A Charmed Story - Part Nine:
I, Myself And The Elders
Chapter 2

"Thanks..." Steve dried his eyes and tried to smile. "I am better, don't worry. It is just that sometimes... I can't help it." Chris was still kneeling by his side, to make sure he was ok. He nodded at his words. Then Steve looked him in the eyes: "Thanks really... It's good to have someone like you, to talk."
The Elder-witch smiled and patted his shoulder as he stood up to sit on a chair by his side. "I know..."
"Can I ask you something?" Steve said, staring at him sadly.
Chris took a couple of second before nodding: "Yeah... of course."
"Did you... Did you have someone to talk about your... you know, about your past?" he asked, regretting having done so right after starting.
Chris swallowed and sighed: "I had... I had many people... Cole, grandpa... But everyone I loved ended up dying. I had Bianca too. And I talked with her." He smiled sadly: "But I kept too many things for me... Too many. I should have talked with her more often, to help me feel better, and to help her understand..."
Steve frowned: "Why didn't you? I mean, you're constantly telling me to do so, but now you admit you kept the burden for yourself..."
Chris sighed: "That was my mistake. I was afraid that Wyatt would end up killing all the people that meant something to me. Just to hurt me... So I tried to keep them safe, as much as I could."
Steve stared at him amazed. He was so unique in the world. "You... you can..." he was not able to say it... It'd be so hard! But he had to... "You can talk to me about it, now. You can tell me everything, if that helps," he finally let it out.
Chris smiled again, and patted his shoulder: "I'm already doing it, Stevie... I am."
At that moment Chris felt a voice in his head. It was his father. Something was wrong up there.

°°°°°°°°°°

"Hey, can I come in?" Paige asked. She stood in the doorway to Kyle's first own office and showed her friend a box with fast food and coffee. It had been three weeks now, that he worked at the same department as Darryl again.
Actually Darryl had asked his superior if he could put Kyle under his supervision, he had told him, that he believed Kyle has a lot of potential... Of course Darryl wanted to make sure that the secret of the sisters is safe. Kyle would keep it anyway, but this way - together - it was just easier. And Kyle himself was very proud of having his own office now, even if it was a small one. But he could work on real cases, and that was much better than making coffee.
He smiled when he saw the witch-whitelighter and nodded. "Good to see you," he said.
Paige grinned, and closed the door behind her. "I hope you like a chicken-cheese burger," she said, while putting the lunch on his desk.
"That's great," he said. Then they sat down and eat.
The relation between those two was kind of weird. Paige felt a lot for that man, she liked him really much. And Kyle? He had a complete crush on her. But still they both kept a slight distance. Maybe it was because of the fact that she was a witch... But the more important reason was, that they both acted kind of shy and didn't really know how to express their feelings.
Not that they didn't spend time together, actually they spend a lot of time together. They went to cinema, to the park, the bay... They had a lot of fun together, they met like every second day. But still there was nothing more than some shy looks and some timid contacts of their hands. It was more like the first love on high school, or maybe elementary school, than the relation of two adults. But maybe that little fact was what made their relation so special.
"So anything new from... from your work?" he asked.
Paige grinned: "No... Since our last meeting with that big guy, he kept calm as it seems."
"That's good," the officer said, "I mean... I... I don't want you to get hurt."
"Oh that's so sweet, Kyle," she replied with a smile and touched his hand, making him blush.
Then he sighed: "No, I really mean it, Paige... I'm afraid that you could get hurt."
"Kyle," Paige said closing her eyes and sighed. Then she looked at him again: "That's what I do, that what people like me do... We're meant to help the innocents, even if it's dangerous. You're doing the same in a way, don't you?" He nodded. "And I'm also afraid that you could get hurt... But I know I can't change it, I have to live with that... and so have you." He nodded again. Paige smiled: "So what about this evening... Are you still sure that you're ready to visit me?"
Kyle grinned: "Well, you talked so exited and adoringly about you're sister's self-made scrimps-soup that I can't wait to taste it." Paige laughed heartily and Kyle joined her.
But then the witch-whitelighter turned serious and pulled a little vial out of her pocket.
"What is that?" Kyle asked.
"A potion," Paige answered, "and I want you to drink it."
"WHAT???" he jumped up while exclaiming that.
"Please, calm down... let me explain..." Kyle looked at her, unsure and doubtful for a moment. Then he let himself fall back on his chair.
Paige smiled: "Look, this potion will not hurt you... it will protect you..."
"From what? Demons?" he asked looking kind of scared at the vial on the table.
"No... from my sister," Paige answered shyly. And when she saw his confused look she added: "That's a blocking potion. My sister Phoebe is an empath. When you visit us without drinking this, she will read your emotions like an open book. And I thought that you maybe don't want that."
Kyle looked at her frowning, still confused: "You mean...?"
Paige nodded: "You don't have to be afraid, I drank it too, and my other sister... and Chris, Bianca and Cole of course... oh and Darryl and Sheila also... Otherwise my sister can be kind of annoying, with her 'Oh I feel soooooooo much looooooveeeeee in the ai-air'... Believe me, she did that one time to me, and that was really..."
"... annoying?" he asked with a slight smile.
Paige smiled: "Yes..."
Kyle nodded. Then he sighed, took the vial and looked at it for a little while. He wasn't so sure about all this, but... he trusted Paige. Finally he unlocked the little bottle and swallowed down the red liquid. He shivered when it was done: "That tastes kind of disgusting."
Paige grinned: "I know... but which medicine tastes sweet?"

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris appeared outside the conference room. He didn't like it to leave Steve like that, but he knew he had to. His father had sounded very worried.
He looked around. There were some others Elders, and all were facing him kind of scared, kind of doubtful, kind of distrustful. He frowned, then he entered the large room and closed the door behind him.
"What happened?" he asked, when he noticed the worried looks of his father and friends.
Leo sighed: "Andrew had been attacked by someone... up here..."
"WHAT?" Chris exclaimed.
"He was seriously wounded but we could save him," Odin said.
Chris shook his head: "That's impossible... only darklighters could kill Elders... and, maybe my brother," he said without thinking.
Jeremiah grinned with an evil satisfaction, even if the situation was serious. He always knew that Leo's kids were a great danger.
Leo sighed by Chris words and then smiled weakly: "Thanks God that you stopped that..."
His son, realising what he just had said, added: "Of course... This Wyatt and his evil powers are gone forever."
Odin nodded. "Yeah, and the new one is too young to be the one who attacked Andrew anyway," he said looking at Jeremiah.
"Actually I don't care about who did it... I care about Lyta and Morgan..." Andrew said still a little weak, but urgent.
Chris looked confused at his father: "Why, what happened to them."
Leo sighed: "They were kidnapped."
"WHAT????" Chris couldn't believe it. But then it hit him... Wyatt's words... "Rhashirk," he muttered.

°°°°°°°°°°

Piper and Bianca had been sitting on the bench for a while, chatting lively while their small babies were sleeping and Wyatt played in the playground in front of both women.
When the babies were born, it had been really weird for all of them to see father and daughter being almost the same age, crying all the time; but now, after the last visit from the future, they all had ended up understanding how everything worked. Christopher had repeated once and again that he "wasn't Chris", and finally they had realised that at any moment he hadn't meant that he didn't love his older self, but rather, he meant just that: They were different people. Once they got to see it, everything was easier.
Bianca noticed Piper's silence for a while. "What are you thinking about?" she asked, concerned.
Piper startled, and turned to her: "Oh, I..." She shook her head. "I was just thinking about him..." and she pointed at little Chris in the pram. "Christopher..."
Bianca nodded, and kept listening to her. "Since he came I've been a little bit confused, Bianca... I... I thought I would see Chris grow up and become the man he is right now, somehow. It was not the natural process, because I saw him first as a grown-up, but when he was born, I really thought I would be able to live his childhood and all his life... Not like in his time."
Bianca nodded again, attentively, while she moved Hope's pram. Piper then looked her in the eyes. "That won't be possible. Never."
Bianca frowned, feeling alarmed: "Why? Why do you say so, Piper?"
Her mother-in-law had to smile, noticing the confusion: "No, I'm not being drastic or tragic, or anything. I just mean that the baby I'm gonna see grow is Christopher. Not Chris."
"Oh... it's that." Bianca didn't know what to say.
Piper nodded, turning to look at the sleeping baby, as Hope started to moan a little bit.
"Listen, Piper... They will be the same. You know that... They will live things in a similar way, probably part of their childhood will be almost the same. The biggest difference will be when we come to that time when you hadn't been there anymore." She felt bad right after saying that, but there was no return.
Piper, however, sighed and nodded: "I know... But still, this is not Chris. He sacrificed so much... I had never realised that, until now. He had his own terrible life and for much he's living well now, his past is and will be there always. And he never talks about it just not to sadden us."
Bianca smiled weakly: "He did that to get a better future... It was not a sacrifice."
"That is the point," Piper cut her off. "It is, believe me. He created a great future for all of us; all of us, except for himself. I always thought he wanted to change his own life because it was a hell, but now, after Christopher's visit, I've seen the whole truth: He was so generous that he came to give US that future. US and little Christopher. But he was supposed to go back to his own timeline... And go on living in that hell, or just disappear. It was a true gift that he got stuck here, that you two did."
Bianca was pensive for a while. Then she turned to look at Hope, who was calming down. "I don't think that Chris ever thought about all that. We used to talk about it, about how he could save his brother and all... And we agreed on this trip to the past, but we were completely inexpert. He did not know the consequences. We had been sure that he always could come back. We never thought, that this baby could be a completely different person than him." She swallowed. "I am not saying that he was selfish. He just had... hope. And he was desperate. We both were. I guess we thought we could not lose anything, so why not trying it?"
Piper smiled: "Still... That was generous, Bianca. You just wanted to save the future, and you didn't know what would happen to you..."
The girl smiled, not knowing what to say. "I guess you are right..." she sighed.
At that moment, both girls turned their eyes to Wyatt, who was climbing one of the metal bridges in the playground, and smiled. Chris and Bianca had been given a true and blessed gift. A second opportunity to live this second life in this second timeline. But... Who had conceded that precious present to them? They had never questioned it; they had simply thought that the rules of time had made it, that it was a mistake, but a welcomed one, since not even the Elders knew how that had happened. And they'd never question it...

°°°°°°°°°°

"What?" Odin asked confused and unsure if he had got it right.
"Rhashirk," Chris replied loudly.
Leo was also kind of confused: "Why do you think it's him? I mean..."
"Dad, look... someone came up here, someone nearly killed an Elder... I don't know how he managed to come here, but after the last attack of him I think there are only less things he can't do... And who else could have done it?"
"That's nonsense," Jeremiah replied, "it's impossible that a demon could enter here..."
Chris rolled his eyes: "There is nothing impossible in this world."
"Yeah, right... that's why you're up here with us, even if you had killed one of us..." Jeremiah snapped back, angry that Chris was so pertly.
The Elder-witch looked at him, his eyes empty, while Odin called Jeremiah angry, angry as no one had ever seen him before. Leo meanwhile looked into his son's green eyes, and he could see his anger rose behind them.
Chris was lost in his mind for a moment, trying to understand what was going on... But he couldn't think clearly. The words of that Elder had hid and they hurt like hell... It felt like the world was crashing down around him. "I never asked for being an Elder!" he then suddenly screamed at Jeremiah who looked scared at the young man. Odin and Leo tried to calm him down, but it was useless. "I never wanted to be one of you... All I ever wanted was saving my brother... I never wanted to be stuck here, I never wanted to be a member of that freak-show, I never wanted all this... And YOU know that! And when I did for what I came, when I had saved my brother I prayed to God that you would take these powers back, BECAUSE I NEVER WANTED THEM!" With this Chris orbed away. Leo followed him, after glancing angry at Jeremiah.
Odin shook his head: "Are you happy now?"
Jeremiah, who was still shocked by Chris's outburst, didn't know what to say. Andrew sighed, then he looked at Odin who nodded. Seconds later both left the room, leaving the confused Jeremiah alone.

°°°°°°°°°°

When Leo materialised only seconds after Chris, his son's small apartment at the school was already a complete mess. He was paralysed when he saw his son like that with his powers going crazy, but then he had to duck to avoid being hit by a lamp which Chris telekinetically threw through the room.
When Leo looked up and his son turned his face to him, he saw that he was crying. So his father took a deep breath and orbed in front of him, grabbing his hands to stop him from destroying the whole room.
"Chris," he said with a calm voice, still full of concern. His soon looked at him, looked him in the eyes. But these weren't the eyes of a young man... those were the eyes of a kid.
Leo's heart skipped a beat, when he saw the pain in his son's eyes. He sighed and pulled him into a hug. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.
"How could he say that?" Chris sobbed into his fathers shoulder. It just had been too much, he had had such a bad night... and that long morning at the school, and... And... It was just too much.
"I don't know, buddy..." Leo said, while caressing his back.
Chris freed himself a little, to look his father in the eyes again: "Really dad, I never wanted to be an Elder... maybe it's better you take these powers back..."
"Shhhh..." Leo caressed his hair. Then his hands grabbed his face to underline his point, to make sure that Chris wouldn't break the eye-contact until he was done. "I know son, I know what you're thinking... but you have those powers, and you did a lot of good things with them... And we are all very proud of you, son... I AM proud of you... So stop talking such a bullshit... ok?"
Chris grinned weakly at his father. Of course his father's words were helping, but... At that moment Jeremiah's words were just hurting too much.

°°°°°°°°°°

"By the way," Bianca started again, "I think I never said thanks to you, so... Thank you."
Piper frowned: "For what?"
"Well... when we met the first time, I was stripping Chris's powers, putting a spell on you and taking him to the future... But still, when we met the second time, you've welcomed me with open arms."
Piper smiled at her daughter in law. Then she explained: "I think I would have blown you up again, if we hadn't had a short look into Chris memories just a few hours before."
"His memories?" He had never talked about that..."
"Yeah, we thought we could maybe find out who Wyatt turned... we thought he might know something subconscious. Sadly we hadn't been very successful. But there were a lot of memories including you, and from that I know how much you love him, and how much he loves you."
Bianca blushed a little. She wanted to say something but at that moment they heard a cry.
It was Wyatt who had fallen down from the marry-go-round.
"Oh my God!" Piper exclaimed and ran over to him. She picked him up carefully, which made him cry even harder. "Shhhh... Wyatt... everything will be alright," she said trying to calm him down, but he kept crying...
"Outch... arm... outch..." he sobbed. Piper, who had sat down again next to Bianca, with his son on his lab, looked really worried. Wyatt was holding his arm stiffened.
"Maybe we should bring him to a doctor?" Bianca suggested.
"Yeah," Piper muttered.
But at that moment someone went next to them. "Hey sweetie... mom," Chris said and then knelt down in front of his brother.
"Honey, what are you doing here?" his wife asked. Then she noticed his red eyes: "What's wrong?"
Chris hesitated a moment, he didn't want to make her worry. But still he could say the other half of the truth, couldn't he? Technically it wasn't a lie. "Well... Wyatt found a way to brake the blocking. He cried so desperately, that I had to come. You know it felt like I had broken my arm on my own."
"Really?" Piper looked really worried now. Then she turned to the blonde boy: "Is your arm broken, my little baby?"
"I guess it is," Chris said, "but... if you let me."
Piper hesitated, but Wyatt himself moved closer to him showing him his hurting arm, while he had stopped crying and was only a little sobbing now.
"It's ok little brother," Chris said comfortingly. Then he looked around and when he saw that there was nobody watching them, he healed his brother's arm with the golden glow.
Wyatt giggled, and then, when it was done, he jumped to Chris's arms and hugged him. "Thanks Chris," he said with his childish voice.
Piper felt her eyes welling up with tears. That was so cute...
Chris put the boy back to the ground still smiling at him. Wyatt looked up and said: "Can I now talk always to you...????"
The Elder-witch sighed: "If you like..." His little brother smiled happily and then went back to play...
"Wow... good work big brother," Bianca said.
Chris sighed and sat down next to her taking Hope to his arms. She was sleeping but still he had the impression that there was a smile on her face. She was so amazing. He was so proud of her and he loved her so much...
Bianca observed him. She already knew that kind of look. Chris loved his daughter so much, that he always forgot anything around him, when she was there.
"Thanks for helping him..." Leo said. He stood behind them and smiled proudly at his son when they all turned around. Then he turned serious again and added addressing Chris: "I think we should go back... you know..."
Chris nodded and put Hope back into the pram. Then he gave Bianca a loving kiss, while Leo kissed Piper. "I'll see you later," Chris said to his wife before he gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. Then he waved to his brother, who was playing in the sandbox again.
Leo patted his son's shoulder. Then the two of them left.
Bianca sighed, while following them with her eyes: "Why do I have the feeling that something is bothering him?"
Piper smiled at her understandingly: "Don't worry too much. Maybe it's just some trouble with the Elders again." Bianca nodded with another sigh.

°°°°°°°°°°

"So... Do you feel better?" Leo asked on their way.
Chris smiled: "Yeah... I think at least some of my powers are useful and... Jeremiah is an idiot, isn't he?"
Leo laughed. "Yeah... sometimes he is..."
His son nodded, then he went on: "You know... As I heard Wyatt in my head it was... well... I don't know... it was amazing... I think maybe it was a mistake to block him out..."
Leo sighed: "I don't think so... he's very young; he loves you, but I guess when you're teaching a class or hunting for a demon, that connection still could disturb you..."
Chris shook his head: "No... I won't block him again..."
"Ok, but please focus on our current problem now... we have to find Morgan and Lyta."
"Yeah, we have to find a way to find Rhashirk, then we'll find them, too."
A moment later they reached a backyard from where they orbed back to the school.

°°°°°°°°°°

The telephone was ringing... Again. For the third time that day. But Tom ignored it once again. He needed concentration; he had something, and just couldn't stop and talk. He shook his head. The tones of the phone really annoyed him, but hopefully they would stop very soon... and the answering machine would start working! He turned irritated to the red object on the table that was making those bothersome noises, and heard the voice of the person he most loved.
"Tom... It's me... Veronica. I have been phoning the whole day. Man, I know you're there, and I want you to move your lazy butt and pick up the phone NOW! You cannot go on like that, Tom. We are a couple, we need to be together. This can't go on that way. You're obsessed..." Pause. Tom kept his breath.
"Tom, are you listening to me?"
Pause. Tom exhaled all the air again.
"TOM!! Shit, come and pick up the phone! It's gonna stop working, but I'll phone again and again because we need to talk. Want it or not!!!"
Tom swallowed. He had no choice... The young man sighed, then he went to the receiver, but paused for a moment, with his hand over the receiver.
"TOM!! DAMN IT!!"
Tom startled and picked the receiver, with his heart beating.
"The hell with y..."
"Veronica?"
"Tom?" her voice sounded shocked. There was a silence again.
"Sweetie... I am sorry, I told you I had to work on something... You knew that!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah... Tom, I am not going to be waiting for you all the time!" her voice was really angry.
Tom sighed: "I told you that it was only today... TODAY! You could have found someone else to go and buy that bag, girl!"
Silence.
"So that is what you think? That I have friends for that? For when you have other more interesting things to do than to be with me? Is that what you think?"
Tom shook his head: "Honey, that is not the point. You know that I do love going shopping with you. But this is for Steve's..."
"Steve has Nicki."
"But Nicki doesn't have what I got."
Silence.
"Veronica?"
"Tom, you're obsessed. This is at an impasse... You're not gonna find the demon that did that to him, and he's trying to forget. You are not helping him this way. What we need to do is going out with him and talk about weather, and not demons."
"Veronica, I saw what he saw. I know what he's been through. And I know that he can't live with that, that he can't forget that easily. We need to do something. And I think I have discovered something too. Actually I'd love to share it with you, but since it seems you're more interested in that bag..."
Silence.
"Ok..." Veronica sighed at the other side of the receiver. "I'll come over to you. But when we're done with your stuff, we'll come back to mine, promise?"
Tom grinned, even if she could not see him. "Promise."

°°°°°°°°°°

Half an hour later Veronica was knocking on his door. "So what is that important thing you have found out about the person who attacked and tortured Steve?"
Tom made her enter and asked her to sit down on the sofa. The lounge was a mess of papers and books and machines; Veronica looked around, somehow worried, but pretended to be normal.
"The voice," Tom answered, plainly.
"The voice?"
Tom nodded, seeing her frown. "That Rhashirk's voice. The demon we fought some weeks ago, remember?? The one who wanted to kill Chris. That is how this all started... He always wanted to reach him, and he wanted to get that information out of Steve, even use him to kill the Halliwells."
"Wait, wait, wait... What does that have to do with the voice, and anyway... There are loads of demons after them. Why should be Rhashirk the one that attacked them that time?"
Tom's eyes had a strange bright as he looked at Veronica, moving his hands nervously: "I heard his voice in Steve's mind. And I heard his voice when we were in the middle of the attack. Veronica shook her head: "Tom, how can you be so sure it is the same voice? It is very easy to mistake something like that... You are just obsessed."
"No. No, no, no... It is the same voice. Rhashirk is the demon who did all this. When we were looking for him, we found Cristóbal. We were on the right track! I have been researching... Actually I have been working on a spell to get the voices out of the mind. It is like reproducing them on a cassette. It was hard, but..." Veronica looked around at the books spread all over the place, with her mouth open. "I got it. And the voice is the same, Veronica."
"Ok, and?? Even if the voice is the same, how are you supposed to find him?" She shook her head: "Your friend needs you, Tom... YOU. Not your obsession with his problem."
Tom clenched his fists, trying to control his anger: "I made a promise, Veronica. I told him that I would solve this, ok? And I will keep to it!"
She sighed: "Whatever..." She stood up and headed the door, to leave, as Tom kept sitting, staring at her quietly.
"I found his lair, Veronica."
"What?" she turned suddenly, surprised.
"I found it. It's not in the Underworld. It's not even on earth. He is the Lord of Darkness, he rules in another dimension where it's always dark and damp. He was exiled there thousands of years ago by the old Source of all Evil, since they were actually opponents. It seems he found a hole, and came to our dimension to get his throne back in the Underworld... and on the whole earth."
Veronica had gone paler: "But wh... why does he want to kill Chris?"
Tom shook his head: "Cristóbal wanted to kill Chris. He wants to kill every witch on earth, to establish his reign... And he starts with the most powerful family, of course. The Halliwells." His voice sounded really grave, and Veronica wasn't sure anymore whether her boy friend was going crazy or not.
"How... How did you get to know that? Where is that other dimension?"
Tom smiled: "Reading... And going to the place where Rhashirk shimmered the first time, when he attacked the sisters, in the Golden Gate park. That was the only place where he can shimmer from his dimension. That is where the hole is... A place surrounded by trees and animals..."
Veronica was mute for a second. She was completely wordless. Too much information for such a short time. "Have you... Have you been there?" she asked, feeling that she would faint.
Tom's eyes were brightening even more. "I'm gonna go and kill him. I owe that to Steve, he needs to have good dreams once and for all. And me too."