Chapter 2

Previously…

"Almost five years. I spent two and a half in the dungeons…the rest I spent with Wyatt and Melinda." Chris disappeared in a swirl of blue orbs, when the orbs had gone Phoebe saw Chris' lighter on the floor, bending down she picked it up and before Prue could stop her she was thrown into a premonition.

Now…

"Oh no!" Prue cried out and shook her mother, "Mum no!"

"What's it matter if she gets a premonition?" Leo asked.

"Wyatt gave Chris that lighter…it's how I found out about what Wyatt did to him… Mum shouldn't know…especially while her empathy is developing. It almost killed me." She shook Phoebe again, but realising it wasn't going to work she sighed, "Sorry Chris."

Phoebe's premonition

A frail body lay beaten on the floor in the tiny cell, his body chained to the wall by the collar around his neck although the restraint was pointless now. After two and a half years of torture he had numerous fractures that healed crookedly, causing pain every time he moved his legs. He was malnourished to the point he looked like a bag of bones, his ribcage clearly defined amongst the scars covering his naked body.

Once vivid green eyes that had held so much love and joy had now clouded to a disturbing, unemotional grey.

Suddenly blue orbs lit up the pitch-black cell to reveal a man with long blonde curls and blue eyes, "Get up Christopher. I know you can stand…"

Chris lay still for a minute then spurred his body into movement, rising shakily to his feet, wincing in pain. The boy kept his gaze trained on his dirt covered feet, silently counting the bones he could see.

The man cupped his hand under Chris' chin and forced the boy to look at him, "It's time to go Chris."

"Wy…att." Chris rasped.

Wyatt frowned, this was the first time in a year Chris had actually spoken, "What?"

"I, I forgive you." He said in a hoarse whisper, he was trembling, now his legs unable to support his own weight any longer.

With a wave of his hand the collar came away from Chris' neck and fell to the floor, Wyatt put a hand on Chris' shoulder and flamed them to a room where a woman was waiting anxiously by a stretcher.

Wyatt and the woman lay the boy down flat, "How could we do this Wyatt? He's our little brother."

Angry blue orbs glared at the girl, "I know that Melinda, and if I remember rightly you are the one who said he needed to learn his lesson."

Melinda ran a hand down Chris' leg feeling the bone, "Wyatt."

"What?" He asked.

"We need to re-break his legs…I mean shatter them, they have healed crooked." Wyatt looked at Chris legs and realised what she was talking about.

"Alright, the same needs to be done to his arms." Wyatt added, going over the younger boy's numerous injuries.

Melinda ran her hands down Chris' legs using her telekinesis to shatter the bones, Chris' eyes flew open and a small groan of pain escaped his lips.

Wyatt brushed the brown strands of blood matted hair off his face, "It's almost over." He said softly.

"I need a little help." Melinda called.

The twins held their hands over his legs and soon they began to heal, Chris screamed as they did the same to his arms. Wyatt and Melinda then held their hands over his chest and watched as the scars, infections, cuts and bruises all began to disappear. Rolling him over onto his stomach they then healed his back before a cry of pain made them realise they needed to keep him on his back.

"At least he's healed." Wyatt said softly.

"He just needs a wash…" Melinda said, "I'll do it, can you go run a bubble bath?"

Wyatt flamed out while Melinda sat down next to her brother, "We're sorry Chris…really we are." Chris head rolled so his dull eyes could look at her, the expression on his face seemed to ask, 'Why?'

"Look, you betrayed us Chris, family is supposed to stick together. Fuck the cousins, you are our baby brother and whether you wanna admit it or not you need us as much as we need you. We love you." She dropped a soft kiss on his brow, "Your bath is ready."

The two orbed to the lavish bathroom where Wyatt was waiting for them, "One of us should probably get in there with him." Wyatt said, "So he doesn't slip under the water, it'll be enough of a shock already."

"I'll do it, you wash him okay?" Melinda said as she eased her brother down on the bath towel before stripping off, tying her hair up and sliding into the water, "Alright, I'm ready for him."

Wyatt scooped his arms under his brother's knees and the other under his shoulders and lifted him up, he eased the witch into the water with their sister. He didn't miss Melinda screwing her nose up at the smell, he smiled as Chris leant his head back and rested it on Melinda's shoulder.

Chris started to fret a little when he felt Wyatt scrubbing his skin with the face washer, Melinda ran her hand down his cheek, "Shh, we just wanna get you cleaned up. Doesn't the bubble bath feel nice?" she said as if she were speaking to a small child.

Soon all that was left to wash was Chris' hair, Melinda motioned for the two-in-one, Wyatt picked up the pitcher and ran the water over Chris' hair, his sister eased him up a little, lathering his hair in shampoo doing her best to clean it.


"Alright, he's done." Wyatt helped him out of the bath and wrapped a towel around him, rubbing him dry as Melinda wrapped a dressing gown around herself, "You did get clothes for him right?"

"Bottom draw of my cupboard." Melinda orbed out then moments later returned dressed with Chris' clothes in hand. They dressed him in a pair of grey pajama pants and a long sleeve black top. They flamed back to the bedroom, Wyatt carefully levitating Chris as Melinda pulled back the covers, Melinda climbed in beside Chris on one side and after Wyatt changed he climbed into the other side wrapping an arm protectively over his brother and sister.

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Suddenly Phoebe's vision snapped to something completely different and more recent. Chris stood on a familiar bridge over the rail, a darklighter behind him. Chris spread his arms and stepped off the ledge falling onto the road below.

Over at P3

The darklighter sat unseen behind Chris whispering to him, 'It's all my fault. They died because of me. I don't deserve to live. I have nothing to live for. All I ever do is hurt people.'

Chris pulled up his sleeves and stared at the scars, repeating what the darklighter said, "'It's all my fault. They died because of me. I don't deserve to live. I have nothing to live for. All I ever do is hurt people."

Seeing the scars, the darklighter smiled wickedly, perhaps this wouldn't be as hard as he first thought…one final push and the half-lighter would be gone.

'Bleeding to death isn't the answer, I need to do something bigger more final…I need to jump.'

The bridge…" Chris whispered before orbing out.

Meanwhile at the manor…

"Has Chris ever jumped off a bridge?" Phoebe asked.

"The Gate once… what's going on?"

"Prue your cousin is in serious trouble here. I saw a darklighter behind him."

"How did you know he's my cousin?"

"Wait," Piper cried, "Chris is a Halliwell?"

"I saw it in the premonition, Wyatt and Melinda were tossing around the words 'little brother'."

"Chris is my son?" Piper whispered, holding her hands over her newly pregnant stomach, she hadn't told Leo or thesisters she was pregnant, but now she knew she held the child Chris would become, "Oh God."

"Yeah Aunt Piper, he's your youngest." Prue turned to Leo, "Can you sense him?"

Leo closed his eyes, "I can't sense him."

Phoebe looked down at the lighter in her hands, there was a triquetra on one side and an inscription on the other, when trapped in the trials of darkest times, all you need to do is follow the light.

Phoebe read it aloud, " when trapped in the trials of darkest times, all you need to do is follow the light.

Suddenly a bright ball of blue light appeared before her, "I think this is going to take us to Chris."

The ball moved straight to Leo's hands acting as a sort of magnet, pulling Prue and the sisters to him, seconds later they reappeared in front of an extremely familiar bridge.

(A/N: It's the same bridge Prue was gonna jump off in…what was it, Murphy's luck?)

"Chris!" Prue screamed as she saw the darklighter, "Chris there's a darklighter!"

They watched as Chris climbed over the rail, "Uncle Leo…do something." Prue's hand grabbed his wrist, "Please…I can't lose him too."

On the bridge

"Who was I to think I could save them? I'm nothing…" Tears were flowing freely down Chris' cheeks, "I'll be better off dead, everyone will be…probably won't even be conceived…figures. I'm just one big fuck up."

He didn't hear the sound of orbs as his family appeared on the bridge and vanquished the darklighter. Nor did he hear them call as he stepped of the ledge…