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 75

Piper eyed Chris with concern as he flipped through the Book of Shadows while furiously jotting down notes. He had been silent throughout dinner and no one dared to bring up Jamie's name. For the past few hours, Chris had been working away in the attic, burying himself in research.

Piper knew what Chris was trying to do. She knew because this was what she herself did every time she got upset or felt out of control. While she would busy herself with cooking or cleaning the house, Chris would always turn to the Book of Shadows.

"Chris," she finally called out.

"Hmm?" Chris asked without turning around as he continued writing.

"Come over here for a bit. I want to talk to you," Piper said in a gentle voice.

Chris sighed softly and was surprisingly obedient. He sat down across from Piper and smiled gently at his mother. "What's up, Mom?"

Any stranger would never have been able to guess that Chris was going through a lot of emotional turmoil at that moment. His skill at masking his emotions was very disconcerting to those people who were close to him. They always had to be on the lookout so that they would not be fooled by Chris' attempts pretend that everything was fine.

"Nothing much, just wanted to chat with you, that's all," Piper smiled as she tried to straighten up Chris' messy hair. "We haven't really had a chance to talk lately."

"I'm not cutting my hair, Mom," Chris answered with a small grin. "And no, I'm not going to take a one-week vacation from demon hunting or researching the Book of Shadows."

Piper could not help but chuckle. "You're impossible, you know that, Christopher Perry Halliwell?"

Chris laughed a bit at his mother's reaction. "That's what makes me so lovable, right?"

Gagging sounds could be heard and both Chris and Piper turned around to see Wyatt standing at the door. "Seriously, Chris, that has got to be the most disgusting thing you've said in the past month."

"You're just jealous," Chris quipped, sticking his tongue out at Wyatt.

"Me? Jealous? Never!" Wyatt answered before sticking his tongue back at Chris.

"Boys!" Piper said with mock exasperation. "Aren't you two a little old to act like elementary school children?"

"But Mom," Chris whined like a child, "Wyatt was making fun of me."

"Wyatt, stop pestering your younger brother. Now I want you boys to get downstairs for dessert. And don't make me wait for you two," she said with a smile before heading downstairs, leaving Wyatt and Chris alone in the attic.

"You're such a mama's boy, Chris," Wyatt smirked before sitting down beside his younger brother.

"Well, you're Dad's favourite, so we're even," Chris answered, grinning somewhat.

Wyatt just snorted at the answer. "So seriously, how are you holding up? Please don't go into the 'I can handle everything on my own' mode again."

Chris sighed as his smile faded. "I don't want you guys to worry about me. Especially not Mom."

Wyatt just rolled his eyes at the expected answer. "Christopher, how many times do we need to tell you that we're supposed to worry about you. That's what family is for."

"Look, this is my problem. You guys don't have to worry over this."

Wyatt wrapped his arms around Chris' shoulders. "Chris, I know how you feel about Jamie and how she feels about you. This whole situation isn't right. You two belong with each other. Please let us help you. Let me help."

Chris smiled at his brother's thoughtfulness. "There's nothing to help, Wy. Maybe we just weren't meant to be," he answered with resignation.

"You don't believe that, Chris," Wyatt replied quickly. "This wasn't even supposed to happen. I mean, if I didn't fall for the stupid sword, none of this would have happened. Please let me fix this mess," Wyatt pleaded.

"This wasn't your fault so don't make an issue out of it."

"Look, you have to be fair to Jamie as well. I mean, I can see where she was coming from and how she must have felt."

Chris stood up and looked at Wyatt with fierce determination in his eyes. "I will not apologize for trying to protect my family. No matter what, my family will always come first. If Jamie can't deal with that, then so be it," he stated with a steely voice.

Wyatt backed off knowing that it wasn't wise to pursue this issue with Chris at this time. He'll just have to find another way to get his brother and Jamie back together.

"Do you boys want apple pie or not?" Piper's voice called out from the kitchen.

"First one to the kitchen gets the biggest slice," Chris challenged.

A mischievous twinkle could be seen in Wyatt's eyes as he answered, "You're on, lil' bro."

As Wyatt dashed for the door, Chris just smirked and orbed into the kitchen.

"Personal gain, Christopher!" Wyatt mock chastised his younger brother as Chris grinned at Wyatt, earning the younger Halliwell a playful swat on the head.

Chris just laughed at the comment. "You're just jealous that you didn't think of orbing," he teased before handing Wyatt a slice of Piper's apple pie. "But I love you all the same," he added with an innocent look.

Wyatt snorted and took the plate from Chris as he rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. "Sometimes you really scare me, Chris," he answered, although a smile on his face betrayed his adoration for his younger brother.

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"Chris, do you plan on going to sleep anytime soon or are you planning to spend the night with the Book of Shadows?" Wyatt asked as he glanced at the clock for the umpteenth time.

"I'll sleep when I'm done with this bit of research, Wy," Chris answered without looking up from the book. "You don't have to wait up for me, you know."

Wyatt snickered at the comment. "Yeah, if I leave you alone, you'll still be here come dawn." He was about to make another sarcastic comment when he noticed Chris swaying a bit. "You alright?" he immediately asked as he crossed the distance between himself and his brother.

"I don't feel so good," Chris mumbled as he tried to steady himself.

"Come on, lie down on the sofa," Wyatt said as he helped Chris move across the attic. "There, you feeling any better?"

"Not really. Man, why can't the room stop spinning?" he asked as he shut his eyes.

Wyatt placed his hand on Chris' forehead but the temperature felt normal. His concern increased as he noticed Chris gripping tightly to the side of the sofa. "Chris, are you in pain?" The answer that he got was unintelligible and that only made Wyatt even more worried. Instinctively, he held his hands over Chris and attempted to heal him but since Chris was not injured, there was really nothing to heal. "I'm going to get Mom," he finally answered.

Chris mumbled something that sounded like 'no.' "I'm not taking no for an answer, Chris. I'm going to get Mom and I'll be right back," Wyatt announced. He immediately went to Piper's room where she was just settling in for the night after putting baby Wyatt to sleep. "Mom, can you come up to the attic for a second?"

"Why?" Piper asked suspiciously. After all, the only reason that anyone usually went into the attic was to deal with demon-related business.

"Chris isn't feeling too well."

"What? Is he injured? Hurt? What happened?" Piper asked, obviously agitated.

"I don't know," he replied. "That's why I'm asking you to come to the attic. I don't think he's injured because I just tried to heal him. Maybe he's sick or something. You'll probably know this stuff better than me."

Piper quickly got out of bed and together with Wyatt, made their way to the attic. The only problem was that once they got to the attic, Chris was nowhere to be found.

to be continued -