Chris closed his eyes and wished he were somewhere else, somewhere far, far away from the spot in which he was standing. He was standing before the now crumbled ruins of what was once his brother's mansion.
In a burst of grief and anger he had screamed when the crowds had left and the mansion started to shake and crumbled down upon itself.
There he stood the most powerful witch these people would remember and now he felt empty…Christopher Halliwell was the last of his line.
They stood behind him, he could feel them there. Each one thinking but not saying a thing. He hated it when people would just stand there…not saying anything when there were words spilling over in their minds, drowning him in silence.
Letting out an annoyed sigh he picked up the urn and let himself dissolve into an array of sparkling blue orbs.
Chris couldn't cope with death, he had lost so much in his life he had learnt to switch off, focus on something else. Demon hunting was number one on his way to cope with death list.
He'd done it when his mother died…
He did it when Bianca died…
He would do it now…now that he had no choice but to save his brother, to save his family, his future and the world.
Chris stared at the chalk triquetra; he was sitting cross-legged on the floor just staring at it. He'd been there for hours and he could sense the others looking at him, wondering just what to say.
They were all waiting to make the trip back to the past, where everything was clean, happy and safe. The world here would rebuild itself Chris knew that. He knew that it was his job to save them but he was so tired of fighting.
Piper had watched as Chris once again reverted back to the stony unemotional mask he'd worn for so long. She knew what he was going through, he had to be strong. All Piper wanted to do was hold him in her arms and tell him it would be okay.
She was still trying to process the fact that Chris was her son, her baby boy. She'd been so mean to him over and over again, it must have cut him up inside every time, every hurtful glance and every hurtful word. She had to make it better, when they got back she'd cook him anything he wanted all his fa-, she didn't even know what they were. Oh well, she'd find out and then he'd have it.
But as she decided that, she also knew that you couldn't fix everything with food.
Leo Wyatt stared at the young man in shock-Chris was his son. His son. After all the hell he'd put Chris through to discover the young man was his son was like being hit with a semi-trailer. It was no wonder Chris hated him so much, he looked across to his elder counterpart, why wasn't this man going to his son? The boy had just lost his older brother and the one man that should be consoling him was just standing there with a stupid look on his face.
It was then and there Leo Wyatt decided that he would do his damndest to make sure he and Chris would never have that relationship again.
Phoebe stared at the boy, he was her nephew, Wyatt's little brother. So strong, so brave it must be tearing him up inside. After every mean thing they'd done, distrusting him, yelling at him, and he was family. God how could they have been so blind? All the answers where right there in front of him, Chris looked and acted so much like his mother, but the eyes, the eyes were Leo's.
Paige was in shock, they'd seen Wyatt being burnt at the stake found out Chris was family, her nephew and Piper's son to be exact. It all sort of made sense to her, after all who would go back in time to save the world if not a Halliwell? Who would be that brave, or stupid depending on how you looked at it?
To be honest she believed him to be the bravest person she'd ever met…
Someone had to do something; they were all standing there with stupid looks on their faces. Chris needed them and they were just standing there.
Slowly she walked over to him and sat down beside him. Silent for a moment she gave him a playful bump on the arm with her shoulder, "Hey kiddo."
A small smile played across his lips, "Hey Auntie Paige."
"How are you feeling?" She put a hand on his arm, slowly he took a hand away from the urn and took her hand squeezing it for a moment.
"I'm doing okay."
"Dontcha think it's time we got going?" She asked carefully.
"Umm…I dunno…maybe…." He leant across and whispered, "Are they still looking at me?"
"Ah yeah." She said quietly, "You've been sitting here for a while, they don't know what to do."
"I have been here for a while haven't I?"
"Yeah."
"I just want to sit here for a bit more."
Paige went to stand up when he pulled her back down, he gestured to the wall and said "Up until I was fourteen there was a triquetra on that wall just like that. Wy and I would sit here for hours and just stare at it, wondering what lied beyond it. I guess now I do…" he chuckled softly.
"What's so funny?"
"This, you know, you're all here and it's so quiet."
"Yeah kinda creepy huh?" She laughed, "I guess no one knows what to say."
"I'll be okay." He said quietly as he turned to look at her, "Nothing has to change you know? I'm still ya whitelighter, just so happens I'm your nephew…no biggie."
"I don't think your mother will see it like that." Paige laughed.
Chris smiled, "Spose so." he paused for a minute, "I think I'm ready to go now." He said quietly, stretching his legs out before him, "Yeah, I'm ready to go."
"You sure?" She asked softly.
"I've dwelt on the past too long Paige. It's time to go back and work from the beginning, make sure this doesn't have to happen again, I don't want little me to have to see Wyatt burn again. I don't want him to have to burn again."
"I know Chris."
She watched a tear roll down his cheek, "You know it is okay to cry right?" she asked as she watched him wipe the tear away.
He shrugged and she continued, "When my parents…my adopted parents…died in the accident, I cried for weeks, just cried and cried till I felt that there were no tears left inside me. Just because you came to do what you came to do doesn't mean you can't cry too kiddo. You don't have to be strong all the time."
'I just- I just don't have tears for the dead anymore Auntie P, I watched them all die, one by one…now I'm the last one standing. There's no point in crying because you are all alive. I saved you." He said with a smile, "I have an Auntie Paige now."
They hugged for a second then each rose on their own two feet looking at the others Chris said, "We better get back there, Sheila must be out of her mind with worry."
Leo Wyatt-the older Leo- looked at his son. As he did so he was hit with all the things he'd done to wrong the poor child.
Missed birthdays, favoring Wyatt in everything, paying more attention to Wyatt and his powers. And being so blind when Chris had tried over and over again to tell him Wyatt was turning but he believed Chris was lying, trying to get attention.
But who else would truly know what was happening with Wyatt? His sons had always had an extremely strong connection, they had always known. It made sense the one person Wyatt couldn't hide from would be his little brother.
Leo knew Chris' anger would explode at him if he even opened his mouth. He knew the accusations that would come; 'why didn't you do something? Why didn't you stop them? Why didn't you save him!"
Leo wondered the same thing, why didn't he save Wyatt, more importantly, why didn't he save Chris?
He rose to his feet and smiled warmly, "I think it's time we got going, don't you?"
"C-" His father started, cut off by the dangerous glare his son shot him.
"Why don't you guys stand over there?" Chris said gesturing to the triquetra, his past family obliged, "And you-" he stared at his father, "You go down stairs, I'll be down in a second."
Leo orbed away, Paige looked at Chris worried, "You'll be okay kiddo."
He smiled, "Yeah…" then his body dissolved in sparkling blue orbs and reappeared in the kitchen.
"Chris…I wanted to say-"
"What can you possibly want to say to me?" Chris hissed, "I've never mattered before, not when mum died, not when Phoebe died, or the girls or even Grandpa! So why do I even matter now?"
"Because whether you like it or not Christopher you are my son! I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry!"
"You know what Leo, sorry doesn't cut it anymore but if you want salvation Dad, you got it. But don't you dare expect me to get all emotional on you because you are not worth it!"
"Chris…"
"Why didn't you save him?" Chris asked.
"I couldn't."
"You could have done something!"
"Chris you don't get it, Wyatt…he was evil…as much as it hurts to say it, he deserved what he got."
Chris' hands balled into fists, his green eyes flashed with pure rage, "Get out." He said calmly.
"Chris don't."
"Get out." Chris repeated, "Get out, get out get out!" He screamed.
Leo walked slowly over to Chris, there were tears streaming down the younger man's face, "Get out." Chris repeated, this time he wasn't telling, he was begging.
Leo wrapped his arms around him and Chris broke down, "Why didn't he let me take him away?" Chris asked through his tears, "Why didn't he let me save him?"
They were sitting now, Leo rocking his son back and forth trying to calm him, "Because, Chris, I think Wyatt knew he deserved what he got and he needed absolution and you gave it to him. You forgave him for what he did to you…"
Leo couldn't believe Chris had actually let him get this close…to physically hold him…his baby boy. He felt in some small way he might have done something good for him for once.
Chris squeezed him tightly, "I do love you dad, you know that right?"
"Yeah son, I do."
"It's just, you were never there for me. I needed you and you weren't there. When mum died…I needed you, I watched her die dad, I wasn't unconscious the whole time." He admitted slowly, "I tried to heal her but I didn't know how…"
"I know Chris." Leo sighed, "But I think that your mother is proud of you."
Chris pulled back with a slight grin, "I think she'd be proud of both of us. Sorta working things out…"
Leo didn't want this moment to end, he and Chris were finally getting close, he finally felt like he was acting the way a father should act.
The portal opened and with one last look at the place he'd once called home he stepped through the portal and into the place he would soon call home. Chris almost smiled at how clean the place looked, how wholesome it felt.
"I'll go get Wyatt." Chris said as the others stepped through behind him.
"Are you sure honey?" Phoebe asked, her empathy picking up some mixed readings.
"Yeah." Chris' body dissolved into a cloud of sparkling blue orbs.
"I'm worried about him Leo, he's just lost his brother…you know what Chris is like. I'm afraid that if we let him he'll go crazy in the underworld, kill anything that moves. You saw what happened to that mansion when he screamed."
"Piper, we'll protect him." Leo soothed, "He'll be okay."
"Leo he's got powers we don't know about. What do we do if he snaps?"
Phoebe and Paige hugged her, "We'll handle it like a family sis."
She placed a hand over her stomach and said, "But will that be enough?"
The little hairs on the back of Chris' neck stood up and he instantly knew something was wrong, it always happened when he had his nightmares or when he was in the underworld. Basically whenever there was demon activity.
Wyatt orbed in laughing, "Twis!"
Chris used his free hand to pick Wyatt up, "hey little guy. Let's get going."
Chris laughed as he orbed out, reappearing in the lounge he put Wyatt in his playpen, "You stay there okay, I don't wanna have to chase you just yet.
Wyatt watched as Chris went and put a big jar on the table, it made Chris sad, he didn't like it when Chris was sad. Maybe he could make the jar go away but he sensed if he made it go away it would make Chris sadder. He didn't want that. If Chris were sad he wouldn't play with him. Chris was the only one who would play the games he wanted to play.
Chris picked up the baby, "I wanna take you somewhere special for a moment Wy…"
Piper walked in just as the two boys' orb trails disappeared, "Chris where are you going?"
A musical voice rang into her head, "Somewhere special…"
Piper saw the urn on the table, "Is Wyatt with you?"
"Yes."
Piper sank down on the couch and looked at the urn, her baby was in there. Granted he'd been an evil dictator but he was still her baby. And in his final moments she saw the light that still resigned inside him, brought about by the love of his little brother.
Body wracked with grief Piper Halliwell began to mourn the loss of the son she didn't know and pray for the one she did.
