A Charmed Story - Part One:
Saving The Future Over And Over Again
Chapter 8

"Hey, you morons! Do you know who we are?" asked Piper in a loud voice, just after they reappeared at the other side of the wall, in the middle of a small group of foolish demons.
All of them turned to the sisters with their eyes red and burning with fury, but when the one who seemed to be the leader was about to start the attack and send a fireball against Phoebe, Piper just blew him up. Then, another one tried to do the same, and Phoebe kicked him on the head, then Piper blew him up too. The rest of the demons stayed back, alert and wondering whether they should make another attempt.
"Anyone else wanna try the flavor of our powers? Or will you collaborate with us?" inquired Piper in a completely mad tone.
Some of the demons lowered their heads, and kept quiet. Others looked at them defiantly, and one tried to shimmer. But Piper froze him, and then unfroze his head, so that he could speak.
"And you! Stay there, don't move! You don't know the Charmed Ones when they're furious!" cried Paige menacingly.
"What... what do you want?" asked the frozen demon, shivering in terror.
Phoebe smirked. "We want to know where Wyatt is. Where he keeps an Elder and a whitelighter.
"Wyatt?" repeated the demon, thinking he hadn't heard well.
"Gosh, your new boss!" yelled Paige.
"Oh... " The demon lowered his eyes: "Well, unfreeze me and I'll take you to him. But what happens then, is not my responsibility. Remember, I did what you asked me to do."
"We know what we do, you bastard, just take us there. And don't try anything!" replied Piper.

& & & & &

Leo thought he hadn't understood well. He wouldn't be able to make him believe he was dead.
Chris seemed to know what his father was thinking: "It'll give us a chance to get to him, dad. If I'm invisible, he'll just think I disappeared when you died! By when he discovers that you're really alive, I will have had time to knock him out."
Leo nodded, and started to carry out their plan...
Wyatt was still yelling at Barbas when Leo groaned with pain.
"Dad! NO! Please, hold on!" Chris cried.
Wyatt asked Barbas to leave, then turned around to the cage, just to see his father die.
"Now you've won," Chris said, with a sad voice, then he faded away.
Wyatt smiled. But it was a sad smile. At last Chris had been his brother. But he was his enemy, so there had been no other way.
At this moment the sisters orbed into the cave, at Wyatt's back...
"Hello son," Piper said with a calmed but strict voice.
Wyatt turned around to them. Then he began to laugh.
"I don't know what's so funny about all this," Paige said a bit peeved.
"Look," Wyatt said and made a sidestep, so that the sisters could see the cage, "I've just won!"
"No," Piper cried, when she saw the dead body of her husband.
Phoebe and Paige were completely shocked.
"YES!" Wyatt answered, "But be sure you will see him again in a few minutes."
"No!" Piper cried, "I don't believe you, son."
Wyatt raised his eyebrow: "So just go over, and convince yourself."
The sisters did, they went over to the cage, while Wyatt opened the door for them.
'Well, what an easy way to catch them, they just had to go in,' he thought. But at that very same moment he was socked on the jaw.
Wyatt was looking around completely puzzled. Same as the sisters.
But then Phoebe noticed some feelings. "Piper, remember," she whispered, "remember the spell for Chris..."
Wyatt got hit another time. "What?" he asked, still confused.
Suddenly his father orbed behind him and beat him too.
"How could you... you're dead?" Wyatt asked.
Piper and her sister watched the scene bewildered.
"But how?" Wyatt asked, still too confused to defend himself.
At this moment Chris reappeared to his sight. Wyatt turned pale.
"Oh my god," Paige said, "that's freaky."
"Thank mum and our aunts, they gave me a power you don't have!" Chris yelled at his brother and threw an energy ball against him.
Then he smirked, watching his brother hit against the wall, because of the impact of the energy ball: "And I'm also a good actor, right?"
He was so mad that he started to form another ball on his hand, when Leo grabbed it and said: "Enough, Chris! He has fainted... And you are not like him."
Chris swallowed, with the energy ball still on his hand.
"He wanted to kill us all, you saw him, you heard him..." he was crying. "Now I have the power I always needed to defeat him and save you all."
"But your dad is right, son..." added Piper, softly, caressing his arm. "Now you may be as powerful as he is, but you've also got something he lacks. You've got willpower, and feelings... Don't lose that now."
"Chris.. " said Phoebe, approaching them, "don't turn into him... Let's go home, please... You saved Cole's soul, don't lose yours!"
Tears started to stream down Chris' face, but finally he lowered his hand, and made the ball disappear before the smiley face of his mother.
Then, Leo touched Wyatt, and all of them orbed back home.

& & & & &

"This is taking too much time!" Cole was pacing the attic nervously, while Penny played with little Wyatt. "Do you think they're fine?"
Grams didn't answer, she just stared at him with a worried look in her eyes.
"If at least I had my powers!" exclaimed Cole.
Suddenly, bright bluish lights filled the room, and all the family, together with adult Wyatt, appeared in front of them.
"Come on, Wyatt could wake up!" said Paige right after she materialized. Then she created once again the crystal cage for Wyatt. "This will keep him for a while if he awakes before we cast the spell."
"Are you fine?" was asking Cole, seeing how all of them rushed to get everything prepared. "...Ok, I guess so..." then he sighed relieved, and sat down next to Penny, not knowing what to do, feeling useless.
"Do you have the spell, Phoebe?" Piper asked. Phoebe looked at her with misunderstanding.
"Didn't you say that it is too dangerous, because your son can be able to join you, and then maybe kill you?" Cole asked worried.
Piper frowned, thinking about that for a moment. She wanted to add something but was interrupted.
"I've written a new one," Penny said, "that should let you in, and keep him here." She gave Piper a sheet of paper.
"Thanks Grandma," Piper answered.
"So come on girls," Paige said and went next to her sister.
Phoebe wanted to do the same, but Cole held her back and looked her in the eyes.
"Be careful," he told her.
She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek: "I will."
Then she went over and the sisters cast the spell:
"In Wyatts memories let us in
and in all his feelings from within
But his mind shall stay in reality
So we can go there safe and free"
Same as before it seemed that they fell asleep. Leo was watching that with sorrow. Then he went over to see if Wyatt was alright.
Meanwhile Cole noticed that Chris was sitting in a corner looking into nothing. He went over to him, and sat down.
"Are you o.k.?" he asked.
Chris felt so lousy, he didn't want to answer. But... who else should he talk to?... Cole was the best friend he ever had.
"No, I'm not," he answered.
"What happened?" Cole asked worried. They were talking so quietly that the others didn't notice.
"I did wrong, uncle... I was... I was going to be like him... I wanted to kill him. I felt that I was able to, and I really wanted to do that..." Chris said sadly.
"Well, that's usual, after all what he did to you," Cole answered.
"But it was wrong... I shouldn't use the powers, the sisters gave me, to kill my own brother."
"You didn't, right?" Cole asked and Chris nodded.
"So there is no problem. You were able to control yourself, that's good... And that you now worry about that, shows only one thing... That you are definitely not like him!" he said and hugged him.
Chris smiled a bit. His uncle made him feel much better now...
"By the way," Cole added after a moment, "the powers of a whitelighter can't kill your brother, I thought." Cole guessed.
Chris frowned: "Yes... usually not... But... I know I would have been able to... So... how?" Now he was really wondering about that.
Leo, who was hugging little Wyatt, overheard his son and Cole's conversation, and approached them.
"Sorry I was listening to you..." he said, feeling uncomfortable.
Chris smiled a bit embarrassed, and Cole grinned reassuringly: "It's ok... I guess Chris wanted you to know, after all you're his dad!"
Chris lowered his eyes, but Leo just went into the topic, preventing him from saying something he might not like, for example, that he preferred speaking to his uncle, which was the truth, actually.
"Well... The thing is that a whitelighter can not kill. But.. and Elder can."
Chris looked at him wonderingly.
Cole raised a brow. "And? The spell was to make him a full whitelighter..."
"Possibly... If he was half whitelighter."
"But dad, I AM half whitelighter..."
"No, you are not..." Leo replied, cutting him off, "when you came, you turned me into an Elder... Now you're the son of an Elder, not a whitelighter. Probably the spell made you a full Elder, with all our powers... Not only those of orbing which we share with whitelighters. The spell, might have triggered what you already had, and you had those powers inside!"
Chris was starting to feel very sick.
"Wow... " muttered Cole, opening his eyes wide, "You're huge, man..."
Chris blushed: "No, I am not. Even if all this is true, and sounds fine, I tried to kill my brother, and that's not something to be proud of... I don't want these powers, dad."
Cole patted his shoulders as Leo tried to smile at him.
"Now you can keep them... We'll speak about this later. But now, you might need them, so keep them, ok?" said Leo.
Cole was silent... All that reminded him of himself, when he became the source of all evil, with all those powers... He wasn't able to fight them. But Chris was much stronger. He'd be able to control them, in the end. He had to keep those powers.
Meanwhile, Penny was staring at the sisters and Wyatt, worried. What would they be seeing at that moment?

& & & & &

The sisters were standing in a dark backstreet.
"I think we should hide somewhere," Paige said and so they did.
Seconds later the future Paige orbed in.
"Hello aunt Paige."
The witch turned around and looked at the 16-years-old Wyatt.
"Wyatt, sweetheart, what are you doing here?" she asked him with a smile. "I'm here to kill a demon, go back to your mom, she's missing you for sure."
"Wyatt grinned then focused on her: "Where is my sword?"
"What?" Paige asked in misunderstanding.
"Excalibur, I know that you know where mom hides it," the blonde boy said, with a lot of anger in his voice.
"I don't," Paige answered, "and by the way, your mom wants you to have it, when you're 18, not now!"
Wyatt grinned very evilly. "But I want it know!" he yelled and threw an engeryball against his aunt.
Paige wanted to orb away but she wasn't fast enough. She got hit and broke down.
"Wyatt, what are you doing?" she asked with pain.
"I'll make this end, just for a new beginning, my beginning," he said serious. Then he pulled out a little knife. He spoke a few words and the blade was shining in red light for a moment.
"No," Paige whispered with fear.
"Yes," Wyatt said, took the knife and killed his aunt.
The sisters were looking at this with horror. That was unbelievable.

& & & & &

Meanwhile in the attic Leo was wandering around.
"What is that, about you and your father?" Cole whispered to Chris.
Chris was nodding in Leo's direction: "Nothing that has to do with him, hopefully." Then he sighed.
"Are you o.k.?" his uncle asked.
Chris nodded
"I'm sure you will be able to handle that, I mean that whole Elder-thing."
But Chris didn't answer. Instead he jumped up and yelled at his father: "Could you please sit down, you're making me crazy!"
Leo turned to Chris, startled. Then he went to the couch, and sat down slowly, looking at his son: "I'm sorry..." he said, without taking his eyes from him.
Cole put a hand on Chris's shoulder: "Hey, calm down, ok? He's just as worried as you are. Give him space."
Chris glared at his uncle, furious, but his sight seemed to quiet him a little bit.
"Sorry," he muttered, more for Cole than for Leo, "I'm too nervous. What if the spell wasn't good, and Wyatt enters the memories too? He's too powerful..."
Leo stood up again, and rushed to the sisters: "What's happening?" he asked, very alarmed.
Penny was cleaning the sweat from Paige's forehead, who was shivering. Piper's and Phoebe's faces were covered with tears.
Cole looked at them and stood up, but Chris grabbed his hand.
"Don't worry... They're fine... It's just... they're watching more of our wonderful life in the future." he explained bitterly, "It's not this what makes me be afraid."
"But what the hell..." Cole had lived much for that day, too much, but still he couldn't conceive in his mind those calamities Chris could have suffered in the future. Even his having being a demon, didn't help to imagine such atrocities.
He turned to Chris, and sat down again, next to him. "Ok, buddy... Everything's gonna be alright soon." he said, almost wordless.
Chris nodded, staring at the sisters, hoping Wyatt would not enter the memories as he had done before. He wished the spell was really safe.

& & & & &

"I can't believe my eyes..." said Piper, devastated.
Phoebe was sobbing by her side, while Paige started to feel sick. She had just witnessed her own death by her nephew's hands!
"This is not taking us anywhere..." she murmured. "We just need to find who turned Wyatt, who the Elder was!"
Piper shrugged: "We cannot control his memories... They'll lead us on their own. Just, be prepared to see these horrible things..."
The shot changed little by little, and they saw Wyatt's bedroom. He was sitting on the bed, sobbing, looking at a pic of Paige's.
Piper was trying to calm him down: "You did all you could, son..." she said.
"No, I didn't mom..." his sobs seemed to be so real! "I'm sorry she died..."
"But it's not your fault, honey..." Piper was also crying.
Wyatt couldn't stand that sight. His eyes turned to her, they were looking at nothing, like those of a madman.
"No, mom, it IS my fault because it was ME that killed her, ok? I don't know what happened. I just did it, I needed to do it! Because you were all going to betray me! Don't you understand?" he cried.
Piper flinched: "What?"
Her son's eyes had turned cold, expressionless. "I'm sorry, mom, but I need to do this... Forget the old Wyatt... He doesn't exist anymore, he's now a murderer. And he cannot let you live with knowing what he has done." Then he orbed away, determined to finish what he had begun, and leaving Piper speechless.
Then the scene changed again. They were in the kitchen.
Piper is walking around trying to make a potion, one to bring back her son.
Seconds later 16-years-old Wyatt orbed in.
Piper turned around in surprise.
"Where is my sword, where is Excalibur?" he asked with anger.
"Son, I..." Piper was afraid, she was alone.
"Don't turn against me, tell me where it is, or I swear you will be dead like my aunts."
"Wyatt, but... I don't understand... I..." Piper yelled with panic.
His son went closer: "Tell me... NOW!"
Piper took a deep breath. Then she shook her head, she couldn't do that...
"That's sad," Wyatt said. Then he took out that magical knife which killed the others before.
The Piper behind the door closed her eyes, while Phoebe put her arms around her. Then they heard the other Piper scream.
Seconds after that, they heard the front door, and someone yelling "Mom!"
"Chris," Paige whispered.
Then they turned their attention back to Wyatt, who was standing over the wounded body of his mother: "Don't send him against me, or I will kill him like you."
Piper was looking at him with tears in her eyes. Then he orbed away, seconds before his brother went in.
And the scene changed again. Now they were in a park. Wyatt was sitting on a stone when Leo orbed in.
"Son," he said, "I don't know how to tell you but..."
Wyatt interrupted him: "I know, I've felt it." He had tears in his eyes.
"Oh son," Leo said an hugged him, while he was crying.
"Dad you must help me," Wyatt said, "I need Excalibur!"
Leo was looking at him. He frowned.
"I need to protect me, to protect Chris and also Patricia. Someone wants to kill our whole family," Wyatt explained.
And Leo nodded, then he summoned the sword in his hand and gave it to his son.
Wyatt took it with a satisfied smile: "Thanks dad, I've always known I could count on you."

& & & & &

Penny was very tired. She had been the whole time looking after the sisters, and well, it was true she was just a ghost, but whenever ghosts turn human, they start to feel as humans; that's a part she really hated.
Cole looked at her, then turned to Chris: "I think I'm gonna take her place for a while, and be with little Wyatt too. Penny should have a rest... What if you talk with Leo? You haven't had much time lately... "
Chris rolled his eyes. "I prefer staying with you, I can help you there, if you..."
"No I don't need you there, Chris. Look, I'm proud of being your uncle, and that you love me so much... Gosh, I'm really proud, you know? But believe me, Leo is a good man. You also said so, and know it... Look at him. He needs you now, Chris. You've got a father, and you'll have him in the future this time. Go with him, ok?"
Chris nodded, resigned, as Cole smiled.
"Ok, then... " He sighed. He approached Penny and offered himself to take her place, which she accepted willingly. Chris looked at them, and afterwards he stood up and went to Leo, who was still sitting.
"Hey..." he said, smiling.
"Hey..." Leo's voice sounded tired and sad.
"How are you doing, dad?"
Leo shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's hard for us, but I know how hard this is for you, so I just keep that in mind, and go on..."
Chris stared at him, lovingly. Of course that wasn't his father from the future. What had happened to him, then? Almost unaware of it, he put his hand on Leo's knee.
"I love you dad. I wanted you to know it. Whatever comes..."
Leo smiled back at him. "Chris... I know there's something wrong between you and me in your time. Otherwise, you wouldn't have behaved that way all this time passed, when I didn't know who you were, and all. And you wouldn't prefer talking to Cole," he said, tiredly.
Chris looked aside. He didn't know what to answer. "Those things... you don't need to know them, ok? I mean, we're saving Wyatt, and once this happens, everything will change. We can even forget everything. I might disappear... Look, that'd mean I never came back! So don't worry about it now."
Leo frowned, alarmed: "In that case, Chris... if we change this, and you don't need to come back... what will happen? I mean, everything YOU changed, will not be changed at all, and Wyatt cannot be good. Then, you'll have to come... That's a time loop! Everything is repeated once and again, there's no way to go on for you... Did you think about the consequences?"
Leo hadn't thought about it before, nor had Chris, who looked shocked at that moment.
"I don't know..." he murmured. "I just thought I would save him and the future would be better... What if... we cast a spell, so that you can't forget I came, and why I came? That way, Wyatt will be kept saved, whatever happens, and everything will be ok..."
Leo nodded, somehow confused.
"We'll talk to the sisters later..."
Penny harrumphed. "I'm sorry," she said, "But I suddenly heard what you've said."
She looked at her grand-grandchild, who seemed to be very sad.
"Your dad will not forget that," she explained, "he will not forget cause it has happened, you have returned, that's a fact. And if there is no need to go back for you this time... when you are born one day... all things will be re-run in the next turn..."
Chris and Leo were looking at her in complete confusion.
But Penny smiled: "Well time-traveling is a very complicated topic." Then she went over to the sofa and laid down.
"That didn't help us much," Chris said.
Leo hugged him: "Well, Penny knows a lot more than we do."
"Because she's dead?" his son asked.
Leo nodded.

& & & & &

"Where are we?" Paige asked.
Piper was looking around. She had still tears in her eyes.
"I don't know" she said.
"I think it's the Underworld," Phoebe remarked, then she noticed a few barrels, "that is a good place to hide."
A few moments later Barbas went in, followed by maybe-10-years-old Wyatt.
"What is he doing here?" Piper asked.
"Well my little boy, how often shall I tell you, not to come here. If your mother finds out she will kill me again," Barbas said.
"But you are my friend," Wyatt answered.
"What?" the sisters whispered confused.
Barbas was looking at Wyatt and smiled: "Who had ever believed that this would happen, a demon and a witch who are friends. Come on little boy." He hugged him.
Wyatt smiled very happy.
"I can't believe that," Piper said.
Paige nodded: "Me neither."
"But that's real," Phoebe remarked, "I feel it, they are real friends."
"Barbas," Wyatt said now, "wouldn't you like to go and scare some innocent?"
Piper didn't know what to say or think. What a bad mother she must have been, not to notice her child was having fun with a demon when he went out!
Phoebe felt what she was feeling, and patted her shoulder: "Hey, sister... Look, this cannot be your fault, nor Leo's... Barbas can trick everyone out... What if... that Elder-stuff and all... What if he made us all believe it was an Elder that wanted to kill him, and then, he somehow made him believe he wanted to protect him, or something? I don't know..."
Paige sighed: "Who knows. Barbas can do whatever he likes!"
Suddenly the shot changed again. They were in the lounge, sleeping, Cole was looking at them; especially at Phoebe, adoringly. And adult Wyatt was also there! Sleeping with them! On the other side of the room, Chris was sitting between Leo and Penny, and little Wyatt was playing on his adult brother's knees. They were worried about something...
The sisters turned to each other, unable to believe that.
"What does this mean?" Paige asked.
"I don't know... We are... We are where we are right now!" said Phoebe. "I mean, that's what's happening now!"
"Or what's going to happen in a while, perhaps?" continued Piper. "These are Wyatt's memories... Little Wyatt's, too, because his memories, even the new ones, are filling adult Wyatt's mind!"
"So...?"
"So this must be a key moment for us. Maybe something changed, and what has to happen is gonna happen now!" said Paige.
Suddenly, Barbas materialized in front of Leo and Chris, and threw a couple of ballfires at them. They fell on the floor, unconscious.
Piper gasped...

(Chapter 8 written by Belén and Chrissy.W.x)