Wyatt and Chris rushed downstairs where a raging fight was already
underway. Piper led the charge against the demons but the sheer number of
intruders made it difficult for either side to gain an upper hand. Chris
waved his hand and five demons exploded. Piper's mouth dropped open in
awe, only to close it again when she heard Paige warning her about an
incoming fireball. Chris was doing his share of vanquishing when he heard
Wyatt yell out in pain.
"Wy!!" Chris yelled as he watched his brother writhing in pain on the floor. He ran over to his injured brother and was relieved to see that the wounds, though painful, were not life threatening. Catching two demons charging at them out of the corner of his eye, Chris threw the attackers against the wall. He pulled his brother to safety just as the Charmed Ones unleashed their vanquishing potions and a Power of Three spell.
"Aw man, this sucks!" Wyatt cried out as Chris tended to his injuries.
"I'm so sorry, Wy," Chris said softly. "I totally forgot..." he voice trailed off, as once again he felt responsible for Wyatt losing his powers.
"Don't worry 'bout it," Wyatt comforted his brother. "I think I'm having it easy considering the things that I've done," he said, flinching as he felt pain shooting up his arm.
At this time, Leo orbed in, surprised to find the manor in complete disarray. "What happened?"
"Demon attack," Ryan answered. "What else is new?"
"Dad, Wyatt got hurt," Chris continued, still staying by his brother.
Leo immediately went over to his eldest son and healed him. The Elder's total attention was focused on Wyatt and he almost forgot that there were other people in the room. "Thank God you're okay, Wyatt. You have to be more careful from now on. I don't know what I would've done if something happened to you."
Both Wyatt and Piper noticed Chris' flinch as Leo said those words. Piper's eyes followed her second son as he quietly walked to the backyard, not saying a word. She was about to follow Chris but was held back by Wyatt. "Let me go," he said softly as he headed towards the backyard to find his brother.
Wyatt found Chris staring absent-mindedly into the horizon. "Hey..."
Chris turned to see Wyatt standing there and smiled. "So...you good as new?"
"Pretty much," Wyatt grinned. "Thanks for the save out there."
Chris looked somewhat embarrassed by his brother's comment. "Sorry I couldn't heal you," he continued, an expression of dejection making its way to his face.
"You saved me, Chris. What more can I ask for?" When Chris remained silent, Wyatt continued. "Give him time, okay? It's hard for him to change old habits."
"I'm fine, Wyatt. Don't worry about me."
"Are you really fine or are you just saying it to appease me?" When Chris didn't answer, he knew that his suspicions were right. He walked over to Chris and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"I'm sorry..." Chris said softly. "I've told myself so many times...but it's hard. I feel stupid...but every comment, every move...I read so much into them."
"It's okay, Chris," Wyatt comforted his brother. "I understand."
"I actually felt jealous of you, Wyatt, when he said that. I know he doesn't mean it...but..."
"That's perfectly normal, Chris."
"It's just...." Chris paused as he registered his brother's words. "Wait, it is?"
Wyatt nodded and smiled at seeing Chris' confused yet adorable expression. "I'd think so."
Chris still looked as confused as ever. Wyatt smiled and motioned for Chris to sit down. "Chris, you've been through a lot of the family. For me. We never made things easy for you...so it's natural that you would feel these feelings right now."
"Doesn't make them right, Wyatt."
"They're not necessarily wrong either, Chris."
Chris sighed and buried his face in his hands. "This is too confusing. Why can't things be simple for once?" he groaned.
"Things are never simple for us. We're Halliwells."
Chris chuckled at the truth in Wyatt's comment. "I guess you're right...as usual."
"You really have to stop beating yourself up over everything, Chris."
"Well I guess I have you to thank for that, Wyatt," Chris blurted before he could stop himself. He saw Wyatt wince as if he had just been slapped. "Oh god, I'm so sorry..." Chris said quickly.
Wyatt put on a weak smile. "I'm fine...and you're right."
"Wyatt..."
"I'm okay, Chris," Wyatt said softly. "I can't really change the past now."
Chris was about to respond when the ground shook furiously, causing him to lose his balance. He glanced over to see that Wyatt was also sprawled on the ground. A bright light surrounded them and they both shielded their eyes. When it was safe to look around again, Chris noticed that he was no longer at the manor. In fact, he knew exactly where he was – 'Up There.'
"What's going on here?" Paige asked, causing Chris to turn in her direction.
"You guys are here too?" he asked with confusion. "What happened?"
"No idea," Ryan asked as he stared at Leo, expecting an answer.
"I don't know," Leo quickly defended himself. "I'm just as confused as you are."
As everyone tried to think about what happened, a loud rumble was heard. Immediately, the Halliwells were surrounded by numerous Elders. Five of the Elders were seated on high, looking like judges in a courtroom.
"What's going on, Frederick?" Leo asked as he recognized one of the Elders.
"Your family has been summoned to the presence of the Council for urgent matters," another Elder replied.
"Excuse me?" Piper cut in. "Summoned? Who do you think you are?" she continued, furious at been talked down to.
"Calm down, Piper," Leo whispered, pleading with his wife not to make a scene.
"We are here today to administer justice," Frederick answered with little emotion.
"That's very good," Phoebe interrupted. "But there's no need to invite us here. We were in the middle of very important things..."
"SILENCE!" Walter commanded. "How dare you witches show such disrespect?"
"Wyatt Matthew Halliwell," Frederick continued. "You have been a disgrace of the forces of good, abusing your magical abilities and neglecting your responsibilities. You have desecrated magic." Immediately, Wyatt was bound by magical ropes and forced to his knees. "Today, you must suffer the consequences of your actions."
"Hey!" Piper yelled angrily. "Let him go right now!!"
The Charmed Ones tried to untie Wyatt but the magical ropes were too strong. To make matters worse, Wyatt wasn't even trying to free himself, leaving the sisters to do all the hard work.
Turning to the Charmed Ones, Walter continued. "You must share the blame for failing to provide Wyatt with a proper upbringing. Fortunately, you have all dutifully carried out your mission, ridding this world of evil. Together with your other sons, Chris and Ryan, you will be a formidable force for good. It is a shame that the greatest evil this world has even seen had to come from the Halliwell line."
Piper yelled in anger and frustration as the Elders unleashed a powerful bolt of electricity towards Wyatt, causing the young Halliwell to scream in pain and terror.
"You should have known that this day would come, Wyatt Halliwell, when you turned your back on the forces of good," another Elder said unsympathetically.
The Elders gathered to unleash another bolt of energy to punish Wyatt. They gasped in surprise when their bolt was redirected towards a nearby pillar, causing it to collapse.
"ENOUGH!!" Chris hollered. The Elders stood wide-eyed and in shock at the outburst. "Who do you think you are, accusing my parents and my aunts for failing to raise my brother properly? You Elders are supposed to be the guardians of good magic. Where were you when my family needed you? All this time, you have done nothing but to make things difficult for them. And now you have the nerve to blame them?? If we're talking about responsibility, you Elders were really the ones who led to Wyatt's turning. Your incompetence truly floors me!!"
"Christopher Halliwell!!" Frederick shouted angrily.
"I'm not finished!!" Chris shouted back, cutting off the Elder. "My family have had quite enough of your holier-than-thou attitude and hypocritical behaviour. You want us to help you fight the forces of evil? Fine. Then you better start showing some respect and decency."
"This is ridiculous!!" several Elders grumbled. "How dare you, a young witch, come and lecture the Elders? Have you forgotten your place?"
Chris' blood was boiling now. He was absolutely livid and his family unknowingly took several steps back in a mixture of awe and fear. Sure, they knew Chris had Piper's temper, but Chris' current display of fury was a whole new level to what they've seen before. Even Wyatt, who barely knew the meaning of the word fear, was eyeing his brother with apprehension.
"Don't push us," Chris warned as he tried to keep his temper under control. "If you want us to continue helping your sorry bunch, I would suggest that you untie my brother and apologize to my family."
"Absolutely not!!" the Elders replied in unison.
"Then you can count us out in your pathetic game of good versus evil. We're not interested," Chris dismissed the group who looked like they were all about to explode from anger and shock. It was obvious that they were not used to being lectured by anyone, let alone a cocky, young witch.
"You've gone too far, Christopher," Walter threatened as the Elders looked like they were ready to punish Chris too. Chris, on the other hand, stood his ground and glared at the Elders.
"And what are you planning to do about it?" Chris shot back, his remark carrying his trademark cockiness.
to be continued
"Wy!!" Chris yelled as he watched his brother writhing in pain on the floor. He ran over to his injured brother and was relieved to see that the wounds, though painful, were not life threatening. Catching two demons charging at them out of the corner of his eye, Chris threw the attackers against the wall. He pulled his brother to safety just as the Charmed Ones unleashed their vanquishing potions and a Power of Three spell.
"Aw man, this sucks!" Wyatt cried out as Chris tended to his injuries.
"I'm so sorry, Wy," Chris said softly. "I totally forgot..." he voice trailed off, as once again he felt responsible for Wyatt losing his powers.
"Don't worry 'bout it," Wyatt comforted his brother. "I think I'm having it easy considering the things that I've done," he said, flinching as he felt pain shooting up his arm.
At this time, Leo orbed in, surprised to find the manor in complete disarray. "What happened?"
"Demon attack," Ryan answered. "What else is new?"
"Dad, Wyatt got hurt," Chris continued, still staying by his brother.
Leo immediately went over to his eldest son and healed him. The Elder's total attention was focused on Wyatt and he almost forgot that there were other people in the room. "Thank God you're okay, Wyatt. You have to be more careful from now on. I don't know what I would've done if something happened to you."
Both Wyatt and Piper noticed Chris' flinch as Leo said those words. Piper's eyes followed her second son as he quietly walked to the backyard, not saying a word. She was about to follow Chris but was held back by Wyatt. "Let me go," he said softly as he headed towards the backyard to find his brother.
Wyatt found Chris staring absent-mindedly into the horizon. "Hey..."
Chris turned to see Wyatt standing there and smiled. "So...you good as new?"
"Pretty much," Wyatt grinned. "Thanks for the save out there."
Chris looked somewhat embarrassed by his brother's comment. "Sorry I couldn't heal you," he continued, an expression of dejection making its way to his face.
"You saved me, Chris. What more can I ask for?" When Chris remained silent, Wyatt continued. "Give him time, okay? It's hard for him to change old habits."
"I'm fine, Wyatt. Don't worry about me."
"Are you really fine or are you just saying it to appease me?" When Chris didn't answer, he knew that his suspicions were right. He walked over to Chris and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"I'm sorry..." Chris said softly. "I've told myself so many times...but it's hard. I feel stupid...but every comment, every move...I read so much into them."
"It's okay, Chris," Wyatt comforted his brother. "I understand."
"I actually felt jealous of you, Wyatt, when he said that. I know he doesn't mean it...but..."
"That's perfectly normal, Chris."
"It's just...." Chris paused as he registered his brother's words. "Wait, it is?"
Wyatt nodded and smiled at seeing Chris' confused yet adorable expression. "I'd think so."
Chris still looked as confused as ever. Wyatt smiled and motioned for Chris to sit down. "Chris, you've been through a lot of the family. For me. We never made things easy for you...so it's natural that you would feel these feelings right now."
"Doesn't make them right, Wyatt."
"They're not necessarily wrong either, Chris."
Chris sighed and buried his face in his hands. "This is too confusing. Why can't things be simple for once?" he groaned.
"Things are never simple for us. We're Halliwells."
Chris chuckled at the truth in Wyatt's comment. "I guess you're right...as usual."
"You really have to stop beating yourself up over everything, Chris."
"Well I guess I have you to thank for that, Wyatt," Chris blurted before he could stop himself. He saw Wyatt wince as if he had just been slapped. "Oh god, I'm so sorry..." Chris said quickly.
Wyatt put on a weak smile. "I'm fine...and you're right."
"Wyatt..."
"I'm okay, Chris," Wyatt said softly. "I can't really change the past now."
Chris was about to respond when the ground shook furiously, causing him to lose his balance. He glanced over to see that Wyatt was also sprawled on the ground. A bright light surrounded them and they both shielded their eyes. When it was safe to look around again, Chris noticed that he was no longer at the manor. In fact, he knew exactly where he was – 'Up There.'
"What's going on here?" Paige asked, causing Chris to turn in her direction.
"You guys are here too?" he asked with confusion. "What happened?"
"No idea," Ryan asked as he stared at Leo, expecting an answer.
"I don't know," Leo quickly defended himself. "I'm just as confused as you are."
As everyone tried to think about what happened, a loud rumble was heard. Immediately, the Halliwells were surrounded by numerous Elders. Five of the Elders were seated on high, looking like judges in a courtroom.
"What's going on, Frederick?" Leo asked as he recognized one of the Elders.
"Your family has been summoned to the presence of the Council for urgent matters," another Elder replied.
"Excuse me?" Piper cut in. "Summoned? Who do you think you are?" she continued, furious at been talked down to.
"Calm down, Piper," Leo whispered, pleading with his wife not to make a scene.
"We are here today to administer justice," Frederick answered with little emotion.
"That's very good," Phoebe interrupted. "But there's no need to invite us here. We were in the middle of very important things..."
"SILENCE!" Walter commanded. "How dare you witches show such disrespect?"
"Wyatt Matthew Halliwell," Frederick continued. "You have been a disgrace of the forces of good, abusing your magical abilities and neglecting your responsibilities. You have desecrated magic." Immediately, Wyatt was bound by magical ropes and forced to his knees. "Today, you must suffer the consequences of your actions."
"Hey!" Piper yelled angrily. "Let him go right now!!"
The Charmed Ones tried to untie Wyatt but the magical ropes were too strong. To make matters worse, Wyatt wasn't even trying to free himself, leaving the sisters to do all the hard work.
Turning to the Charmed Ones, Walter continued. "You must share the blame for failing to provide Wyatt with a proper upbringing. Fortunately, you have all dutifully carried out your mission, ridding this world of evil. Together with your other sons, Chris and Ryan, you will be a formidable force for good. It is a shame that the greatest evil this world has even seen had to come from the Halliwell line."
Piper yelled in anger and frustration as the Elders unleashed a powerful bolt of electricity towards Wyatt, causing the young Halliwell to scream in pain and terror.
"You should have known that this day would come, Wyatt Halliwell, when you turned your back on the forces of good," another Elder said unsympathetically.
The Elders gathered to unleash another bolt of energy to punish Wyatt. They gasped in surprise when their bolt was redirected towards a nearby pillar, causing it to collapse.
"ENOUGH!!" Chris hollered. The Elders stood wide-eyed and in shock at the outburst. "Who do you think you are, accusing my parents and my aunts for failing to raise my brother properly? You Elders are supposed to be the guardians of good magic. Where were you when my family needed you? All this time, you have done nothing but to make things difficult for them. And now you have the nerve to blame them?? If we're talking about responsibility, you Elders were really the ones who led to Wyatt's turning. Your incompetence truly floors me!!"
"Christopher Halliwell!!" Frederick shouted angrily.
"I'm not finished!!" Chris shouted back, cutting off the Elder. "My family have had quite enough of your holier-than-thou attitude and hypocritical behaviour. You want us to help you fight the forces of evil? Fine. Then you better start showing some respect and decency."
"This is ridiculous!!" several Elders grumbled. "How dare you, a young witch, come and lecture the Elders? Have you forgotten your place?"
Chris' blood was boiling now. He was absolutely livid and his family unknowingly took several steps back in a mixture of awe and fear. Sure, they knew Chris had Piper's temper, but Chris' current display of fury was a whole new level to what they've seen before. Even Wyatt, who barely knew the meaning of the word fear, was eyeing his brother with apprehension.
"Don't push us," Chris warned as he tried to keep his temper under control. "If you want us to continue helping your sorry bunch, I would suggest that you untie my brother and apologize to my family."
"Absolutely not!!" the Elders replied in unison.
"Then you can count us out in your pathetic game of good versus evil. We're not interested," Chris dismissed the group who looked like they were all about to explode from anger and shock. It was obvious that they were not used to being lectured by anyone, let alone a cocky, young witch.
"You've gone too far, Christopher," Walter threatened as the Elders looked like they were ready to punish Chris too. Chris, on the other hand, stood his ground and glared at the Elders.
"And what are you planning to do about it?" Chris shot back, his remark carrying his trademark cockiness.
to be continued