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 Note: Oh wow, I can't believe that I have 1,000 reviews for the story. I'm totally flattered and humbled. If you read my note to Chapter 1, I had indicated that this would be a short story. I can't believe that this has grown into a 68-chapter monster…and still growing! I guess the story has taken on a life of its own.

To everyone who continues to follow the story, thank you so much. And to all who have reviewed, a huge thanks. You guys make it fun for me to write the story. Hopefully, you'll keep reading and keep reviewing.

You guys rock!

Jeff

The Pain of Future Wrongs – Chapter 68

After a few moments of silence, everyone slowly began to break out of their trance. As the entire family moved wordlessly from the attic down to the kitchen, various thoughts were going through each person's mind.

Understandably, Jamie was the most stunned out of everyone. She looked white as a ghost as she sat down by the kitchen table. Chris glanced over at her worriedly as he thought of how he was going to get himself out of this mess.

"Jamie…" he began hesitantly.

"Stop," Jamie cut him off before he could even start any sort of explanation.

"I know this is really crazy…" Chris tried again only to be cut off once again.

Jamie turned and looked at Chris. The young Halliwell looked so nervous and so scared, not really knowing what to expect from Jamie.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

"I wasn't sure how you would react," admitted Chris. "I didn't want you to think I was some crazy freak…I didn't want to lose you, Jamie…and I wasn't thinking…and if I had thought that you would be in any danger…I'm so sorry…I would never hurt you intentionally….I'm so stupid…I should've known…but I wasn't thinking…I…"

Jamie pulled Chris into a hug and kissed him, stopping his rambling before he started to hyperventilate. "You've should've told me, Christopher. It's not everyday that I get to have a superhero as my boyfriend, you know."

Chris looked away Jamie and his eyes fell to the floor. "I'm not a superhero," he whispered. "I'm just Chris Halliwell…"

Jamie smiled and kissed Chris on the cheeks again. "That's what I love about you, Christopher…you're so humble and so lovable. I just wish you'd stop trying to solve every one of the world's problems by yourself. That's what your family and friends are for, you know."

Chris looked hopefully at Jamie. "I'm sorry…" was all he could muster despite having so many things he wanted to say to her. "I'm sorry…don't leave me…" he pleaded.

"I never planned on it," Jamie answered, causing Chris to give her a look of surprise. "I love you too much to let you go…"

"You mean that?" Chris asked like a scared and shy child.

Instead of answering, Jamie pulled Chris close to her and kissed him with passion. When they finally pulled apart, she just smiled at Chris. "Does that answer your question?"

"So how are things going with you?" Phoebe asked as she joined Jamie in the kitchen.

Jamie turned around and smiled at the Charmed One. "Wonderful," she answered. "It's almost as if I'm living in some dream."

Phoebe stared at Jamie, as if expecting her to continue.

"What?" Jamie asked.

"You tell me," Phoebe answered with a smile. "It's okay to feel confused and scared."

"I'm not confused…" she began before stopping. "Wait…where are you getting this from?" she asked with suspicion.

Phoebe laughed nervously. "I guess Chris didn't tell you that I'm an empath?"

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that I can feel other people's feelings."

"I guess he conveniently omitted that little tidbit of information."

Phoebe moved to hug Jamie. "It's okay. I know this is a lot to take in. I'm used to seeing these things and I'm still trying to come to grips with everything that has happened. And don't blame Chris…this isn't his fault. He may be powerful, but he is having a hard time himself."

"I know," Jamie sighed. "And I don't blame him. I love him so much. I'm just scared, I guess. I'm not sure how to be the girlfriend of a superhero who has been given the task of saving the world. I'm not exactly…magical, you know."

"It's weird, I know," Phoebe continued. "But I think he just needs you to be there for him. He's gone through so much…too much. He deserves someone who would love him and support him…be his companion."

Jamie still looked uncertain and Phoebe gave her a quick hug. "Don't worry, things will turn out fine." The two of them shared a smile before leaving the kitchen.

Chris walked down the street carrying his bags of grocery. He couldn't help but smile at how everything worked out. He miraculously managed to walk again, his powers were back, he had an amazing girlfriend, and his family clearly loves him to death. True, there was still the shadow of the upcoming Great Battle, but compared to what life had dealt Chris up until now, things were looking quite promising.

As usual, any moments of bliss in the life of Chris Halliwell are rudely interrupted. This time, it was the sound of a struggle in a nearby alley. Actually, it wasn't really all that nearby, but ever since his powers returned, it seemed that Chris had gained some magical hearing abilities. He could now hear certain things even if they were beyond normal hearing range. Sensing the potential seriousness of the situation, Chris quickly orbed towards the place of the conflict.

He rematerialized steps from the alley. It looked to him like a bunch of thugs beating up on an unsuspecting victim. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Chris hollered. If there was one thing that he really hated was people who fought unfairly. Ten thugs against one victim was certainly not fair.

"Mind your own business," one of them barked.

Chris' senses went on high alert, warning him of imminent danger. Then, something flashed in the sunlight that caught his attention. An arrow! It was a Darklighter's arrow. It seemed that the senses in the demons also picked up the presence of a Whitelighter at the same time because they all suddenly turned their attention to him.

Chris looked around and saw people bustling around the street. He knew that any fight with the demons would expose magic. Making a quick decision, Chris flicked his hand and froze everything around him, with the exception of the demons. Having taken care of that worry, Chris turned his attention back to the demons. He didn't show it, but he was nervous as this was the first time he would need to use his powers since they were returned to him.

The demons immediately moved towards Chris, unleashing their firepower. Being powerless for so long, Chris' first instinct was to defend himself. He orbed out of the way and orbed back to a different part of the alley. He did that for several more times before he realized that he needed to go on the offensive. He extended his right arm towards the demons and a blazing beam of energy surged towards the demons, catching all of them off guard.

Chris stared in amazement at the huge display of power. This far surpassed the power that he had before he had decided to strip himself of his magical abilities. Within seconds, the demons were completely vanquished and the activity on the street resumed. Quickly, Chris went over to the demon's victim to ensure that he was alright. "Are you okay?" he asked tentatively.

The victim didn't turn to look at him, but mumbled a reply. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"Do you need me to take you to the hospital to see if you have any injuries?"

"I'm okay. Thanks," the man replied again, still not looking at Chris.

Chris was about to leave the man alone when he saw blood seeping from a wound and heard the man cry out in pain. Immediately, Chris took the man and orbed him back to the manor.

"Wyatt!" Chris cried out as soon as he orbed in. "Wyatt! Aunt Paige!"

Everyone came running into the room, scared for Chris' safety. "What's wrong?" Wyatt cried out as he ran protectively up to Chris.

"I need you to heal him," Chris answered with urgency. "He was attacked by a legion of demons."

"You went demon hunting!" Wyatt asked with alarm. "Why didn't you call us?"

Chris sighed in exasperation. "I didn't go demon hunting. I just came across the demons attacking him. Now heal him, Wy…"

Wyatt got to work immediately and soon the wounds had disappeared. The rescued man groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. He opened his eyes slowly as his mind began to clear. "Where am I?" he whispered weakly.

"Don't worry, you're okay now," Chris replied gently, not wanting to frighten the young man after his ordeal.

Surprisingly, the man immediately tensed upon hearing Chris voice. "Uh…thanks for everything," he said quickly before scurrying to his feet. Before Wyatt and Chris could react, he was running out the door and onto the street.

Chris and Wyatt exchanged worried glances. First, they feared for the man's safety given his weak physical condition. Second, the last thing they needed was for the man to expose their magic to everyone he knew. "I'll go after him," Chris finally suggested before running out of the house.

Once Chris reached the sidewalk, he could see the young man rounding another corner. He knew that he wasn't at a hundred percent since he was still getting used to walking again. Regardless, Chris began to give chase. After several minutes, he finally closed the gap with the young man and looking around to make sure there was no risk of exposure, Chris orbed himself and rematerialized in front of the young man.

"Hey, are you alright?" Chris asked full of concern. "You shouldn't be running around like that…" Chris stopped suddenly before he could finish his sentence as he stared into a familiar face. "Mike?"

- to be continued -