Title: A Whitelighter's Priority
Author: rachelAbendstern
Summary: Paige muses on Chris, Chris contemplates on family and Tara worries...
Spoilers: Season 6 Charmed; I forgot to mention BtVS last chapter, 'The Gift'
Disclaimer: Neither Buffy nor Charmed is mine, and I don't make any money with it. Lily though belongs to me XP
7. A new Clan
Horizon rising up to meet the purple dawn
Dust demon screaming, bring an eagle to lead me on
For in my heart I carry such a heavy load
Here I am on Man's road, walking Man's road...
While leafing through the Book of Shadows, researching the latest demon their neurotic secretive Whitelighter wanted the Charmed Ones to vanquish, Paige Mathews contemplated the young man who was currently keeping her company in the kitchen, every once in a while sorting through the shelves for a herb or some other ingredient he needed for the potion he was brewing on the table.
She just couldn't figure him out, none of them could. The morning after Chris' departure with that vampire friend of his and the young girl last week, Leo had told them about the events before and during the Darklighter attack. As much as she wanted to believe that it was all just another plot of the cunning youth, Paige had a bad feeling about the things she had learned from her brother-in-law. Because if she had learned one thing about Chris, it was that Leo could unsettle his fellow Whitelighter like no one else and she knew from experience that you said things you didn't want to say when agitated.
Once again Dawn's words came back to her. Do you think he would have taken the risk to travel back in time if there hadn't been a good reason? Maybe the girl had been right. The young witch didn't even want to think about the things that would have to happen for her to take the risk of timetraveling to change everything she knew, her whole life, her whole world deliberately; taking the chance of never seeing her loved ones, her family again.
Did Chris leave a family behind? Paige had wondered about that question ever since they had rescued their Whitelighter from this pocket-realm he had been stuck in. That demon had created his world basing on Chris' very own dreams and fantasies. And although everything had lain in ruins by the time Paige had cast a look in the enchanted water, she had seen other bodies lying behind Chris on the floor of a destroyed house; the bodies of a woman and a child.
Sometimes there was something almost familiar about him, whenever he let himself relax enough to dismiss his neurotic nature for a few moments. But whenever Paige almost had a grasp on it, he changed back into their unapproachable reserved Whitelighter who wouldn't tell them what they were actually trying to fight against. Of course, there was always the possibility – providing she believed his story – that Chris didn't know himself what had caused all the damage in his future and was just eliminating every demon in his way hoping the one he looked for would show up eventually.
And again, even if she was repeating herself: she just couldn't figure him out! Every time she thought she had, one way or the other, the young man turned around and proofed her wrong by doing something incredibly stupid or suspicious or heroic or all of the former together. Like the time he had vanished from their radar not too long ago and Leo caught him in the company of a potions master in the Underworld.
Or like last week when he left Wyatt with a strange girl and brought the vampire along to the manor. Not that that had caused any permanent harm. Actually Paige found Spike and Dawn quite amiable. The vampire didn't make a secret of his true nature, he didn't try to be something he wasn't and that was something Paige could honor.
With Cole, it had always been a gamble. Oh, she didn't doubt the love that had existed between the half-demon and her sister, but Cole had fought against everything he had once been to be with Phoebe. And although the youngest Halliwell sister truly admired that, they never could tell when Cole's past would catch up with him again and his true nature would show.
Spike on the other hand didn't deny his demon side, he was proud of it. It didn't make any sense really, because why would a vampire play nice with what basically could be considered his lunch? But that didn't change the fact that Spike would permanantly damage anyone who dared to lay a hand on who he called his friends. Apparently that included Chris now as well. It didn't make Paige trust the vampire farther than she could throw him. It did earn him her respect however.
There was another thing Leo had mentioned that none of them could make any sense of – yet. That strange night there had been a storm that no wheather forecast had predicted or could truly explain the day after. Neither of Paige's family members could honestly claim they remembered when that storm had started exactly, but Leo was quite sure that it had lessened the moment Chris had calmed down after his outbreak. And that didn't make any sense at all because there was no witch or Whitelighter in their time who could influence the wheather like this.
Giving up on pretending to study the Book, the Charmed One settled for watching the youth in front of her working on his potion. A lot of things didn't make any sense lately, it seemed. Like right now the way Chris seemed to be so familiar with the kitchen he didn't even have to ask where to find the stuff he needed.
It was only now that Paige noticed the boy didn't look particularly healthy. He had dark circles beneath his eyes, his skin was a shade too pale for her liking and he looked about ready to drop dead the moment his head touched a pillow.
"Are you feeling alright, Chris?" She asked concerned. Only because she couldn't decide whether or not to trust him didn't mean she didn't care about his wellbeing – at least not all of the time.
Startled out of his current occupation, the young man looked up at her, obviously trying to process her question. "Of course," he answered confused. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Well, you look all pale and tired."
"I didn't get much sleep lately," he confessed a bit reluctantly. Then he flashed her a grin and again Paige had the distinct feeling that she ought to remember that grin from somewhere. "Don't worry, I am still able to nag you into madness until you finish this demon off!"
A joking Chris? Paige raised her eyebrows. Now that was something new. Although she had to admit it suited him rather well. That boy was too serious for his own good most of the time, even for a Whitelighter.
Deciding to take opportunity of his good mood, she wanted to satisfy her curiosity at least on one aspect regarding last week's events.
"May I ask you a question?" Immediately, Chris eyed her suspiciously. Not that he would answer any of her other questions anyway, she thought dryly.
"Depends."
"What is it with Spike?" Even as she spoke she could see cautious relief flicker over her Whitelighter's features. "I mean even with this chip in his head, he's still a vampire. Why does he help humans in their fight against demons? And why is he so protective of Dawn."
Snickering in amusement over a pinch of sage he was about to add to the potion, he replied: "From what the gang told me, he didn't really intentionally help them at first. I don't know why he thought the Slayer and her friends would be willing to help him when he escaped from these people who put the chip in his head." The concept of a Slayer still amazed Paige. Dawn had explained it for them when they wanted to know who she was last week. "But apparently they did – although under protest. And later, when he discovered that he could kick demons' asses he stayed around to get a bit of action – and violence."
"Okay," but "That doesn't exactly explain his protectiveness."
"I know. I wondered about that myself to be honest." Wrinkling his forehead in thought, Chris leaned his hands on the kitchen table, the cauldron in front of him.
"And what did you find out?" Paige asked curiously.
"Well, I am not exactly the expert when it comes to vampires."
"You're a walking encyclopaedia. If you researched, you propably know more about it than any Slayer by now." That casual declaration earned her an evil glare from the young man. Nevertheless he continued.
"Vampires usually live in clans, families. Either they stay with their Sire, try to form a clan of their own or live with vampires of other clans, even if they were only minions. Either way – and I know Spike will kill me for saying this – they are like pack animals. They don't really like to be all on their own. The chip has made Spike somewhat of an outcast. Vampires don't consider him one of their own anymore because he cannot be what he was made to be. For humans he still is a bloodthirsty monster. The only place where he was actually in any way welcome at all was with the Slayer and her friends. I don't think he would agree on this but Buffy became a surrogate for his sire in the meaning that she was the leader of their small group. When she died and made him promise to protect her sister, Spike took her place in the hierarchy. And again I don't think that he would admit it or is even consciously aware of himself, but I have the feeling that he claimed them as his new clan. And being the head of a clan, you watch out for your family members."
Nodding in agreement, Paige eyed the youth. At least this part of the story kind of made sense. "And that includes you now, too, apparently." She told him earnestly.
That obviously caught Chris off guard. "What!" A confused laugh escaped his lips as he stared at her in shock.
"Oh come on! How else would you explain that he got all growly when Leo got angry at you?"
666
Feeling a sudden strong grip on his lower arm, Chris turned his head to look at the person next to him. Dawn was obviously unaware of the fact that she was clutching at him as she was staring wide-eyed at the television. They were sitting on the sofa together with Xander and Anya, with Spike sprawled on the floor in front of them and Willow and Tara sharing an easy chair next to the couch. The young witch-Whitelighter honestly had no idea how the gang had talked him into watching the first episode of the original Star Wars trilogy but it was kind of nice now that he sat here. It had been a while since he last had watched tv. In the future they rarely had had the electricity or time to spare and here in the past he just wasn't used to it anymore. Although he remembered one time, Lily's last birthday to be exact, when his little daughter had made her parents watch Disney's Beauty and the Beast. That evening was one of his better memories of his life after the Event.
He prayed to all gods that would listen to him that he didn't mess up and change that part of the future.
Looking around, watching his two charges cuddle, hearing Spike's and Xander's constant bickering and seeing Anya and Dawn roll their eyes at 'their' men, the young witch thought about his earlier conversation with his aunt.
Having a vampire claim you as family should have been creepy only it wasn't. Chris didn't know if Paige was right, he didn't even know if he himself was right with his assumption, but somehow this felt like family nevertheless, more so than with his true relatives in San Francisco. He knew he could count on everyone of them, even Xander and – in her own weird way – Anya, even though he didn't spend all that much time with the curious couple.
The idea to have a family again, a family that consisted of brothers and sisters and one really bizzare patriarch was a welcome one. Chris hadn't really had a family to look out for him since the time Wyatt had changed so dramatically. His brother had always been... different, more so than they already were with their heritage, but his parents had never wanted to see that. Piper's death had been the last straw, the one thing that could have happened to push his older brother over the edge he had so long teetered at. And all Chris had been able to do was standing at the sidelines and watching helplessly as his brother changed more and more from the boy he once knew, looked up to, to the coldhearted tyrant that didn't care about anything but himself and the power he possessed.
Sighing with fatigue, the young man turned his attention back on the tv where Luke Skywalker currently had to convince Han Solo and this overgrown teddybear of a wookie to save princess Leia.
With the voices of his surrogate family and the noises of the movie echoing in his head, Chris' eyes slid shut and his head fell back on the couch as he drifted off into sleep.
666
Long arms slipped around her waist from behind and she unconsciously leaned into the embrace of her lover as she watched her Whitelighter sleeping on their living room couch. Spike was somewhere in the kitchen raiding the fridge of the last bags of blood, Dawn was already in bed and Xander and Anya had left only minutes ago.
"What are you worrying about, sweety?" Tara heard Willow's voice whisper in her ear.
"Chris." The young witch turned slightly to look into the redhead's eyes. "Did you notice how tired he is lately?" Oh, she knew by now that the halfbreed slept over at their house quite often, but usually he woke up if anyone approached him. Tonight though, he didn't even stir when Dawn and her had lain him down more comfortably on the couch and tucked him into a blanket.
"Does that really surprise you?" Willow asked her with raised eyebrows. "I mean, that he doesn't sleep in the shop or the library is about all, what with all the research he is doing. He's even worse than Giles."
Tara squirmed a bit. The other witch was right about that, but she still had a bad feeling. She just couldn't place her finger on it. Chris seemed to get weaker since a few days and she didn't know why or what they could do about it. All she knew was that he was constantly tired and pale and – when did he eat anyway?
"I know," she sighed, pulling her lover in a reassuring embrace. "I just have this really bad feeling."
tbc
A/N: So, what's wrong with Chris? I'm sure you'll find the answer ;)
Anyway, I didn't really accomplish much that week. I planned to do a bit of reading and reviewing, but school started and teachers already drown us in work. And then there was this plot bunny that wanted to come out of my head. Now I know why Anya believes they are evil ;P So instead of using my freetime to get on with this story, I began this other one. It's only a two chapter story though, so it won't interfere with this one too long.
The beginning's from Man's Road by America this time (I simply love the movie The Last Unicorn!).
And now on to the reviews:
phoebe turner: Thanks! And well, he propably will, but that will have to wait for a while.
hope master: ... I deign not to comment on that this time. ;) But a huge thanks anyway!
Leigh1986:Well thanks! And it's no biggie that you didn't review. Which reminds me by the way that I still have to read the last two chapters of your own story. Don't think I don't like it because I do, but I just didn't come around to do much reading the last week and a half :(
mewer44444: Ok, first of all: Thanks! And now: Sorry to disappoint you, but no. This won't be a Chris/Spike story (except when a whole lot more of you want that...) I'm not opposed to a bit of good slash, but I justdidn't plan it for this story. But they would make a cute couple ;) (And if any of you don't like slash, just pretend you didn't just read that :P) As for the couples, there are the canon ones like Tara/Willow, Xander/Anya, Chris/Bianca, Leo-Piper, Phoebe/Jason, though the story won't focus on romance. Perhaps I'll hook Paige up with... oh, I don't know yet, let's wait and see :)
YoshimiWolfspaw:Thanks! Me too :)
Lonnie: Don't worry. We will meet Lily in later chapters of the story. I wouldn't have mentioned her otherwise.You'll just have to be patient ;)
rhia: Thank you!
You guys really keep me going! You are great, all of you!