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 65
Within seconds, Wyatt was by Chris' side. The younger Halliwell was trembling profusely and it was almost as if he was in a trance. "Chris, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Wyatt asked, worry in his voice.
"It was so real…" Chris whispered to no one in particular.
"Calm down, buddy…" Wyatt said in a comforting tone. "It was just a nightmare…it's okay."
Wyatt's soothing words seemed to calm Chris down somewhat. Wyatt continued to rub his brother's back gently while whispering words of encouragement to him.
"Thanks, Wy…" Chris finally said.
"No problem, buddy. That's what I'm here for."
Chris chuckled at the humour of the situation. "God, you'd think I'm still five years old or something. When was the last time I needed my brother to comfort me after a nightmare?"
Wyatt smirked at the comment. "Well, you always were the baby of the family."
"Excuse me?" Chris asked, looking indignant.
"Just teasing ya," Wyatt answered, ruffling Chris' hair as he got up from the bed, much to the younger Halliwell's annoyance. "Now get back to sleep. It's only 2 in the morning."
Chris pulled the blanket back over himself and felt himself slowly falling asleep again. Wyatt smiled as he watched his brother slip back into slumber. "I love ya, Chris…" he whispered.
"Love you too, Wy…" Chris mumbled before succumbing to sleep.
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"Chris, are you okay? You don't look so good," Jamie said, obviously concerned.
"I didn't sleep too well last night," Chris sighed. "But I'll live."
Jamie pulled her newfound boyfriend into a hug. "That's the fighting spirit that I love in my Chris."
Chris arched his eyebrows after hearing the comment. "Your Chris?"
Jamie laughed at his response. "I'm very possessive, didn't you know that?"
"I can certainly see that now," Chris said as he rolled his eyes. "What have I gotten myself into!" he said dramatically. Jamie playfully punched Chris' arms, causing him to look up with mock hurt. "Not only possessive, but abusive too!"
"Hey, are you bullying my brother?" Ryan asked with a big smile as he walked in on the two.
Jamie put on an innocent smile. "Me? Do I look like the bullying type?"
"Don't believe her," Chris pleaded. "She's over-possessive and she gets excited from abusing cute guys like me."
Ryan laughed at sight. "I think I'll just stay right out of this little lover's quarrel," he chuckled. "You guys ready to head home? Wyatt's waiting outside with the car."
The ride home was full of bantering and playful bickering. Wyatt could only smile as he drove his siblings home. With Jamie, Chris seemed so much happier than before. He could even see signs of the lost childhood and lost youth in Chris that Wyatt thought he would never seen again.
Upon opening the front door of the manor, the aroma of Piper's famous roast greeted everyone. "Hey, Paige, why don't we check the Book of Shadows for a vanquishing spell instead of trying to come up with a potion?" Phoebe yelled from upstairs.
Chris blanched after hearing Phoebe's outburst, not daring to look at Jamie. Ryan and Wyatt looked at each other nervously, no one wanting to say anything.
"Spells? Potions? Book of Shadows?" Jamie asked, thoroughly confused. "I must be hearing things again. I don't know what's wrong with me, I've been hearing things a lot lately," she laughed.
"Yeah, you must've been hearing things," Chris quickly answered. "All I heard was Mom telling us that dinner was almost ready," he continued while providing subtle eye signals to Ryan and Wyatt. "Isn't that right, guys?"
"That's what I heard too," Wyatt confirmed quickly.
"Yeah, let's get dinner going," Ryan continued. "I'm starved."
"But you just had a burger thirty minutes ago!" Jamie laughed incredulously.
Ryan smirked at the comment. "I'm a growing boy…what did you expect?"
Jamie seemed to buy Ryan's comments and didn't question any more about Phoebe's outburst. Chris breathed a sigh of relief as the family sat down for dinner.
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Chris sat in his bed reading the latest novel when Wyatt walked in. A smile made its way onto the older Halliwell's face when he noticed that Chris was also smiling. "So, what's up, loverboy?" he asked as he sat down on the bed.
Chris looked up from his book and smirked. "Loverboy? Geez, you sound like Aunt Phoebe now."
"That's what you get when you're stuck in the house with her all the time," Wyatt chuckled. "So…how long do you plan to keep this from Jamie?"
"Keep what?" Chris asked as he continued reading the novel while listening to his brother.
"About the Halliwell heritage…"
Chris stopped reading and stared at his brother. "As long as necessary."
"Don't you think she deserves to know?"
"I don't think she needs to know."
"And how are you going to explain to her if a demon decides to pop in?"
Chris thought for a moment before answering. "We'll figure that out if and when that happens."
Wyatt sighed, knowing that his brother was trying to hide from reality. "You're setting yourself up for a major headache, you know that. And you also know that you're trying to hide from the inevitable."
Chris looked semi-annoyed by Wyatt's comments. "Thank you, Mr. Sensible."
"Hey, I'm just trying to look out for you, lil' bro. Don't bite my head off."
"I know," Chris answered, resigned to the truth. "I didn't mean to be rude. I'm sorry, okay?"
Wyatt smiled and ruffled Chris' hair. "That's alright. I've come to terms with the fact that I have an annoying, neurotic, and moody guy for a little brother. I'll live."
Chris glared at Wyatt while trying not to smile. "Don't push it, Wyatt Halliwell."
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"Why don't you go out to the parlour and relax, Chris? I can do the dishes," Phoebe offered.
Chris tried not to laugh. "Aunt Phoebe, the last time you tried to do the dishes, half of Mom's china disappeared in one night."
"Hey, it wasn't that bad!!"
"Fine, one-third of her china disappeared."
Phoebe pretended to look offended but she could not hide her amusement. "This is what you get for trying to be the cool aunt around here!"
Chris laughed at the comment. "Sorry, Aunt Paige already took the cool aunt title. But you can be the crazy aunt!"
Phoebe turned on the tap and flicked water at Chris for his comment.
"You just proved my point, Aunt Phoebe," Chris answered with a smirk. "But anyway, I can manage the dishes. Thanks for offering though."
Phoebe stopped her antics and became serious once again. "Anytime, Chris. Just remember that you don't ever have to feel like you need to earn your keep here, okay?"
Chris nodded in understanding. "I know. Thanks."
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Chris tried to call out a warning, but to his horror, he couldn't find his voice. He gasped in horror as the energy balls found their targets. He wheeled himself over to the survey the damage but suddenly, he was knocked out of his wheelchair.
"Too late, Christopher," the enemy taunted. "Too late." A sinister laughter filled the room.
Chris ignored the voice and tried to crawl over to the middle of the room. The enemy raised its legs and kicked Chris in the body, sending him to the other end of the room.
"As always, you're too late, Christopher…"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" Chris screamed in horror as he once again found himself drenched in cold sweat.
Just as he had for the past week, Wyatt orbed into Chris' room immediately, holding Chris tightly and rubbing circles on his back. "Hey, Chris. It's okay…it's okay. It's just a nightmare."
Chris gripped Wyatt's arm and looked at him with fearful eyes. "Something's going to happen, Wyatt. I know it. Something bad's going to happen."
"Hey, calm down, Chris. It's just a nightmare."
Chris looked at Wyatt questioningly. "I've had the same nightmare for seven straight nights, Wyatt. Don't you think this means something?" Wyatt immediately put his hand over Chris' legs, causing the younger Halliwell to look at his brother with puzzlement. "What are you doing, Wyatt?"
Wyatt looked downcast at the results of his work. "Your legs didn't heal…"
"We already knew that it wouldn't. Stripped of magic and blocked from magical healing, remember?"
"I just thought maybe your dreams were a premonition or something. If that was the case, it would've meant that you were not blocked from magic anymore. But I guess that was just a stupid theory."
Chris smiled sympathetically at Wyatt. "Not to brag or anything, but the spell that I cast was pretty good. I'm not going to get my magic back, period."
Wyatt nodded in defeat. "Well, I guess the only good thing is that it means your nightmares weren't premonitions. So we don't have to worry about it."
"But…" Chris started to protest.
"You said so yourself, Chris. You're blocked from magic, so these dreams can't be anything magical, right?"
"I guess so…" Chris answered, still not entirely convinced that Wyatt was right.
- to be continued -