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 !
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Before I continue with the story, I want to take a moment to quickly answer some of the questions that I've received regarding the story:
Wyatt and Ryan will be staying in the past for the time being. Remember the two mysterious white beings told Chris that he needed his brothers' help to fight the great evil that is about to emerge.
Even though Chris managed to save Wyatt and thus change the future, Marissa, Chris' girlfriend in the future who Leo indirectly killed remains dead. Remember that in the course of saving Wyatt, Chris also killed his baby self (see Chapter 29). As a result, Chris didn't really change the future timeline; instead, he eliminated it altogether. The only reason that he is still alive is because of his destiny to lead the fight against the great evil that is to come.
Ryan does have magical powers (see Chapter 11). However, his powers are very weak, especially when compared to Wyatt and Chris.
Hope this clears up some of the confusion...
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The Pain of Future Wrongs – Chapter 44
"Excuse me?" Chris asked, not sure if he heard correctly the first time.
"I said we need to talk about us," Melanie repeated.
"What us?" Chris continued his questions. "What are you even talking about?"
Melanie sighed as she tried to decide how to approach this conversation. "Why are you making this so difficult, Chris?"
Now it was Chris who was getting frustrated. He walked over and sat down on the chair across from Melanie. "If I remember correctly, it was you who just waltzed in and said that you wanted to talk about 'us.' So forgive me if I have no idea what you're trying to say."
Melanie buried her face in her hands and sighed again. "Look, Chris. Let's not kid ourselves. I can see it in your eyes – all the time."
"See what?" Chris whispered harshly, trying not to wake everyone else up.
"See that you love me," Melanie answered.
Chris' mouth dropped open in shock. "Where the hell did you get that idea from?"
"What won't you admit it, Chris? It's not like you're committing a crime."
Chris got up and started to pace. "I got to give you some credit...to think that you would have the nerve to just come into this house and think that you can read everyone's mind," he replied, a touch of anger in his voice.
"If I'm wrong, then why can't you look me in the eyes?" Melanie challenged.
Chris turned around sharply and stared at Melanie, about to say something before stopping himself. After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "You know what? I'm not even going to continue this conversation."
"I'll leave you alone if you can look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't love me."
"The last time I checked, I believe that you were my brother's girlfriend," Chris replied.
"You didn't answer my question."
Chris walked up to Melanie and stared at her coldly. "I don't know what you're thinking or what you're up to, but I'm not interested," he said before heading back to his room, shaken by the encounter. He walked away so quickly that he didn't see the tears streaming down Melanie's face.
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Chris tossed and turned for the rest of the night, not able to forget the conversation he had with Melanie. The truth was that Melanie was right – he did love her. Not since Marissa had Chris felt these feelings for anyone. But none of that mattered because she was Wyatt's girlfriend. If his brother didn't love Marissa so much, Chris was sure that he would make his feelings known to her.
"She's off limits, Chris," he told himself. "So quit thinking about her already." No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't push Melanie out of his mind. The next best thing to do, he decided, was to avoid her as much as possible.
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Chris stumbled into the kitchen, desperate for a strong cup of coffee.
"Chris, you look like hell," Wyatt commented as he sipped his tea.
"Thanks, big bro," Chris mumbled with as much sarcasm as he could.
"I'm just telling it as I see it," Wyatt continued while Chris just rolled his eyes. This was another incident where Wyatt's overexposure to Phoebe during his infant years became evident. Chris loved them both, but it was clear that at times, neither Phoebe nor Wyatt knew when to stop babbling. Finally, Wyatt decided to stop when he noticed that Chris wasn't really responding to his comments. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned etched all over his face.
"Only if you can function properly on an hour of sleep," Chris muttered as he downed his coffee.
"Did you go demon hunting again?" Wyatt asked, ready to strangle his brother if he pulled an all-night demon-vanquishing stunt again.
"No!" Chris exclaimed. "Just couldn't sleep, okay?"
"Are you sure you're alright? Maybe we should get Dad to take a look at you..."
"I'm fine!" Chris insisted as he poured himself another cup of coffee. "There's nothing that a nice dose of caffeine can't fix."
"Morning," Wyatt said as he leaned in to kiss Melanie.
"I can get used to morning greetings like that," she said with a smile.
Chris rolled his eyes at the comment and downed his coffee.
"Hey, Chris, we're heading out to the mall. You want to come with us?" Wyatt asked.
"Nah, I've got some errands to run," Chris said quickly and was met with his older brother's skeptical eyes. "No, I'm not going demon-hunting!"
"You better not be," Wyatt answered with a smile. "I'm just worried about you."
Chris grinned at his older brother's over-protectiveness. "I know," he said while pushing Wyatt out the door. "Now go on to the mall. And don't hurry back!"
"Fine! I know when I'm not wanted," Wyatt pouted before Chris smacked him playfully on the head.
"That pout is reserved for my use, Wyatt," Chris warned his brother. "Now go away!"
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"Is that grilled chicken salad I smell?" Ryan walked into the kitchen, determined to locate the source of the aroma that filled the manor.
"You got that right," Chris announced as he added the finishing touches on his salad. "Looks like it's just you and me today."
"Hey, I can live with that," Ryan replied happily. "I'll agree to almost anything as long as you keep feeding me your gourmet cooking."
Chris laughed at the comment and looked on happily as his younger brother dined on his salad. "So what's with all the books?" he asked, gesturing to the mess that Ryan was quickly creating in the parlour.
"School," the younger Halliwell answered in between bites of salad.
"Care to elaborate?"
"Well, since we're going to be staying here in the past for quite some time, I figured that it would make sense for me to go back to school."
"Sounds like a plan. So anything in mind yet?"
"I'm planning on staying in the city, obviously. Their business program sounds really good."
"Then you should definitely go for it, Ryan," Chris answered as he took a bite of salad. He looked up to see Ryan with a worried expression on his face. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just thinking, that's all."
Chris chuckled softly. "Ryan Halliwell, you do realize that you're trying to lie to my face, right? And you do realize that I can read you like a book with 99 percent accuracy, right?"
Ryan smiled a bit at the comment, knowing that Chris was right. "I'm just worried about the tuition, I guess. It's $20,000 a year and I don't want to burden Mom with it. But I'll think of something...I just have to work it out slowly."
"Well, I agree that you shouldn't worry Mom with it. She has enough on her plate now," Chris replied. "But I don't think it's your job to worry about it either."
Ryan gave Chris a confused look, not really understanding what he was getting at. "Well, the money isn't going to fall from the skies, so don't you think I should at least start planning for this?"
Chris looked at Ryan with a serious expression. "Ryan, you sure you want to do this, right? I mean, going to college, studying business."
"Well, yeah...that was always my goal until Wyatt...you know..." he trailed off, not really wanted to bring up the bad memories.
"Fair enough. Then you just worry about your studies. I'll take care of the tuition part."
"No, Chris. I'm not going to burden you with this. Like you said, you have enough worries of your own."
"Hey, aren't older brothers supposed to pamper and spoil their baby brothers?" Chris asked. "Don't worry about it, okay? It's my job to worry. It's my natural talent, remember?"
"Chris," Ryan protested. "You've already given up enough for me..."
"There's no such thing as giving up enough when it comes to family, Ryan," Chris answered, a tinge of sadness in his voice. Only he knew that there was more than one meaning behind that statement.
- to be continued -