Chapter Eighteen
"So your brother's back?" Piper asked Matt hopefully. She and Leo had orbed into the attic where they had just found their eldest son looking rather upset.
"Was," Matt corrected.
"What do you mean was?" Matt didn't answer.
"Matthew," Piper spoke sternly "What are you not telling us?"
"We had an argument," Matt answered gingerly. He really didn't want his parents to know about his and Chris' little spat. They had enough on their plates without him adding to their troubles.
"How bad an argument?"
"Pretty bad," Matt winced waiting for his mother to erupt. But she never did. She just sighed and sat down next to her son on the couch. She had put her head in her hands and let out another exasperated sigh.
"Sorry mom," Matt answered. He had taken to casually calling Piper and Leo, mom and dad over the last couple of weeks. At first he wasn't sure how it would be received. But the first time Matt had called her mom, Piper's eyes had lit up. So he had just gotten into the pattern of calling them mom and dad.
He had noticed that while he had started calling Leo, dad, Chris had started calling dad, Leo.
"It's alright honey," Piper answered breaking his thoughts "I assume there's a good reason why you and your brother were fighting,"
"Yeah,"
Piper waited for more of an explanation, but realised that Matt wasn't going to give her one. "Well are you going to expand on that,"
"I'd rather not," Matt, answered, "Some of the stuff we said to each other was both private and pretty hurtful,"
The sound of Matt's mobile phone ringing stopped Piper from answering. "Oh hey mom…" Matt answered. "What… no… calm down…Why are you crying? Alright… well I'm on my way back now…. Shouldn't be long. Ok…ok I won't be long… mom please don't cry…whatever it is we'll sort it out… ok see you soon. Bye,"
Matt hung up the phone. "What was that all about?" Leo asked.
"I have no idea," Matt answered still confused by the conversation with his mom. "Look I have to go. I think something's kicking off at home,"
"Is there anything we can do?" Piper asked.
"No it's alright, I'm sure it's nothing really" Matt answered "I'll try and orb out later, ok" Piper and Leo watched as their eldest disappeared into blue orbs, just as their youngest re-materialised from them.
"Hi honey," Piper greeted Chris cheerfully.
"Hey," Chris answered going over to the book and flipping through it.
"How was school?" Piper asked Chris while giving Leo a look.
"Fine," Chris answered still flipping through the pages of the book.
"Just fine," Piper probed further. Chris was blatantly lying to her face and there was no way she was just going to let him get away with it. She'd keep on till she got the truth if it killed her.
"Yeah,"
"So what classes did you have today?"
"Why?" Chris asked looking up for from the book.
"Can't a mother take an interest in what her son does?"
"I guess," Chris shrugged "Fine I had double Maths, English and basketball,"
"Really," Piper answered rather amused with the fact Chris was still keeping up this charade. "So can you tell me how you managed to play basketball without your kit? Because you brought it home yesterday to be washed,"
SHIT!
Chris looked up at his mother with a nervous smile. "Did I say basketball, I meant swimming,"
"Right. Because it's easy to confuse the two," The smile on Piper's face vanished "Where were you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Chris answered innocently.
"I asked where you were today, because you sure as hell weren't at school,"
"I…"
"Don't you dare trying lying to me Christopher," Piper cut him off harshly "Your teacher called asking how long we thought your going to be off sick. Apparently a Mr Wyatt called and told them his son was too sick to come into school today. You wouldn't by any chance know anything about that, would you?"
Shit! Shit! Shit! That was the only word that could sum up what Chris was thinking right now. They couldn't know about the other Leo. His mom and Leo would go 'nuclear' if they knew that he'd been bunking off school to hang out with the darklighter version of his father. His mother was waiting for an explanation.
"Well?" she asked, "I'm waiting,"
"I'm sorry mom," The statement shocked Piper. She was expecting a smart mouthed answer from the stroppy, bad tempered teenager that had taken the place of her little boy. But she never got it. For the first time in weeks she thought she saw part of her Chris behind the mask that he had put up recently.
Piper and Leo followed their son over to the couch. "Honey what is it?" Piper had noticed the tears forming in her son's eyes and was genuinely getting concerned.
"I couldn't go to school mom," Chris cried "I'm sorry. I just couldn't face it"
"Why?"
"Tommy's still giving me such a hard time,"
Well, Chris thought. That isn't a total lie. The guy is still being an arse!
"He keeps saying that he's going to kick the crap out of me," Chris let the tears flow over. "I'm scared mom. That's why I skipped school,"
"Oh honey," Piper cried pulling Chris into a hug "It's alright, I understand,"
A big part of Chris felt guilty. All right it was true that Tommy was still picking on him and he hated going to school because of it. But that wasn't technically the reason why he had cut school today. But he knew that he couldn't tell them the truth, so he embellished the situation at school to hide the real truth.
"I thought things had gotten better at School. I mean you haven't mentioned anything since that day we found out about your brother,"
"Well," Chris sniffed "I didn't want to worry you. You were so busy with Matt that I didn't want to be a nuisance,"
Now Piper felt really guilty. Her little boy was having problems at school and she had been too busy to notice. "Oh Peanut," Piper whispered into his hair as she pulled him closer "I'm so sorry. I know I've been really unfair to you, but I promise that from now on, things are going to be different,"
"Really," Chris brightened pulling away from his mother momentarily; to make sure she really meant it.
"Really," Piper repeated.
Chris felt like he had something from his mother that he hadn't had in months. Her attention! He had hated not having his mom around. He had technically been an only child most of his life and felt like his mom had been taken away.
"I'm sorry mom," Chris cried "I know I've been a pain lately. I just felt like I was losing you. Matt turned up and all of a sudden, I was pushed to the side,"
"Oh Peanut," Piper cried, "I'm so sorry. I never meant to make you feel like that. I promise that I'll be around more,"
"Am I in trouble for cutting school?"
"No, you've got a pass. Just this once though," Piper answered "And if your having trouble at school you come to me ok. I'll blow the little brat up!"
"Ok mom," Chris laughed.
"You hungry?"
"Yeah,"
"Pancakes?" Piper asked
Chris grinned, "Yes please," The three of them started to make their way to the attic door when the sound of orbs filled the room.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Matt screamed as he charged at his brother throwing them both to the floor.
Chris had been taken by surprise when Matt threw him to the floor. His brother was had gotten on top of him and Chris was trying to shield his face as Matt continued to punch him.
Matt was in a blind rage, he had never been so angry before in his life. He punched Chris hard in the face over and over again, letting all his anger and frustration out on his little brother. All of a sudden Matt felt himself being pulled off his younger brother.
"What the hell is going on?" Leo asked.
Neither Matt nor Chris answered their father. "Well," Piper asked, "Are you going to answer your father. Matt why on earth did you attack your brother?"
"Do you want to answer that one, or shall I?" Wyatt sarcastically asked Chris.
"I don't know what you're talking about?" Chris answered innocently.
"You lying…" Matt lunged at him again, but this time Leo managed to grab his son around the waist before he got to him. "He went and saw my mom. He told her all about me getting to know you guys and that you're my real parents,"
"Is that true?" Piper asked
"She had a right to know," Chris justified.
"And I had a right to tell her in my own time," Matt spat "Thanks to you she thinks I'm planning on leaving home and moving in here. She's scared stiff that I'm going to stop calling her mom,"
"Overeating much!" Chris answered rolling his eyes.
"That's enough Christopher," Piper's voice was low and threatening.
"But mom…"
"No buts Christopher. I can't believe that you would do something so terrible. I'm really disappointed in you."
Chris felt crushed! "Mom please,"
Piper just looked at him with disappointed eyes.
"Go to your room. I don't want to see you again for the rest of the night," Piper added coldly.
Chris looked dejectedly at his parents and left the attic. Entering his room he flopped down on his bed and buried his head in his pillow. He had come so close to getting his mom back and now he had messed it all up. He had done it initially to hurt his brother, but instead he had not only hurt him but both his parents along with Matt's mom and dad.
Chris sighed, he didn't think it was possible, but he had a feeling that things were about to get a whole lot worse.