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 26
The attic was filled with a depressing sense of dread. No one talked and everyone just looked shocked. The horrific weather appeared to be dying down, but no one was really in the mood to notice.
Leo finally got up and moved towards his youngest son. "Are you alright, Ryan?"
Ryan abruptly pulled away and just glared at Leo with angry eyes. "Are you happy now?" he hissed. "Great job, Dad," he sneered, putting a sarcastic emphasis on the word 'dad.'"
"Why exactly did you show up anyways, Leo?" Paige demanded. "Didn't we tell you to stay at the manor?"
Leo stared at the floor, slightly ashamed of his actions. "I just couldn't sit around doing nothing, knowing that my son was in trouble."
Ryan laughed bitterly. "Where were you when we really needed you in the future?" he questioned. "Where were you during parents night at school? Everyone else had their moms and dads going with them. I didn't have anyone. Everyone looked at me as if I was some weird creature from outer space..."
"I..." Leo struggled for an answer.
"Every year it was the same story...you always promised to come and then always had a reason for not showing up."
Piper glared at Leo angrily but didn't say a word, not wanting to make a bad situation worse.
"I'm so sorry I put you through all that," Leo apologized. "I promise that this time 'round, it won't happen again."
Ryan scoffed at Leo's promises. "You know what, your promises aren't worth very much to me. And to tell you the truth, I don't really care if you change or not, you don't really matter in my life. After Mom died, Chris was the person who brought me up. He was like a father and a brother to me. I'm sorry, Leo, but your place has already been taken."
Leo was stung by Ryan's words but he knew that they were very true as well. Based on what Chris and Ryan had told him, he was an absolutely horrid father. However, he wanted to convince his sons that he wanted to be a part of their lives and that he would make the most of a second chance.
"Don't you think I deserve another chance, Ryan?" he asked with hope.
Ryan glared at his father. "You already had a second chance with Chris and you blew it big time."
Phoebe could feel the onset of a major headache. "Can you two just stop for a while? All this arguing is not going to get us anywhere."
Both Ryan and Leo fell silent at Phoebe's comment, but Ryan's angry glare remained frozen on his face.
"We need to get Chris back," Piper began, stating the obvious. "I don't care what I have to do, I'm not going to let him destroy himself like this."
"Well, that we can agree on," Paige continued. "The question is how exactly we plan to achieve that."
"Let's go talk to him again," Piper suggested.
"You really think Chris is going to want to sit down and chat now, Mom?" Ryan asked with a hint of sarcasm. "That might've worked a month ago. Not now." Seeing the hurt expression on Piper's face, Ryan had the grace to look slightly ashamed. "Sorry, Mom," he muttered.
"That's okay," Piper said softly. "I think we're all a bit overwhelmed."
Everyone tried to think of various alternatives but were simply too drained to be of much help. Reluctantly, they decided that a good night's sleep might be what was needed to help bring back Chris.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
A week later...
"Piper, you need to eat," Phoebe said for the tenth time that day. "You're going to starve yourself to death at the rate you're going."
"I'm not hungry," Piper said with little emotion. "I'm a horrible mother. Absolutely horrible."
"Stop it, Piper," Phoebe answered. "You're not doing yourself, or Chris, any good by sitting around moping. You need your energy if you want to bring back your son. We'll need all the help we can get, you know."
"She's right," Ryan said as he walked into the kitchen. "You really need to eat. Chris wouldn't want to see you like this," he added. In the days since the big incident, Ryan had calmed down considerably and his anger had subsided. The only exception was his anger towards Leo, although he tried to keep those feelings in check for the sake of his distressed mother.
"It's been a week, Ryan. One whole week," Piper lamented.
"We'll find him, Mom. We'll bring him back," Ryan comforted his mother with a determined look. "Chris is strong, Mom. He won't let this beat him. He's here on a mission, remember?"
Piper wasn't too convinced, but she felt slightly calmer than before. Her youngest son's assurances were the only thing that she could hold on to at this point.
A loud crash in the parlour put everyone on guard. Phoebe and Paige rushed into the parlour to find two demons waiting for them. Immediately, the two Charmed Ones went on the attack. They easily vanquished the demons but four more showed up, followed by another four. The witches were soon surrounded. At the same time, another group of demons shimmered into a kitchen, cornering Piper and Ryan. Knowing that he didn't have the power to vanquish the demons, Ryan instinctively stood in front of Piper, trying to protect her. He tried not to let his fear show but the demons' knowing smiles suggested that they were not fooled.
Almost as quickly as the demons appeared, they exploded simultaneously, leaving scorch marks as evidence of their attack. Piper and Ryan rushed into the parlour to make sure that Paige and Phoebe were unhurt.
"Good one," Piper congratulated her sisters. "That was a little too close for comfort."
Paige and Phoebe stared at each other in puzzlement. "I thought you vanquished the demons," they said to Piper. "Okay, that was weird," Phoebe concluded when met by Piper's blank look.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Where are you?" Ryan called out as he walked through the deserted warehouse, careful not to trip over the empty boxes that littered the building. His voice echoed through the empty building as he continued to navigate around the maze of crates.
"What are you doing here?" a voice demanded, making Ryan stop in his tracks.
"Chris..."
"You shouldn't be here."
"Mom is worried sick about you. Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige too," Ryan said.
"Good for them," Chris answered with total indifference. "Like I said, you shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous for you to be out alone."
"Please come home..."
"I don't have a home."
"Don't do this, Chris...they're sorry for what they've done."
"And they should be," Chris answered back, his voice full of bitterness. Ryan was taken aback by the bitterness and hatred in Chris' voice. It seemed like he was talking to a different person.
"Chris, this isn't you..." Ryan continued. "This isn't the Chris I know and love...please, Chris...you know this is Wyatt's doing...you can't let him beat you."
Chris smirked at Ryan's comment. "I don't give a damn about Wyatt. He can do whatever he wants. It has nothing to do with me."
"You're lying!" Ryan hollered, getting angry by Chris' response.
"If you say so."
"If you're really as uncaring as you say you are, why did you help us this morning?"
Chris raised his eyebrows and waited for Ryan to continue.
"I know it was you who vanquished the demons. And don't deny it, either, Christopher."
"Just go, Ryan, before they start freaking out over your whereabouts."
Ryan shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Chris...you've really disappointed me," he whispered before running out of the warehouse, not caring what he bumped into on the way out.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Ryan, is that you?" Piper called out from the kitchen.
Ryan walked into the kitchen, looking dispirited. "Hi Mom."
"Where have you been? You don't look so good."
"I'm fine," Ryan mumbled before sitting down at the kitchen table.
Piper sat down beside her son. "You saw Chris, didn't you?" she concluded. Ryan nodded dejectedly. "And he's still angry..."
"I tried to get him to come home," he explained. "I never seen him like this before. Not even when Marisa died..."
Piper sighed. If even Ryan was having a hard time getting through to Chris, what chance did she and her sisters have? "We'll think of a way, honey," she comforted her son. "Come on, let's go out into the parlour. We need to talk."
Ryan nodded and got up to follow Piper. Both of them stopped in their tracks when they went into a parlour and discovered a visitor.
"Hi Mom..."
~ 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 26
The attic was filled with a depressing sense of dread. No one talked and everyone just looked shocked. The horrific weather appeared to be dying down, but no one was really in the mood to notice.
Leo finally got up and moved towards his youngest son. "Are you alright, Ryan?"
Ryan abruptly pulled away and just glared at Leo with angry eyes. "Are you happy now?" he hissed. "Great job, Dad," he sneered, putting a sarcastic emphasis on the word 'dad.'"
"Why exactly did you show up anyways, Leo?" Paige demanded. "Didn't we tell you to stay at the manor?"
Leo stared at the floor, slightly ashamed of his actions. "I just couldn't sit around doing nothing, knowing that my son was in trouble."
Ryan laughed bitterly. "Where were you when we really needed you in the future?" he questioned. "Where were you during parents night at school? Everyone else had their moms and dads going with them. I didn't have anyone. Everyone looked at me as if I was some weird creature from outer space..."
"I..." Leo struggled for an answer.
"Every year it was the same story...you always promised to come and then always had a reason for not showing up."
Piper glared at Leo angrily but didn't say a word, not wanting to make a bad situation worse.
"I'm so sorry I put you through all that," Leo apologized. "I promise that this time 'round, it won't happen again."
Ryan scoffed at Leo's promises. "You know what, your promises aren't worth very much to me. And to tell you the truth, I don't really care if you change or not, you don't really matter in my life. After Mom died, Chris was the person who brought me up. He was like a father and a brother to me. I'm sorry, Leo, but your place has already been taken."
Leo was stung by Ryan's words but he knew that they were very true as well. Based on what Chris and Ryan had told him, he was an absolutely horrid father. However, he wanted to convince his sons that he wanted to be a part of their lives and that he would make the most of a second chance.
"Don't you think I deserve another chance, Ryan?" he asked with hope.
Ryan glared at his father. "You already had a second chance with Chris and you blew it big time."
Phoebe could feel the onset of a major headache. "Can you two just stop for a while? All this arguing is not going to get us anywhere."
Both Ryan and Leo fell silent at Phoebe's comment, but Ryan's angry glare remained frozen on his face.
"We need to get Chris back," Piper began, stating the obvious. "I don't care what I have to do, I'm not going to let him destroy himself like this."
"Well, that we can agree on," Paige continued. "The question is how exactly we plan to achieve that."
"Let's go talk to him again," Piper suggested.
"You really think Chris is going to want to sit down and chat now, Mom?" Ryan asked with a hint of sarcasm. "That might've worked a month ago. Not now." Seeing the hurt expression on Piper's face, Ryan had the grace to look slightly ashamed. "Sorry, Mom," he muttered.
"That's okay," Piper said softly. "I think we're all a bit overwhelmed."
Everyone tried to think of various alternatives but were simply too drained to be of much help. Reluctantly, they decided that a good night's sleep might be what was needed to help bring back Chris.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
A week later...
"Piper, you need to eat," Phoebe said for the tenth time that day. "You're going to starve yourself to death at the rate you're going."
"I'm not hungry," Piper said with little emotion. "I'm a horrible mother. Absolutely horrible."
"Stop it, Piper," Phoebe answered. "You're not doing yourself, or Chris, any good by sitting around moping. You need your energy if you want to bring back your son. We'll need all the help we can get, you know."
"She's right," Ryan said as he walked into the kitchen. "You really need to eat. Chris wouldn't want to see you like this," he added. In the days since the big incident, Ryan had calmed down considerably and his anger had subsided. The only exception was his anger towards Leo, although he tried to keep those feelings in check for the sake of his distressed mother.
"It's been a week, Ryan. One whole week," Piper lamented.
"We'll find him, Mom. We'll bring him back," Ryan comforted his mother with a determined look. "Chris is strong, Mom. He won't let this beat him. He's here on a mission, remember?"
Piper wasn't too convinced, but she felt slightly calmer than before. Her youngest son's assurances were the only thing that she could hold on to at this point.
A loud crash in the parlour put everyone on guard. Phoebe and Paige rushed into the parlour to find two demons waiting for them. Immediately, the two Charmed Ones went on the attack. They easily vanquished the demons but four more showed up, followed by another four. The witches were soon surrounded. At the same time, another group of demons shimmered into a kitchen, cornering Piper and Ryan. Knowing that he didn't have the power to vanquish the demons, Ryan instinctively stood in front of Piper, trying to protect her. He tried not to let his fear show but the demons' knowing smiles suggested that they were not fooled.
Almost as quickly as the demons appeared, they exploded simultaneously, leaving scorch marks as evidence of their attack. Piper and Ryan rushed into the parlour to make sure that Paige and Phoebe were unhurt.
"Good one," Piper congratulated her sisters. "That was a little too close for comfort."
Paige and Phoebe stared at each other in puzzlement. "I thought you vanquished the demons," they said to Piper. "Okay, that was weird," Phoebe concluded when met by Piper's blank look.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Where are you?" Ryan called out as he walked through the deserted warehouse, careful not to trip over the empty boxes that littered the building. His voice echoed through the empty building as he continued to navigate around the maze of crates.
"What are you doing here?" a voice demanded, making Ryan stop in his tracks.
"Chris..."
"You shouldn't be here."
"Mom is worried sick about you. Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige too," Ryan said.
"Good for them," Chris answered with total indifference. "Like I said, you shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous for you to be out alone."
"Please come home..."
"I don't have a home."
"Don't do this, Chris...they're sorry for what they've done."
"And they should be," Chris answered back, his voice full of bitterness. Ryan was taken aback by the bitterness and hatred in Chris' voice. It seemed like he was talking to a different person.
"Chris, this isn't you..." Ryan continued. "This isn't the Chris I know and love...please, Chris...you know this is Wyatt's doing...you can't let him beat you."
Chris smirked at Ryan's comment. "I don't give a damn about Wyatt. He can do whatever he wants. It has nothing to do with me."
"You're lying!" Ryan hollered, getting angry by Chris' response.
"If you say so."
"If you're really as uncaring as you say you are, why did you help us this morning?"
Chris raised his eyebrows and waited for Ryan to continue.
"I know it was you who vanquished the demons. And don't deny it, either, Christopher."
"Just go, Ryan, before they start freaking out over your whereabouts."
Ryan shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Chris...you've really disappointed me," he whispered before running out of the warehouse, not caring what he bumped into on the way out.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Ryan, is that you?" Piper called out from the kitchen.
Ryan walked into the kitchen, looking dispirited. "Hi Mom."
"Where have you been? You don't look so good."
"I'm fine," Ryan mumbled before sitting down at the kitchen table.
Piper sat down beside her son. "You saw Chris, didn't you?" she concluded. Ryan nodded dejectedly. "And he's still angry..."
"I tried to get him to come home," he explained. "I never seen him like this before. Not even when Marisa died..."
Piper sighed. If even Ryan was having a hard time getting through to Chris, what chance did she and her sisters have? "We'll think of a way, honey," she comforted her son. "Come on, let's go out into the parlour. We need to talk."
Ryan nodded and got up to follow Piper. Both of them stopped in their tracks when they went into a parlour and discovered a visitor.
"Hi Mom..."
~ to be continued ~