Visions

Author's Disclaimer: The only thing I own are the ideas, characters, and concepts not cannon to the original Charmed series. Everything belongs to the producers, creators, and other persons entitled by law.

Author's Note: I began this story several years and I never saw it to fruition. I found myself recently attracted back to it with the 20th anniversary of Charmed just occurring. I hope you enjoy this story.

Summary: The children of The Charmed Ones face the trials and tribulations of adulthood, magic, and a new threat on the horizon.

Chapter 4: Revelation

The Thursday morning sun trickled through the closed blinds. The rays of warm sun danced across the bed as Henry Mitchell stirred awake. It was just after six in the morning and he was feeling less than refreshed. He rubbed his tired eyes and reached for his cell phone. He had a missed text from his cousin, PJ, checking in on him and he quickly thumbed a reply. He dialed the phone and moments later, he left a voicemail to his school; he was taking the day off. He put the phone back down on the table, rolled over, and grabbed onto a sleeping Nate and drifted off back to sleep.

Henry was awoken three hours later by Nate, trying to be quiet as he crawled back into bed. Henry opened one of his brown eyes and stared into Nate's; Nate smiled. "Playing hooky?" His grin was sheepish. Henry nodded his head, almost childlike. Nate reached forward and give a quick peck on his cheek, "I'll make coffee, and you stay here."

Nate sauntered out of the bedroom as Henry closed his eyes again and rolled onto his back. Nate proceeded into the kitchen and reached for two mugs. Nate was off on Thursdays and he often spent the day working on papers or research. His heart melted at the thought of spending the day with Henry. It was a most welcome surprise.

Nate went back into the bedroom and found Henry lying on his back swiping through social media. He turned his head and smiled, "Thanks, love." Nate handed him the mug of hot coffee. He took a small sip, careful not to spill it on his bare chest.

Nate sat cross-legged on the bed and held his mug in between his two hands, "What time did you get home?"

Henry put his phone down, "A little after eleven, I took a shower and then crawled into bed. You were passed out."

"Yeah, I had a long day of teaching and some meetings. I also didn't sleep a lot the night before," Nate remarked and Henry knew they were about to have a continued conversation about the premonitions. "I can see Kat healed you," Nate pointed out, his eyes scanning Henry's flawless chest; devoid of the burns from the night before.

"Wyatt healed it, actually," Henry replied sitting up to face Nate.

"What did they say about the premonitions?"

Henry stared at Nate and took his face in. Nate had a perfectly sculpted face; strong jaw, pointed yet slender nose, a scruffy five o'clock shadow and his hair, wispy and wild. He looked like a professor. He was tall and athletic, a former athlete himself, and toned not muscular like Henry. He was perfect.

The air was thick with humidity and the gray sky threatened to release the power of Mother Nature down on the city. It was half-past five and the after work crowd were shuffling their way into bars and restaurants to enjoy happy hour after a long day. A twenty-one year old Henry Mitchell found himself just looking to relax after a long day of student teaching.

"I'll have a beer, no preference," Henry smiled to Bob, the waiter at Henry's favorite spot just a few minutes from the San Francisco State campus. Bob nodded and proceeded to pour Henry's beer from the draft. Henry pulled out his wallet and thumbed through his cash, and placed it down on the counter next to his cell phone. Henry smiled at Bob as the beer was placed in front of him, and he took a small sip, his eyes catching glimpse of the local news report that was playing above his head.

It was an exhausting day. In his final semester of college, Henry was a physical education student teacher at one of the city's high schools. He enjoyed it and preferred it to sitting in lectures. Following his day of teaching, he had to assist his cousins Wyatt and Chris will a small vanquish and now he was at the bar—just longing to relax.

"Can I get a vodka-soda with extra lime?" A man spoke, pulling Henry from his thoughts, and plopped down in the bar stool next to him. Henry glanced over at him: a young man, not too much older than Henry, with amazing features and a great smile. Henry felt a flutter in his chest; a slight attraction to the man next to him. Henry had known since adolescent that he preferred the company of other men to women. He had only told Wyatt not too long ago and was afraid to tell the rest of the Halliwell-Mitchell clan. He was an athlete, a lacrosse player, and a powerful witch; he was fearful of what they would think.

Henry smiled at the man and raised his glass to the guy, who was squeezing lime into his drink. He smiled and returned the sentiment.

"What brings you out the bar this early?" The man asked. Henry smiled even more, "Just a long day and in need of a drink. You?"

"Same, in fact, I had an absolute awful day," he continued, taking a sip of his drink. Henry sat up straight, "How bad can it have been?"

"I woke up late, was fifteen minutes late to my class, missed a deadline for a paper I am writing, and I got into a small fender bender on my way home; so I pulled over and came in here," the man said in a rush. Henry was hanging on to every word.

"Dude, that is an awful day," Henry replied and immediately regretted his word choice of dude. "I'm Henry by the way. Do you go to State?"

"Nice to meet you, Henry, I'm Nate. You can say that, I am an adjunct professor there," Nate answered while bring his drink to his lips.

"I am a senior there," Henry replied. Nate's eyes bulged a bit, "I shouldn't be drinking with a student."

Henry stuttered, "No-No, it's totally fine. I mean, I don't know if it's actually fine but I won't tell the school." Anything to keep the conversation going.

Nate looked slightly uncomfortable, "What's your major?"

"Physical Education, I am student teaching right now," Henry replied while mentally praying that this man was not in the education department.

Nate looked less uncomfortable and replied after another sip, "I teach in the sociology department. I am finishing my Ph.D. at Berkeley." Henry was relieved.

"Oh that's cool! Why do you teach at State and not Berkeley?"

"Needed the extra money. I also do some teaching there but I wanted more experience. I have about two years left to finish my dissertation," Nate replied with a smile.

"What are you writing it on?"

"Gentrification in 1970s San Francisco." Another sip.

"That must be interesting, if I knew what it really meant," Henry offered honestly.

"I can tell you about it sometime," Nate smiled and Henry's stomach fluttered.

"You from the city?" Henry asked motioning to Bob to get them another round; Nate reached for his wallet, "It's on me," Henry said.

"You're a college student, I can pay for the drinks," Nate offered. "You teach at State and are a graduate student, we are in the same boat, buddy." The two smiled.

Henry was certain he hasn't smiled this much in years. In fact, he was always so serious. Henry afforded that to his powers—when you see the future and the worst the world can offer, it hardens you a bit.

"I moved here about four years ago to start my graduate program. I am originally from Winter Park, Florida which is a suburb of Orlando but I went to the University of Alabama for college," Nate offered his history.

"Wow, I've never been to the east coast before," Henry remarked, "I was born and raised in the city. I never really left here because my parents' work keeps them busy."

"What do they do?"

Henry hated this question, "My dad is a parole officer and my mom is a social worker." It was not entirely a lie and fulltime whitelighter-witch was a mouthful and unexplainable.

"Noble work," Nate smiled kindly, "My dad owned a construction firm and my mom was an accountant for the firm. They both retired this year."

Henry nodded following along and engaged with each sentence, "They spend their time now with my sister and her two kids. You have any siblings?"

"I have two sisters, they're twins," Henry took a sip of his drink, "They're about a year and a half older than me. My mom was quick to get pregnant." Both laughed.

"But I have six first cousins on my mom's side and we are all really close in age and see each other regularly," Henry continued.

"That's nice! Both of my parents were only children so my family doesn't extend past my sister, niece, and nephew. My sister, Cara, is actually expecting my second nephew."

"Do you see them often?"

"A few times of year, I fly home for the major holidays and a week in the summer, I wish they would come here more but it's hard to travel with kids, I guess," Nate seemed sad.

"It must be hard to be so far from them," Henry said moving himself and his stool slightly close to Nate as discreetly as possible.

"It can be but the distance was needed; at least back then it was," Nate said sullenly.

Henry gave an encouraging look.

"When I came out to my parents in college, they took it pretty hard and compounded with the fact that I wanted to be an academic, they were pretty disappointed in me," Nate opened up, his eyes starting to glaze over slightly.

Henry reached forward and placed his hand on Nate's, subtly, "I find it hard that anyone would be disappointed with you." Nate looked down at their hands and peeked around the bar and found that no one was looking at them.

"Are you—?" Nate started before being interrupted, "Gay? Yes, but I haven't told my family yet. Just one of my cousins," Henry replied, "You can say that maybe I am scared of being a disappointment too."

Nate nodded, "In the last half hour, you have proven that you are anything but a disappointment."

Henry returned from his daydream and stared at Nate, "Do you remember the first time we met?"

Nate shifting in his seat on the bed looked at him, "Of course, I would never forget it. Even though for almost two years after that we were just friends," He smiled largely putting the word friends in quotations knowing that the transition to lovers was difficult for Henry.

Henry looked lovingly at Nate with a slight glare. His mind slowly returning to the rest of their evening together: the drinks, the eventual dinner, the sex and subsequent sleepover. The two were never apart again after that night even if his own insecurities plagued them for a bit.

"I have to tell you the truth, and I want you to know that I am sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. I only lied because I was scared," Henry started and Nate had a scared look on his face. Henry began to tell Nate everything about the premonition from the night before; how he saw his death, the blood, the demons, everything. When he was done, Nate just stared at him, his mouth slightly open.

"I have seen the deaths of all my family, innocents, and even I but I have never been more scared than to see yours," Henry offered. "Nate? Sweetheart, say something?"

"I, uhm, don't know what to say," Nate replied quietly bringing his hand to wipe a tear from his eyes. He got up from the bed and hurriedly made his way into the bathroom; the door slamming shut. Henry hung his head.

"Nate?" Henry called approaching the door. Silence.

"Nate?" this time with a knock. Silence.

Henry sat down on the floor outside the bathroom in their bedroom and just waited. Tears forcing their way down his cheeks. He tilted his head back and took a deep breath.

Once in the bathroom, Nate started at himself in the mirror. His eyes met those of his reflection and he could barely understand what was happening. His heart was beating so fast he was sure it would leave his chest cavity. How does one begin to process the fact that his boyfriend, a witch, told him he would die. He could hear Henry outside the door and he just could not bring himself to go out there right now. Nate knew in his heart that this was destroying Henry—the pain of seeing what he sees must be unbearable—but how he can move past knowing that Henry saw his death at the hands of demons. The very creatures that he did not know existed until recently.

"Nate, there is something I have to tell you," Henry spoke approaching the couch where Nate was reading the latest book in his field of study. Nate smiled and pulled his glasses off and placed his highlighter inside his book and plopped it down on the coffee table. "What's going on, love?" He padded the seat next to him encouraging Henry to take a seat.

Henry smiled weakly and sat down to face Nate. Nate smiled back and noticed that he appeared different: distant and sad. His heart started to sink. "Is everything okay?"

Henry looked down at his hands, "I hope so?" Nate was now fearful.

"Did you cheat on me?" Nate had to pull the Band-Aid somehow and fearing the worst, the phrase came rolling off of his tongue.

"Jesus, no!" Henry protested, "I would never!" Nate believed him.

"Thank God because I am really nervous right now," Nate admitted honestly.

"So, there is no easy way to bring this up but we have been together a longtime now and I have to be honest with you about my life, my family, everything," Henry began and Nate sat up straight and crossed his legs to be more comfortable.

"Okay-," Nate interjected.

"The reason why I always have an emergency or something is wrong with the family, it's because we are not normal as you might think."

"I just assumed you all are prone to accidents at a relatively abnormal rate to be just coincidence," Nate replied. He always had his suspicions about the family.

"Yeah, well, the truth is we are a family of witches," the words had been said.

Nate furrowed his eyebrows and stared him, "You're Wiccans? Why didn't you tell me that was your religion and you were celebrating?" Henry pursed his lips; leave it to Nate to be logical in his approach.

"Uh no, we are not Wiccans in that way; we are just witches. We have magic that we use to fight demons, warlocks and other evil beings to keep the world and innocent people alike safe," Henry replied hoping more details will allow Nate to understand further.

Nate's blank stare met Henry's scared eyes.

"You mean to tell me that you have magical powers that you use to fight the forces of darkness?" Henry turned up his nose as the vague reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Forces of darkness? Who says that?" He thought to himself.

"In a simple way, yes."

"And what kind of powers do you have?" Nate inquired; Henry could hear the resistance in his words.

"I have three powers: premonitions, astral projection, and levitation."

"Show me." Defiance.

Henry rolled his eyes and stood up. He took a deep breath and felt the pull of his power and his head fell to his chest. Nate's eyes widened, "Henry?" It was almost a scream.

"I am over here," Henry's voice called and Nate turned around to see Henry standing in the kitchen. Nate volleyed his head from the kitchen to living room looking the two forms of Henry Mitchell. "What the f-," Nate started before being cut off by Henry. "It's called astral projection. I can channel the astral plane to project my consciousness outside my body. I developed it when I was nineteen," Henry offered before disappearing in a red-pink flash.

Henry returned to his waking body, "I developed levitation two years ago during a battle with a tusk demon, vile creature if you ask me." He was not giving Nate a chance to react and continued with his demonstration as he floated himself three feet of the ground. Nate's eyes continued to bulge in shock. Henry floated in the air and crossed his legs, "It's really handy for meditation." He laughed slightly as he returned to the ground.

"How is this possible?"

"Magic."

Nate wore a look of fear and panic. He was a logical man, one driven by facts and data, so this revelation was not easy to grasp. "And you said, premonitions? As in you can see the future?"

Henry nodded his head, "Yes, I can see the future and the past. It was my first power I developed, I am the only witch except my Aunt Phoebe, who has the gift. According to our family history, it is the rarest of our magical powers."

Nate nodded, trying his hardest not to laugh out of delirium, "So tell me my future."

Henry hated that question. "I am not a fortune teller; if you want divination you can see Wyatt's wife, she's a gypsy and can read your tea leaves or tarot cards. I can only see the future when it wants to be revealed or if I try hard enough. It's a complicated power," Henry explained; to explain the nuances of his power would take hours.

"Then try hard and tell me what you think our future is now that you told me you're a god damn witch!" Nate screamed at Henry. Henry took a step back from his lover.

"For years—damn well near a decade—you have lied to me day in and day out about this. While I find it hard to believe, despite your demonstrations, you lied to me. You had ample opportunities to tell me the truth. I have stayed with you through everything! EVERYTHING! Two years we were sleeping around behind your family's backs because you were too scared to them the truth. I accepted that and quietly suffered as you lied. Eight. Fucking. Years. and you never found a moment to tell me the truth that you're a magical warlock and save the world?" Nate's face was red with anger.

"Technically, a warlock is evil and I am a witch; regardless of gender," Henry tried to clarify with a slight smile.

"Don't use humor to detract from the severity of this," Nate said coldly. His whole demeanor has shifted into one of anger, frustration, and underlying sadness. Nate could not recall a moment he felt this way towards Henry in eight years, even when he was relegated to being just a "friend."

"You're a liar, Henry Mitchell. That's all you'll ever be. Now get out." The lines were drawn.

"Nate, please you have to understand-," Henry started to protest his lover's demands.

"I bet if you saw the future like you said you do, you would have saw this reaction. Please leave. I need time to think," Nate said sadly and left Henry standing alone in the living room. "Leave your key on the counter," and with that Nate shut the bedroom door.

Nate took a deep breath and continued to stare at his reflection in the mirror long after the memory ended. He knew following the argument that Henry left and went to his parents' house; that is where Nate would find him three-weeks later. The anger he felt then had melted away to acceptance but he found the anger starting to rise in him again. The anger he felt towards to magic was a complicated and difficult one. It was primarily rooted in a lack of understanding that conflicted with his logical worldview.

He put the lid of the toilet seat down and took a seat. Placing his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, he spoke to no one, "I just wanted today to be nice." He took another deep breath and forced back the tears he wanted to shed. The reality of the situation was starting to weigh more heavily upon him. "I don't want to die," he murmured weakly. He knew in his heart that Henry would do everything to prevent it and he knew that Henry's power was unpredictable and unreliable but the fear they produced were as real as ever.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Nate stood outside of the Mitchell house hoping to gain entry. It had been three weeks since the fight and have barely spoken since. Nate had stopped replying to texts and calls and needed the time stew in his own emotions and realizations about the world of magic. In his hand, he held a black journal, bound in faded leather, it contained the inner workings of a precognitive witch.

"Can someone get the door?" He heard a voice call from the other side of the red painted oak door. The door swung immediately open and he was face to face with Mrs. Paige Matthews-Mitchell, Henry's mother.

"Nate?" She smiled kindly as she pulled the door open wider. Nate nodded his head and peered around her to see Henry—his Henry—standing not too far behind her holding a Diet Coke in his hand. His eyes were wide and a smile started to form on his face.

"Hi, Mrs. M. How are you?" He reached forward and pulled her into a half-hug and placed a small peck on her pale cheek. She smiled and rubbed his shoulder, "I am doing well, Nate. How are you?" Her question seemed more pronounced and empathetic than his ever could.

"I am okay, Mrs. M. I was wondering if I can see Henry?"

"You never have to ask. You are always welcome here," she replied as she ushered him into the house. "Henry!" She yelled for her son's attention. "I am literally behind you," Henry replied. "Oh? I didn't see you there. Why don't you and Nate go talk out back, it's a beautiful day?"

Henry nodded and waved Nate forward. "Nate, you'll stay for dinner won't you?" Paige asked moving towards the kitchen. "I'd like that, Mrs. M." She smiled happily to herself as she went on her way.

Paige Matthews-Mitchell was known to be meddlesome when it came to the lives of her children, well her entire family to be exact. She was a strong witch, but a loving and fiercely loyal and protective mother, wife, sister, and aunt. However, even she knew when to leave well enough alone.

"Hi," Henry said quietly to Nate as the two stood before each other for the first time in three week. "Hi," Nate replied back and pulled Henry into a tight hug. Henry relaxed the moment they embraced and he felt immediately at ease.

The two walked quietly to the backyard of the Mitchell house. The two sat down on the patio and faced each other; both uneasy as to what would transpire. Henry was hopeful that they would reconcile since Nate committed to family dinner.

"Look, Nate, I am sorry that I never told you all of this sooner," Henry began reaching his hand forward to grab his. Nate allowed him to.

"I know. In my anger, I don't think I allowed you to fully express what you had to tell me. I didn't allow myself to process what you told you, and I should never have kicked you out. That wasn't fair," Nate said as fast as possible afraid that if he didn't say it he would forget it.

"I have never felt more alone than these past three weeks, and I don't meant to say that to inspire guilt in you. I just felt lonely," Henry offered up, trying his hardest to be honest.

"I felt the same. The moment you left, I wanted you to come back," Nate said reaching inside his blazer for his sunglasses.

"Then why did you ignore for me for three weeks?" Henry asked sincerely.

Nate paused to think for a moment. He turned his head to look at the lush green of the backyard of a house he had spent many afternoons at for various family functions, birthdays, or just hanging out with his "in-laws".

"I had a difficult time accepting what you told me but more so what you showed me. I was scared."

"I was scared too."

"It's not the same, Henry, and you know it. You were scared of the reaction, I was scared of what it all means—this a world that I did not even know existed. You pulled the carpet right from under me. I saw you hovering in our living room," Nate replied matter-of-factly.

"Point of clarification: I levitated; it's different from hovering. Melinda has that power," Henry said with a grin. Nate was not so amused.

"Point of clarification: don't mock me about this. I am justified in my reactions."

Henry stared at him, embarrassed, and down at the table where he saw his black journal resting under Nate's right hand. "Did you read that?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"I don't get it," Nate offered honestly.

"It's a journal that I write down the details of my premonitions so I can remember them and make connections. I've been doing it since I was fifteen."

"In eight years, I had never seen it before and then you left and I went into the living room and it was on the coffee table. Did you leave it there for me to find?"

"Honestly? No. In my attempt to leave quickly, I forgot it. When I went back the following day to get my clothes, I couldn't find it."

"How did you get in without your key?" Nate asked knowing full well that Henry's silver apartment key was on his very own keyring.

"Magic. Kat orbed me into the apartment," Henry answered hesitantly.

"Orbed?"

"It's one of her powers, it's a form of teleportation that whitelighters and their offspring can have."

"Whitelighter?"

"They're like guardian angels for witches and future whitelighters. Mom is a whitelighter, well half-whitelighter, and half-witch. She was the first hybrid."

"And you haven't developed that ability yet?"

"No, unlike my siblings, I do not have any whitelighter powers. Dad's a mortal so his mortal genes with mom's half probably suppressed the whitelighter genes from appearing in me. Chris, Wyatt, and Melinda each are also half-whitelighters through Uncle Leo," Henry answered. As he spoke, he felt ease and serenity come over him as he told the truth.

Nate thought about what he was saying before asking, "And PJ, Parker and Peyton? Are they whitelighters too?"

"No, they're half-cupid," it sounded ridiculous out loud. Nate looked taken aback.

"Oh," was all he could muster.

"There's a lot I can tell you about our family history, if you wanted to know," Henry offered.

"I would like that," Nate replied reaching for Henry's forgotten can of Diet Coke.

Nate continued to sit on the toilet before mustering the courage to get up. He moved towards the bathroom door and pulled it open. He almost tripped on Henry's contorted body sitting at the base of the wall near the bathroom. Henry immediately stood up as Nate regained his balance.

Nate moved passed Henry and took his place on their shared bed, reaching for his coffee and taking a long sip of the now-tepid liquid. Henry sat next to him. Nate eyed him up and down and he knew what had to be done. Henry's actions were noble and honorable even though they weren't forthcoming and Nate could recognize that.

"I don't blame you for being mad. Do you need me to go my mom's?" Henry asked quietly.

"No," Nate replied, "I am disappointed that you didn't feel the need to be honest the other night and tell me what happened. I thought that by knowing your secret, I would be included. I have tried my best to accept to this, to be involved, to be understanding and it diminishes my efforts when you make a concerted effort to hide the truth from me." His eyes meeting Henry's.

"I was scared, love, honestly, I wanted to tell you the truth but I didn't know what the truth was, and if I ever lost you," Henry's voice started to break and more tears threatened their escape.

Nate reached forward and took his hand in his, "Remember what I said to you when you told me the truth?"

After two hours of talking and learning the truth, Nate reached across the patio table and took Henry's hand in his, an act of forgiveness on his part, "I am still mad but I forgive you. I am here with you, no matter what. Your world is my world."

"That my world is your world," Henry answered.

"That's right," Nate said pulling Henry into a hug and gentle, yet firm, kiss.

Henry kissed back hard.

End of Chapter 4

I hope you've enjoyed—please read/review!

More to come!