Disclaimer: See First Chapter.
Author's Note: Hi! Thank you all so much for your encouraging words!
I recieved a lot of questions about what is going... my answer to you... all will be revealed in time... hehe...
Remember, Chris is as clueless as all of you...
Wyatt jumped up when he saw them… smiling wide…
It was his brother… there was no doubt about it—the same blonde hair, the same blue eyes, the same dimple when he smiled—but still different; so very different.
The hair was much shorter, the eyes twinkling with good humor, and the smile warm as he gazed at his father and daughter.
"Ooooh how great," he said happily, reaching out for his daughter, "Come to Daddy princess… "
"Da-da, da-da, dada, dada," Becky squealed over and over again as she bounced in her Daddy's arms.
"How's my baby girl doin?" he asked her, lifting her high above his head; Becky laughed gleefully and Wyatt proceeded to bounce her in the air.
"Careful," Leo cautioned, but he was grinning, "And hi to you too…"
Wyatt lowered his daughter and grinned sheepishly, "Hi Dad…"
"You busy?" Leo asked, noticing the mess on Wyatt's desk.
Wyatt shrugged, "Having to fill out paperwork takes all the fun out of beating the shit out of someone," he complained. His gaze shifted suddenly and he sent his brother a nod of greeting.
When Chris didn't respond or even approach any closer, Wyatt sent him a wry smile, "What's up with you?" he asked his little brother, "You look like you just saw a demon we vanquished last week…"
Chris couldn't say anything. His throat was so tight it almost hurt…
… he'd done it…
He'd saved Wyatt. With hungry eyes he drank in the sight—the sight of his older brother smiling, while he held his giggling daughter in his arms.
A swell of emotion rose up in him so fierce that he wasn't able to respond to Wyatt's query.
"You didn't did you?" his brother continued, "'cause with the party tonight that would suck…"
Still Chris couldn't respond. He vaguely heard his brother's one-sided conversation and registered that he was expected to respond… but he couldn't…
It was Wyatt.
"Chris?" Wyatt asked, concerned now. He took a step closer to his brother. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Leo responded for his younger son, "Chris' just had an odd morning… says he didn't get much sleep…"
Wyatt didn't look appeased; carefully he handed his daughter back to his father, then slowly approached his brother.
"Chris?" he said again, "You're scarin me, bro…"
"Wyatt's talking to you Chris…" Leo said firmly, hoping to snap his younger son out of his daze.
But Chris didn't say anything; he continued to stare at his brother blankly.
"Chris?" Wyatt's tone was no longer amused, it was downright worried. His blue eyes were fastened on his younger sibling's face and he took a couple more steps towards him.
"Dad what's wrong with him?" he asked his father brusquely, but didn't remove his eyes from Chris's face.
"You're scaring your brother, Chris," Leo said steadily and walked back to where his younger son had stopped. Carefully he laid a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder.
Chris started a little when he felt his father's hand on his shoulder; he glanced quickly at his Dad then back at his brother.
His brother…
"Wyatt."
The whispered word came from the depth of his heart; and impulsively he reached out hugged his brother—forgetting where they were, who was watching, and the pretense he was supposed to keep up.
Remembering only one thing—he had his brother back.
Wyatt went stiff with surprise at the gesture, but after a moment he relaxed and began to rub soothing circles on his brother's back. Traditionally speaking this would be the perfect time for some teasing, but something inside—an instinctual knowledge of his baby brother—told him that Chris didn't need teasing right… he needed comfort…
… for what, the older man had no idea…
"It's okay, kid…" he murmured gently, "…whatever it is, we'll fix it... together… we'll fix it together…"
Leo sighed softly, looking around—noticing that they were drawing attention.
An instant later Chris pulled himself away from Wyatt and abruptly turned his back on them both. Leo watched as his younger son ran his hands through his dark hair, hoping that he was the only one who noticed the slight tremor in them.
"Chris? Okay, at the risk of sounding like a broken record here, you're scaring me…" Wyatt repeated.
They heard Chris release a breath, then the boy turned to face them again. His eyes rested on Wyatt's face, and he offered his brother a wane smile, "Ummmm..." he swallowed hard, "I know… I'm sorry… I just…"
He didn't know what else to say, didn't know what to do… this was it… he'd done it—and here was the proof – standing before him, eyeing him anxiously.
"You just what?" Wyatt asked, frowning.
"I just... you..." he was making a spectacle of himself... alerting his always observant brother that something was seriously wrong, but he didn't know what to do, how to make this better...
He'd done it.
It was over.
He'd saved Wyatt; he'd saved the world.
It was all over.
The realization struck him suddenly—he was free.
"Jeez bro, you're really freakin me out, did you crash my car or somethin?" Wyatt asked, his tone agitated now.
"Your car?" Chris stammered.
Wyatt looked at him like he'd gone insane, "Yeah, you know… the car I lent you yesterday; since yours is at the mechanics and Mom and Dad need there's for errands during the day..."
Chris said nothing.
"Dad seriously, what's wrong with him?" Wyatt asked, finally looking tearing his gaze from Chris and planting on his father.
"Nu-nothing, is wrong," Chris interjected, "I just..." he took a deep breath and let it out slowly; letting his eyes slowly take in his brother--his new brother-- gray slacks; old running shoes; blue collared shirt; short sandy, blonde hair; caring, concerned blue eyes.
Eyes that narrowed slightly when Chris trailed off; Chris, for his part suddenly remembered what he'd said to his mother, "I had a nightmare," he blurted out to his sibling.
But it hadn't been a nightmare… it had been worse… so much worse… it had been real…
Wyatt's frown remained in place, and Chris felt the need to go on, "... and I just... I needed..." to his horror he felt a stinging sensation at the back of his eyes, "... to... I needed to see you..." he stuttered out, hoping that his brother couldn't see how close he was to tears.
Blue eyes regarded him seriously a moment longer, then suddenly began to twinkle with loving understanding, "Must've been a helluva nightmare..." he said wryly, deciding not to bring up the hug, as he draped an arm around Chris's shoulders.
Chris blinked the tears back quickly, "You have no idea..." he muttered softly; remember the tyrant he'd sworn to stop, to save...
... and he had...
It was finished.
This man standing with him was his brother… his real brother. The one he'd remembered during the darkest hours, the one he'd fought for, the one he would've died for if necessary…
… the other had been a nameless monster with his brother's face… this was the real Wyatt—this was his real brother…
"As you can see, I'm quite well... maybe a tad frustrated since I have to be here till five... but hey, I have a party to look forward to," Wyatt continued conversationally as he led Chris over to his desk. Chris leaned back to sit on it, while Wyatt stood at his side.
Silently, Leo followed his boys, feeling the tension in his body begin to fade.
"So relax..." Wyatt continued.
Chris nodded, but a bit to numbly for his brother's taste, "Snap out of bro," Wyatt insisted, snapping his fingers in front of Chris's face.
"Wyatt, don't-" Leo began but cut himself off. Wyatt didn't know this wasn't the brother he'd grown up with, didn't know that the last time this young man had seen him he'd been the evil overlord of the world.
Wyatt shot his father a confused look, "Am I missing something?" he asked suspiciously.
The suspicious tone finally pulled Chris out of his stupor. He couldn't let his brother - or anyone else - get suspicious.
"No," he cried, answering Wyatt's question and pulling away from him, so he could face the older man, "...sorry, my mind wandered... that's all... and no I didn't crash your car..."
Wyatt smirked a little, "For a second there I thought you didn't even remember my car..." he said good-naturedly, "So you takin Becky today?"
Chris nodded, reigning in the desire to pester his brother with ten thousand questions. The shock was beginning to wear off and in its place there was a pulsing sense of curiosity. He wanted to know everything about this new brother… to completely block out the image of The Monster with his…
"Dad, can I have a minute alone with Chris?" Wyatt's earnest query broke into Chris's thoughts.
He felt his throat dry up and looked to his Dad with barely veiled panic in his eyes, but there was nothing Leo could do without revealing that there was indeed something wrong.
"Uhhh, well, we need to get goin..." Leo hedged, "Your mother…"
"Just a minute…" Wyatt stated.
"Ummm, well, I guess… I'll wait in the car, Chris," Leo said, just as nervous as his younger son. He shot him one more anxious look before leaving the precinct.
"Okay, brat, spill it..." Wyatt stated affectionately, as soon as their father was out of ear shot.
Chris started a little at the wry amusement and tenderness that filled his brother's voice, "I... uh... don't got nothin to spill..." he said trying to keep his expression and tone casual, even though his heart was beating rapidly.
If this Wyatt was anything like hi- like the other one then he'd clue in on every nuance of Chris's expression.
"Oh, please Chris! I taught you how to lie... and you've still never been any good at it!" his brother cried.
"Really?" Chris asked, genuinely surprised. He'd always been rather proud of his ability to deceive-- lie was such a nasty word...
Wyatt's eyebrow's jumped to his hairline and Chris realized that that he shouldn't ask questions… after all this was his life…
"I, uh, I've always thought myself particularly good," he said quickly, hoping to distract his brother. It didn't work.
"You're a shitty liar." The older man said firmly, then cocked his head thoughtfully to one side, "You know," he began softly,"… if it weren't because I can sense you... I'd swear you were a shape-shifter... that's how weird you're acting..."
Chris swallowed hard-- twelve hours-- he could do this... he just had remember what it had been like before.
Before Wyatt had decided it would nice to dominate the world... when they had been growing up...
He took a steadying breath, and used as much of the truth as he dared; hoping it would pacify Wyatt's suspicions, "It was a vivid dream, not enough sleep, and Aunt Paige yelling at me this morning… other than that… everything's fine, Wy…" he reassured, and as he said the words he realized just exactly how true they were…
Everything was fine.
A slow, sweet smile bloomed on his face, "… everything is perfectly fine…" he said softly.
Wyatt stared at him a moment longer, searching for something in his brother's green eyes—something he must've found, because a moment later he too grinned and reached out to ruffle Chris's hair.
"Aunt Paige yelled at you?" he asked, clearly very amused.
Chris didn't have to fake the scowl the covered his features, "Yeah, just 'cause I didn't call her Aunt…"
Wyatt laughed and nodded, "I got that speech once…" he told his brother, then after a moment shifted topics, "You freaked me out there for a sec, bro… with all that starin… like you didn't' just see me last night…"
Chris shrugged, and offered his brother some more truth, "It was a real bad dream…"
"Seemed real, huh?" Wyatt asked.
Chris nodded slowly, "Yeah… very real." he said quietly; images of Wyatt destroying buildings, killing innocents, choking off his air supply—flooding his mind.
"Yeah, well… it wasn't…" the firm words of his "real" brother, chased away images of The Monster, "I'll tell you what is real though," Wyatt continued, "…Me standin here talkin to you instead of fillin out those forms while our beloved godfather—who happens to be my unforgiving boss—stands over their watching with unblinking eyes…"
Chris chuckled a little and looked over to see Daryl staring at them intently with his arms folded.
"… you having a party to prepare for is real, Mom needing help with all the food preparations and the kids is real, Rebecca telling me yet again to stay the hell away from her is real, and me bein here if you want to talk about what else is going on is real…" Wyatt finished steadily, sending his little brother an unwavering look with those piercing blue eyes that said quite clearly—he hadn't bought a single of the deceptions Chris had been selling.
Chris sighed, realizing that his best bet was to stick with the truth… as close as he could.
"I better get back to what's real then," he said, standing.
Wyatt nodded, grinning a little, "You know I'm not pressuring you more, because I'm trying to accept the fact that your 23 tomorrow… a grown up in a every culture… and that probably with the way things look, you'll be married before me… but if it wasn't for those things… I'd follow you home right now and pester it out of you."
"You have an unforgiving boss…"
"Between you and me… he has a soft spot… it's called Aunt Shelia."
Chris chuckled, "I gotta go… Dad's waiting… I'll… uh… see you later…"
Wyatt nodded slowly, "Yeah… you will."
To Chris it sounded more like a promise than a goodbye; and as he turned and left the precinct he marveled at how comforting the words could sound… when they came from his "real" brother.
"Everything okay?"
The soft words broke Wyatt out of his thoughts a moment later. He looked up to find Daryl staring at him with concerned dark eyes.
"Huh?... oh yeah... I think so... I..." he looked back the way his brother had left, "... something's going on with him; and he's not sharing..."
Daryl frowned, "That's not like him..." he'd known the boys since they'd been born; they'd always been close...
"No it isn't and it's makin me nervous... after all we are having a party tonight..."
A smirk tugged at Daryl's mouth, "Don't peddle that theory with me, boy..."
Wyatt shrugged, "You and the Ancient's don't wanna believe me, but I'm serious. There's a schedule of our activities somewhere in the underworld and demons plan their attacks just to annoy us..."
Daryl chuckled.
"I mean think about it," Wyatt continued, warming to his subject now, "If you knew that attacking the Halliwell family was a suicide mission no matter what you did, wouldn't you rather wait to do it when you could at least annoy the hell out of them..."
"I've stopped trying to figure out the underworld... or hell, even your family..."
It was Wyatt's turn to chuckle now, but the smile faded again as he remembered his brother's eyes. There had been something not quite right with his brother's gaze... if he could just pinpoint what...
"Listen... why don't you just pack it up and go..." Daryl said after a moment.
Wyatt started a little, "Since when do you let me out early 'cause there's a possible Armageddon brewing?" he asked skeptically, "Last time the underworld was almost organized you wouldn't let me leave until I'd finish my shift..."
Daryl shrugged, "Yeah, but... truth is, I noticed something... sort of off with Chris too. Something just not-"
"-right." Wyatt finished for his godfather.
Daryl nodded, "Yeah, and if I kept you here instead of letting you go help your brother... Shelia'd be pissed..."
"You'd be warmin the couch at night, huh?"
"Just get the hell outa here, Halliwell..." Daryl growled, but there was laughter in his eyes.
Wyatt laughed, "You got it, boss..." he said, "See ya tonight... don't forget... eight o'clock... and tell that scoundrel of son of yours that he's still got a re-match pending, and I haven't' forgotten..."
Daryl nodded, and watched as the boy headed for the door, a small smile on his lips... maybe it did pay off to be the police chief's godson...
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