Of All the People
Chapter 17
By teal-lover
Summary: Wyatt reflects on the events after Chris Crossed and decides to do something about it.
Rating: PG-13, T.Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, just borrowing, promise to give them back when done, don't get any money for this.
AN: Getting close to the end here, so I thought I'd have a little family reunion :D
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Phoebe waited downstairs patiently with her younger sister, or at least, tried to be patient. She was currently pacing the floor, awaiting the couple's arrival—or Wyatt's return, whichever came first. She was sure that he would do just that if things didn't go well for the youngest Halliwell.
The empath shifted her dark eyes up toward the ceiling, trying very hard not to make any sounds that could possibly startle the couple, even going so far as to quiet her breathing. Until she thought about how absurd that was. It wasn't like they could hear much of anything except each other right now, especially since they seemed to be in their own little world. But she wanted to be certain. After all, Chris' life depended on them getting it right the first time. And Wyatt had apparently just wanted to make sure that that happened.
But the earlier confrontation with her nephew had startled her to no end. She had been surprised when she saw him, and instantly prepared for a fight, but found that he was only interested in listening in on his parents before returning to wherever he was hiding.
Phoebe and Paige had guessed that the vial that now sat on the kitchen table had been a love potion, and he was fully prepared to use it on his parents. His parting warning left no doubt in her mind that he must have considered it been both strong, and infallible. She wondered what sort of side effects would inevitably follow such a brew.
Opposite the middle sister, Paige paced the floor nervously after hearing a replay of her sister's conversation with their oldest nephew. "So you think he was serious?"
"Yes," she stated firmly.
"About sending him back to the future?"
"No."
The younger of the two sat down on the couch heavily as she scratched her head. "Then I'm confused. Which is it?"
The empath played with the collar of her shirt before resting her palm on her chest. "When I was staring into his eyes, I could read him a little. It was quick, but it was so intense. When he threatened us? He meant it. Every word of it if we risked Chris' life. But when he said that he sent him back, I got a sense that he was lying."
"Then where could he possibly be keeping Chris where we couldn't find him for all this time if they're still here?"
"Well, normally, I would say that it had to be someplace in the Underworld. But that can't be. Wherever he's keeping Chris, he would have to keep him incapacitated to prevent him from escaping back here to us."
Paige looked down sadly, still feeling the weight of guilt from her earlier actions. "Maybe he doesn't want to come back here to us," she uttered softly.
Phoebe answered in the same tone, "No, Paige, you have to stop blaming yourself. From our perspective, it did look bad on his part. And I'm sure he'll understand that when we find him. But I don't think that would stop him from trying to save his brother. Chris is nothing, if not determined. He'll do anything to avoid failing on his mission to save Wyatt. And he still cares about Chris, so there's no way he would leave him in the Underworld unprotected while he visits us on these little excursions. But I can't think of a single place where he could shield him from us so completely."
Paige was about to agree sullenly when her eyes suddenly fell on the brochure lying on the coffee table. "No. No way." She said with disbelief as she grabbed the booklet and held it up for the empath to see. "Doesn't your loved one deserve the eternal peace and tranquility that only Freehaven can offer?"
Dark brown eyes widened with the knowledge as she whispered, "The mausoleum…"
Paige was ready to charge in there to get him back, "Let's go!" she said grabbing her sister's hand enthusiastically.
Phoebe shrugged out of her grasp quickly and backed away. "No. Not yet. Honestly, I'm not so sure we could go up against Wyatt alone. We're gonna' need Piper and Leo. Besides, he won't risk hurting Piper while she's pregnant with Chris."
Throwing her hands on her hips impatiently, Paige asked, "Well, how are we going to know when that happens?"
"Oh don't worry, I'd be willing to bet my life that Wyatt will come back if it didn't. Until then—we wait."
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When the couple made an appearance sometime later, looking a bit disheveled, but still presentable, Phoebe lowered her eyes and grinned bashfully. "Uh, nice to see you two so happy. I'm glad that getting a few hours of sleep helped you guys to get a fresh start."
Feeling in much better spirits now that they had a good idea of where to find the two boys, Paige quipped innocently, "Yeah, we should all be so lucky to get some good sleep like that."
Piper blushed furiously, wondering if they had been aware of the kind of sleep she and her husband had gotten. She was positive that they had been so tired, that they would have just dropped in their beds for a few much needed hours of rest. They couldn't have possibly heard anything. Could they? Her eyes darted to the Elder, who suddenly began rocking on his heels and staring up at the ceiling to avoid anyone's eyes.
Phoebe elbowed her younger sister and glared at her, not really wanting to embarrass the couple. "So anyway, as soon as we woke up, I headed down here to get a cup of coffee while you guys were sleeping, and something happened. I ran into Wyatt."
Leo's eyes widened, "Wyatt?"
"Yeah. He's still here. Which means, that Chris is still here. Now I know he said that he sent him back to the future, but I think he was lying. So when he left, we started thinking about all of the places that he could be keeping him."
Paige added excitedly, "We already ruled out the Underworld because it would be too dangerous for Wyatt to leave him there alone. And we know he didn't want to kill him, so leaving him there with demons wandering about would just be asking for trouble. So where else would he take him that was magically protected and hidden?"
Piper and Leo were both at a loss for words, still not following.
Phoebe picked up the brochure and dangled it in front of her older sister, "And what did we just buy a few weeks ago that is magically shielded from any prying eyes?"
Piper's eyes widened as she finally understood her sister's train of thought. It was a place that the Charmed Ones themselves had made undetectable. Being from the future, it made perfect sense that the boys would be aware of its location. "The mausoleum…" they all agreed. "Let's go!" the anxious mother demanded.
Phoebe grabbed her baby sister's hand, while Leo took Piper's and they orbed off to find their young whitelighter.
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Bathed in the bright lights of orbing, Chris shielded his eyes from his family's arrival. It was the most light he had seen in days, and his eyes hadn't adjusted quickly enough to avoid the headache he received from the intrusion.
Wyatt lit the torches around him to see what the newcomers were up to, but other than that, no one had yet to make a move in any direction.
Piper stared at her youngest son from across the room in a new light. It was the first time she had truly gotten the chance to look at him since she discovered his identity. He has my nose, she smiled thoughtfully. And my lips. And those eyes—definitely Leo's through and through. We must have been blind not to see it! Wyatt was right, he does look just like me, she thought in astonishment."Chris, are you ok?"
He only blinked a response. As he listened to the gentleness in her voice, it didn't sound as comforting to him as he would have expected. After nearly a week, they had finally come to his rescue, and he just didn't feel the relief that he had been positive it would have brought. Instead, all he could picture were the disgusted looks on their faces, the harshness in their voices, and the bitter taste of rejection he felt as they contemplated allowing him to die. Even though they were unaware of his identity, it didn't make the knowledge any less painful.
He thought it was extremely ironic that as he lay dying in Wyatt's arms, he was perfectly willing to forgive them. But now he wasn't so sure.
Chris's gaze shifted to each family member before he finally spoke. His voice was filled with betrayal and sadness over the earlier misunderstanding that earned him a knife in the chest. "I wasn't going to hurt him."
She extended her hand slowly, not wanting to frighten him off. "We know that now, and we're so sorry. I'm--so sorry baby, I should have known. I should have recognized you. But please, we can talk about this at home. Just come with us. Wyatt—don't you even try to stop us or I swear—"
Wyatt crossed his arms nonchalantly, "I'm not going to try and stop you. Chris is free to do whatever he pleases."
"Then why have you been keeping him prisoner in a cemetery?" Phoebe shot back.
"That's none of your concern. But I have made a promise, haven't I, Chris. You will come home with me. Now, where you belong," his brother demanded quietly but firmly.
Piper bristled at the commanding words and tone toward his little brother. She didn't like his possessiveness one bit, and she let him know as much. "He belongs here with us, Wyatt. Where we can figure out what went wrong with you. Stop acting like you have control over him, I'm his mother, not you!"
Wyatt yelled back when she raised her voice, loosing his thinly veiled patience with his family. "No, you're not! Not yet. None of you know him! And until a week ago, none of you even liked him! Hell, you were willing to let him bleed to death in your own house! You don't have a say in anything that happens with him from now on. Since I've had more of hand in raising him than any of you, I'm the only one who does! I'm taking him back. End of discussion."
Leo stepped closer, determination in his eyes. "Like hell you are."
Wyatt hissed at the man dangerously, "It's not like you can stop me. Besides, you got lucky once—may not happen again," he told him, referring to his earlier plan that only he was aware of.
The Charmed Ones moved to stand beside the Elder, prepared for a fight if it came to it.
"You're—not—taking him," Piper answered sharply and raised her hands to show her willingness to flick her wrists against her oldest son.
Chris knew from experience that both sides were mere moments from using their powers against each other. And to top it all off, he had had enough of the back and forth bickering over him. He felt like a rag doll being pulled apart at the seams.
His chest heaved furiously as he fumed and stepped in between them. "STOP IT! I'm not some little kid to be fought over in a messy divorce! I'm not going with any of you, so just leave me alone!" he glared around the room pointedly, "ALL OF YOU!"
Very little shocked Wyatt Matthew Halliwell these days, except for his brother. And now was no different. He covered his mouth in sudden surprise, but soon found it difficult to stop laughing. Chris's outburst was quite unexpected. But if there was one thing that he did still believe of his family's teachings, it was that power was directly linked to your emotions. And it was clear that the boy was still upset by what had transpired earlier that week in the manor. And maybe a few other things since then, he admitted silently.
But the stunned looks on each of their faces as Chris followed through his tirade by flaming out of the mausoleum was priceless. Now where did he pick that up? "Well—wasn't expecting that one…" He clapped in appreciation as his laughter continued to echo in the tiny hall.
TBC…
AN :0
So were you expecting that one:D
Thank you all so much for the reviews. You guys are the best. I'll probably show what happened in the interim mausoleum scenes that could possible explain some of this if you guys want me to—just let me know:)
Otherwise…well, I do like my surprises, don't I:)