A/N: Thanks to everybody who reviewed! Writing in italics in this chapter are dreams.
Chapter 11-
"Chris..."
Chris opened his eyes to find himself standing in the plain brown room he had found himself in when he had dreamt of the good Wyatt. He could see Wyatt standing there in the middle of the room, but there was someone else too...
"Zach!" Chris exclaimed, running over to his brother. "I- I don't understand. How can you be here?"
Zach gave a small smile, a mixture of amusement and sadness. "We're in... Well, for lack of a better name, we'll call it the Dreamlands. This isn't a fixed reality, Chris... it's constantly moving, constantly changing. A place of possibilities, of ideas, of hopes..."
"You were erased," Chris said matter-of-factly.
Zach chuckled. "Possibilities, Chris. Things that could be... This 'me' still has a chance of surviving."
"How?" asked Chris desperately.
Zach smiled again, and this time it reflected nothing but grief. "That can't happen, Chris. I said it had a chance of happening, but we can't let it. I'll only be this exact person if we live through the exact same timeline. Would you be willing to send the world to hell so I could live?"
"Maybe," Chris replied bleakly.
"Chris..." Zach pleaded.
"So basically, one of you is going to live and one of you is going to die?" Chris asked flatly, looking from Zach to good Wyatt.
"No," Zach replied firmly. "I'll get a chance at living too... I just won't be exactly the same. I'll be happier, though, Chris. I'll have a better life..."
"I'd give anything for you to not have to go through this, Chris," Wyatt replied, his eyes full of concern. "You know that, right?"
Chris nodded; overwhelmed by the brotherly love he could feel from this Wyatt that his Wyatt had rarely ever showed him.
"So, why am I here?" Chris asked.
Wyatt and Zach both smiled slightly guiltily.
"I forgot about that..." admitted Zach. "It's just so good to see you... We don't have much time, though. We're supposed to help you, but-" Zach glanced around the room. "They might be able to hear us. He might be able to hear us..."
"He?" Chris demanded urgently. "Who? Does this have to do with who turned Wyatt?"
Wyatt and Zach both nodded.
"Uh-huh," Zach replied. "They can hear us in the Dreamlands, because all the minds are linked through their subconscious. There's nowhere else we can speak, though, because there's nowhere else Wy and I exist..."
"You're in danger, Chris," Wyatt told him. "He's getting close to finding out your secret... He's been suspicious of you for a long time..."
"Who?" Chris questioned.
"We can't say his name," Zach said fearfully, looking around. "It would draw his mind to us, and right now that would be the worst thing that could happen."
"Just be careful, Chris," Wyatt told him. "And don't worry about my baby self. I'm in good hands. Don't let them know though."
'"Them'?" Chris questioned. "Who are you talking about? And who has baby Wyatt?"
"Just save Dad," Zach said. "We'll see you soon, Chris..."
Chris opened his mouth to ask what Wyatt and Zach meant, but before his mouth could form the words, he had the sensation he was falling and had drifted back into the void of sleep.
"Chris, honey?"
Chris opened his eyes. He was lying on a couch in the Manor with Piper standing above him.
"You asked me to wake you up in a few hours," Piper said apologetically.
Chris nodded, recalling that he'd only slept in the first place because Piper had practically forced him to after he'd almost passed out and he didn't particularly want to upset her any further.
"Have you found Wyatt yet?" Chris asked then gasped when memories of his dream came flooding back to him. "Where's Leo?"
"Leo?" Piper questioned, looking confused. "I'm not sure. I saw him a couple of hours ago. I think he went to ask the Elders about Wyatt."
"Leo!" Chris called desperately to the roof. "Leo! LEO!"
A worried look crossed Piper's face. "Leo!" she called, then waited a moment. When no orb lights appeared, she turned back to Chris. "What's happened to him?"
"I might actually have been able to answer that if I hadn't been sleeping for the last four hours," Chris said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. At Piper's hurt look, he softened. "I'm not sure, actually."
"How did you know he wasn't here?" asked Piper, her face stark white.
"Instincts," Chris replied distractedly. "Look, he has to be fine. I'm still here, right?"
Piper nodded tearfully. "Yes."
"We'll find him soon, I promise," assured Chris. "But have you found Wyatt yet?"
Piper shook her head.
"Okay, well, do any of the Elders or the people at magic school know about him being missing?" questioned Chris.
"No, not if Leo got lost before he could tell the Elders," answered Piper.
Chris sighed in relief. "Okay, well for now we have to try and keep it that way."
"Why?" asked Piper in confusion.
"It's... safer that way," Chris replied cryptically, then looked at Piper pleadingly. "Please, Mom?"
Piper gave a small smile and nodded. Chris felt slightly guilty that he had only called her 'Mom' so she'd agree with him but he convinced himself that it was for a good reason. To save Wyatt.
"I can't find him," sighed Paige, handing the crystal to Phoebe. "Maybe we should look for Wyatt for awhile."
"No," Chris said sharply, coming into the room. "We need to find Leo."
"You've changed," remarked Paige. "Shouldn't you be obsessing over Wyatt's whereabouts?"
"I just think we need to focus on finding Leo," replied Chris nonchalantly. "He disappeared just as he was about to alert the Elders on Wyatt's disappearance. Maybe someone wanted to stop that."
"A demon?" Phoebe questioned. Her eyes widened. "Or...?"
"The grown-up Wyatt," answered Chris grimly. "I was hoping maybe you could help me write spell that would enable me to summon him using our blood bond. Without him destroying us first, of course."
"No need, Christopher," came an amused voice from behind them. "I'm already here."
Chris groaned, turning around. Leaning casually against the doorway was his brother Wyatt.
"What are you doing here?" Chris asked.
"I have Leo," stated Wyatt calmly. "It's simple. You come with me and he doesn't get killed."
"If he gets killed, I'm going to die anyway," replied Chris angrily. "I won't ever be born. And neither will Zach."
"I know," Wyatt replied levelly. "The choice is up to you."
"How do I know you won't kill Leo afterwards if I choose to come with you?" questioned Chris.
Wyatt rolled his eyes. "Don't you have any sense of logic? If I kill Leo, I kill you. Right now, I am trying to get you to join me. We can return to the future we left from, which means Zach will be there. We'll be the new power of three."
"You are insane!" cried Chris, throwing up his hands. "Besides, Zach's been erased. He's not coming back."
"If you go back now, you still haven't changed anything," pointed-out Wyatt. "We can erase the memories of our parents and aunts, too."
"How do I know you really have Leo?" asked Chris, stalling.
"Have I ever lied to you?" inquired Wyatt.
"You're the evil tyrant of the world!" Chris snapped then thought about it. "No, you haven't. I don't care, though, I want proof to know what I'm getting into."
Wyatt sighed. "Fine." Leo's struggling form materialized in front of him, bound and gagged. In a second, Wyatt had summoned Excalibur and pressed the blade against Leo's neck.
"Believe me now?" Wyatt asked, a glimmer or amusement in his eyes.
"I-" For the first time, Chris seemed to be at a loss for words.
"Come with me, Chris," Wyatt pressed, almost pleadingly. "We can rule the world together, with Zach. We'll have everything we ever wanted."
"All I've ever wanted is my family alive," Chris replied, folding his arms across his chest.
Wyatt's eyes glimmered dangerously. "Then Leo dies."
"No!" Chris shouted. "I'll go with you, okay?"
"Chris!" Phoebe cried, stepping forward timidly. "You can't. We have a job to do. There must be some way around this..." She looked at Wyatt with a mixture of disbelief and fear.
Chris shook his head. "There's not." He stared at Wyatt pleadingly. "Can't I spend one more day with our family? They're not in our future... you could too if you wanted."
"How do I know you won't break your promise?" Wyatt asked.
"You'd be here, too," said Chris. "I'm sure you'd easily be able to overpower us all..."
Wyatt thought about it then nodded. In his hand materialized a knife. He passed it to Chris who took it hesitantly.
"Swear it on our blood," Wyatt ordered. "The knife is enchanted... you won't be able to break your promise."
Chris nodded, pressing the blade to his finger. A drop of blood trickled down, and he handed the knife to Wyatt who did the same. Wyatt removed the sword from its position on Leo's neck and the binds fell away.
"Leo, maybe you could go and see Piper," suggested Chris. "She's been really worried about you."
Leo nodded, orbing away with a look of relief. Paige and Phoebe were left staring at Chris and Wyatt with expressions of disbelief.
"So, you're just going to erase our memories?" questioned Paige.
"I could kill you if you'd prefer that," suggested Wyatt.
"No, no, erasing our memories is fine," Phoebe said, turning white.
"Uh, why don't you and Paige go and tell Cole what's happened, Phoebe," suggested Chris.
Paige and Phoebe took the hint and left, leaving Chris and Wyatt alone.
"I hate you, you know?" Chris told his brother. "The world is going to hell because of you."
Wyatt shrugged delicately. "You made the choice."
"There was no choice!" exploded Chris. "You knew that!"
"Chris, it was for the best," explained Wyatt. "Everything I did, I did to protect you and Zach. To make the world a better place."
"Maybe it would have been better if I wasn't born then," Chris mumbled. "Maybe splitting up Piper and Leo was for the best."
"That's not true and you know it," Wyatt replied carelessly. "Mom and Leo belong together. Speaking of which, I'll have to erase that little mistake of yours before we go, Chris."
Chris raised an eyebrow. "I'm Chris again?"
Before Wyatt could get a chance to reply, Leo had orbed n with Piper. She rushed over to hug Chris.
"Chris! You can't go," she cried. "There has to be another way..." She gave a start, seeing Wyatt standing next to him. "And you, mister, are getting a very long grounding as soon as you're old enough to understand."
Wyatt gave a sinister smile. "You won't be remembering this. The timeline is going to play out just like it did for Chris and I. Just the way it should."
"I wasn't given a hell of a choice," muttered Chris. Raising his head, he looked at Piper. "I'm sorry, Mom."
"Don't worry, we'll figure it out," she promised. "I am not letting you go back to that future."
Chris smiled, knowing he could always count on Piper. "I don't think we really have much of a choice," he replied truthfully.
"Of course we do," Piper replied. "We always have a choice."
'Good Wyatt and Zach told me to save Leo,' thought Chris. 'I saved him from death. Surely that's what they meant?'
"Your mother's right, we're going to help you, Chris," said Leo.
"You don't know Wyatt like I do," Chris replied. "There is no way around this."
"I am still in the room!" Wyatt replied indignantly. "Can't you leave your conversations about me until I leave? Besides, Chris is right. He's coming back to the future with me, and it will all play out like it should."
Piper sighed. "I'm going to go and cook dinner."
"I'll help," Wyatt offered.
Piper, Leo and Chris all shot him very strange looks.
"You just threatened to kill my husband and now you are going to help me make dinner?" Piper said incredulously.
"I did that because I needed to," Wyatt explained then shrugged. "I used to help you cook all the time when I was younger. Before I killed you, I mean."
"You killed me," Piper repeated faintly.
"Well, I didn't physically kill you, it was a shapeshifter in my form. It was still my fault, though, and for Chris' sake I wish it hadn't happened," said Wyatt, shrugging casually. "But I can hardy kill you now, you know, I still need my brothers to be born." If that was supposed to be comforting, it didn't have much of an effect. "Come on, let's go."
Piper followed him from the attic, and if it was slightly reluctantly, he didn't notice.
"Chris?" said Leo. "I'm sorry. About getting captured by Wyatt and for- well, for not being a very good father to you."
Chris shrugged. "Don't worry. Just-" He glanced around the room. "Make sure you learn from your mistakes, this time, okay? Maybe you could do us all a favour and bind your sons' powers when we're born."
Leo nodded.
A/N: That wasn't particularly long, but I wanted to post it before I forgot. Please review!