Of All the People
Chapter 12
By teal-lover
Summary: Wyatt reflects on the events after Chris Crossed and decides to do something about it.
Rating: PG13, T
Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, just borrowing, promise to give them back when done, don't get any money for this.
AN: I mentioned that we're currently in 2004 for the present day scenes, but I forgot that Chris was conceived in 2003, & born in 2004, so sorry for any confusion.
I've kind of skipped over the events of days 4 & 5, because I think you get the picture of what's happening in the background. Wyatt & Chris are talking-amiably, eating, sleeping, etc.—I may go into that later with more flashbacks, but we'll see. Leo and the Charmed Ones are still going nuts trying to find them. So let's just settle on day 6.
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At the manor…Day 6…August 26, 2003The Charmed sisters looked exhausted. Paige was slumped over the table, the crystal barely dangling millimeters above the map.
Phoebe leaned back into the couch, a pen and steno pad in her hand, crumpling up wads of paper when she either didn't like or the latest spell failed. The wastebasket that sat by her feet had already been emptied for the fourth time this particular day.
Piper sat in a chair leaning over a cauldron while she tied to find yet another place on her hand to draw blood. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and lack of sleep for nearly a week.
Leo was currently in the underworld again trying to sense for their missing youngest Halliwell. He orbed into the attic, his shoulders hunched over in despair as he wiped the beads of sweat from his brow. He was covered in black soot from the many vanquishings he had doled out to uncooperative demons. "No one's seen them," he mumbled to no one in particular.
Phoebe finally dropped her pen, unable to stare at the black letters that seemed to run together any longer. "I need sleep!" she declared fitfully. "I can't focus any more. We all need sleep."
Piper whipped her head around, "NO! We have to find him first. He's in danger and he needs our help!"
The empath threw her head back exhaustedly, "Piper, it's been practically a week since Wyatt took him."
Her nostrils flared angrily, "I can count Phoebe, thank you very much. What's your point!"
Phoebe's eyes fell to her other sister and brother-in-law as they suddenly watched her with interest trying to spar with the fretful mother. Piper had been relentless in the pursuit of her son, and had drove them harder than ever before. She seemed to think that her refusal to give up, even for just a moment, would somehow erase the past months of mistreatment toward her son.
Trying not to loose her patience with her oldest sister, Phoebe softened her tone a bit. "My point is that between the 4 of us, not one of us has had more than 4 hours sleep in any 24 hour period for 6 days straight. We can't even function at our best anymore, so how are we supposed to find him like this?"
Piper's chocolate brown eyes blazed with a mixture of determination and fury. "I'm not leaving him out there," she gritted out.
"Maybe there's nothing to leave. Maybe—"
"NO! I told you before, he's not dead!"
Phoebe bristled defensively, "That's not what I meant. What I did mean is that maybe Wyatt took him back to the future, and we're just pulling our hair out for nothing."
"How dare you call this nothing—"
"Piper, listen to reason, please. I can see no reason why three Charmed Ones can't scry for him; can't summon him; and can't even get a sense that he ever even existed. Not even a Power of Three spell that never fails has worked in this case. And there is no reason why an Elder shouldn't be able to sense them—or at least Chris, if they were anywhere in this time. And Leo has been down in the underworld almost non-stop for the past 5 days. Even if he and Paige couldn't find him, they would still be able to at least sense him. But there is nothing! Everything has led to a dead end."
Piper wanted to deny her sister's words, but the truth was, that she had silently questioned the same thing as they ran out of options. She turned to her husband hopefully, "Well maybe we're going about this the wrong way? Can you sense Wyatt instead?"
Leo shook his head sadly, "I couldn't even sense Wyatt when he was standing next to me."
"But you can sense darklighters?"
Anger and frustration at the lack of results had taken its toll on the Elder as well, and he shouted back at his former wife. "But I can't sense a whitelighter who has turned his back on everything that makes him one!"
He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed softly as he watched his words cause the tears to well up in her eyes again. She turned away from him as she swiped at the them forcefully. He spun her around gently and wrapped his arms around her as a peace offering. "I'm sorry, Piper. I didn't mean to lash out at you. It's all so frustrating. But no, I can't sense adult Wyatt—only the baby. I think Phoebe may be partly right—we're all on edge because we haven't had any luck or a break in a week." He pried the knife from her fingers and began leading her out of the room, "Just a short break—we'll find him. I promise. I'm not giving up either…"
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Mausoleum…Day 6…August 26, 2003Chris was starting to get nervous now that his time was quickly running out. They were now on speaking terms at least, something that had been absent between them for several years now.
It was clear that he had been tearing away Wyatt's roughened exterior, but he wasn't sure if it was enough. There were times during the past several days when his brother would look on him fondly with a hint of a smile, and he believed it was. But then moments later, the blue eyes would harden inexplicably and darken his features with a stony mask.
He surveyed the dimly lit room again, wondering on possible escape routes. But then, how would he immobilize his brother, he wondered. But every time he tried to focus, a tiny voice in the back of his mind taunted him with an important fact that was just out of his reach.
Since their little reunion during the past days, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he was missing something. He hadn't noticed it when Wyatt had been in the future, but now that they sat mere feet away, it remained in the deep recesses of his thoughts, demanding his attention until he brought it forth.
He closed his eyes, replaying many of the rare conversations with his brother since he took his reign. None had sparked any concern, and he had purposely skidded over the events of his trip back to the future because of the pain it inevitably brought along. But time was short, and that nagging feeling was only growing stronger with each passing moment. He decided to replay those painful events.
Chris had been far too angry and defensive at the time to even hear it, but now that it existed in only a memory, he could replay them clearly.
"Et tu, Chris? Of all the people to betray me."
That had to be it, his mind screamed at him. But why would they be so important? What was it--the words; the surprise in his voice even though he tried to hide it. Or maybe it was both. Could it be the answer he had been searching for all along? That his brother had unintentionally revealed more in those two short sentences than he had ever hoped to find on his own?
He held his breath before exhaling deeply, determined to satisfy his curiosity before anything else could be accomplished. "I want to ask you something, and I want you to answer truthfully. I think you owe me that much."
Wyatt nodded for him to go ahead.
"When I got back to the future, you said, 'et tu?' But you sounded surprised."
He admitted sadly, "You're the last person I expected to betray me."
"And I didn't. But you're never going to believe me, so I think we're past that. And I know for a fact that you've never cared about what any of your minions think about you, just so long as they do as you say. And I'm not naïve enough to think that you held Bianca in any other category."
The blonde cocked his head, his expression a mixture of annoyance and amusement. "Is there a question in there somewhere?"
"So who else?"
The older man seemed genuinely confused. "Who else what?"
"Who else betrayed you that you didn't expect?" The question apparently startled the Twice-Blessed-Witch, causing his slightly relaxed features to shift into a tight-lipped scowl. His body tensed and gave every indication that he understood the question, and was quite aware of the answer.
Chris's voice raised in surprise, "That's it, isn't it? You know who it is—or what it is, don't you?"
Wyatt shrugged impassively, "I don't know who or what you're referring to."
"Yes you do!" Chris accused vehemently. "The reason I came back here. You know what did it! What turned you!"
"I have not turned, Christopher, because that would require me to choose a side, either good or evil. But since they do not exist, neither does the concept of me choosing one or the other."
Chris jumped up angrily and stalked over to tower over the elder witch, currently still sitting calmly against the wall. "Damn it! Stop with the semantics. You knew! All this time." He kicked at his foot, his anger blinding him to the danger of picking a fight without his powers against the Twice-Blessed-Witch. "DIDN'T YOU!" His foot struck out again.
"Why would I help you to force me into one of those vague concepts that I don't even believe in?" Wyatt gritted out before clenching his teeth, silently fuming. One more kick and he knew he was going to loose it. Damn! That last one hit his shin and that even hurt a little. He moved to get up, but while he was crouched down, Chris gave a hard shove and pounced, landing several well placed hits.
He was tempted to throw an energy ball, but the lack of a healer present would make it extremely inconvenient should he loose control and let his temper guide him. Instead, Wyatt threw his own punch but glanced up, only mildly surprised as his brother blocked it and anticipated every move. There were after all, some drawbacks to fighting your life-long sparring partner. Of course, they hadn't brawled like that since the last time when there had been someone around to separate them. Piper had been the last.
Chris grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him up, only to shove him back down hard against the dusty floor. "DAMN YOU! None of this had to happen! She didn't have to die. None of it."
As soon as Chris seemed to run out of steam, Wyatt concentrated a small bit of his telekinetic energy into his palm before he flattened them across his brother's chest. The impact threw him off and sent him skidding across the floor.
The younger Halliwell wasted no time in rising to his feet, circling his brother with a matching fighting stance.
TBC…
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