Perry? That had to be more than coincidence. In all of his life, he had been quick to pick up the fact that nothing was coincidental. And this woman having the same last name as he did when he showed up in the future? That was ringing a lot of bells. She seemed shaken, though that was hardly unexpected. Chris rubbed the back of his neck and sucked in a breath between his teeth. There was going to be a lot of explaining to do here.
"Charlie?"
Chris was thrown off his feet and into a pile of garbage bags that cushioned his fall. Charlotte tucked her hands behind her back in what she hoped was the most innocent pose she could muster. The backdoor had opened; a tall, broad shouldered man was now staring into the alleyway. Charlotte smiled and kicked one of the bags casually.
"Just taking out the trash. Got a bit distracted."
The man didn't seem convinced, the cock of his eyebrow and the lean of his shoulder making it clear he expected a better excuse than that. Charlotte mimicked his position casually and checked her watch.
"I'm off in twenty. Uncle Mark said to close up early tonight, it's Friday the 13th, and you know how suspicious he gets. Make the last round call, I… I think I dropped one of my rings."
The other bartender's eyebrows climbed higher into his hairline but he disappeared without any other words. Charlotte crouched down to Chris' level, keeping her voice low.
"Look, I've had a rough day without the added stress of whatever the hell is going on here so you're going to get one hour to explain to me everything you want, starting with why you came here for me and what the hell that thing was. Give me a half hour and go up the staircase in the building next door to the third level, apartment 3C. If I don't answer, I have changed my mind and you can leave and never come back."
Chris, who had been expecting far more of a fight from her, nodded obediently. If she was going to give him a chance, he'd take it. He clambered out of the multitude of trash bags and dusted himself off, casting a look over his shoulder at the girl.
"Not to push my luck, but you just witnessed something really weird. Why are you trusting me?"
Charlotte frowned and took a few steps back before shrugging and stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jeans.
"…I always believed in magic. I'm assuming that's what it was. Maybe I'm hoping this is all just a really bad migraine induced hallucination? But I…" she stopped for a moment and her face softened as she looked into his eyes, "I feel… like I know you somehow."
That was a good thing, Chris decided internally. If she felt like she knew him, which meant there was some chance that she really could help him. Charlotte headed for the door and pulled it open, stopping midway and looking over at Chris again.
"And to answer your question, no; weird things never happen here. At least they didn't use to."
The door closed behind her with a low groan and Chris stuffed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. When he had brought this jacket home, his mother had shattered one of her favourite crystal glasses. Apparently his previous timeline past had owned the exact jacket in their timeline. He had offered to return it, but Piper had insisted he keep it. Paige had said something about "parallel universe fashion attraction" and told him to steer clear of those god awful colours. He hadn't gotten the joke, but his mother had laughed and forgotten the incident, which he was thankful for.
Thirty minutes. Apartment 3C.
He could do this. He had to. One hand reached up to press hard against his temple where a low throb was beginning to awaken. He couldn't go on like this; something was wrong with his head and he needed to know what.
XxX
Charlotte finished her shift pouring final rounds to the various regulars at the bar, her hands shaking over every glass. By the time she was off work, she had run every possible scenario in her head at least five times; but she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she knew the mysterious guy who had lingered in the alleyway. Her eyes found the clock as she seized her black leather jacket from behind the bar and closed the door behind her, heading up the staircase to her apartment. Nobody was there yet, which she was thankful for.
The door swung open and she pocketed her key, discarding her purse and shrugging off her jacket onto the battered black couch. The apartment was how she had left it, somewhat messy but enough to look homely as opposed to a bomb heap. Charlotte pulled her work shirt over her head and dropped it into the laundry basket before rummaging for another one, a simple white button down. She shimmied out of her jeans, knowing she smelled like second hand smoke and liquor as she jumped into a newer pair. She'd change into her pajamas as soon as this Chris guy had left, but for now she assumed she might want to make an impression.
Charlotte left her room and pulled her hair back into a messy bun; obsessively straightening things as she paced around the apartment. She wanted to say that there was a nagging suspicion in her stomach; that she knew inviting a strange man up to her apartment was a bad idea and she had lost her mind, but something about him… her stomach flipped and the overwhelming sense of déjà vu overtook her. She knew him from somewhere and it was killing her not to be able to place it.
"Charlotte?"
The girl looked up to see the front door open, just as she had left it. Chris was in the doorframe, one hand raised to brush his knuckles across the door. Charlotte beckoned him with two fingers and gestured to the couch, not sitting down with him.
"One hour. Go."
Chris took a deep breath before launching into his explanation. It wasn't as though he hadn't explained magic before; quite the opposite. Almost every day he was coming across someone who didn't know about magic, but this was different. This girl was supposed to help him; so she needed to know everything. He'd had enough time to sort out what he wanted to tell her and what she should know. He figured Magic Basics was a definite necessity, as was how he found her and why he needed her. The whole story spilled from his lips; magic, Melinda Warren, Charmed Ones, Elder, whitelighter, Twice Blessed, past self; things he hadn't told anyone before. By the time he finished, the look on Charlotte's face made it seem like she was about to have him institutionalised. Chris sucked in a breath, shocked at how quickly he had managed to spill all of that out. Charlotte opened her mouth but stayed silent as she sank down to sit on the black coffee table in front of Chris.
"So… run that by me again?"
"Which bit?"
"The bit about me. You're here because your little crystal thing brought you here?"
Chris leaned forward and laced his fingers together, trying to decide how to phrase it, "This world we live in, it wasn't like this. Like I said, when my brother was younger, a demon was after him to turn him evil, or at least that was what I thought. Turns out it was an Elder gone wrong but that's a whole other story. In the unchanged future, I came back to the past and changed it so the world would be better. I started having these dreams about it and my parents told me everything. But there was something different as well. Sometimes… I have these flashbacks. They are awful and painful and it feels like something is trying to claw its way out of my head. I wanted to know what it was, so I cast a spell to bring me a guide. And found you. No matter what this whole thing is, Charlotte, I was brought to you by magic."
Charlotte shook her head slowly in disbelief, unsure how to process all of the information. "But… why me? I mean, I'm not a witch- to my knowledge. My parents weren't. My mother's a teacher and my dad is a baker. Not exactly kickass material there. How am I supposed to help you?"
Chris shrugged his shoulders, hating that he had no way of knowing anything. He was as lost as she was. Charlotte rose from the table and rubbed one hand hard across her forehead as she began pacing around the room.
"Okay. Let's hypothetically say that I could help you. What exactly is it that you want me to do? Find out why your head wants to explode?"
Chris reached into his backpack and removed a small, leather bound book, "This was my past selves' notebook. I figured maybe you could read it and see if there is anything I missed. I know you're confused, but…"
He stood up and took her shoulders gently in the hope it would stop her pacing, "Magic brought me to you. Magic might not always do what you want it to, but it will always do what you need it to. You can help me… we just need to work out how."
Charlotte stared into Chris' eyes, the tug of familiarity in her stomach making her sigh. Chris let his hands drop to her forearms and he tried to come up with something that would be beneficial for the both of them.
"Look… what if I told you I could find out if you were a witch? Give me one chance and then you can decide. Meet me tomorrow outside your apartment building and I can take you somewhere and then we can find out if you're a witch. That gives you tonight to sleep on it and then maybe I can help you, even if you don't help me."
Charlotte looked down at the soft grip he had on her arms and sighed softly, "…Okay."
Chris cheered internally, not believing his luck. He let her go and reached down to grab his things, "Tomorrow. Nine o'clock."
Charlotte nodded and folded her arms over her chest before walking with him to the door. As Chris began walking away, she called after him.
"Thanks."
Chris frowned and turned around in confusion, "For what?"
Charlotte shrugged casually as she leaned in the doorway, "For saving the world. That's what you did, right? I suppose… maybe I should repay you for that. God knows what my fate was in your future."
Chris smiled and chuckled softly, offering her a nod, "In that case, you're welcome."
He waited until the door had closed, the letters 3C glimmering in the dim hallway light before he looked left and right and orbed away.
XxX
Chris' original plan had been to stay up until 9am, but as soon as his head hit the pillow; he was out like a light. Pictures swam before his eyes, a blur of faces and landscapes.
Chris opened his eyes and found himself in the familiar building of The Resistance. The wallpaper was peeling and the lights were dim, swallowing the room in a depressing glow.
"I need to find something; there has to be a way to change this."
"There isn't,"
Bianca came into view, dressed only in one of Chris' button down shirts. Her long hair swung forward and she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "There's nothing we can do, Chris."
The brunet grit his teeth and stood up, untangling himself from his girlfriend's arms. There had to be something. There had to be a way. He couldn't live like this; he couldn't watch people live like this. His hands trembled and he slammed the leather bound journal onto the desk.
"I'm going to find a way, Bianca. I mean it."
He jerked awake and rolled under his covers as sunlight blinded his vision. The clock by his bed told him he still had an hour before he needed to meet Charlotte. He stood under the hot water of the shower for longer than he intended, mulling over his latest dream and his new discoveries. There was so much to try and get his head around and all he had was that stupid notebook to tell him anything. He had no idea how things would turn out today, but he was trying to be optimistic.
Chris breezed down the stairs, leaping over the final four and landing with ease as he headed into the kitchen and snagged an apple between his fingertips, tossing it into the air before sinking his teeth into the juicy red flesh. Piper raised an eyebrow from her position at the stovetop and placed her wooden spoon down before wiping her hands on the white apron adorning her waist.
"In a hurry?"
Chris devoured the rest of the apple and tossed the core into the trashcan, "Library. Feel like some new material."
"Nerd."
Chris ducked as Wyatt's hand came out of nowhere to playfully clap his brother around the back of the head. The blond reached for two apples and a granola bar and slid into one of the seats, screwing up his nose when his mother ruffled his hair.
"Be home by dinner," Piper reminded him, one eyebrow raised, "do not make me come get you."
Chris held up both hands in surrender before shrugging on his jacket and heading out the front door. The house was in walking distance of the library, so his mother would worry if he didn't take his car. Chris ducked down beside the house and orbed away, hoping Charlotte hadn't changed her mind.
Charlotte was already outside her apartment, dressed in a pair of blue shorts and a white tank top. She'd pulled her long hair back into a ponytail and was chewing on her bottom lip when Chris tapped her on the shoulder. She squeaked and turned around, though Chris caught the defensive hand that tried to smash across his face. Charlotte relaxed when she caught sight of the smirking face behind her and she sighed, lowering her hands and folding them over her chest.
"So?"
"So we'll go buy ingredients and then come back here and I will be able to tell you if you are a witch or not… and then you can decide whether or not you're going to help me."
Charlotte nodded and cocked one hip, "How did you get here? Are we taking your car?"
Chris smiled and looked on either side of himself before gently pulling her into the same alley he had walked out of, much to her protest. He settled his hands on her forearms.
"Remember how I explained the orbing thing? It's pretty much how I normally get around. And it's faster, so I figure we could use it today, it's just… I need to hold you."
Wow, that sounded so much less like a pickup line in his head. Charlotte seemed to pick up on the words as well, but suppressed her smile in favour of a sarcastic eye roll as she took his hands from her forearms and let them rest on her waist. Chris breathed a sigh of relief that she thought nothing of his words and let the orbs take them away.
Sparkling orbs burst into view in a secluded alleyway, Chris's grip on Charlotte loosening as she fell back against the brick walls with a low groan. She bent over and held a hand to her stomach, face paler and green tinged.
"That's orbing?" she murmured, looking up at him, "That's awful."
Chris grimaced and helped her up, "Sorry. I forgot about first-time orbers. It gets easier."
The door to Maggie's Mystical Magicks swung open with the usual creak and groan. The store was shrouded in darkness and the musty smell of old tomes and bottled ingredients. Admittedly, the best seller here was the crystal balls, but if you were a witch and you knew what you were looking for, there was nothing better than Maggie's. Charlotte crept several steps behind Chris at all times, still in awe of the situation. Her back met a cold counter and a sudden hiss and yowl made her jump. The black cat darted between her legs and took off into the back of the store, leaving Charlotte to clutch her chest in surprise. Chris smiled from behind the dried newt section and began selecting bottles.
Charlotte caught up and eyed off the various labels. Wanting to fill the dead air, she began throwing out casual questions about what she had learned so far.
"So your brother is…"
"The Twice Blessed." Chris supplied as he perused the shelves. Charlotte nodded her head slowly, eyes squinted.
"And he's Twice Blessed because your parents are…"
"A Charmed One and a whitelighter."
Charlotte prodded a glass jar with several amphibians crammed into it, their eyes bulging in the murky water. She pulled a face and turned, gasping when she found Chris right in front of her. The witchlighter laughed and Charlotte scrunched her nose.
"But that wasn't allowed? But it is now. Because of them?"
"Yep."
Chris reached past Charlotte's head and seized the packet of dried herbs he had been rooting for. The girl blinked and continued trying to process everything. It was a lot of information to learn you were a witch, but she had shoved that thought to the back of her mind in favour of exploring the intricacies of Chris Halliwell's life.
"And the Charmed Ones were some kind of power made by Melinda Warren?"
"You're picking this up pretty quick."
Charlotte experimentally squeezed a gel-like substance encased in plastic and awkwardly placed it on the shelf when it offered a low groan in her direction.
"It's interesting. So, not to be rude or anything but what are you?"
Chris frowned and dumped the items onto the counter and waited for Maggie to return from the back room. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, your mother is magical super witch and your dad was awesome elder guy so what sort of title do you have? Are you "Mr Second Twice Blessed?" or something?"
Chris chuckled and added a few more items to the bundle, "No. I'm just Chris. I can orb and I have telekinesis."
Charlotte cocked her head and smiled, "Well, that's still pretty awesome, and you're way ahead of me in that whole power area thing, if I even am a witch."
"I'm pretty sure you are," Chris reasoned. He'd be lying if he didn't admit that the thought had crossed his mind many times. His best theory at the moment was that Charlotte was having the same problem as his Aunt Paige. Late into discovering her magic and the magical world, but still capable. The potion would tell him if she was a witch for sure, though. And then they could hopefully move on from there. Maggie bustled in and grinned when she saw Chris. He and his family were regulars in the store, and Maggie was witch herself.
"Christopher, it's been so long. How have you been?"
Chris pulled out his wallet as Maggie rung up the items, hoping he could get in and out as fast as possible. As he handed over the money, he saw Maggie looking over in Charlotte's direction before raising an eyebrow.
"My, Christopher… who is your lady friend?"
Charlotte looked up with wide eyes and shook her head vehemently, "Uh, no. Charlotte. Just a friend. Not a lady friend."
Maggie nodded and tipped Chris a wink as she bundled up his items in a plastic bag, "Lovely to see you again, make sure you drop by sometime soon. Lovely to meet you Charlotte."
The two disappeared out the door and Chris groaned to himself. He'd been hoping to keep this whole thing to himself until he had worked out what was going on, but if he kept frequenting his usual spots, people were going to ask questions. That was the hazard of being friends with all the magical beings around town because your mother had saved them at one point or another. Charlotte was looking up and down the street and squinting into the distance.
"So what now?"
"Well, I mix this together and we find out what's going on," Chris said, suddenly realising that he hadn't really thought to much ahead in this whole thing. He pulled Charlotte into a small alcove and offered out his hands.
"Is your apartment okay? I'm… not wanting my parents to know what I'm doing."
Charlotte raised a sceptical eyebrow but didn't ask any further questions, which Chris was thankful for. Her small hands settled into his and they orbed away, Charlotte's queasy groan the last thing he heard before the blue lights and chimes surrounded him.
XxX
"So this will tell you if I'm a witch?"
Chris measured out the ingredients and dumped them into the plastic bowl. He knew taking things out of the manor would be way too suspicious, so he had made do with what he could find around Charlotte's apartment. The girl in question was sitting on the kitchen bench, legs dangling in the air as she watched his every move with a mixture of fascination and suspiciousness. He didn't blame her; he was as questionable of the circumstances as he was. She had the added bonus of not even knowing about witchcraft and wiccan culture.
Magic worked in mysterious ways, but it always worked. Something had brought him here and he wasn't leaving until he had served his purpose. Chris ground the peppers together and emptied them into the bowl, along with half a cup of rosemary water.
"It should. I mean, you have a familiar which are only for budding witches. I don't understand why you've never shown any kind of powers. Did your parents ever tell you anything?"
Charlotte shook her head and shrugged one shoulder, "Never. And we never had any of this stuff lying around so I assume it's not an active kind of gene or whatever. You really think I might have powers?"
Chris formed a paste with the concoction and spooned it out as he checked the consistency. "I guess I've never heard of a witch without them. They might not be active yet; my Aunt Paige didn't use her powers until she met her sisters. Well, she did once but that was a different circumstance. Either way, my spell brought me to you for a reason. And sorry, but I'm not going anywhere until I find out why."
The witchlighter caught some of the paste between his thumb and forefinger before gesturing Charlotte closer. She seemed hesitant, but slowly made her way to stand before him.
"Open your mouth."
The cock of Charlotte's eyebrow made it clear that she didn't like where this was going, though it did not stop her from parting her lips obediently.
"Stick out your tongue."
The eyebrow climbed higher, this time combined with a look that clearly portrayed "if you're screwing me around, you will die slow and painful." Chris smiled and gently dabbed the paste onto Charlotte's tongue and stepped back. He hoped this would work; it wasn't as though this was something from the Book. Charlotte closed her mouth and waited. She was at least thankful that the paste didn't taste awful. A warm tingle rippled through her spine and she shivered as a light glow began to radiate from her skin. After several moments, Charlotte glowed as though she had been dipped in saffron. Chris grinned and waited for the glow to fade before he spoke, unable to hide the touch of pride in his voice.
"Yeah… you're a witch. It's unused, but it's there."
Charlotte blinked and rested to the hard plastic bench in her kitchen. This was too much information today.
"But-"
She stopped speaking abruptly and muttered to herself. Chris tidied the bench awkwardly, now unsure what to do with his hands. To be honest, he had no idea where to even progress from here. So Charlotte was a witch, but she had no idea about her powers or her place in the "Past Chris" puzzle. How was she supposed to help him? Why was her last name Perry?
"Do I have powers?"
Chris looked up at Charlotte, who was now twisting the silver ring on her pinkie finger. He shrugged and began packing away his ingredients, "I would assume so. I've never met a witch without them, but that's also a possibility. You might be a passive witch?"
"Well that's not any fun," Charlotte mumbled to herself. Chris chuckled lightly before he looked her over seriously. He'd come here for a reason, and he really needed it resolved.
"Look, I hate to put you on the spot, but I was brought to you by magic. You… have to be able to help me somehow. I won't force you or anything, but if you're going to work with me, I'd like to know."
Charlotte laughed humourlessly and offered Chris a forced smile, "You do this often? Drop into girls' lives, sweep them away from demons, unveil your secret world and their witchy genetics and then get them to help you?"
Chris chuckled and shook his head, "No, you'd be the first."
There was a long period of silence, longer than Chris could bear before Charlotte pushed back her hair and looked at him closely.
"Can I just have some time?" she said softly, looking down at the leather bound book in her hands, "Alone. I'll tell you what I decide but can I have some time to… digest?"
Part of Chris wanted to scream that he needed her now before his head got any worse, but he knew that he couldn't do that to her. Sure, he had been born into this life and it was something he took for granted every day. Charlotte had, just like his mother and aunts, become a witch overnight. He had no idea what that could even be like. Stuffing down his protests, Chris nodded.
"Of course, take as much time as you need."
XxX
He didn't hear from her for three days; the time seemingly standing still in that short period. Magic had drawn him to her, if she said no…
"…Chris."
The boy in question looked up from his breakfast and leaned backwards, "Yeah?"
Piper bustled into the kitchen, one hand holding her hair back while another rooted around in a drawer.
"What's wrong, peanut?"
"Did you call me?"
Piper made a face and produced a hairclip, immediately flipping it into her hair and reaching for her purse, "Nope, you must be going crazy," she teased lovingly, "your dad is at work and Wyatt's in class. But I'm late for work, I will see you tonight."
She pressed a kiss to his forehead, a pink lip mark planting stickily to his forehead, much to his chagrin.
"Chris…"
It wasn't until his mother had bid him goodbye and was halfway down the stairs of the manor that he realised what was happening. He'd explained the whole "calling" process to Charlotte and she must be trying it out. His heart leapt and he stuffed the two remaining pancakes into his mouth and jumped from his chair, washing the fluffy goodness down with the glass of orange juice beside his plate.
Chris orbed into the apartment building and stepped up to the door. He and Charlotte were not on any kind of level where he would orb into her apartment, invited or not. His knuckles rapped on the door and it swung open under his hand, exposing the room. The bedroom door across the hall was open and Chris could see Charlotte perched on the edge of her bed, eyes cast down on her lap. She looked up at the sound of the creaking door and beckoned Chris in.
She looked sad. That was never a good sign. He had no idea what he would do if she turned him down. He situate himself half in the doorway and half in her room, feeling awkward that she was so openly inviting him into her personal space.
"I had a dream," she announced, clearly wanting to get it off her chest, "I don't know how to explain it but you were there and it felt real and I… I know you. I've had that dream before, so many times and I never saw the guy's face. But I think it was you. Every time I try and remember details, they slip away but… the orbing, the potions, that goddamn leather jacket," she gestured her hand to him, "It was you. I think that's why I felt like I knew you, but how did you end up in my dreams when I never even knew you?"
Chris shrugged, nonchalantly trying to play off his suddenly nagging curiosity. Witch dreams were signs, though often ones layered in subtext and disguise. If she had been dreaming about him, he had no doubts now that she was the one who could help him.
Charlotte ran her fingers over the notebook and nodded to herself, "I'll help you. I don't know how I can, but I will."
Chris' heart soared.
"On one condition."
It plummeted to the ground as Charlotte set the book down and rapped the cover with her red nails, "I want you to help me with whatever this… witch thing is."
Chris made a face and sat awkwardly on the bed beside her. It dipped under his weight and he shrugged one shoulder as he began to speak.
"I want to, I really do. But I don't know how. I was just… gifted. It came with the job. I don't know how to help you."
"But you're a whitelighter," Charlotte argued, making no move to hide her disappointment.
"Half whitelighter," Chris corrected her as he stood up and moved to stand in front of her, "I don't know how to harness all that stuff. But I can try? I guess?"
There was no way in hell he was letting this opportunity slip out of his fingers, and if that meant trying to guide a new witch, so be it. Charlotte's lips curled into a slow smile and she rose from the bed to offer out a hand.
"Deal."
XxX
When a stone is tossed in a pool of water, the single splash can cause dozens of ripples as the water is disturbed from its peaceful state. One small action causes an effect that influences everything around it.
Across magical planes, a figure slumped over a stone table; the slow rise and fall of his chest the only sign that he was alive. Torches burned low in their sockets, yet never extinguished. Not here. The sudden scurry of footsteps did not rouse the immobile figure, nor did the presence of two men in the small room.
"M'Lord…. He has found her."
Broad shoulders stiffed as the figure raised his head, blood mattered hair falling back to reveal wearied eyes and scarred features. A slow smirked formed on cracked lips as the figure slowly stood to his feet.
"…Interesting."
A/N: Thanks to the reviewers and people who took the time to read this story. I have had this idea for a while and I'm excited to get it onto the page finally. I'm working on the final chapter of my other multichapter which has been my baby for years plus a few university subjects, but I'll try and update as soon as possible.
