Note to all the reviewers: YES. PIPER IS OUT OF CHARACTER. DOES IT REALLY TAKE A GENIUS? I can't even count how many reviews I got telling me that! I've been watching Charmed for four years! Be. Patient. I've done things like this before and people haven't harassed me about it. Fyi, Piper is my fave Charmed One. Usually I will not make her evil without an explanation. Wait and see and quit complaining!

(DEEP BREATH)

That is all.

Now you may continue. :D :D :D Lol.

Chapter Three

Chris sat on his bed stared absent-mindedly at the wall. Three. Two. One.

Orbs to the left of him.

"Wyatt," he greeted his brother, nodding but not making eye contact.

"Chris," said Wyatt in return.

Chris remained locked in position, unmoving. Wyatt couldn't hurt him in the manor. He wouldn't dare hurt him in front of anyone. Even if Piper slapped him, it was never truly that hard; she didn't believe in violence if it could be avoided (the occasional demon, she explained, is perfectly justifiable). And Wyatt was staying on Piper's good side. For now.

"Where'd you go last night?" asked Wyatt.

Chris cocked an eyebrow. This was unusual. Usually Wyatt didn't give a crap whether he came or went.

"Nowhere in particular," Chris answered him vaguely.

Wyatt sat down on his own bed and positioned himself in Chris' line of view. "You could've been killed, you know. Hunted. By the witches." He said this without much emotion in his face, just staring at Chris.

Chris waited a moment before responding, carefully weighing in this conversation and trying to figure out how Wyatt was going to sweep this around to get the upper hand. "When did you ever care?" he asked.

"I don't know what I'd do…" Wyatt grinned. "…if something ever happened to you."

"I'm touched."

"One of these days, Chris, you'll be able to do more than just clumsy telekinesis. You need to consider the choices."

"There isn't a choice. Powers are for saving innocents. They're for the greater good."

Wyatt snorted. "The greater good sure didn't save Abby, did it?"

Chris recoiled at the stinging words. "That has nothing to do with it. Everything…happens…for a reason," Chris forced out, the words like sand on his tongue.

Wyatt leaned in closer. "Do you really believe that, Chris? Do you really mean that?"

"What do you want from me?" Chris snapped at him.

"Why do you assume I want something?" Wyatt asked innocently.

"I know you, Wyatt. You don't care about me. You never have." He glared at his older brother, thinking to himself, Except for when Abby was alive. "Just cut to the chase, will you? Do you need money or something? I've got twenty dollars. That's it. But then again, you already know where that is, don't you?"

"Chris, I want your help," Wyatt finally managed to say. Now it was his turn to say something that made his stomach churn.

Chris laughed out loud. "My help? With what? I can't do anything."

Wyatt took a steadying breath. "This is hard to admit, Chris, but…I can't…" He cleared his throat. "I have powers, but I can't exactly figure out how to do some things."

"Like what?"

"I can't think of spells. I can't do potions. I can't tweak things or improvise. All I have is these powers."

"You poor thing," Chris mocked him sarcastically. "Poor little Wyatt with his shield and telekinesis and plasma balls. Oh, I think I'm gonna cry now."

"Shut up," Wyatt hissed.

"Tsk, tsk, Wyatt. You're not going to get anything from me acting rude." Chris liked this new glory he had over Wyatt. It didn't occur to Chris that Wyatt would ever need him for anything. But now the tables had turned. The impossible had happened. "So what are you trying to do?"

"Access a parallel world."

Chris froze. "What?"

"You heard me."

The breath in Chris' lungs seemed to hold the air prisoner. The room went silent. "You," Chris seethed. "You've been reading my notebooks." He slung his backpack off of his shoulders and held it to his chest protectively. "Why, Wyatt? Why do you care about Abby?"

"Because I think you're right. I think there's a chance she's still out there."

"Wyatt, it's not real! It's just…I made up a different world…because I miss her." Chris swallowed down his tears. "I needed to pretend she was okay. It's stupid, alright? Are you happy now?" He looked down at the floor, ashamed.

"That's just it, Chris. It's not stupid. There are worlds parallel to ours."

Chris met Wyatt's face, eyes narrowed. "There's no mention of that in the Book of Shadows. I know that thing cover to cover."

"It's not the book. The library at Magic School—yes, Chris, I read books—has all sorts of stuff on parallel worlds. I think—"

"Stop it!" Chris begged. "You're just making it worse, Wyatt. You're always making it worse."

"You wanna know why, Chris? It's because our mother wants me to! Do you realize that she always rewards me when I hurt you? When I snap at her? Don't you get it!" Wyatt grew excited. "She's not our mother. She's Piper, but she's not our Piper."

"What does this have to do with Abby? Wyatt, you're crazy," Chris insisted. But even as he said this he grew more convinced it must be true.

"You were young, Chris. You can't remember Abby dying, can you?"

"I remember every little detail of that night," Chris countered. "Every little detail. It's etched into my brain. I remember everything."

"Then can you remember what it was like before she died?" Wyatt asked. "Piper made cookies and gave all her employees huge Christmas bonuses the winter it happened. Remember how she'd always pick us up after school? And she let us ride the bus when we begged her to, and she'd wait at the stop for us every time?" Wyatt was near tears. "And whenever I hit you, she'd punish me and make us hug each other afterwards. Now she just laughs and pats me on the head. That's not right, Chris."

Chris scoffed. "Sure didn't stop you."

"I haven't hit you in a month. Or stolen your money, for that matter. I'm old enough to get it now. In the past, I've just done what she's told me is right. After all, she was my mother—she couldn't be wrong. But I get it now. I'm catching on to something you must have known all along. She's wrong."

"But that doesn't mean she's not our mother."

"It could. I asked Cole about the night before Abby disappeared. Apparently up at magic school that night, some of the kids majoring in other worlds and time travel screwed up. Cole knew because his class on magical creatures was down the hall. Remember the day care, Chris? We thought that Abby got lost after we were home. Then they found her body…in that alley."

Chris shuddered. Wyatt pretended not to notice.

"What if," Wyatt proposed, "that wasn't our Abby?"

"It was her," Chris said quietly. "I know it was her. I will accept that there's a possibility that the woman downstairs may not be our mother, but nothing you tell me will persuade me that Abby isn't dead."

"It doesn't have to be this way, Chris. There's a chance. You don't have to get your hopes up…just help me, okay? I'm your brother, Chris. And Abby's your sister."

Chris couldn't help it. Tears rolled down his cheek and he shuddered, trying to block out all the grief and regret. He swiped at his eyes angrily, but it was no use. This was worse than a nightmare. Now it was reality again.

"Chris…" Wyatt stood up and hugged him. "I'm sorry."

Chris hugged him back. "So am I."

When they released, Wyatt asked, "What are you sorry for?"

"I…I've never told anyone this," Chris whispered, his voice shaking. "But Abby and I…we heard each other's thoughts. It was my fault, really. When I got lost in the park—I must have been four or so at the time—Aunt Paige tried to cast some sort of silly spell that would prevent me from getting lost again. She thought it didn't work. She thought nothing had happened…but something did.

"From that day forward, I could feel Abby's emotions. I couldn't purposefully look in on her thoughts, though. She had to send me a message through her mind if she wanted to communicate with words. But we could always feel each other. The night we died…I heard her screaming…"

Chris let out a sob. "Do you know what that was like, Wyatt? Knowing she was dying and being unable to do anything? It was so dark in our bedroom that night, and we were all alone. All the adults had gone to look for her. I called for Paige but nobody came…I couldn't see anything at all, and she was screaming for me to help her…It's my fault."

"Chris, there's nothing you could've done. You were barely five," Wyatt protested.

"She depended on me. Losing her…was like losing half of myself. I know she's dead, Wyatt. I buried her a long time ago."

"I'm not burying her, Chris," Wyatt persisted. "I think there's a chance she's alive."

"I'll help you," Chris told him, "but only because I want to help Mom. I want Abby to be alive more than anyone, but I know…I know it's too late for her."

The door knocked. Wyatt pulled back from Chris immediately, and Chris rubbed his eyes frantically to compose himself.

"Come in," Wyatt said when Chris seemed ready enough.

Cole walked inside. "Just wanted to know if Chris wanted any pancakes."

Chris gave him a wide smile. "Sure. Thanks, Uncle Cole."

"You're very welcome. There's a plate on the table for you downstairs, 'kay?" Cole gave him a sympathetic glance. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," said Chris, as if nothing had happened. That's just how it went these days.

Or maybe it could change.

See? SEE? I told you it would all work out. I wasn't going to get to this part for another chappie or so, but I figured I'd better do it quick. Lol. Thanks for all the reviews, though, it's nice to know people are reading.