2024 cont.
Bianca opened her eyes, blinking a few times to try and clear her vision, rubbing the heel of her hand tiredly against them before she was able to fully focus. Realising where she was, remembering what had happened, she turned quickly to look at the other side of the bed. It was empty. The curtain flapped against an open window. Dropping her head disappointedly back onto the pillows, she lifted her hand to her head, running her fingers back through her hair.
She knew she shouldn't have trusted him. She couldn't believe she had let her feelings get the better of her. She had blocked them for so long, afraid to submit to a disaster like this, afraid she was going to get hurt. It was the very reason she had tried to leave – she knew it meant nothing to him and she didn't want to feel that sense of abandonment again. If she left first, she wouldn't, yet he had convinced her to stay, only so she could feel the heartbreak all over again.
She worried that she had just thrown everything completely away – her pride, her defiance, her sanity, her security. It was likely that Wyatt would no longer want her around either, not after the way she acted, not after threatening his life. Because that was the way things always were – no-one wanted her unless they knew they'd get something out of it. She'd always been, and always would be, the least important thing to everyone she knew.
Turning back onto her stomach, she buried her face into the pillow, trying to keep from crying long suppressed tears. It was only then she heard footsteps to the side of the bed.
"Morning," the voice said. Lifting her head, she looked at Chris with astonishment. His hair ruffled and wet, it was obvious he had been hiding out in the bathroom the whole time. He gave her a casual shrug in response to her look. "What? Thought I'd use the facilities while we're still here."
"No, I… you didn't go," Bianca said, trying to explain her reaction. "I thought you left."
"Well, I did think about breakfast," Chris said, his gaze drifting thoughtfully to the roof before returning to Bianca as she sat up. "But I thought you're human, you eat, and maybe you'd want to join me."
Sitting on the bed, he smiled, encouragingly placing a hand on her leg. Feeling uncomfortable, and completely unaccustomed to this kind of friendly behaviour, Bianca pulled her legs away from him, her eyes consistently searching for a reason on his face as to why he had stayed.
"I'm not hungry," she said, her defensiveness rising to the surface again.
"Sure, and I'm the President of the United States," Chris mocked. "You had to have worked up an appetite after all you did last night."
Bianca closed her eyes as if it were some horrid memory she didn't want to be reminded of. It only served to remind her of the way she had screwed things up, every visual coming back in bright, clear detail. She looked at Chris.
"I have to go somewhere," she said.
Chris looked at her sadly. "You're going back to him, aren't you?"
"I need to see if I'm still employed, otherwise I don't eat at all."
Reaching forward, he took her hand in his. This time she didn't pull away. Somehow it felt nice, and seeing the worry on his face somehow aided that pleasant feeling.
"Later then," Chris urged. "Meet me at the park. There's a memorial garden on the west side near the Conservatory of Flowers. Wait by the angel statue so we can talk." Bianca's expression was doubtful, but Chris remained persistent. Looking straight into her eyes he added: "I do want to see you again."
Licking her lips, she nodded in agreement. "Two-thirty then. That should be enough time."
Seeing Chris smiling at her, Bianca couldn't help but curve her lips a little in the same fashion, watching him orb out and leaving her alone. Bowing her head, she took a deep breath to compose herself before shimmering to Wyatt's place. His head in his hands, he looked up as she greeted him.
"You took your time," he said accusingly. "Where were you?"
Bianca looked him over, unsure of how to phrase it, unable to tell him what had really happened – exactly how Chris had been the cause, how she had spent the night with him, how she had succumbed to primal needs and almost killed Wyatt because of it. She didn't know what to say in response, so she simply looked away.
"Look, I don't care if you were down in the Underworld slaying every last demon you could get your hands on. I just wanted to know you were okay."
"I'm fine," she mumbled.
"Bianca, look at me," Wyatt requested. She obediently turned her eyes up towards him. "I don't want to have to worry about you. The threat to me is greater when my brother is around. I don't want him fighting you whenever he sees you."
Bianca looked away guiltily, knowing their last encounter had been completely the reverse. She swallowed hard, realizing that if she kept this quiet, ashamed approach up, she was never going to achieve what she had come for. Lifting her head, she looked him straight in the eye, trying to sink back into that emotionless persona she had held for so long.
"I needed to show you the proficiency of my skills, and I'm sure I accomplished that," she explained. Wyatt looked at her curiously.
"That wasn't necessary. I haven't lost faith in you, Bianca."
Somehow the comment made her feel better. If he hadn't thought she'd done anything wrong or out of the ordinary, then why should she?
"I'll try not to lead my attacks to you next time," Bianca said. It was half an apology, and half a gamble that she had presumed right and he was keeping her on.
"Yes, I'd hate to think I'd end up with more than a scratch," Wyatt said, his hand rising to his throat to gently brush the cut with his fingertips.
"Maybe we should ease up a bit on what we're doing," she suggested.
"If that will help, then I will," Wyatt offered. "We have an eternity to make things right. I'm sorry if my impatience has pushed you too far."
"No," Bianca said, shaking her head. "It wasn't you. Just the rush of it all. I pushed myself further than I should have to prove something that was already known."
"I'm glad to hear that's all it was. I would hate to think that was how a Phoenix employs her resignation. I'm sure I have treated you fairly enough for you not to leave me for someone else's company."
Biting her lip, Bianca lowered her eyes again. No matter what he meant, his words kept unintentionally striking at the heart of the matter, at the hidden details of what she was not telling him. How could she hide her guilt at what she had done? How could she keep brushing over her disappearance without knowing if Chris would give it all away? She had to trust someone, but now she didn't know where to place it. The only person she thought she could solely trust was herself, but she'd so easily ruined that the previous night.
"There is purpose behind everything," she said, looking back up at him. Wyatt sighed. This time it was he that looked away.
"And we shouldn't let some meaningless diatribe from my brother affect us," he said. "He has neither the skills, power nor influence to infuse his incessant ramblings into others minds until the point where he can be perceived as an idealized threat."
"So what do you want me to do?" she asked.
"Scour around, see what impact he has made. I'm certain it'll be little to none; he does tend to take most things completely on his own shoulders. Every Halliwell is stubborn, their pride far too great to ask for help."
"Does that include you?" Bianca queried, knowing she was overstepping a personal mark.
His eyes meeting hers, she saw so many unanswered questions reflected in his gaze, saw the pain of memories long forgotten that she kept pushing to bring forward, saw the same resistance she had been showing him at not revealing everything but still longing to do so.
Taking a deep breath, he turned away, giving her a last parting order. "Don't forget to check in."
Thinking it a wise idea to find out more about Chris under the guise of Wyatt's orders, Bianca shimmered down to the Underworld to source information. She realized, once down there, she had very little contacts anymore. Mostly everyone she knew had some affiliation with Wyatt, and those that did not probably presumed her dead since communication had ceased years ago. She discovered people either didn't know Chris, or wanted to kill him for attempting to throw over their evil plans. She heard it so frequently she began to wonder exactly which side she was on. She found she didn't have to use extreme violence; just the use of Wyatt's name struck them with fear and paranoia.
She found the time easily drifted into the afternoon, and with Wyatt under the impression she was still down in the Underworld, it was a simple task to pull away and meet Chris in Golden Gate Park. She located the garden easily enough, passing by the big dome of the Conservatory of Flowers and heading down towards the enclosed area, the angel statue standing just off to her right. Moving towards it, she lightly placed her hand against the cold stone, half expecting a trap, half expecting Chris to pop out from behind it and surprise her, but neither scenario eventuated.
Stepping back, she looked up at the pale figure to see it was almost twice her height. Her gaze traveling down to the small plaque at the bottom, she read over the inscription to bide her time. Hearing orbs behind her as her eyes fell upon the last few words, she turned.
"Sorry," Chris said, smiling apologetically. "You weren't waiting long, were you?"
Bianca shook her head. "Just got here."
"Are you going to listen to me now?"
Bianca turned her head away, setting her jaw before looking back to him irritably. "What do you want from me?"
"Understanding," Chris answered.
"I'm not someone you can fuck around with and screw over. I'm not playing messenger between you and your brother."
Chris sighed, his gaze dropping in a defeated manner. Hearing her step to the side as if she were about to walk away, he thought he had to quickly try another approach.
"Let me show you something," he said.
"What?" she asked, glaring at him over her shoulder.
"Look where you are," Chris said. Her eyes quickly skimmed over the place as she turned back towards the exit, not particularly looking at anything. "Do you see what's here?"
"This is stupid," Bianca remarked.
"No, it's not," Chris insisted. Walking around to stand in front of her, he placed his hands on her arms. "Open your eyes, Bianca."
"All I see is you," she said.
"Look past that," Chris urged. Turning her towards the garden, he led her further into it. "There is beauty here. There is life and growth. This is what you guys are destroying. You're leaving people with nothing. This is what should be admired, not power and destruction. Half the city has been devastated by Wyatt's exploits. You can't let it keep happening."
A light breeze brushed across her shoulders and through her hair as she stared at the bed of flowers before her. It was indeed beautiful, but she knew it was also trivial. They couldn't help what fell to ruins in their battles. They were reprimanding the people, not intentionally obliterating the landscaping. He pulled her back to face him, turning to the side to point out the Conservatory of Flowers, its large dome peaking over the rise.
"Did you know that was destroyed in nineteen ninety-five? They had a massive storm here. It blew apart the dome and most of the building caved in. Do you know how long it took them to fix it? Nearly a decade, Bianca. That's a whole generation who has had to live without it. A whole group of kids who had to grow up looking at nothing but construction. Do you really want that? To make all the kids living in this town see nothing but barricades and bloody bodies everyday? To deprive them of any kind of freedom because their parents are too frightened to let them outside?"
"We're not doing that," Bianca said defensively. She didn't want to think she was caging people in, just as the Phoenix had done to her. She didn't want to admit to being anything like that.
"Oh, no?" Chris questioned. "Do you want me to show you?"
Quickly Bianca shook her head. If he showed her, then it would be real, then she would be no better than the others of her kind, the ones she had spent so long evading.
"Look, I can't tell you what you already know, Bianca. What he's doing is wrong, and if you believe that as well you would leave him."
"I can't," she protested.
"Why not?"
Her eyes shifted away from his as she licked her lips, trying to find a way to explain her reasons without explaining her past, to give an answer which wouldn't prompt anymore questions.
"He's my livelihood."
"Right, you work for him, he pays you. But what with, Bianca? Blood money and stolen items? All he does is take – lives, possessions – he's just greedy. He wants everything for himself, and he'll just keep scaring and killing people until he gets it. He's always been that way, Bianca. His whole life he's just taken things away. He doesn't care about anyone except himself."
Staring at Chris as the words slowly sank in, she knew she couldn't argue Wyatt's generosity, not when she had 'assisted' in so many of those missions to steal (reclaim) and murder (administer justice).
"What can I do? I can't stop it. I can't piece together what's been lost and make it all better again. It's in the past, Chris, and it's about time you realise there's no changing that."
"What about the future? Our future. Bianca, help me, please. You know there's only strength in numbers. You have the power to change this. If you can't leave him, help me help him. Help me change the way he is so he can't hurt anyone else."
"He's not as dangerous as you think he is," Bianca said, using the last amount of argument she had left in her.
"No, he's worse. He has so many powers at his disposal. You think this is the worst, Bianca? It's only the beginning. We're only at the start of what he intends to do."
Bianca shrugged uncomfortably. "So what do you want me to do?"
"Fight him. Not physically, that's too dangerous for you. Just… question what he's doing. Don't let him have it easy."
"I did that before and look where I ended up."
Her eyes downcast, Chris gently reached out and brushed her cheek with his hand. Looking up to him, she could see the care in his eyes, something that had been so blank and void with Michael. Closing her eyes, she leant slightly into his palm, absorbing the warmth and comfort that lay in his touch.
"I'm not going to pretend it's simple," Chris said softly. "I just want you to be careful."
Opening her eyes, she moved forward hesitantly, her lips brushing Chris' as she kissed him. Applying a little more pressure, Chris kissed her back. It was then she realised that the previous night hadn't been a one time thing, that Chris genuinely cared about her and she him, and that he wasn't going to use her for his own devices as Michael had. This was something he wanted to work together on, and be together with her at the same time.
"What can I do for you?" she asked quietly as she pulled back.
"The book. Can you get to it? I don't really know what's in it, but I think we'll need it. My family always went to it when they were in trouble. There has to be something in there, something I can use or do to put up some barriers, to make him see what he's doing."
"Okay, first the book, and then," sighing, she looked at Chris, "we change Wyatt."
She couldn't believe there was anything bad enough about Wyatt that it required a desperately planned attempt to change him, but she knew how much truth lay in what Chris had said and she couldn't deny the things that they had done. Chris nodding sorrowfully in agreement, she shimmered herself back to Wyatt's apartment.
"So what did you find out?" Wyatt asked, his hand temporarily stopping halfway down the blade of his sword, the soft rag bunching up under his fingers.
"About Chris?" Bianca questioned, her gaze flicking down to the sword, her breath catching slightly as she tried not to panic and imagine he had pulled it out to attack her. He nodded, rolling his eyes slightly at the absurdity of the enquiry. "Not much. Everyone wants to kill him just as badly as you do."
His shoulders shaking as he gave a short laugh, he shook his head lightly at Bianca. "I never said I was going to kill him. Teach him a lesson, maybe, but he hasn't done anything bad enough to be punished for. He's just an irritable nuisance, that's all."
"There are enough demons down there who are convinced otherwise," Bianca said. "You should take what he says seriously, Wyatt. Don't underestimate what he's capable of."
She could see something in his expression that recognised her words as one of warning, as if she held some extra knowledge he was not aware of. She knew it was because of the conversation she had just had, but she could only deduce that he thought she was talking about what she had found out in the Underworld. Not wanting to accept the possibility of his brother becoming a major rival, Wyatt returned to polishing his favourite weapon. Bianca turned and began heading towards his bedroom. Looking up quickly, Wyatt placed his sword to the side, getting up and following her through the doorway.
"What are you doing? I didn't order you to my bedroom," Wyatt said with confusion.
Bianca couldn't help but smirk as she looked back to him. "I didn't ask for an invitation. Besides, I wanted to look at something again."
"Hmm… sword's in the living room," Wyatt said thoughtfully, subtly making the point he would prefer her not to be in his room snooping around.
"And as nice as your weaponry is, I was looking for something a little more… knowledgeable."
Her eyes falling upon the book in the cabinet, she crouched down to undo the latch, Wyatt dropping beside her and pushing the glass door closed before she could even get it partway open. Annoyed and a little bemused, she looked over to him, her hands still on the edge of the latch.
"No," he scolded.
"Why can't I?" she asked defiantly.
"Because it's not yours," Wyatt said, rising again, his eyes still locked on her. "And because you've already seen it. Once is enough for someone who doesn't need to use it."
"What if we do?" Bianca asked, standing again. "What if the threat to what we're doing is so great that something needs to be put right? If things keep going this way, there's not going to be a future for us to live in. The world is falling apart around us. There has to be something else we can do to balance it out, something more than what we're doing now."
"I'm not submitting to any kind of authority or higher power," Wyatt said disagreeably. "I know what we have accomplished has served for a greater purpose. We have done everything that we can to break free from the devastation around us, from the restraint and ill will. The world is going to ruin of its own accord. Try if you must, Bianca, but I won't help you in this heedless mission. Nor will my family's legacy."
Waving his hand, Bianca turned back to see the Book of Shadows disintegrating into small blue and white orbs, drifting up and out of the cabinet, past her figure and towards the ceiling before evaporating altogether. Sighing with defeat, she looked back to Wyatt, biting her lip anxiously. She didn't know what else she could do; she had no idea where he'd just sent the one thing she needed, and on top of all that he now thought she was a reckless fighter who, through her own delusions, was going to intentionally sabotage all that they had worked for.
"Are you going to hide everything from me now?" she asked painfully. She couldn't lose his trust, not now, not after so many years. It was the only thing she could be certain of, the only thing to fully guarantee her safety.
"I never intended on it. But if you're going to play games and hold things back from me, I don't see why I should return the favour and tell you everything whilst you're being so secretive."
"I just want to make things right."
"Who said they weren't? You're so doubtful, Bianca."
"Maybe I'm just scared. Afraid of what this'll turn into, of what we'll become."
"There's no change," Wyatt said, shaking his head. "Only improvement. Take some time to breathe. You are as good as you think you are; that's why I wanted you by my side. I couldn't count on anyone more than I do you."
Bianca was relieved to hear this more than anything, knowing for sure that Wyatt was not going to let her go on the slightest mistake. But his encouragement and words of kindness only served to make her feel guiltier about what she had been planning to do behind his back.
"I'll try to find another way," she said quietly. She meant it for herself, for her plans with Chris, but seeing Wyatt smile in response she knew he had taken it in the opposite way – as a sign she would help him, not hinder him.