Neurotic
A story of Christopher Perry Halliwell
Disclaimer: Charmed doesn't belong to me.
Chapter The Sixth
He stayed looking up at the window for a long time, faintly seeing the two figures move to a complete standstill, bending down on the floor. He'd watched the three Halliwells leave the house, with baby Wyatt and an older man that looked familiar that he couldn't quite place.
He'd planned to make his move instantly, but had held back reflexively, leaning back on his lifetime of training to guide his actions. Sure enough, it was a good plan. A minute later, a secondary shimmer of orbs spilled down, and he'd seen the second figure join the first.
Two male figures. One of them had to be Christopher.
He clenched one fist, slid one hand into his pocket and around the cool steel of his athame, and waited for them to stand up.
"—so these are the demons that should be vanquished, here-" Leo said, pointing to one of the final columns.
"In the best probable chronological order," Chris said, "although, of course, you can integrate the ones from the column to the left. Even though they're further down the 'food' chain, as it were, their method of vanquish is close to their numbered counterparts on the final column-"
"-so the sisters can increase their efficiency by vanquishing multiple lots at once," Leo said, sounding impressed.
"Using the least power," Chris said, finishing his explanation. "I've done the research. Six months of it… It just needs to be put in action." He edged a look of uncertainty to Leo. "I know it's complicated, but-"
"No, I meant what I said. This is great," Leo said. "Now you've got to show it to them."
Chris levelled a very obvious wince at the Elder. "Are you sure you get enough oxygen Up There?"
Leo pulled a 'haha, very funny' face with deadpan sarcasm that couldn't quite reach Chris' standards of sarcasm. Because he never had Aunt Paige as a teacher, Chris thought wryly. "We hide oxygen tanks in our robes," Leo remarked dryly, eliciting a small laugh from Chris, who stopped rather abruptly as he realised what he was doing. Leo frowned, but continued nonetheless. "I'm not being funny. This makes sense, even if none of your other plans have."
Chris exhaled, disgruntled. "Leo, they won't let me anywhere near them," he said, petulantly. "How the hell am I going to get this to them?"
"You won't know if you don't try," Leo said sagely.
Chris threw him a dirty look. A down-and-dirty look. "Seriously, do they program Elders with those cheesy clichés, or is it just something you picked up yourself?"
Leo rolled his eyes and got to his feet. Chris scrambled reluctantly to his feet too, putting the Book of Shadows back on its pedestal as Leo rolled up the Map and handed it to him with a tilt of one eyebrow.
"Don't tell me," Chris said at Leo's none-reply. "You have a cliché dictionary, and it's hidden in your robes."
Leo smirked, almost imperceptibly. It hovered on the corner of his mouth like a fairy. "You're a quick learner, I'll give you that."
"I-" But whatever Chris was about to say was lost, as an explosion rocked the house. The windows imploded inwards, shards of glass and dark water flew inwards. Chris only had time to fling his hands up to protect his eyes, before water rushed around him and something heavy hit him, and his world went black.
He looked around smugly, pleased with himself. Just in case either of the two weren't unconscious after that explosion, he turned and walked casually down the street. No one had seen him throw the potion. Christopher should recognise the irony, the shadowy figure thought, and he laughed a little as he sashayed happily down the street. And he should definitely understand the message.
He paused at the corner of the street, to see a familiar large vehicle cruise around the corner, driving up to the manor and skidding to a halt. The three Halliwells and the familiar looking man all scrambled out of the car, looking at the manor. All of the windows in the attic had been exploded inwards, and a fair portion of the wall as well. Brief seconds later it looked as if it hadn't happened, but he recognised a glamour when he saw it, and commended their quick thinking.
Still satisfied the message had been sent, he turned away again, to go the long way around to the back of the house. After all, he had to see how everything turned out, didn't he…
"Holy crap!" Paige almost screamed it as she flung herself out of Piper's SUV. Looking around, she saw the deserted street, and – as her sisters exclaimed similar swear words – quickly waved her hands and said the glamour spell. The front of the house shimmered, and appeared as normal.
Piper turned to look at Paige wordlessly, who shrugged.
"I'm guessing that there's a demon in there," Paige said. "Do we really want the attention of the neighbours?"
"Good point," Piper said, her brow furrowing. Briskly, she went to the other side of the car and lifted Wyatt out of the car seat, passing him to her father. "Dad, you stay here. If there's any abnormal happenings, Wyatt's forcefield should protect you."
"What about you?" Victor asked, worry for her written all over his face.
"Well, I'm protected by the baby, aren't I," Piper lied, to keep Victor subdued. He nodded, clearly torn.
"All right, I'll take point," Phoebe said, her doe-brown eyes wide with worry, but her face awash with a steely determination. "Paige, you stay close to Piper. Anything happens, you orb her out."
Paige nodded, while Piper looked as if she was going to argue for a second, before Phoebe glared at her and she quietened.
"Fine," Piper grumbled. "I'd still like to know whoever gave pregnancy the synonym incapable."
Taking the lead, Phoebe cautiously pushed open the door. Paige and Piper followed a few feet behind. All of them jumped when the wind pushed the front door closed for them.
"Gah!" Piper yelled, stopping a fraction of an inch before blowing up the front door. Breathing hard, Paige looked sheepish and even Phoebe looked a little shocked.
"Downstairs is clear," Phoebe said eventually, coming back to the hallway with a shrug. Looking at each other nervously, and keeping their hands clear and outstretched ready to use, they headed to the first floor. Again, there was nothing, which left only the attic – where the destruction obviously was.
Apprehensively, they started to ascend the steps to the attic.
"It's wet," Phoebe realised, cringing in distaste as the water trickled onto her bare feet. Curious and heart thumping in rising terror, Phoebe hurried up a few steps, leaving her sisters a few steps behind, and opened the door to the attic. "Oh god!"
At Phoebe's incomprehensive yell of shock, Paige and Piper exchanged a glance and quickly hurried up the stairs. Bursting on the scene with her hands fully outstretched to blast whatever the hell it was, Piper stopped in astonishment.
The glamour had only covered outside the house. Inside was a different matter. Large shards of glass covered the floor, and black water was covering the floor amidst the broken furniture and bricks. Strangely, the Book of Shadows still stayed upright, and there was a swathe of cherry blossoms lying on the ground around it like a blanket.
Apart from the flowers and Book of Shadows remaining untouched, it was normal destruction fare. Piper was about to ask why Phoebe had yelled quite so loudly when she saw both of her sisters skittering over the destruction and water and stray blossoms that weren't carpeting the wet ground around the Book to two slumped figures on the ground, one blond, one covered in a lot of broken glass and wood.
Piper's heart constricted in her mouth as she recognised the one with blond hair. "Leo!" Forgetting her own state, she scrambled forwards, almost slipping on the strange dark water. Paige was already down by him, and she helped push him onto his side.
Leo started to splutter as soon as she did so, coughing out some water before opening his eyes and looking up at Paige and Piper. Wincing in pain, he helped Paige pull him upright into a sitting position. He looked a little daze.
"What happened?" Piper demanded, casting about the place, looking at the destruction.
"I don't know," Leo said, looking pained and anguished. He twisted his head to the other figure, which Phoebe was uncovering debris from so she could pull him up. "How's Chris?"
"Chris?" Piper demanded incredulously. Phoebe managed to pull Chris out of the debris he was covered in. The brown-haired half-Whitelighter had numerous cuts and grazes to his face, and his clothing was ripped in several places, showing blood. Piper watched as Chris coughed, opening his eyes and looking dazed, clinging onto a roll of paper.
"Piper-" Leo started. "He was just looking at the Book, to help Wyatt, before this happened-"
"I don't care!" Piper retorted, feeling her heart race as her anger rose, "he shouldn't have damned well even been here! In face, I would bet you a large amount of money this happened because of him!"
Leo edged a look at Chris, expecting the coughing youngster to look ashamed, but Chris' face was blank as he saw the destruction. Something dark flickered in Chris' eyes.
"No-" Chris whispered, incomprehensibly to the those present, before lurching to his feet. Throwing the roll of paper he was holding recklessly to one side, he scrambled over to the Book, and threw himself down to the ground. He started ploughing through the cherry blossoms with his bare hands, despite the glass shards that bit further into his hands, making him bleed. The blood fell freely from his wounds, staining the fragile flowers, and causing Chris to stumble back upon seeing it. "NO!" Screaming now, he flung himself backwards, hugging his knees to him tightly even as he slammed his back against the wall. He hid his face in his knees, starting to rock and starting to cry bitterly.
Exchanging bewildered glances, it was Paige who got up from Leo's side to run across to him. She bent over, and tried to pry his hands away as he rocked, but to no avail. She looked across at them; her dark eyes alight with confusion and obvious worry for him.
"Chris-" Paige pleaded, turning back to him.
"Jeez!" They turned at the sound of Victor, who peeked through the door, Wyatt held tightly in his arms. Taking in the scene with widened eyes, Victor turned to look at Phoebe, Piper and Leo. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Leo said, getting to his feet and staring in bewilderment at Chris and Paige. "We were talking one minute, and then the whole place exploded inwards… Then when he woke up, he saw this, and just… freaked," he finished lamely.
Victor quickly passed Wyatt to a slightly baffled Piper, and strode quickly across the mess to join Chris and Paige.
"Here, let me," Victor said softly to Paige, who was so surprised that she moved back. Victor knelt down, disregarding the glass fragments he'd knelt on, and placed his hands over Chris'. "Chris. Chris. Listen. It's me. Come on."
Chris' stiffened under his hands, but the crying lessened, a little.
"Come on. Christopher." Victor's voice had a sterner edge. Something like a whimper escaped Chris' mouth, and he looked up hesitantly, his eyes red and swollen, blood covering his cheeks.
"It's how she died," Chris said hoarsely, staring at some imaginary point in space. "It's how he killed her."
Despite hurting from seeing Chris in such obvious pain, Victor couldn't resist asking, "Who?"
"Wyatt," Chris said, locking gazes with Victor. Victor almost reeled backwards from the force of the tangible grief in those stormy eyes. "It's how Wyatt killed mom." And he was lost again, ready to withdraw, and Victor without thinking pulled the limp young man into his arms. Chris began to shudder in the embrace, hiding his face in Victor's shoulder, and Victor just held him.
"Sshh," Victor said, comfortingly, rubbing his hands along Chris' back to calm him down, even as his insides fell. "Sshh. Everything's going to be fine."
"How?" Chris whispered brokenly, lifting his face, his eyes now bloodshot, but the action caused him to see the scene again. Shuddering, he pulled himself quickly out of Victor's arms and threw up in the corner, violently, before standing up and wiping his mouth, looking at the mess again blankly.
Victor quickly got up too. He looked at Paige. "Can you get him downstairs?" He asked the youngest sister.
Paige nodded, stepping forwards again, her pretty face drawn with worry. "Come on, sweetie," she said, her voice surprisingly gentle as she reached for him. Chris allowed his arm to be taken, and the two orbed away downstairs.
Stunned, Victor looked at Piper, Leo, Wyatt and Phoebe. His stomach sank as Wyatt whimpered a little, and Piper drew him closer. It's how Wyatt killed mom. Chris' words came back, and struck him. Bile rose in his throat. Eyes wide, Victor tried to hide what he'd just realised.
It's how Wyatt killed mom. Piper was holding Wyatt so tenderly… The boy who would grow up, and – if they couldn't stop him - murder his own mother...
