Chapter 17

"Am I going to die?" Chris questioned as he sat, back against the wall in the same blindingly white room he always seemed to revisit as soon as he drifted out of consciousness.

"Maybe….. I can't say," the hooded figure replied as he stood observing the teen whom he had come to care for over the past years he had been assigned to watch over the boy's fate.

At the reply he received, Chris couldn't help but to shut his eyes as his heart dropped and his guts wrenched.

"Will I…… will I at least see my baby born?" Chris whispered, his voice hoarse with tears that were dying to be released.

"I can't see into the future, Chris. My job is to guide you to your fate and enlighten you with enough information to do what you need to do. But there is only so much I can help you with…… the rest is up to you……"

"But how!" Chris leapt to his feet, his patience wearing thin and his mind on the verge of hysteria, "How am I supposed to know when to step in! I don't know what to do! Jesus Christ, when will I know what to do!"

"All I can say is, what needs to happen will happen… when you are needed, you'll know. Just listen to your heart, Chris. It'll lay out your path……"

"Do you know how much I hate your cryptic bull shit?"

"I'm sorry, but all I can give you is my so called 'Cryptic Bull Shit'….. we'll meet again soon. Just remember what I told you. What needs to happen will happen……."

Chris's vision began to swirl as the white room slowly began to fade along with the mysterious figure that haunted his dreams…..

So here he was again, wallowing alone in the dead of the night at the abandoned park where he had been visiting frequently as soon as he woke from the dreaded dreams.

God he hated it. Having to know his life was about to take a drastic turn for the worse…. and he had no control over anything.

Chris buried his face into his hands as he sat shivering on the stiff bench. The night had never appeared as lifeless as it did tonight.

"Chris?"

Startled at the tentative hand that brushed his shoulder, Chris leapt out of his seat and whirled around only to be faced with an uncertain Wyatt

Hurriedly brushing away the tears that had cascaded down his cheeks, he tried to play it off as he remarked, "What're you doing here, Wy? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
Wyatt, who had obviously been sleeping as he was clad in his Pajama bottoms, a heavy grey hoody and his worn out jacket, replied, "I could say the same for you."

Chris stood awkwardly at his brother's intense gaze as he shifted his weight not knowing what to say.

Noting Chris's discomforted pose, Wyatt sighed as he gestured for his younger brother to sit back down on the bench where he took a seat beside him.

Both brothers's not knowing where to start just sat soaking in the airy night.

Wyatt felt Chris shiver beside him as he noted that the younger teen was dressed in only a long sleeve shirt.

"If you're gonna run off into the night, at least dress warm," Wyatt scolded as he removed his own jacket to drape it over the slim figure.

"How'd you know I would be here?"

"I don't know…. You can call it a brother's intuition I guess….."

"Are you gonna get mad at me now?"

Turning his head to stare at his brother, Wyatt slowly shook his head, "I'm not mad, Chris….. I'm worried. You've been acting depressed lately. Not eating as much, always looking tired, withdrawing from everything…… What's going on?"

"Nothin-"

"And don't you DARE say 'nothing'. Chris….. I thought you could talk to me……."

Taking in a quivering breath, Chris shook his head, "I can talk to you, Wy…… It's just- I'm so lost right now. I don't know what to do. Every time I think about it, I think I'm going insane…. God, I think I'm losing my mind……"

"Chris, let me help you! I understand if you don't want to worry every one else… but this is me! You're big brother! Let me be the one to help. Please…"

Unable to find his voice, he just let out a soft sob as he sat crying into his brother's arms, not knowing what else to do.

With an arm around Chris, Wyatt began to rub small circles as he began whispering words of comfort into his brother's ears.

"Please…. Just tell me, Chris. You're scaring me. What happened?"

"I- I got a call….."

"About what? It's okay. Just let it out, Chris. I promise I won't tell anyone if you don't want. I just want to help, okay?"

Trying to gather enough sanity and composure to say it, Chris began to babble, "I don't know what's happening! I thought after I came here, everything was getting better. I had you guys and Bianca and we were all okay. Then I started hurting again and I was always throwing up, the dreams kept reoccuring but I couldn't tell any of you. I thought it was just a little ulcer or something. But then the doctor called and said- he……"

"What? What'd he say Chris? Are you okay?"

Shaking his head, Chris replied, "I'm not going to be okay, Wy….." A sob escaped his lips as the words struggled to be released, "I'm never going to be okay……"

Beginning to panic, Wyatt grabbed his brother by the shoulder and looked into his eyes, "Chris…. What exactly did the doctor say?"

"I guess I don't have that long after all….."

"What's that suppose to mean!"

"It means…." Chris took in a breath as the hysteria passed over and silent tears fell upon his cheeks, "That I have stomach cancer…. and it's already too late to cure it….."

A stunned silence….. the breeze that blew between the two brothers felt dead, and the stars seemed to dim away.

"Wh-what?"

Shaking his head, Chris started to chuckle despite the tears that still ran freely down his face, "I believe his exact words were, 'The best we can do right now is to get you some pain killers, enough to keep you comfortable and for you to spend as much time with your family as possible'…….I guess this was all a big joke….. fate just wanted to fuck with me……. Kinda funny really… I mean just when I start a family and think I'm living my life to the fullest, they take it away in five minutes…..five freakin' minutes……"

All Wyatt could do was stare…. What the hell was going on? Was he still dreaming?

"Chris," Wyatt whispered in a deadly tone, "If you're messing with me right now, I swear I'll kick the shit out of you……"

Exhaling into the chilly night, Chris just shook his head, "I really wish I was lying, Wyatt….. Do you know how much I would give to tell you I was just joking around right now? But I can't…. This is reality and I've got to deal with it…."

"Does Bianca know? Ryan?"

"No….. just you. I don't want you telling them either. Not yet anyway…. I've just got to sort some stuff out right now…. I don't think I'll be able to handle all of the coddling or pity."

"Jesus Christ….. Why you, Chris? My gosh…. You don't deserve this!" Wyatt abruptly rose from his seat and kicked it with all his strength leaving behind an eerie echo from the bars vibrating as he screamed into the night's air, "Why him! Why does it have to be him! Gosh! He DOESN'T deserve this! He's better than this! He's eighteen! Is this how you guys get your kicks up there! Toying around with kid's lives! If you want to screw with someone, freakin' take me! Leave my brother the HELL alone! God…… just leave him alone!"

Wyatt was left panting as his breath wasted away with his words and all that was left behind were his broken sobs as an arm from behind wrapped around him.

"It's okay. I was mad at first too… But I guess we just have to accept what life throws at us. I guess we just have to accept this may be my fate…"

Turning around, he enveloped his brother into a tight embrace as he began reassuring him with his "big brother" tone his parents used to always tease him about, "Don't worry, Chris… I'll fix this. I promise, even if it means risking everything… I'll get things right again… you'll see…"

Just leaning into the embrace, Chris blinked back his tears not even bothering to correct his brother, 'There's nothing you can do… God, if you only knew the other half, Wy….. If you only knew how deep the roots run….'

"Would you stop!" Chris suddenly exclaimed as he whirled around from his spot on the couch to face Wyatt who was staring at him from behind as he leaned against the door frame.

It had been two weeks from "The Night", and Chris just couldn't take the "You're about to break" look Wyatt kept shooting him every chance he could.

"What?" Wyatt replied as he tried to act nonchalant.

Scoffing, Chris remarked, "Why are you here? You're like 24…. Shouldn't you be far far away from home by now like normal twenty-something year old people?"

"It's cause he doesn't want to be away from his mom's wonderful cooking, isn't that right sweetheart?" Piper butted in as she made her entrance from the kitchen doorway where she spotted her two older sons bantering away.

Rolling his eyes, Wyatt just turned and walked away before facing further humiliation from his family.

On his way out, he ran into Bianca who was just making her way in.

"Ouch! Hey, watch where you point that massive thing!" Wyatt exclaimed as he pointed to his sister in laws protruding stomach.

"What, you think I like walking around with a beach ball sticking out from my front!"

"You shouldn't even be up in the first place! I thought pregnant people were limited to bed rest."

"Do I look like any other pregnant woman? Like I could really sit in bed and do nothing."

Wyatt just shook his head as he offered her an arm of support and led her into the living room where his brother and mom were sitting and chatting away.

"Look who stumbled down the stairs, she-" Wyatt began but was cut off by a whirling energy ball that barely missed his head and instead made a solid hit with the side wall.

Alerted by the noise, Chris and Piper stood to find four demons standing, all armed with swirling masses of blue energy, in their hands ready to go.

"Wyatt, get Bianca out of here! Now!" Chris exclaimed as he slung his arms sending a demon hurling into a wall.

Without a second thought, Wyatt and Bianca disappeared in a mass of blue and white.

"Chris, duck!"

Following his mom's advice, Chris was barely grazed by the rogue energy ball as it left a slight burn on his left shoulder.

Having enough, Piper stood from her spot behind the couch and flicked her fingers sending one of the lurking demons into a thick pile of dust.

Whirling around, she was faced with an energy ball making its path towards her. Just as she began to flinch away, the mass of energy changed its path only to be sent back to its sender as he blew into a thousand pieces.

"Thanks, Wyatt," Piper exhaled as her son made his way over to her.

"Where's Chris?" Wyatt questioned as he anxiously looked for his brother. His question was answered with the cry of the third demon as he met his demise and Chris making his way through the rubble.

"You alright?" Piper questioned as her gaze flickered toward the minor should wound.

"Yeah, no biggie. Should we call dad, Ryan, and the others?"

"I don't think that would be necess-" Piper began but was met with loud "Shush!" from her oldest son.

Her eyes wide open in disbelief, she glared back and began to scold, "Hey mister! Don't you shush your mom! Whe-"

"Mom. There were four demons. We only got three of them….. where's the last demon?"

All three of their senses were on high alert as they began watching for signs of another creature in the room with them. As the three began searching around, Chris suddenly halted in his place as his heart dropped out of his chest.

"Wyatt….. Where'd you take Bianca?"

Curious at his brother's dreading tone, Wyatt turned around, "Upstairs in the attic, why?"

An earth shattering scream echoed throughout the house and before another word could be uttered, the three were already half way up the stairs…..

TBC…..