Chris cautiously walked around the dark room. As his eyes began to adjust
to the darkness, he felt his way to the door and opened it. Once again, he
was met with complete darkness. The wooden floors creaked beneath the
weight of his feet as he walked towards the stairs.
"Strange..." he thought, "this place has the same floor plan as the manor..." As he descended the stairs, he could see a faint light in the parlour. He walked towards the light and a picture of Piper and Leo caught his attention. He felt a lump form in his throat as he stared at the picture. Chris continued to walk towards the kitchen. As his mind tried to figure out what was happening, he tripped and soon found himself sprawled on the floor.
He gasped as he realized that he had tripped over someone's body. Breathing hard and hands shaking, he crawled towards the body. Seeing the face of the body, he fell back on his hands and tried to get himself as far away as possible. "Ryan....." The lifeless body of his younger brother, scarred with burns and wounds, sent the level of panic surging within Chris.
"No....no...." he mumbled frantically. He scrambled to his feet and ran into the kitchen, only to be met by the sight of a bloodied Paige on the floor and Phoebe in the chair, both with gaping wounds to their body. He turned to run away but was blinded by a bright light.
"You two..." he gasped as he recognized the strange visitors who had shown up at the manor. "You did this!!!" Chris lifted his hands to attack the intruders, but his powers did not respond. He tried again, only to be met by the same results.
"We did not do this, Christopher."
"Then tell me who did," Chris said through clenched teeth. "Tell me NOW!"
"That would be you, Christopher."
Chris looked like he had been punched in the stomach. "Wh-what?"
"You are the cause of this tragedy," one of the strange men stated matter- of-factly.
"You're crazy," Chris answered, his voice betraying his uncertainty.
The room began to spin wildly and Chris nearly lost his balance. When he finally steadied himself, he was presented with an even more horrifying picture. "Mom!!!" he called out as he saw Piper lying lifelessly on the ground. Beside her was Leo, his body impaled on a long wooden stick.
His feet buckled as he fell to his knees in complete disbelief. He was about to ask a question to the strangers when he heard an agonized cry. He turned his head to see a demon viciously drive a sword into Wyatt's body.
Chris shot up from his position and ran towards his brother. He unleashed energy balls but the demons disappeared before the energy balls could find their target. Chris caught Wyatt as his body fell towards the floor.
"Wy..." Chris cried as his brother's body spasmed from the pain.
"Chris..." Wyatt struggled in vain to stay awake. As Chris cried, Wyatt slowly closed his eyes and his body slumped lifelessly in Chris' arms.
Chris stared at the carnage that surrounded him and he glared at the mysterious strangers. "How did this happen?" he demanded to know. "I changed the future already!! HOW??"
"You neglected your destiny, Christopher."
Chris laughed bitterly at the comment. "I already went back to the past to save Wyatt. I've sacrificed everything already, what more do you want??"
"Yes, you have saved your family, Christopher. But there is an even greater evil waiting to strike. Your destiny is to return to the past and protect your family against this great evil."
"Why me?" Chris looked at the men questioningly. "That should be Wyatt's job, not mine."
The two men smiled sympathetically. "Wyatt was never chosen for this mission. His destiny had always been to support the Noble One in this most crucial struggle."
"The Noble One?" Chris asked, his eyebrows arched with confusion.
"That would be you, Christopher."
Chris shook his head furiously. "No, no, no. I'm NOT some Noble One. You've got the wrong person. I'm just a half-witch, half-Whitelighter."
"That's where you are wrong. You are much more than that, Chris. You will be the greatest force of good that the world has ever seen. Evil will quake in fear knowing that you will be taking up the cause of good and justice."
"You don't get it. I'm not the person to do this. I can't and I don't want to take on this great mission of yours. I just want my life back!"
"This is not a matter of whether or not you want to, Christopher. Unless you take up your responsibility, the entire world will suffer a most cruel fate – including your family, as you have just witnessed."
The last phrase brought Chris back to reality as he pondered the words. "What do I have to do?" he finally asked in a resigned voice.
You must go back and be with your family. You will continue to carry out your family's work in ridding the world of evil. As you do this, you will in effect be training yourself for the great battle. The Charmed Ones and your brothers will be by your side to help and support you. But you must be the one to lead this battle."
"And what if I fail?" he asked uncertainly.
"Then the entire world will be forever overrun by evil."
"I guess I have no choice then," Chris asked, his voice betraying a hint of bitterness. "I guess you'll have to send me back."
The two mysterious men nodded. "The forces of good have found great favour with you, Christopher. You will be blessed like no being before you. You will not fight this battle alone. But you must understand that in order to save the world, you may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice."
Chris tensed as he listened to the two men. "So you're saying that despite everything, I won't live through this ordeal?"
"That, we do not know, Christopher. It will all depend on how you handle this great challenge."
"I'm sorry, Mom," Wyatt whispered for the hundredth time as Piper sobbed uncontrollably. "I tried to stop him..."
"Why?" Piper asked no one in particular. "Was I that bad of a mother that he couldn't forgive me for the things that I said or did?"
"Chris loved you more than anyone, Mom," Wyatt comforted his mother. He looked around the room and everyone wore the expression of grief and disbelief. They could not fathom why Chris did what he did. The atmosphere of gloom depressed Wyatt even more as he blamed himself for everything that has happened.
Just as Wyatt was about to say something, a loud cry filled the room, causing everyone to take up defensive positions. The next thing they knew, a loud thud was heard as Chris lay sprawled on the floor in front of everyone.
Chris looked up at everyone's shocked expressions and a sheepish grin made its way onto his face. "Uh....hi?"
to be continued
"Strange..." he thought, "this place has the same floor plan as the manor..." As he descended the stairs, he could see a faint light in the parlour. He walked towards the light and a picture of Piper and Leo caught his attention. He felt a lump form in his throat as he stared at the picture. Chris continued to walk towards the kitchen. As his mind tried to figure out what was happening, he tripped and soon found himself sprawled on the floor.
He gasped as he realized that he had tripped over someone's body. Breathing hard and hands shaking, he crawled towards the body. Seeing the face of the body, he fell back on his hands and tried to get himself as far away as possible. "Ryan....." The lifeless body of his younger brother, scarred with burns and wounds, sent the level of panic surging within Chris.
"No....no...." he mumbled frantically. He scrambled to his feet and ran into the kitchen, only to be met by the sight of a bloodied Paige on the floor and Phoebe in the chair, both with gaping wounds to their body. He turned to run away but was blinded by a bright light.
"You two..." he gasped as he recognized the strange visitors who had shown up at the manor. "You did this!!!" Chris lifted his hands to attack the intruders, but his powers did not respond. He tried again, only to be met by the same results.
"We did not do this, Christopher."
"Then tell me who did," Chris said through clenched teeth. "Tell me NOW!"
"That would be you, Christopher."
Chris looked like he had been punched in the stomach. "Wh-what?"
"You are the cause of this tragedy," one of the strange men stated matter- of-factly.
"You're crazy," Chris answered, his voice betraying his uncertainty.
The room began to spin wildly and Chris nearly lost his balance. When he finally steadied himself, he was presented with an even more horrifying picture. "Mom!!!" he called out as he saw Piper lying lifelessly on the ground. Beside her was Leo, his body impaled on a long wooden stick.
His feet buckled as he fell to his knees in complete disbelief. He was about to ask a question to the strangers when he heard an agonized cry. He turned his head to see a demon viciously drive a sword into Wyatt's body.
Chris shot up from his position and ran towards his brother. He unleashed energy balls but the demons disappeared before the energy balls could find their target. Chris caught Wyatt as his body fell towards the floor.
"Wy..." Chris cried as his brother's body spasmed from the pain.
"Chris..." Wyatt struggled in vain to stay awake. As Chris cried, Wyatt slowly closed his eyes and his body slumped lifelessly in Chris' arms.
Chris stared at the carnage that surrounded him and he glared at the mysterious strangers. "How did this happen?" he demanded to know. "I changed the future already!! HOW??"
"You neglected your destiny, Christopher."
Chris laughed bitterly at the comment. "I already went back to the past to save Wyatt. I've sacrificed everything already, what more do you want??"
"Yes, you have saved your family, Christopher. But there is an even greater evil waiting to strike. Your destiny is to return to the past and protect your family against this great evil."
"Why me?" Chris looked at the men questioningly. "That should be Wyatt's job, not mine."
The two men smiled sympathetically. "Wyatt was never chosen for this mission. His destiny had always been to support the Noble One in this most crucial struggle."
"The Noble One?" Chris asked, his eyebrows arched with confusion.
"That would be you, Christopher."
Chris shook his head furiously. "No, no, no. I'm NOT some Noble One. You've got the wrong person. I'm just a half-witch, half-Whitelighter."
"That's where you are wrong. You are much more than that, Chris. You will be the greatest force of good that the world has ever seen. Evil will quake in fear knowing that you will be taking up the cause of good and justice."
"You don't get it. I'm not the person to do this. I can't and I don't want to take on this great mission of yours. I just want my life back!"
"This is not a matter of whether or not you want to, Christopher. Unless you take up your responsibility, the entire world will suffer a most cruel fate – including your family, as you have just witnessed."
The last phrase brought Chris back to reality as he pondered the words. "What do I have to do?" he finally asked in a resigned voice.
You must go back and be with your family. You will continue to carry out your family's work in ridding the world of evil. As you do this, you will in effect be training yourself for the great battle. The Charmed Ones and your brothers will be by your side to help and support you. But you must be the one to lead this battle."
"And what if I fail?" he asked uncertainly.
"Then the entire world will be forever overrun by evil."
"I guess I have no choice then," Chris asked, his voice betraying a hint of bitterness. "I guess you'll have to send me back."
The two mysterious men nodded. "The forces of good have found great favour with you, Christopher. You will be blessed like no being before you. You will not fight this battle alone. But you must understand that in order to save the world, you may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice."
Chris tensed as he listened to the two men. "So you're saying that despite everything, I won't live through this ordeal?"
"That, we do not know, Christopher. It will all depend on how you handle this great challenge."
"I'm sorry, Mom," Wyatt whispered for the hundredth time as Piper sobbed uncontrollably. "I tried to stop him..."
"Why?" Piper asked no one in particular. "Was I that bad of a mother that he couldn't forgive me for the things that I said or did?"
"Chris loved you more than anyone, Mom," Wyatt comforted his mother. He looked around the room and everyone wore the expression of grief and disbelief. They could not fathom why Chris did what he did. The atmosphere of gloom depressed Wyatt even more as he blamed himself for everything that has happened.
Just as Wyatt was about to say something, a loud cry filled the room, causing everyone to take up defensive positions. The next thing they knew, a loud thud was heard as Chris lay sprawled on the floor in front of everyone.
Chris looked up at everyone's shocked expressions and a sheepish grin made its way onto his face. "Uh....hi?"
to be continued