Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed. But I still manage to survive somehow.
"Anyway, this is how I remember finding out that I could use someone else to weaken you enough for me to strike. And this time it will be an even deadlier blow than the first time around-- which your future self could tell you-- was pretty bad."
"Sounds like fun," 13 Chris said with an annoyed edge. He glanced up at the security camera in the shadows of the unlit corridor. "Knew I was forgetting something…" The camera abruptly pulled itself from the wall and flew into the teen's hands, zapping softly as it soared threw the electric cage field.
"What are you doing?" asked Bianca sharply, eyeing the camera warily.
"Changing what the camera saw so magic isn't exposed," he responded with a bite of sharpness enough to rival her own. "Got a problem with it, give me detention, Miss O Mighty Assassin Who Came Back To The Past To Vanquish A Kid Because She's So Pathetic She Can't Do It In Her Own Time When He's Her Own Age."
"That's a mouthful," commented Piper from the sidelines.
"Were you always so cocky?" Paige said in disbelief. Chris rolled his eyes.
"Are you kidding me? That is just sad compared to the subtle insults I can throw now," he almost laughed. Almost.
Phoebe threw him a sidelong look. It was amazing. He was always cocky, always in control, always… invincible. She couldn't imagine him ever being hit or degraded by his parents; couldn't picture him being vulnerable or helpless at the hands of people he was supposed to be able to feel safe and secure around. She couldn't imagine how she would feel, and that was for sure. But how could she? Her father had left and her mother had died, both when she was a toddler. And Grams had always been so protective, if not a little strict sometimes. It had always been with her best interests in mind, though. Never 'just because'.
Thinking about this, she wondered if-- or rather, when-- her sisters and brother-in-law found out they would be any kinder towards him. Or if they'd even care at all. Sometimes just hearing something wasn't enough to change anything. They'd probably have to see it to understand what he'd been through, even before the world went to Hell… and as much as Phoebe hated to admit it, she would have to know more to understand, too. So many people were abused by their parents in the world, and every case was so different, maybe his parents just had higher expectations, maybe they just didn't realize they were hurting him…
Then she remembered the one other fact he had shared before now, the only one they knew about his childhood. The fact that his parents had drowned him as a small child. What good, simply misunderstood parent would 'accidentally' drown their--- she froze.
He had said that he HAD drowned. That was how he had become a whitelighter. But now they knew he was only half… so was it just a lie to gain her pity? To get her off his back? Was there any basis of truth in it?
But her attention was pulled abruptly back to the assassin as a cold laugh trickled from her throat. "You may scorn me now, Christopher, but you won't be when you return home tonight. You might actually be out with-- what was the excuse she used to give the school?-- schizophrenic shock, for a week… or maybe even two, if dear mommy's in a good enough mood."
The thirteen year old glared at her, choosing not to respond. He coldly continued reworking the wires and microchips in the security camera as though he did it often.
Paige looked at her whitelighter suspiciously. "Code word for what?" she said narrowly. The 22 year old just gave her an innocent look. She scowled and turned back to the scene, still determined to find out his secret.
She was surprised to turn and see a 3-D film project out of the camera, though, and stared. The images were of three strange boys, about fourteen or fifteen, wiring a can of water-based purple paint above a door. Snickering, they proceeded to tape a giant golden banner that read 'GO BACK TO THE ASYLUM CREEPER! YOU DON'T BELONG HERE' on the door and ran to hide inside a nearby broom closet, leaving a crevice between the wall and door to see out through. They only had seconds to wait, for less than a minute later who should be in that specific room but their neurotic whitelighter as a kid. As soon as he opened the door the can of paint lurched forward, splattering his entire front in the violet goo. The boys responsible immediately fell from their hiding place, howling with laughter. It didn't take Chris long to figure out what happened once he saw the banner. The way the boy's heart sank was an obvious flicker of sadness and hurt across his already bruised features; then his composure changed back to the trademark nonchalant and he pulled out a small black device from his pocket. The older boys, too fixated on their mirth, didn't notice as he pressed a few buttons, but they did react, however, to the sudden ton of green slime that emptied itself from the ceiling above their heads. The boys, spluttering, clambered to their feet, clueless and infuriated. The fattest, although cliché enough, shortest, angrily threw the young Perry a filthy look before motioning for his gang to depart. They did so, slipping and sliding on the slime as they went. Then, as Chris watched them leave, the other doors flew open and at least a hundred kids spilled out into the hallways as class change began.
The 13 Chris clicked the camera off. "That'll work."
"What'd you do?" Leo inquired the adult Chris without his usual hostility. Apparently seeing the boy having to deal with school bullies sobered him slightly. Although, he still was not above questioning his replacement's every move…
"That class changed never happened," the adult Chris explained unconcernedly. "Right after they left Bianca attacked."
"Dang, you just never got a break did you?" Paige commented lightly.
Chris gave a soft, harsh laugh. "You have no idea."
As soon as the words left his lips, though, the time remote chose to gear up and the hook snatched them by the shoulders, pulling them forward at disorienting speeds.
Paige swore violently, causing Chris to raise his eyebrows in amused surprise.
"What?" she demanded indignantly. "So I want to know what you two are hiding, sue me."
"What about the future Bianca?" queried Phoebe, steering the conversation away from that particular topic. "Why didn't she move with us since she got to that time by the remote…? How did she even find us?"
Chris shrugged, saying bitterly, "I don't know; maybe the Source had something to do with it. Maybe he gave her some advanced tracking spell right after he resurrected her and changed her memory," he ended even bitterer than he had begun. That did not go unnoticed by the Past Ones.
Suddenly the time device slammed to a halt, and Chris hastily grabbed Phoebe and Paige's hands before they had a chance to go flying across the classroom like Piper and Leo. The two got quickly to their feet and joined Chris, Phoebe, and Paige, who were observing their new surroundings.
They were apparently in a health classroom, judging by the posters of the organ systems, food… circle?… and diseases. There was a teacher in the front of the room who had bright blonde hair, was somewhat round, but kind looking, nevertheless. She and a few students were discussing something-- suicide?-- while everyone else was finishing bookwork.
The ones from the past barely had to look for their young whitelighter. He was sitting crossed legged in his desk, drawing on the back of his paper as though forcing himself not to listen to the discussion for some reason. The bruises on his face had faded almost completely so that they knew it was at least two or three weeks later. He was still wearing all black, still wearing long sleeves even though it had to be spring since everything was in bloom outside the window. Still wearing fingerless black gloves, sandy brown hair still spilling into his face whenever he moved.
Phoebe noticed with some amusement that a blonde girl sitting beside him was watching him with a little more than curiosity, though he seemed not to see it. He was too intent on his drawing, except by now Phoebe, Piper, Paige, and Leo could all tell he was really only trying not to hear that health-topic-related conversation.
"And people normally give off signs beforehand that they're going to attempt suicide," the teacher was saying. "Especially when they're young. They might start acting happy sud---"
"Stop it!" the thirteen year old Chris suddenly yelled, jumping to his feet. He seemed to have given up trying to act like he couldn't hear. "Just stop it, okay? You've got no idea what you're talking about!" And without so much as an explanation, he stormed out of the room, leaving a stunned silence in his wake. The ones from the past didn't dare break that silence and give themselves away, but looked perplexedly at their grown whitelighter.
At last the teacher shattered the silence that was starting to scream, by asking the girl that had serenely gotten to her feet, "Do you know what that was about, Paris?"
The girl with long, waist length blue-black hair and deep indigo colored eyes, now identified as Paris, slowly walked to the door, retracing the boy's steps. "I think so," she said softly, preparing to go after him, but the teacher held up her hand, scribbling something on a yellow slip of paper.
"Here, give him this and tell him to go to Mrs. Halliwell," the woman said, handing the slip to Paris. "I'll call her and tell her to expect him, so he doesn't just leave again."
"Mrs… Halliwell?" Paris said uncomprehendingly, but when she looked down at the paper realized, "Oh, the new counselor. Alright."
She left, not abandoning her serene composure.
The Charmed Ones and Leo stared at 22 Chris.
"Phoebe was your school's counselor?" implied Paige, all but laughing.
"Hey, who said it was Phoebe and not you?" Piper remarked, eyes not leaving Chris for a second. Something strange was taking place behind those cinnamon colored eyes that Phoebe had never seen before. Somehow, it made her uneasy.
"It has to be her," Paige declared assertively. "She's the one that went to college for that kind of stuff. Although why she'd want to listen to little twelve year old girls crying about how some boy she likes doesn't like her back, I don't know."
"Actually, Piper," said Phoebe, intentionally causing her older sister to look at her instead. "I've been thinking about it for awhile, already. Children need just as much help with their problems as adults do. And sometimes they don't always have anyone else they can talk to, or trust." She grinned. "I think Paige's social worker days have been rubbing off on me."
Paige beamed. "Glad I could help you see the light," she said brightly. "Now what do you say we orb to your future office and eavesdrop?"
"Sounds like a good plan to me," responded Piper, and before Chris could protest, Leo and Piper took hands and invisi-orbed out; Paige took Phoebe's arm without waiting for approval and did likewise.