Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the television show Charmed. All characters belong to Spelling Television, and The WB.

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The Pain of Future Wrongs – Chapter 51

Phoebe squealed in delight at the news as she jumped up from her seat to hug her nephew. "Oh, this is so exciting!!!"

"Aunt Phoebe, you're jumping on my foot," Wyatt grimaced as Phoebe continued her dance of joy.

"Oops," Phoebe said sheepishly before moving to hug Melanie.

After Phoebe it was Paige's turn to congratulate Wyatt. Ryan followed suit and then it was Leo. Piper wiped tears from her eyes as she hugged her son. "My boy is all grown up," she said as she cried tears of joy. Wyatt hugged his mother affectionately before letting Piper go so that she could congratulate her future daughter-in-law.

As his family made the rounds hugging Wyatt and Melanie, Chris remained rooted to his chair in shock. He felt himself trembling so he grabbed onto the table to steady himself. Finally, he took a deep breath and got up from his seat. The only thing that kept Chris going was his sense of duty...his duty to his brother...his duty to his family.

"Congrats, Wy," Chris offered, putting on a smile. "Looks like you're all grown up," he remarked with a smirk.

Wyatt laughed at the comment and pulled his brother into a hug. If only he had paid a bit more attention, he would have noticed the stiffness in Chris' hug. Wyatt felt like he was in heaven...while Chris felt like he had just been sent to hell.

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"You feeling alright?" Ryan commented as he got into his bed, ready to turn in for the night.

"Yeah," Chris replied absently as he stared out the window.

Ryan frowned and got back out of bed to join his brother by the window. "You don't always have to play the hero, you know..." He glanced over to see Chris' reaction but he found none. "Whatever it is that's bothering you...you can share it with us. We're supposed to look out for each other, right?"

Chris turned to his younger brother and smiled weakly. "I'm fine, Ryan. Quit being such a worry wart."

"Wonder where I got that from?" Ryan answered with a grin.

"Quit being such a smart ass," Chris laughed at Ryan. No matter how depressed he was, Ryan always managed to lift his spirits, even if only temporarily.

"Hmm...I think I got that from the same person too."

The two brothers continued to banter for a while before turning in for the night. Chris carefully avoided revealing what was really on his mind. He didn't want to talk about it or think about it. He was strong, but on this issue, he didn't want to face the problem. He just wished that it would go away.

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The next few months went by in a blur. The entire household was busy preparing for the wedding. The level of anticipation and excitement could be felt by anyone who stepped into the manor. Chris kept his participation to a bare minimum, doing what he was asked to do but never volunteering for more.

On several occasions, different members of the family asked him if everything was okay as they noted his subdued behaviour and general lack of energy. Chris always managed to find an excuse to ward off any suspicion.

Before anyone knew it, the night before the wedding had descended upon the Halliwell household. Last minute preparations were made and everyone had finally turned in for the night. Chris made his way to the kitchen and sat down at the table. He looked to the backyard and smiled sadly at the decorations. How he wished that it was him who was the groom. He tried so hard to be happy for Wyatt, but the sense of loss within him was just too overwhelming.

"Couldn't sleep?" a voice questioned, causing Chris to turn around to acknowledge the visitor.

"Yeah, a little over excited, I guess," Chris laughed.

"You always were real good at hiding your feelings. I could feel it from the first day that I met you."

Chris remained silent, but his face was unreadable. He knew the hidden meaning behind those words, but he was not going to acknowledge them.

"Is this how we're destined to live our lives? As part of a huge lie?"

"What are you talking about, Melanie?"

"You know what I'm talking about. You know how you feel about me. Why are you so afraid to act on your feelings?" Chris turned away, and Melanie knew that she had hit a sore spot. "You know how I feel about you...those feelings never changed."

Chris laughed bitterly. "You sure seemed happy with Wyatt the last few months."

"Just like you seemed like you were happy with everything as well."

"Why are we even talking about this?" Chris asked, not liking where the conversation was headed.

"Because I'm not sure if I'm making the right choice..."

Chris turned to Melanie, his eyes betraying his rage. "You're second guessing your choice the night before your wedding???"

"I don't want get into a marriage that I'll come to regret..."

"And you only thought of this now? That didn't occur to you when Wyatt proposed to you?"

Melanie shook her head and buried it in her hands. "I don't know, okay? I was confused. I thought it was the right thing to do. I thought it would make everyone happy and that I would be able to go through with it."

Chris sighed in frustration. "You absolutely cannot tell Wyatt this. Not now, not ever."

"You want me to go through with it even after everything I've told you?"

"It was your decision to get married. You can't just change your mind at the last minute. There are other people that you need to think about besides yourself."

Now it was Melanie's turn to get angry. "Well, I'm sorry. Unlike you, I'm not a saint!!" Chris looked at Melanie with both shock and confusion. "I can't always put everyone else's needs ahead of mine, Chris. I don't know how you do it or even why you do it. But when are you going to start looking out for yourself? I don't want to get into a committed relationship just to please everyone!!"

"Wyatt loves you, Melanie," Chris answered softly.

Melanie threw her arms up in frustration. "That's exactly my point! Wyatt loves me, but I don't love him! At least not the kind of love that would make a marriage feasible! I love you, Chris!" she pleaded as she pulled Chris towards her. "I love you!"

Melanie pulled Chris into a kiss but Chris pulled away. "We can't do this, Melanie," he whispered as he felt himself losing control. "You're getting married to Wyatt. We can't!!"

"Chris..."

"NO!!" he cut her off, his voice a little harsher than he had intended. "It's not going to work, Melanie. We're just not meant to be. I can't betray Wyatt like this..."

Melanie cried as she heard Chris' words, knowing that he wouldn't change his mind. She calmed herself down before walking towards Chris again. "Fine, I understand."

Chris looked at Melanie with a pained expression. "I'm sorry..."

"No...I understand. You're just looking out for your family..."

"I..."

"I guess I'll just have to go through with this and give the marriage a chance. Can we at least remain friends?"

"Yeah...that'd be great," Chris answered, his heart breaking as he said those words.

Melanie took Chris hands and looked into his green eyes. "I do love you, Christopher Halliwell. I always will..." she said, tears streaming down her face. "Can I get least get one kiss from you before I become Mrs. Wyatt Halliwell?"

Chris hesitated, not knowing what to do or say.

"Please?" she pleaded through her sobs. "Just one...for my memories?"

Chris nodded and slowly leaned towards Melanie. Their lips met in a kiss that was tinged with sorrow. Melanie wished that the kiss would last forever but she knew that it was impossible. She memorized Chris' face and the touch of his lips, intending to remember this moment for the rest of her life. She would have held on to the kiss for a few seconds longer if she hadn't been jolted away from her thoughts by the sound of a vase crashing to the floor.

Melanie and Chris jumped apart as an enraged Wyatt stood in the doorway, glaring at the two.

"Wyatt...this isn't what you think..." Melanie scrambled to explain.

"Shut up!" Wyatt ordered as he glared angrily at her. "I can't believe you!!!" he yelled, feeling betrayed and ridiculed.

Chris paled as he saw his furious brother unleashing his fury. He felt his energy drain from him as he understood the implications of his actions. "Wyatt..." he said shakily.

"Shut the hell up, you backstabbing, good-for-nothing bastard!!! How could you???" he yelled as he charged at Chris, launching a vicious fist and connected with the younger Halliwell's face, sending him crashing to the floor."

- to be continued -