Of All the People

Chapter 20

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: This chapter is a little bit longer, only because I'm trying to wrap it up now that I'm back in classes. I'd like to finish in the next few chapters so that I'll only have 1 story to feel guilty about not updating:)

And thank you again for all of your fabulous reviews—they really make my day. And make me keep writing to so I can update sooner:)

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Wyatt shimmered in behind his baby brother, smirking as he watched the fireball approach its target.

With a slight and covert movement of his index finger, he shifted the fiery object slightly while he quietly uttered a glamouring spell.

Opening his eyes once more, Chris's heart sank when his gaze fell upon the pile of ashes that had once been his godfather. He had been so wrapped up in his anger, that he only now felt his brother's presence beside him. He began to panic as he whirled around on his heels to face the taller man. "What did I just do?"

Wyatt responded monotonously, "Well, a passerby would probably say that you had just murdered someone. And correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't that dear old Uncle Darryl?"

Chris stared at the man in shock, soaking in every detail of the older witch's appearance, attitude, and overall lack of concern. It certainly wasn't what he had expected. "But you're—"

Wyatt finished his sentence almost cheerily, "No different? Well of course not. What did you expect? There was nothing that 'turned' me to begin with. Now do you believe me when I say that there is no good or evil, Christopher?"

"No, it can't be—"

"But it is. And your actions have proven that you and I are really no different. Except for the tiny fact that I shimmer, you flame. Don't feel bad, Christopher. He had it coming. I think it's time to go home now."

Chris protested weakly before Wyatt cut him off shortly. "But—"

"You gave me your word. You wouldn't be trying to back out of that, now would you?"

Letting out a long and deep sigh, the younger witch shook his head and stared at the pile of ashes despondently. "No. But I killed him. I killed Uncle Darryl. What's happening to me, Wyatt?"

Wyatt placed a hand on his shoulder and explained sympathetically, "You've made your choice. You can't go back to the way things were before. Not after this. Now it's time to take your place by my side. Where you've always belonged. The Halliwell brothers were always meant to rule together…"

Chris stood stark still, barely listening as his brother prattled on about what the future would be like from now on. All he could focus on was the deal they had made while he was still trapped in the mausoleum. He had thought that he would have weeks, if not months, to come up with an alternative solution. But now the time had come, and it had only been a few hours. At the time he had made the promise, he hadn't really thought that things would get to this point.

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Earlier in the mausoleum…

…"Because I believe I know how you will choose, Chris. What's inside of you. We were always meant to be on the same side. Whatever it may be. Now take it," he said agitatedly as he shoved the vial toward his brother again.

Chris narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "How is taking this potion now going to save me? It's too late for me to be conceived. And even if it weren't, I have no control over whether or not mom and dad—you know."

"I'll take care of that. If you take care of your part…"

"Which is?" he groaned impatiently.

"I will tell you if you stop interrupting me…" Wyatt hissed in frustration through clenched teeth. "If you come back to the future with me, it's yours. All of it. And you may do as you please with it. My entire empire will be yours to rule as you see fit."

"What? You must be kidding me. You're not that generous."

"You didn't let me finish. For one year, you may do as you please with it. You can change it however you like, release anyone you like, make any truces you like, fix anything of your choosing."

Chris paced around his brother, his arms flailing wildly. "What am I supposed to do in one year? I could never undo all of the damage you've caused in one year."

Wyatt taunted him with a patronizing glance, "I took over the world in one month. Surely you can maintain it with eleven more. If you can get the majority of—let's say all citizens, including magical creatures—to follow you, after one year's time, I will reclaim the throne."

Sucking his teeth bitterly, Chris rolled his eyes as he interrupted, "I knew that was coming…"

"To rule it jointly with you—your way."

Chris was a little stunned by the offer and stroked his chin as he considered it, but was still a bit wary of the older man's intentions. "And what do you get out of this?"

Wyatt smirked gleefully, "The enjoyment of standing back and watching you fall on your ass. Getting mortals, witches, demons, and other magical creatures to live in harmony is no easy task. It requires a firm hand, one that you don't have. But I'm willing to let you try it your way if it means that we no longer have to fight each other continually. It was never meant to be that way, Christopher. We're brothers. Brother's don't spend their entire existence fighting against one another." He raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, "At least, they shouldn't."

"And what if it doesn't work? Do you expect me to just stand back in the future and watch you murder innocents? I could never do that, Wyatt, and you know it."

"You may eventually come to see things my way. Once you have seen first hand what is required to keep order."

Chris shook his head sadly, "But if I go back now, you're never going to let me come back to stop whatever it was that turned you. You have too much fun on your little power trip."

"You're right. I won't let you come back. But I will allow you to waste your time trying to discover what it was that you claim 'turned' me here in the past. Should you succeed--simply for the sake of argument, which is quite impossible since there is nothing that 'turned me'--we will both simply return to the future that you've always dreamed it to be. But when you fail, you will return to the future with me to make it work the way it is."

Wyatt slowly unwrapped Chris's clenched fingers and placed the vial into his palm. "Do we have an agreement? It's not as if you have all day to decide…"

Chris glanced down nervously at the vial in his hand. 'What difference did it make', he thought. Wyatt was simply allowing him to continue on his mission here because he was so sure that he would fail. And if he did, well, then at least he could continue in the future and try to make it a better place. And he wouldn't fail. Couldn't fail. He was positive that the solution was here in the past, and he could find it. As long as the potion didn't turn him evil first. He shuddered at the thought. But what choice did he really have? Wyatt wasn't going to help him to be born if he didn't accept. At least this way, he would have options.

Chris closed his sea-green eyes for a moment before returning to greet the eagerly awaiting ice-blue ones. He sighed and held up the potion in a toasting gesture, "Bottoms up."

Wyatt grinned, looking very much like the cat that ate the canary. "So we have a deal?"

The younger man gagged on the bitter tasting liquid before finally swallowing. He took the outstretched hand and shook it while nodding slowly. "Deal. Just so you know—I am going to save you Wyatt, whether you like it or not."

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In the alley…

Wyatt studied his brother's appearance and frowned disappointedly. Shaggy hair, light-colored baggy clothes, and not even a five o'clock shadow. He didn't look much more than rebellious teenager, let alone an authoritative figure to be feared. "You also can't go back home looking like that. No one will take you seriously as their leader. Until you learn to do it permanently, glamour yourself into something decent like I showed you earlier," he instructed.

Something decent? Chris snorted to himself. He knew Wyatt's idea of something decent would probably involve him looking like a darklighter. Folding his arms in resignation, he stared absently down to the ground as he searched his mind for a look that seemed dangerous, and potentially deadly. What did it matter since he had already murdered an innocent. There was no turning back from that. Perhaps, he thought pensively, that is what happened to Wyatt. He had reached the point of no return, and now, so had he.

Chris finally decided on a similar look that he had seen being sported by one of his Aunt's favorite actors, Orlando Bloom in Pirates of the Caribbean. He snapped his fingers, transforming his clothing to match his brother's dark ensemble. His physical appearance took on a light mustache, a simple goatee, while his shaggy dark hair remained the same length and draped to cover his left eye. His mother always hated that hair style and tended to brush it back behind his ears whenever she saw him. She used to tease that it made him look the part of the trouble maker she knew him to be, with his hair always hiding the mischief behind those sparkling green eyes. But he knew that it was all in fun, because she had actually told him countless times how proud of the young man he was growing into just before she died.

But now he had killed an innocent. For nothing. It served no purpose except to turn him into the monster his brother had become. She no longer had a reason to be proud of either of her sons now.

And he really couldn't blame her. The cold and empty feeling that he now felt would go a long way to completing his new look with the emotionless mask he now wore.

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Back at the manor…

"How are we going to find him?" Leo paced the floor worriedly.

"We're going to scry for him." Piper said simply and held up the athame that had begun their troubles nearly a week ago, careful to keep it hidden from her youngest sister. "With this. Now that he's not in a magically protected environment, we should be able to find him fairly easily."

"PAIGE! LEO! Your whitelighter has gone nuts!"

Both Leo and Paige jumped up at the voice shouting in their minds.

"I think Darryl's already found him," Leo answered eagerly. He held his hand out to his wife, while Paige took Phoebe's hand. "Let's go."

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They arrived just in time to see the former police office disintegrate into a pile of ashes.

"We're too late…" Piper gasped as her hand covered her mouth. They watched the two brothers for a moment in silence as they conversed. It shocked them even further as Chris snapped his fingers and made the transformation.

Finally finding her voice, Piper wandered over to her two adult children.

"CHRIS! What did you do?"

"I thought I was doing what I came here to do. Eliminating the threat to your son. But it didn't work. Bianca was right. We were naïve to think that we could change anything. All I ended up doing was changing myself. And getting the only woman I ever loved killed. And murdering my godfather. So I think I'll just cut my losses and back out now before I screw things up even more."

"Back out? Chris, you're scaring me."

He stared at his family and answered flatly, "I'm scaring myself."

Leo shook his head emphatically, "I know we've had our difficulties, but you can't just leave. Please, Chris. We'll find a way to work this out. This isn't you, we know it was something your brother did to you. You're good, I know that now. We need your help to change all of this!"

"It wasn't meant to be changed. Not like this. I'm going back. When I'm born, do the world a favor and bind both of our powers. Maybe then, none of this will have to happen again." He turned to his brother before flaming out toward the manor, "Let's go."

Wyatt remained behind for a moment, giving his family his trademark hardened stare. "About binding our powers? I wouldn't do that if I were you." He added before shimmering out, "Not unless you want more of your friends to die needlessly."

As soon as Wyatt left, the glamouring was lifted.

Phoebe was the first to notice and her eyes widened in surprise. Absently, she swatted her arm out to tap the person next to her, hitting only air. "Guys, I think you'd better take a look at this…"

TBC…

AN: So what did she see? I know some of you can guess…And one more thing I wanted to mention--the inspiration for this chapter and one upcoming was this picture I found of Drew Fuller. It just screams 'I'm being bad' :)

since you can't see links within the story, I put a link to it on my profile page. Check it out if you want to see what my evil little chris looks like ;)

In case it takes a while to update, check out drew fuller fan dot com slash gallery, and then click on the 2003 publicity images, then check out image 6 of the runaway jury world premiere.

Thank you all so much for the reviews.