Chapter 16

A shiver washed down his spine as the bitter cold air whipped harshly through the night sky. Leaves rattled across the pavement and landed in the sandbox of the park. Shadows held an ominous atmosphere as the moon silently watched over the night.

Through the darkness, a slightly hunched figure was seen quietly watching the time pass as the low moans of the swing he sat upon were heard.

Chris couldn't remember how much time had actually elapsed since he had escaped from the manor and made his way to this park. Minutes? Hours? Days? It didn't really matter to him... Everything was numb. His mind, his body. He prayed to god that it would stay that way. He didn't want to feel it. The despair, the anguish, the tears that had been falling down his cheeks for hours now...

They had been taunting him the whole time, dangling the life they knew he yearned for. Putting it within his reach, but yanking it away just as his fingers grazed the surface. And it hurt more than he could ever imagine... Who knew the pain a few words could cause... In five minutes, everything he had was demolished.

He leaned his head back and held back the tears even though they still fell. Why he had chosen to come here? He couldn't actually say. Maybe because this was where he held so many of his childhood grudges. Memories that summed up his life in a neat little package.

He could remember coming here as child. Not with his family, but alone. Standing by the sidelines and watching all the other kids laugh and play... seeing parents sit and be content with just supervising.

Even at such an early age, he could still feel the weight of being alone. He had to laugh at that. Alone... the word itself represented his past, present and future. No matter what either he or his family did... it would never change the fact that he was destined to be alone... After all that was the reason he was born...

:Flashback: (Early that day at the manor)

"Are you sure you don't want to go for a check up?" an anxious Piper asked as she sat beside Bianca who was calmly sipping her tea with one hand on her protruding stomach.

"I'm fine, Piper. Relax. The baby was just kicking a little hard this morning."

"Ohh!" Phoebe squealed as she reached over from her seat on the couch, "I want to feel the baby kick!"

"A little too late, the kicking slowed an hour ago," Chris replied as he sat holding his cup of coffee.

A couple of days had passed since the breakfast table meltdown, but the few days had been the most productive for the Halliwell family. Reaching an understanding had allowed them to finally close the gap to becoming a real family. Old grudges were released; the anger that had been simmering underneath the surface had finally cooled down. A fresh new start had begun...

"But I mean, she's more than 7 months into her pregnancy. You two should really see a doctor by now," Piper continued her lecture has she threw nervous glances towards her husband.

Leo sighed, "It could be the right thing to do. I mean, when you were born, you're mother did have some complications..."

Chris perked up at this and his brows suddenly began to crease with uneasiness, "W-what? So are you saying that the complications might be hereditary? Do you think the baby will be okay? Did we put Bianca and the baby at risk by not going to the doctor's earlier? Oh crap. Where's the nearest doctor's office around here? Is your doctor still around mom? Do you-"

Wyatt grimaced has he laid a hand on his hyperventilating brother, "Relax, bro. 1,2,3 breathe. 1,2,3 breathe. 1,2,3 breathe. Geez dad, way to give the guy a heart attack."

"Someone needs to chill out..." Ryan sniggered as he sat beside Bianca and tried to feel the baby kicking.

"But how are we supposed to know what color clothes to buy or whether we should be looking at little teddy bears or cute toy trucks? And what color are we going to use to decorate the nursery? Ahh, I'm getting excited just thinking about it!" Paige exclaimed as she mentally began to note all the things she could buy for her great niece or nephew.

"Have you thought of names yet?" Leo questioned as he casually faced his son and daughter in law. He noticed the quick shy smile that passed between the couple before they turned to face him.

"Uhmm.. about that..." Chris began.

"Yeah. We're sort of having a disagreement about names. We can't seem to decide on one," Bianca finished.

"Well that's what the cool uncles are for. To eliminate having their niece or nephew named something like Dwayne or Cookie... something you know will cause them to be the laughing stock of all 12 years of school. So shoot," Ryan suggested.

"Well," Chris began as he shot Bianca a nervous look, "If it was a girl, I was thinking Audrey or Candace. And if it was a boy, Joshua or Michael."

"I like Mackenzie or Ashlee for a girl and Aidan or Joshua for a boy."

"How about Matthew for if it was a boy?" Wyatt suggested with a smirk.

"Stop being so arrogant," Phoebe teased her nephew.

Everyone laughed as Wyatt's face burned red and he uncomfortably looked away with a grin.

As everyone began to put their input about the name of his unborn child, Chris looked away from his family and grimaced as another spasm of pain ripped through his abdomen. This had been happening quite frequently lately causing Chris to worry slightly. Was this normal? Maybe an ulcer or something...

Digging his nails into the palm of his hand, Chris held back a groan as he felt a searing pain wash over him causing ever nerve in his body to scream. He couldn't do this anymore, 'I need to get out of here...'

Clearing his throat with much difficulty, everyone ceased in their conversation to stare at him, "I think I'm going to lay down for a bit, I didn't get much sleep last night."

Piper frowned as she studied her son's face, "Alright, I'll come check on you in an hour."

Chris nodded his head feverishly as he used all of his self restraint to walk calmly out of the room without screaming out in pain or collapsing from the intensity.

-

:Chris's Sleep:

"What do you want! I'm sick and tired of this! You can't bring me up here every night and expect me to not ask questions!" Chris screamed with frustration as he stared at the hooded figure in front of him.

"I know you more than you think, of course you'll ask questions... It's in your nature to be cautious and wary..."

"Then answer them dammit! There has to be a reason for all of this! You wouldn't be sending me all those dreams if there wasn't a reason!"

"There is a reason."

Chris grunted in frustration as he glowered at the figure before him, "Are you gonna tell me the reason?"

"To warn you."

With a puzzled face, Chris studied the hooded creature before him, "Warn me? Of what?"

"You're role."

Getting frustrated at the short responses Chris responded in a sarcastic voice, "Listen, if you're gonna be blunt with me, might as well send me back right now. I'm passed this. I have a life right now. I have a family who loves me and a baby on the way. My life is going great, I don't have time for mind games."

"Are you sure it will continue that way?"

"This is big, Christopher. Bigger than you can even imagine-"

"What's BIG! What role! I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"The end is coming and the outcome depends on you."

"The end of what?"

"Good or evil."

Chris stared. His mouth tense and his face rigid, "Stop."

"You're whole life, every little thing that happened to you. It happened for a reason. Nothing was a coincidence. Ever second of your life was there to lead you to one end."

"I don't want to hear this-"

"You knew, Christopher. You were never ordinary. You were born for one reason."

"Stop! Just freaking stop! I don't what to hear this, any of it!"

"I'm only telling you what you need to hear."

"Need to hear! You can't do this to me! You can't pull me from my life just when everything is great and drop a bomb shell like this! You can't fucking to do this to me!"

"We didn't do anything to you. We have known about you're birth before you were even conceived. This is bigger than you can imagine, Chris. Everything depends on you..."

Chris had turned away from the speaker, unable to speak. This couldn't be happening... Please... Tears were forming before he could even attempt to stop them, "What if I refuse?... What will happen then?"

The speaker hesitated before he spoke as he stared at the young man in front of him. Because that was who he was. He was barely 18. "If you refuse... then we lose... Our survival is your responsibility..."

Chris turned around as angry tears began to spill across his face, "I didn't ask for this responsibility! I never asked for any of this! I just wanted a normal life!"

"I never wished this upon you, Chris. Really. But this is beyond either of us."

"I have a child on the way! Do you understand that! I can't risk putting any of my family at risk! I CAN"T do this!"

"If you don't do this… more than your family will be hurt….."

Chris fell to his knees as he wrenched his eyes closed, "Don't do this to me…. Make it stop, please. I'm begging you…. Pick someone else."

"I can't control this. This is bigger than even me. Believe me, Christopher. If I could help you…. I would."

From his knees, Chris looked up into the hood of the one that stood before him, eyes rimmed with tears, "I can't do this… I'm sorry."

The being studied the fallen teen and responded with hesitation. Knowing what would happen now. Regretting to have to put the child through this. "Maybe... maybe what happens next might change you're mind..."

-

Chris woke up gasping as he lay alone in the bed with sweat soaking the sheets. He felt his body shaking as he sat there. Breath quivering.

He felt his heart jump through his chest when the phone beside his bed began to ring.

'maybe what happens next might change you're mind...'

The phone continued to ring as Chris stared at it, fearing what would come of the phone call.

With a shaking hand, Chris picked the receiver from the cradle and hesitantly put it to his ear. "Hello?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"Hello, may I speak to Chris Halliwell please?"

Clearing his voice, he replied, "This is he..."

"Chris, this is Dr. Erickson from the UCSD hospital .I was hoping you would be the one to answer. I have some news and I thought you should be the first one to hear it. Do you have a minute to talk?"

"Uh, yeah... sure... w-what is it you want to talk about?"

"Well... you're tests results are in. And I'm afraid it isn't good news..."

:End Flashback:

As he continued to sob into the night, the world kept on spinning. And he knew it wouldn't stop unless he failed to act. He had no choice... He knew from the moment he was told of his fate, he would have to accept it.

So once again with the weight of the world on his shoulders, he grieved alone…

And just like that, his world began to collapse...

TBC...

AN: A bit of writer blocks on this one... does anyone want me to continue 'I Need You'? Tell me if I'm wasting my time with that... and be honest, I can take criticism names for the baby... I was gonna have a vote, but I want it to be a surprise. I already picked one. Sorry if you won't like it! But still a few more chapters till then!