Here I am again, my readers. I know you all want to know the scoop on the new kitty in my life. Before you ask, no he will never replace all you in my heart. Well, since I got A's on all my finals, my dad graced me with a male, shorthaired orange cat. His name is Bow-Wow, AKA Big Boy, who got the nickname because he weighs 10 pounds and is FAT! But, I love him already; just wish my other cats felt the same about him that I do. Oh! And I'm taking French I, and today I learned how to say 'My name is'. It goes like this 'Mon nom est Kelsey.' Pretty cool, huh? Anyway, onto the chapter! Veuillez laisser une revue! That's 'Please Leave a review' in French. Appréciez (Enjoy)
"Chris is my…son?" He asked shocked. Riley looked at him, with innocence.
"Yeah he is." She replied, noticing immediately that his reaction was very different than that of the other Leo.
"What…when…how…" Leo trailed off in amazement.
"I'm not sure when, but I know how." She told Leo who looked at her, regret in his eyes.
"And I treated him so bad, I tried to send him back to the future, and I didn't trust him." Leo said with sorrow. Riley gave him a look of understanding.
"Yeah, but at least you treated him better now than you do in the future." She said brightly, while Leo cringed in embarrassment that would occur in the future.
"But what happens to me to change me so much?" He asked her. She looked down.
"I don't know. But whatever it was, it turned you away from Chris. Future Piper once told us you tolerated him until he was four, Wyatt six. And then it was as if Chris quit existing. When you did see him, you weren't very nice to him." Riley said quietly, while Leo sat, lost in thought.
"How do we know it was me?" He asked her. She cocked her head, and looked at him.
"What are you talking about?" She asked him curiously.
"Well, if I was taken now, what's to say I wasn't kept here, while he took my place permanently?" He posed that question to Riley, who mulled it over.
"That could be true. It would certainly explain why you went through such an attitude change. Or rather, your look a like." She told him, getting confused. He grinned at her.
"I feel better about how I've treated Chris knowing that I may be able to change it. Especially if that creep was the one to raise him." He told Riley. She sincerely hoped that was true.
"How do we get out of here?" She asked him.
"Well, we wait for the girls to either notice the imposter me isn't me, or they start looking for you." He sighed. She would use her telepathic link with Chris, but it wasn't working down here, or Chris had a block up, because every time she tried to use it, it would buzz in her head. And she didn't want to cast a spell and have it backfire because the cavern was booby trapped with charms and spells. She didn't know if it was.
"That could take days." She groaned.
"Yeah, so let's talk." He said. Even without powers, he could tell something was bothering Riley. Before she answered, she focused hard on Leo's chains, and froze them, and they soon popped off. He fell to the ground with a crash. He rubbed his wrists.
"Talk about what?" She asked him tightly.
"I sense something's wrong. We have time to talk about whatever it is." He offered out to the troubled girl. The offer sounded tempting but Riley wasn't sure if it was a good idea.
"I don't know." She said hesitantly.
"What better time to talk about whatever's bothering you?" He asked wisely and she finally gave in.
"Its just Chris." She told him. Leo raised his eyebrow.
"I've had the feeling there's been more to the two of you than either let on. What happened?" He asked her.
"Nothing really. He just, he kissed me, and it brought back memories." She said, playing with the hem of her shirt.
"What kind of memories?" Leo considered for a second becoming a therapist.
"Just, when he kissed me, it was to make me quit talking. He's done that once before when we were talking about something that made him uncomfortable." Riley said, remembering that night. It had been the night she had first sang on stage, and she sang a song that had touched her personally.
Flashback
Riley sat down on the stool provided for her and picked up her guitar. Her black dress shone out in the light, making her seem even more delicate than usual. She looked into the audience, and saw Chris at the very front. This being on stage thing was new for the Seventeen year old, and Chris being there just made her butterflies worse. She leaned toward the microphone and spoke.
"This is my first time on stage, so I'm a little nervous, but I have two songs to sing. One short, kind of a warm up, and the other is a little longer. Thank you." She said as she started strumming the guitar strings.
It doesn't matter
What can't we face if we're together?
What's in this place that we can't weather?
Apocalypse
We've all been there
The same old trips
Why should we care?
What can't we do if we get in it?
We'll work it through within a minute
We have to try
We'll pay the price
It's do or die
What can't we face
What can't we face?
If we're together?
What's in this place
That we can't weather?
There's nothing we can't face
As she stopped singing, she looked into the crowd and saw Chris staring at her, beaming with pride. She gave him a shy smile before leaning into the microphone again.
"This last song has special meaning to me, and somebody out there knows why."
I lived my life in shadow
Never the sun on my face
It didn't seem so sad, though
I figured that was my place
Now I'm bathed in light
Something just isn't right
I'm under your spell
How else could it be
Anyone would notice me?
It's magic, I can tell
How you set me free
Brought me out so easily
I saw a world enchanted
Spirits and charms in the air
I always took for granted
I was the only one there
But your power shone
Brighter than any I've known
I'm under your spell
Nothing I can do
You just took my soul with you
You worked your charm so well
Finally, I knew
Everything I dreamed was true
You made me believe
The moon to the tide
I can feel you inside
I'm under your spell
Surging like the sea
Wanting you so helplessly
I break with every swell
Lost in ecstasy
Spread beneath my willow tree
You make me com-plete
You make me com-plete
You make me com-plete
"Good job Riles." He said, as she smelled the roses.
"Thanks Chris. Feel free to leave now. I mean, I'm glad you came and all, but I'm sure you have a date, and I'd hate to ruin it for you…" She knew she was babbling, and Chris knew she was babbling. So he did the only thing he knew would shut her up. He kissed her. She pulled away wide-eyed.
"What'd you do that for?" She asked shrilly, more surprised than angry.
"So you'd listen to me." He said with a grin.
End Flashback
Leo listened to her without interruption.
"And when did you realize you were in love with him?" he asked. He'd been able to tell the moment he first saw her, and that story had only made him more sure.
"That night." She told him
Manor
"Chris, have you seen Riley? We haven't in a few hours." Piper said coming into the attic where he stood at the Book of Shadows, making a list.
"No." He answered, keeping his attention on the Book of Shadows making Piper frown.
"Did you two fight?" She asked. He decided to keep his attention on the Book and just answer with simple No's.
"No." He said absently, making Piper suspect he wasn't even listening, so she decided to test him.
"Are you straight?" She asked.
"No…I mean yes! What are you trying to get me to say?" He asked her and she grinned.
"I'm proving a point. What if Riley's in danger?" She asked and for a moment, something flickered across his face, but soon disappeared.
"She can take care of herself." He said crossly.
"Chris, what if she can't, and she dies because you two were angry at each other?" Piper asked, and Chris looked up. She had gotten through to him. Or so she thought.
"Oh well." But he didn't mean it. As soon as Piper left the room, he planned to scry for her so he could show her just how important she was to him. And Piper knew it too. She could see it on his face.
BTW- I do not own the two songs, they are from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More with Feeling Soundtrack