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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Author's Notes:
I wanted to take this opportunity to clarify some confusion regarding the story. When Piper died in Chapter 66, Chris did not die as well. When Chris destroyed baby self back in Chapters 29-31, his meeting with the higher beings indicated that this would not jeopardize his existence because he had a mission to fulfil – to save the world from the Great Evil. Also, remember that the two white strangers told Chris that he had found great favour with the higher powers and that he was the "Noble One." As a result, Chris is no longer affected by the timeline and the fact that Piper died had no effect on his own existence. As for Ryan, the effect of Piper's death on him is dealt with in this chapter. Thanks!
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The Pain of Future Wrongs – Chapter 67
The sky rumbled with thunder at Chris' outburst. As Wyatt tried to calm Chris down, Ryan let out a painful gasp as he clutched his side before falling to the floor.
"Ryan!!" Paige cried out as she rushed to his side, trying to find out what was the cause of the pain.
Ryan cried out in pain as he writhed on the floor. "Mom…" he whispered deliriously.
A look of horror crossed Wyatt and Chris' faces. "Oh no…" Wyatt muttered.
"What?" Phoebe demanded. "What's going on?"
Wyatt flinched at Phoebe's harsh tone. "Ryan hadn't been born in this timeline yet...and with Mom…gone…" he whispered that last word.
"Ryan will die too…" Paige finished the sentence as the realization hit her.
This last sentence set off Chris even more. "You can't take him from me!!!" he cried uncontrollably as he held his brother in his arms. "Please…you can't do this!!!" he begged no one in particular, as Ryan's breathing slowly ceased.
At that moment, a great wind blew into the room, sending everyone scurrying for cover. Chris, however, ignored everything and clutched to Ryan's body. Everything began to spin furiously until everyone found themselves in very unfamiliar surroundings.
Chris looked up from his position and found himself surrounded by strange looking creatures. Before he could realize what was happening, a loud, booming voice could be heard. "So you are Chris Halliwell, son of the Charmed One, and the chosen one to save the world?"
Under normal circumstances, Chris would have made a smart comment, but he was too distraught to care at the moment. "Who are you?" was all he could manage to ask.
"You do not need to know who I am," the voice replied. "All you need to know is that I am a guardian of magic, making sure that the world is kept in balance."
"Why did you bring us here?" Wyatt asked, his curiosity and nervousness getting the better of him.
The voice laughed. "I've been watching all of you," it continued. "You obviously have not been too successful getting Christopher's leg healed."
"That doesn't answer my question," Wyatt challenged. "Why did you bring us here?"
"Christopher," the voice boomed, "you've put quite a magical spell on yourself. I am probably one of the few beings who will be able to heal your leg so that you can walk again."
A flash of hope crossed Wyatt's face. "You can heal Chris?" he asked.
"Yes. It will take great power to undo the spell that Christopher had cast, but it is certainly not beyond my abilities."
Unlike Wyatt, Chris showed little joy at this news.
"Christopher, I have watched you and you are indeed a great asset to the forces of good. Your sacrifices have not gone unnoticed. As a result, I am willing to offer my assistance and grant you the ability to walk again."
Chris looked up towards the voice, his eyes red from tears. "Can you bring back my mother, my brother, and my girlfriend from the dead? They didn't deserve to die…" he choked the last words as he succumbed to his grief again.
"That is a lot that you're asking for, Christopher. Just to heal your leg again will consume much of my power."
"Then can you heal them and leave my legs as they are?" Chris asked hopefully.
The voice sighed audibly. "You do realize that you'll be giving up your only chance to ever walk again. And you'll never regain your powers if I do as you requested."
Chris remained silent as he let those words sink in. For a brief moment, there was an internal struggle but Chris ended it before it could really get started. "Yes, I realize that," he answered with a subdued tone. "But I have one other request."
"Like I told you before, you are already asking me for a lot in bringing three dead people back to life."
"I understand that, but I hope you can at least listen to my request before making a decision."
"Very well, what is your request?"
"I ask that you provide Ryan and Wyatt with the powers that used to be mine so that they can better protect the family and the world. They will need the power to fight off the demons. And I also ask that you will let me at least keep my potion-making abilities so that I can at least offer some limited assistance to them."
Wyatt shook his head in dismay at Chris' request. "After all the destruction that he had caused with his power, Chris was asking for more powers to be restored to him? Was Chris insane?" he thought to himself.
"You do realize that I don't bargain with other beings," the voice started again.
Chris stared at the floor and nodded. "I understand that. I'm not trying to bargain with you. I'm just hoping that you could grant me this request."
The voice laughed and bright lights filled the area. The next thing that Chris knew, Piper wrapped him in a hug while Jamie and Ryan stood behind her smiling.
"Mom!" he cried. "Mom…I'm so sorry…"
"Shh," she comforted her son. "It's okay. Everything is going to be okay."
Wyatt ran over and wrapped Piper in a hug before he went to hug Ryan as well. He didn't care that he was crying in front of everyone because he was just glad that things were working out at last.
Chris turned towards the voice again. "Thank you," he said, genuinely grateful.
However, the source of the voice was no longer there. Instead, there was a legion of sephons (they are the guards of the Almighty One, sort of like angels). They bowed slightly when Chris looked at them. "Noble One," they all addressed him with respect.
Before Chris could respond, another bright light flooded the room and everyone shielded their eyes. Wyatt immediately moved over to Chris, determined to protect him from any harm. As the light dimmed, a lady dressed in white, with flowing brown hair, emerged.
"Christopher," she called out gently.
"Who are you?" he asked in a breathless voice as he looked at the new visitor with nervousness and apprehension.
"I'm Lethana," she answered with a smile.
Everyone gasped as they heard the name. "Lethana…as in Lethana the Almighty One? The one whose power eclipses the Elders and those above the Elders?" Leo asked in disbelief.
"That would be me," Lethana answered.
"Oh my god," Wyatt muttered. "You're the ultimate source of good…the source of all good magic."
"I'm impressed, Wyatt Halliwell. You must have been paying attention in your magic classes when you were a child," she laughed. She turned to Chris and immediately felt great sympathy for him.
"I'm sorry that you had to go through so much pain, Christopher. I wish it didn't have to be this way," she answered, her voice full of sympathy. Her gentle hands softly brushed Chris' hair away.
"Was it something that I did wrong?" he asked, his voice full of sadness. "Was this my punishment?"
She gazed upon Chris with tenderness. "No, Christopher. Not at all. You have been a wonderful young man and a beacon of light for the forces of good."
"Then why?" he asked.
"This was part of your training, Christopher, to prepare you for the great battle ahead. You are strong, Christopher, but your opponent is stronger. We need to get you ready for battle."
Chris shook his head as he grappled with this new information. "I don't understand…"
"This was a test…to test your readiness, Christopher," Lethana continued. "This was a test that I personally allowed," she paused to allow everyone to digest the information. "And you, Christopher Halliwell, have not disappointed me. Despite all the pain and difficulties that you had to endure, you did not waver in your commitment to good. Even when given the chance to walk again, you chose family over your own needs. This is a sign of a true leader. And you have proven yourself worthy of the title of Noble One."
"But I'm…I'm not this Noble One you keep talking about," Chris protested. "Plus…I don't even have magical powers anymore."
Lathena smiled at Chris once again before turning to her legion of sephons. "I expect that you will all show Christopher the respect that he deserves at all times."
"Yes, Almighty One," they all responded.
Turning back to Chris, she extended her right hand. Immediately, Chris felt a surge of power and he literally felt his legs. His eyes widened as he realized what was happening. "The wheelchair will bound you no longer, Christopher."
Wyatt and Ryan ran over to Chris, full of excitement. Chris still looked completely bewildered. At his brothers' encouragement, Chris took a tentative step off of the wheelchair. He looked on with amazement as he found himself walking once again. Piper hugged Leo while Paige hugged Phoebe as they watched Chris leave his wheelchair behind. Immediately, Jamie ran over, hugged Chris, and kissed him passionately.
Once the kiss ended, Chris turned towards Lathena and bowed his head. "Thank you…thank you for everything…but I don't understand…I thought I could only have one request or the other…"
"Let's just say that your selflessness have earned you an additional request, Christopher. And just so you know, you now have all of your magical powers returned to you. Good luck, Christopher."
Before anyone else could ask another question, everything began spinning again and soon, everyone found themselves back in the attic of the manor, completely awestruck.
- to be continued -