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 jefflangdonhotmail.com!
The Pain of Future Wrongs – Chapter 29
"Time's up, Chris. Make your choice," Mokrian sneered.
Chris looked at Ryan and Wyatt. They were both his brothers, so how could he possibly make the choice that Mokrian wanted him to make? "How do I know that you'll keep up your end of the bargain?"
Mokrian laughed. "Once you kill either Ryan or Wyatt, I will have no reason to hurt you again. You see, I will return to my future where I will rule supreme. By that time, the Charmed Ones would already be dead and there will not be a new Power of Three to threaten me. So of course, I will keep up my end of the bargain. But enough talking. You've stalled long enough, Chris."
"No..." Piper whimpered as she felt her knees weaken. Only Leo holding her kept her from collapsing all together.
Phoebe conferred with Paige, trying to figure out a way to destroy Mokrian before Chris had to make a choice.
"Don't even bother trying to think of a way to kill me," Mokrian began. "I have absorbed Wyatt's power now and there's no way your Power of Three can hurt me. Try anything stupid and you'll lose both Wyatt and Ryan."
Chris looked at Wyatt and noticed that his older brother's eyes were no longer black...they had become blue again. He wanted to smile, but his thoughts were interrupted by the images of his friends, pleading with Wyatt for mercy. He heard their anguished screams as Wyatt murdered them. Chris looked away, not wanted to relive those memories again.
He turned to look at Ryan. The youngest Halliwell had grown up to be a courageous young man. Chris was proud of Ryan, knowing that there was still so much that he could achieve.
Ryan returned Chris' gaze. Even though they didn't say anything, both brothers understood what the other was trying to say. Ryan had a look of understanding as he silently offered himself in exchange for Wyatt, following Chris' earlier example.
Chris shook his head, refusing to accept Ryan's decision, but Ryan's sad eyes told him that there was no other choice. His eyes darted back to Wyatt and again the conflicting emotions came flooding back. Part of him hated Wyatt and still wanted his older brother to pay for his crimes. But another part of Chris had long forgiven his brother.
The stress of having to determine his brothers' fate was too much for Chris to handle. He clutched his head with his hands, desperately trying to ease the pain that he was feeling. He looked back at his family, silently pleading for help. "Help me..." he whispered finally, knowing that he could not make a decision.
Piper looked on helplessly, knowing that she can't help any of her sons. Leo tried to appear strong but was failing miserably. Phoebe and Paige still tried to come up with some sort of plan, but success eluded them.
"Choose now or I'll choose for you, Chris," Mokrian warned, his patience running out.
Chris turned back to face the demon and his brothers. If he hadn't lost so much energy and power in his earlier fight with Mokrian, he probably would have taken the chance and fought the demon instead. But that was now out of the question. He took one last look at his brothers before willing himself to make a decision.
Ryan closed his eyes and braced himself. He knew Chris understood his message and if it came down to a hard choice, Ryan was willing to give himself up. He still bore hard feelings towards Wyatt, but he was doing this for Chris. Despite all the hurt that Chris had suffered at the hands of Wyatt, Ryan knew that Chris still loved his older brother. Ryan didn't want Chris to live with the guilt of killing Wyatt -- after all, his whole purpose of coming back to the past was to save Wyatt, not to kill him.
Chris made his decision, though he was still praying for a last minute miracle that would save him from carrying it out. He looked sadly at Wyatt and then at Ryan, who nodded grimly. "I'm sorry," Chris whispered while Ryan just closed his eyes. Chris turned back to his family. "I'm so sorry..." he said again before unleashing a massive bolt of energy.
Chris closed his eyes and tried to block out everything. He could hear Piper screaming in agony. He could hear Mokrian laughing. He heard Wyatt cry out...
Piper screamed as she felt an indescribable pain. She was thrown back against the wall. She clutched her stomach and cried out. Leo immediately rushed to her side, trying desperately to heal his wife.
Phoebe and Paige looked on in shock, unable to believe what they had just seen. Mokrian, seeing the developing events, released Wyatt and Ryan from his hold. The two immediately ran over to Piper, seeing if she was alright.
Chris suddenly doubled over in pain, his attempts to stifle his pained cries were unsuccessful as he was overwhelmed. He collapsed onto the floor as cold sweat dampened his face.
By this time, Piper's wounds had been healed, but Chris' cries filled the manor. Piper looked on in shock as the realization dawned on her. She clutched her stomach frantically. "Chris!!!" she screamed hysterically. "My baby!!! My baby!!!"
Leo applied his healing to Piper's womb and his face paled. "He...he's gone..." he said to no one in particular.
"NOOO!!!!!" Piper wailed. "Chris!!!!!"
Wyatt and Ryan looked over at their ailing brother. They couldn't believe that Chris had chosen to kill himself rather than to kill one of them. Wyatt glared at Mokrian with pure hatred and Ryan wore a similar look. The demon was too busy gloating to notice the angry eyes.
Without communicating with each other, both Wyatt and Ryan had a similar thought in mind. Grabbing the poisoned arrows that were used earlier to attack Chris, Wyatt charged towards Mokrian and pierced the demon with the arrows. At the same time, Ryan did the same thing. The demon's eyes shot open in surprise as the poison spread across his body.
He cried out in agony as he flung Wyatt and Ryan against the wall. Mokrian screamed as he tried to force the poison out with little success. Ignoring the demon, Wyatt and Ryan rushed back to Chris, who was becoming weaker by the minute.
"Come on, Chris, you can't leave us now," Ryan cried as he used his hands to wipe away the steady stream of tears. "You promised me you'd take care of me..."
Chris just looked up at his brother sadly. "Sorry..." he whispered.
"NO!" Wyatt whispered in a shaky voice. "You can't do this, Chris. I won't let you!!!"
"Too late, Wy..."
"No...you can't just come back and change everything and then just leave....You can't!!!" he rambled as he choked on his tears. "You can't give up on me now. I've waited so long for this...you can't...I can't do this alone!!"
"You can, Wy. I know you can..."
Mokrian shouted as he began to force the poison out of his body, slowly but surely. Chris struggled to move but managed to pull out a small vial. "This can destroy Mokrian..." he gasped.
"How?" Wyatt asked, not understanding.
"Trust me," Chris said. "It'll work. Just put one drop of everyone's blood in it and throw it at him. It was originally meant for you, but since he now has your powers, you need to use it on him. The poison should have weakened him enough so that the potion will work."
Both Wyatt and Ryan hesitated, not wanting to leave Chris for even one second.
"What are you waiting for?" Chris asked, slightly exasperated. "Hurry, before Mokrian recovers!"
Wyatt got up and quickly did as Chris instructed. It wasn't a moment too soon because as soon as Ryan put his drop of blood into the vial, Mokrian tried again to force the poison out. Without hesitation, Wyatt grabbed the vial and threw it at Mokrian. The vial struck its target and the demon was enflamed before being reduced to ashes.
The destruction of Mokrian allowed everyone to breath a sigh of relief. The feeling was short-lived however, as they remembered the bigger problem on their hands – Chris.
This time, everyone crowded around the brave, heroic Halliwell, as if their mere presence could heal Chris. Piper held her son's hand, which was quickly losing body heat.
"You're going to be okay, Chris," Piper comforted her son. "Everything is going to be okay."
Wyatt held Chris' other hand, holding it tightly. "Mom's right, you're going to be okay," he tried to joke as he cried. "Look what you've done...you've turned me back into my emotional self again. If you could do that, there's no way you're going to die, okay?"
Chris tried to laugh at his brother's comment but it was too painful for him to do. "I did it, Wyatt...I saved you..."
Wyatt nodded furiously, his sobs becoming uncontrollable. "Yeah...you saved me, Chris. You saved me!!! Please don't go..." he cried as Chris' eyes began to close.
Paige and Phoebe held Ryan tightly as they watched Chris' life draining away. Ryan was crying silent tears, still not understanding why his brother chose to do what he did. He had offered his life in exchange for Wyatt's but yet Chris still decided to take his own instead. He didn't understand why things turned out the way they did, he didn't want to understand. He was reliving the worst day of his life...the day his mother and aunts died. Only now, he was forced to watch Chris, his beloved brother, die.
Wyatt was in full panic mode. He tried to heal Chris, momentarily forgetting that he no longer had any powers. "Dad!! Dad!! Heal Chris!!!" he cried out desperately.
"I've tried, there's nothing more I can do..."
"Try again!!" Wyatt hollered. "Maybe it'll work this time! Aunt Paige, help me!!!"
Paige sighed and hugged Wyatt. "Leo's right. There's nothing that we can do."
"My baby..." Piper cried as she hugged Chris, refusing to believe that her son was dying. "I'm so sorry...so sorry..."
Chris slowly closed his eyes, feeling exhaustion and fatigue overtake him. It had been so many years of struggle, of fighting. Now the burden was finally lifted and he just wanted to rest.
Suddenly Wyatt jumped out and grabbed a piece of paper. He scribbled down something furiously before giving it to Phoebe.
"What is this?" Phoebe asked, confused.
"I remember. I used this spell in the future. It can prolong a person's life so that they won't die yet. Hurry, say the spell. We can find a way to save Chris later, but we can't let him die now!!"
Paige looked at Wyatt with skepticism. "How do we know this spell will really do as you say?"
Wyatt was hurt that his own family didn't trust him, but he also knew that he deserved it. "Please...listen to me. I just want to save Chris. Please!!"
Reluctantly, the Charmed Ones agreed and recited Wyatt's spell. Everyone held their breath as they waited to see what would happen.
The silence was broken by Piper's cry. Wyatt looked and gasped. "This can't be!!!" he muttered to himself. "This was the spell...this was the spell!!!" If Wyatt still had his magic, his grief and anger would have destroyed the entire city of San Francisco. Wyatt fell to his knees as Chris' body went limp and slumped against Piper.
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 jefflangdonhotmail.com!
The Pain of Future Wrongs – Chapter 29
"Time's up, Chris. Make your choice," Mokrian sneered.
Chris looked at Ryan and Wyatt. They were both his brothers, so how could he possibly make the choice that Mokrian wanted him to make? "How do I know that you'll keep up your end of the bargain?"
Mokrian laughed. "Once you kill either Ryan or Wyatt, I will have no reason to hurt you again. You see, I will return to my future where I will rule supreme. By that time, the Charmed Ones would already be dead and there will not be a new Power of Three to threaten me. So of course, I will keep up my end of the bargain. But enough talking. You've stalled long enough, Chris."
"No..." Piper whimpered as she felt her knees weaken. Only Leo holding her kept her from collapsing all together.
Phoebe conferred with Paige, trying to figure out a way to destroy Mokrian before Chris had to make a choice.
"Don't even bother trying to think of a way to kill me," Mokrian began. "I have absorbed Wyatt's power now and there's no way your Power of Three can hurt me. Try anything stupid and you'll lose both Wyatt and Ryan."
Chris looked at Wyatt and noticed that his older brother's eyes were no longer black...they had become blue again. He wanted to smile, but his thoughts were interrupted by the images of his friends, pleading with Wyatt for mercy. He heard their anguished screams as Wyatt murdered them. Chris looked away, not wanted to relive those memories again.
He turned to look at Ryan. The youngest Halliwell had grown up to be a courageous young man. Chris was proud of Ryan, knowing that there was still so much that he could achieve.
Ryan returned Chris' gaze. Even though they didn't say anything, both brothers understood what the other was trying to say. Ryan had a look of understanding as he silently offered himself in exchange for Wyatt, following Chris' earlier example.
Chris shook his head, refusing to accept Ryan's decision, but Ryan's sad eyes told him that there was no other choice. His eyes darted back to Wyatt and again the conflicting emotions came flooding back. Part of him hated Wyatt and still wanted his older brother to pay for his crimes. But another part of Chris had long forgiven his brother.
The stress of having to determine his brothers' fate was too much for Chris to handle. He clutched his head with his hands, desperately trying to ease the pain that he was feeling. He looked back at his family, silently pleading for help. "Help me..." he whispered finally, knowing that he could not make a decision.
Piper looked on helplessly, knowing that she can't help any of her sons. Leo tried to appear strong but was failing miserably. Phoebe and Paige still tried to come up with some sort of plan, but success eluded them.
"Choose now or I'll choose for you, Chris," Mokrian warned, his patience running out.
Chris turned back to face the demon and his brothers. If he hadn't lost so much energy and power in his earlier fight with Mokrian, he probably would have taken the chance and fought the demon instead. But that was now out of the question. He took one last look at his brothers before willing himself to make a decision.
Ryan closed his eyes and braced himself. He knew Chris understood his message and if it came down to a hard choice, Ryan was willing to give himself up. He still bore hard feelings towards Wyatt, but he was doing this for Chris. Despite all the hurt that Chris had suffered at the hands of Wyatt, Ryan knew that Chris still loved his older brother. Ryan didn't want Chris to live with the guilt of killing Wyatt -- after all, his whole purpose of coming back to the past was to save Wyatt, not to kill him.
Chris made his decision, though he was still praying for a last minute miracle that would save him from carrying it out. He looked sadly at Wyatt and then at Ryan, who nodded grimly. "I'm sorry," Chris whispered while Ryan just closed his eyes. Chris turned back to his family. "I'm so sorry..." he said again before unleashing a massive bolt of energy.
Chris closed his eyes and tried to block out everything. He could hear Piper screaming in agony. He could hear Mokrian laughing. He heard Wyatt cry out...
Piper screamed as she felt an indescribable pain. She was thrown back against the wall. She clutched her stomach and cried out. Leo immediately rushed to her side, trying desperately to heal his wife.
Phoebe and Paige looked on in shock, unable to believe what they had just seen. Mokrian, seeing the developing events, released Wyatt and Ryan from his hold. The two immediately ran over to Piper, seeing if she was alright.
Chris suddenly doubled over in pain, his attempts to stifle his pained cries were unsuccessful as he was overwhelmed. He collapsed onto the floor as cold sweat dampened his face.
By this time, Piper's wounds had been healed, but Chris' cries filled the manor. Piper looked on in shock as the realization dawned on her. She clutched her stomach frantically. "Chris!!!" she screamed hysterically. "My baby!!! My baby!!!"
Leo applied his healing to Piper's womb and his face paled. "He...he's gone..." he said to no one in particular.
"NOOO!!!!!" Piper wailed. "Chris!!!!!"
Wyatt and Ryan looked over at their ailing brother. They couldn't believe that Chris had chosen to kill himself rather than to kill one of them. Wyatt glared at Mokrian with pure hatred and Ryan wore a similar look. The demon was too busy gloating to notice the angry eyes.
Without communicating with each other, both Wyatt and Ryan had a similar thought in mind. Grabbing the poisoned arrows that were used earlier to attack Chris, Wyatt charged towards Mokrian and pierced the demon with the arrows. At the same time, Ryan did the same thing. The demon's eyes shot open in surprise as the poison spread across his body.
He cried out in agony as he flung Wyatt and Ryan against the wall. Mokrian screamed as he tried to force the poison out with little success. Ignoring the demon, Wyatt and Ryan rushed back to Chris, who was becoming weaker by the minute.
"Come on, Chris, you can't leave us now," Ryan cried as he used his hands to wipe away the steady stream of tears. "You promised me you'd take care of me..."
Chris just looked up at his brother sadly. "Sorry..." he whispered.
"NO!" Wyatt whispered in a shaky voice. "You can't do this, Chris. I won't let you!!!"
"Too late, Wy..."
"No...you can't just come back and change everything and then just leave....You can't!!!" he rambled as he choked on his tears. "You can't give up on me now. I've waited so long for this...you can't...I can't do this alone!!"
"You can, Wy. I know you can..."
Mokrian shouted as he began to force the poison out of his body, slowly but surely. Chris struggled to move but managed to pull out a small vial. "This can destroy Mokrian..." he gasped.
"How?" Wyatt asked, not understanding.
"Trust me," Chris said. "It'll work. Just put one drop of everyone's blood in it and throw it at him. It was originally meant for you, but since he now has your powers, you need to use it on him. The poison should have weakened him enough so that the potion will work."
Both Wyatt and Ryan hesitated, not wanting to leave Chris for even one second.
"What are you waiting for?" Chris asked, slightly exasperated. "Hurry, before Mokrian recovers!"
Wyatt got up and quickly did as Chris instructed. It wasn't a moment too soon because as soon as Ryan put his drop of blood into the vial, Mokrian tried again to force the poison out. Without hesitation, Wyatt grabbed the vial and threw it at Mokrian. The vial struck its target and the demon was enflamed before being reduced to ashes.
The destruction of Mokrian allowed everyone to breath a sigh of relief. The feeling was short-lived however, as they remembered the bigger problem on their hands – Chris.
This time, everyone crowded around the brave, heroic Halliwell, as if their mere presence could heal Chris. Piper held her son's hand, which was quickly losing body heat.
"You're going to be okay, Chris," Piper comforted her son. "Everything is going to be okay."
Wyatt held Chris' other hand, holding it tightly. "Mom's right, you're going to be okay," he tried to joke as he cried. "Look what you've done...you've turned me back into my emotional self again. If you could do that, there's no way you're going to die, okay?"
Chris tried to laugh at his brother's comment but it was too painful for him to do. "I did it, Wyatt...I saved you..."
Wyatt nodded furiously, his sobs becoming uncontrollable. "Yeah...you saved me, Chris. You saved me!!! Please don't go..." he cried as Chris' eyes began to close.
Paige and Phoebe held Ryan tightly as they watched Chris' life draining away. Ryan was crying silent tears, still not understanding why his brother chose to do what he did. He had offered his life in exchange for Wyatt's but yet Chris still decided to take his own instead. He didn't understand why things turned out the way they did, he didn't want to understand. He was reliving the worst day of his life...the day his mother and aunts died. Only now, he was forced to watch Chris, his beloved brother, die.
Wyatt was in full panic mode. He tried to heal Chris, momentarily forgetting that he no longer had any powers. "Dad!! Dad!! Heal Chris!!!" he cried out desperately.
"I've tried, there's nothing more I can do..."
"Try again!!" Wyatt hollered. "Maybe it'll work this time! Aunt Paige, help me!!!"
Paige sighed and hugged Wyatt. "Leo's right. There's nothing that we can do."
"My baby..." Piper cried as she hugged Chris, refusing to believe that her son was dying. "I'm so sorry...so sorry..."
Chris slowly closed his eyes, feeling exhaustion and fatigue overtake him. It had been so many years of struggle, of fighting. Now the burden was finally lifted and he just wanted to rest.
Suddenly Wyatt jumped out and grabbed a piece of paper. He scribbled down something furiously before giving it to Phoebe.
"What is this?" Phoebe asked, confused.
"I remember. I used this spell in the future. It can prolong a person's life so that they won't die yet. Hurry, say the spell. We can find a way to save Chris later, but we can't let him die now!!"
Paige looked at Wyatt with skepticism. "How do we know this spell will really do as you say?"
Wyatt was hurt that his own family didn't trust him, but he also knew that he deserved it. "Please...listen to me. I just want to save Chris. Please!!"
Reluctantly, the Charmed Ones agreed and recited Wyatt's spell. Everyone held their breath as they waited to see what would happen.
The silence was broken by Piper's cry. Wyatt looked and gasped. "This can't be!!!" he muttered to himself. "This was the spell...this was the spell!!!" If Wyatt still had his magic, his grief and anger would have destroyed the entire city of San Francisco. Wyatt fell to his knees as Chris' body went limp and slumped against Piper.
to be continued