room just as Ryan pushed Piper away. A look of hurt flashed on Piper's face at her son's reaction.
"Why is everything so unfair?" Ryan lashed out angrily.
"Ryan? What are you talking about?" Phoebe asked.
"Wyatt was a killer, a murderer, the evil of all evils...and yet you all treated him like he was the perfect child. I just told you that I had killed my sister...and you all accept me as if nothing happened. But Chris...why doesn't anyone treat him the same? He never even did anything wrong...he was just protecting me, protecting Wyatt, even. And everyone treated him like trash!!"
Ryan's latest outburst increased the feeling of guilt that was already plaguing the sisters. Leo felt even worse as he heard his son's accusations. All of them began to wonder about the truth behind Ryan's words.
"Ryan..." Piper finally began. "We..."
"Don't," Ryan cut her off. "I don't want to hear another explanation. You can try all you want, but you can't always explain everything away! Chris is your son too!"
"Listen to me, Ryan," Piper said forcefully. "I can't explain why I reacted the way I did. But I need you to help me get my other son back...before it's too late."
"You really think it's going to be that easy to get Chris back now that you've rejected him a second time? Do you know how badly he took it the first time? To have it happen all over again..."
"We still have to try," Phoebe joined in. "We're not just going to sit here and hope for everything to work out by themselves."
"Please Ryan," Paige pleaded. "We really need you to help us fix this mess."
Ryan sighed as he sat on the bed. He felt confused and angry. He was angry at his family for treating Chris the way they did. He had thought that this time things would be different. He ran his hand through his hair and tried to think. "Fine," he finally relented. "But I don't know if I can do very much."
Piper moved to hug Ryan again and was grateful when her youngest son didn't push her away. "Thank you, Ryan."
"We need to work this out before we try anything," Ryan stated. "Let's think everything through, okay?"
Everyone agreed and they soon congregated in the parlour again. As they began to discuss their plan, Leo decided to ask a question that had been nagging him ever since Ryan's earlier revelation about Rachel.
"Ryan, how come Wyatt and I didn't show up when you called us to heal Rachel?"
The mention of her daughter's name inflicted a new wave of sorrow on Piper, but she struggled hard to maintain her composure, realizing that at this point, getting Chris back was more urgent than mourning the death of her daughter.
Ryan glared at Leo once again with hatred. "Because you and Wyatt were spending the day on another stupid plane," he hissed. "Whenever you were around, you always spent time with Mom or Wyatt anyways. Not like you ever had time for the rest of us..."
Leo stared at the floor in shame as he heard his son's response. He was afraid that this was what happened and now that Ryan had confirmed it, the Elder felt even worse than before, as impossible as it may seem.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Phoebe asked, uncertainty evident in her voice.
"It's not like we have any better ideas," Paige replied. "Plus, Ryan has a closer connection to Chris than any of us, so I think we should trust him on this one."
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Leo asked, hoping that everyone would change their minds.
"Leo, no offense," Paige began, "but we're going to try and bring Chris home, not to provoke him further." Feeling sympathetic when Leo's face fell in disappointment, she added, "I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to make it up to him, okay? But we just need to get him back first."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Mokrian," Wyatt laughed. "This is excellent! Poor Chris is isolated and vulnerable now. We will be able to destroy him and the Charmed Ones soon."
Mokrian smiled evilly. "Yes, Lord Wyatt. Our victory is at hand!! We will soon be rid of the thorn in our sides."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Ryan and the Charmed Ones rematerialized on some remote mountain. They had no idea where they were but this was where Ryan had instructed them to go. The rain pelted against their faces and the wind was threateningly strong. As they looked around, they gasped at the desolation that the weather had caused. They looked down towards the valley and saw the forest burning from numerous lightning strikes. As they witnessed the destruction in awe, another lightning bolt struck nearby, sending more trees into flames.
Ryan moved towards the other end of the plateau and the Charmed Ones quickly followed, not really knowing where he was leading them. It was at that moment that they saw him. Chris. He stood at the edge of the cliff with his back facing them. Piper wanted to run towards her son but Ryan blocked her way.
"Chris?" Ryan called out tentatively.
"What are you doing here?" Chris asked, without turning around.
"Chris, please stop this," Ryan began. "This...this destruction...this isn't you!"
Chris turned around and faced his brother. Piper heart shattered as she saw her son, his eyes hard and cold, his fists clenched, his face void of the love and concern that she had gotten so used to seeing.
"Chris..." Piper began.
"I don't want to hear your explanations, Piper," he sneered, stressing his mother's name.
"Ryan's right," Phoebe joined in. "This isn't you! This isn't the Chris that we know..."
Chris laughed bitterly at the comment. "Of course this is the Chris that you knew. What else would you expect from someone who works with demons...or someone who would murder his own sister?"
Paige took a tentative step towards her nephew. "Chris, we know that we really hurt you. But please come back to the manor and we can work things out. We know the truth, and we know we were wrong."
"That's good for you, Paige," Chris spat. "But that has nothing to do with me."
"Chris," Piper pleaded. "Don't do this...please!"
"Didn't I warn you that you would end up hating me? But you promised that you wouldn't make the same mistake again. You lied to me, Piper."
Piper realized that what Chris said was right, but that didn't stop her from trying to get her son back. "I know you're good, Chris. You don't want to unleash all this destruction. Please, Chris."
Chris extended his hand and a bolt of lightning sliced a nearby tree in half. "Maybe Wyatt was right. There is no point in being good. Look where being good has gotten me?"
"Chris, stop it!" Ryan shouted, hoping to be heard above the howling winds. "You know that you're my role model. I look up to you. There's a reason why I look up to you and not to Wyatt. I want that Chris back!"
Chris smiled sadly at Ryan. "Sorry, Ryan. That Chris is dead. That Chris was a loser, a nobody."
"No, you don't believe that," Paige cried out.
"Leave me alone," Chris ordered as he turned his back on them.
"No, I'm not going to leave my son like this!" Piper said defiantly.
At this point, Leo orbed in, drawing angry glares from Paige and Phoebe. "What are you doing here?" Phoebe hissed. "Didn't we tell you to wait at the manor?"
Leo ignored the questions and called out to his son. "Chris! Son, listen to me."
"Shut up!" Chris hollered. "You have no right to call me that." Turning back to the Charmed Ones, he clenched his fist. "You know what? I don't need you. I DON'T NEED ANY OF YOU!!!" In anger, he swung his hand towards them and a massive wind blew everyone off of their feet. The next thing they knew, everyone except for Chris was back in the attic of the manor. The sad realization dawned on everyone – they had lost Chris.
~ to be continued ~