Charlotte let go of Chris' hand and smiled, "So… where exactly should we start?"
Chris looked down at the journal and flipped it open to the first page, "Have you read it?"
"I started. It's a huge journal, but it looks so small. I looked at the dates; you have five years of entries in here. I did read a few pages and just from what is being written, the future the way it used to be was…"
She recalled the first lines of the journal. Out of curiosity, she had flipped open the book and glanced down at the slanted scrawl on the page. Her heart had skipped painfully when she read the first line.
'My name is Christopher Halliwell and my brother has killed my entire family. He succumbed to evil and he has taken over the magical community, and he has plans to take over the world, and I know he can do it.'
She had skimmed through the journal to try and gain a general idea of things. Chris's past self had kept a thorough record of every detail as it happened. She stepped out into the living room and made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a cup from the cupboard and looking over her shoulder at Chris.
"Water?"
He politely declined but sank into the sofa, trying to decide where they should begin. It had occurred to him that they actually had no beginning point; his guide had only just learned she was a witch and that even he did not know all of the details about his past life. So far, things were going fabulously.
Charlotte slid into the single couch beside Chris and curled her legs up, watching him quietly as her teeth caught her bottom lip.
"So... is it weird? I mean, only getting snippets of your past in your dreams and journal? Don't you just want to know?"
Chris laughed and nodded, "God, you have no idea. I wish I could just cast a spell and have all of my memories put back, but that's not how it works. I've already tried. But they're coming back little by little; I just hope one day I can know everything."
He fell silent, wanting to ask Charlotte a question before anything went further.
"Charlotte? Your last name… Perry….When I came to my parents, I told them my name was Chris Perry, and your name is Charlotte Perry and I've never believed in coincidence so-"
"So you think somehow there may be a connection?"
Chris shrugged offhandedly, "I'm not sure what to think. I mean, my parents gave me the middle name Perry because of that, but what if during my time in the past I…"
Charlotte snorted and tried to suppress a giggle, "Got somebody knocked up and your past self is my father? Are you sure you haven't been inhaling potion fumes?"
Chris frowned and rolled his eyes, "Look, it was a theory that crossed my mind, okay? Perry and Perry? How is that not weird?"
"Well if it settles your mind, I highly doubt that you somehow impregnated my mother. My dad's last name is Perry and I was the first girl born in eight generations of his family. I'm also the spitting image of my grandmother on his side. I really think this whole name thing is a coincidence. Besides, maybe Perry was your middle name and you just used it because it was easier? And my mother's never been to San Francisco anyway, she's lived in Salem her whole life."
Chris raised an eyebrow as he looked up and Charlotte laughed and smiled, "Yeah, I was born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts. I now understand how weird that is. Though it was the history there that made me so interested in magic and witches, so I guess it was a blessing?"
Chris smiled, his nerves suitably calmed by her admission. Though he still did not know how the two of them were at all connected, he at least had some peace of mind. Now the only thing weighing on his mind was how he planned to help her discover the powers she must have. He had an idea, but wasn't quite sure how to bring it up without sounding forward. He supposed, however, that he and Charlotte should be trying to get to know one another if they were going to be spending this time together, so he summoned his courage and began speaking.
"Charlotte?"
"You can call me Charlie, you know," she said, her nose still buried in Chris' journal before she looked up at him, "most people do."
"Well, Charlie… if I'm going to help you discover your powers and why you were chosen to be my guide… I need to know about you."
Charlotte looked up and tilted her head to the side slightly, one eyebrow raised. Chris elaborated as he shifted on the couch, "Well, I told you all about me and my past life and stuff, but without knowing some stuff about you, I can't really help…."
Charlotte shrugged and went back to the journal, though Chris saw her tense and her body language change dramatically, "Nothing to tell," she said casually, "Born, raised, awkward phase, high school, graduation, moved to San Francisco. I already told you… I'm not anything special."
Chris watched her carefully and Charlotte knew it. She bit the inside of her cheek before she looked up and sighed.
"Okay, look. Maybe I was a little weird as a kid, but nothing magical. I had weird dreams, I.. I experienced a hell of a lot of déjà vu. Sometimes… I felt like I'd known something before. Like premonitions, is that what you called them? But I never saw anything."
Chris nodded and took out a notebook, looking at her for permission before writing down the things she was saying. Charlotte turned her head to the side slightly and closed her eyes.
"When I was about four.. my parents had me seeing a psychologist. I wasn't "developing" right apparently. I didn't want to play with others, I kept to myself and I… had a wicked imagination. I drew whole universes, made up entire stories of worlds and people and places. Normally, it's chalked up to creativity, but I would scream myself hoarse about how it was real. I don't remember much of it, honestly, but I was seeing child psychologists for four years before I stopped talking about the things."
Chris kept writing, looking up at Charlotte with a sad smile, "Well, things like that are actually common in witch children. As a kid, we don't know how to control our powers and they manifest in a lot of ways. As we grow older, our body subconsciously learns how to properly control things. Maybe you're a Seer like my Aunt Phoebe."
Charlotte cocked one eyebrow and said nothing, gazing out of her window, "I still get it sometimes but I always chalked it up to myself seeing what I wanted to see or just a coincidence. I'd think the phone was about to ring and it would; I'd just… know things without knowing how I knew. I aced my history classes without ever studying for an exam. I could list off the entire timeline of the Roman, Greek and Egyptian histories without batting an eye. My mom just said I was gifted with a photographic memory but any other subject was brutal." She looked over at him, "Could being a Seer do that?"
Chris shrugged and copied down everything she was saying, "It's possible. I'll look into it. So you moved to San Francisco when?"
"After graduation. My uncle said he could get me a job as a bartender so I came from Salem."
"And what did your parents think?"
Charlotte stayed quiet and Chris looked up to find her staring out the window again, "Nothing." She said indifferently, "Next question."
Chris wanted to ask more, but he knew better than to pry so early in their friendship. If she felt threatened, she would leave and he knew it. Instead, he opted for a non-touchy subject.
"Well when is your birthday? I'm assuming we graduated at the same time?"
"I'll be nineteen in September."
Chris smiled and chuckled, "Me too. September 3rd. You?"
"Twenty-eighth. Five months to go."
There was a soft smile on her face and Chris took that to be a good thing, scribbling a few more notes before asking his next question.
"Do you dream about anything-"
Chris stopped and put a hand to his head as an explosion of pain rocked his whole body and stars burst behind his closed eyes. He cried out in agony and tried to suppress the pain by pressing both palms as hard to his temple as possible. He could hear Charlotte saying his name, but she faded out as a white-hot image began to burn his eyes.
Wyatt's hand caught Chris' throat and lifted him into the air, squeezing mercilessly. Chris could feel the air being sucked away as his lungs began screaming and his flailing arms slowly lost their strength to fight. Wyatt smirked and squeezed harder.
"I will love to watch you die, brother"
Chris jerked out of the vision, head in agony and his whole body slumping forward. He did not hit the floor, surprisingly, instead finding himself slumped over something soft and sweetly-scented. A smooth hand rubbed his back before he opened one eye, the world bleary before everything came back into focus. He was slumped over Charlotte's shoulder, her arms wrapped tight around him and holding him to stop his face from connecting with the coffee table. He trembled slightly and tried to compose himself, but Charlotte held tight.
"Don't move. Just lean back, okay?"
Chris slowly leaned back against the chair and pressed two fingers to his forehead, the pain still blazing. Charlotte stood up and returned with a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin, holding them out and trying to supress the tremble of her hand. Chris took them both gratefully and swallowed hard.
"I'm sorry, I-"
"That's what happens?" she said softly. "The pain and… you were screaming…"
Chris nodded and set down the water, "They're memories, I think. But when I dream about them, it's not so bad. No pain, no anything. But when I have these, I…" he trailed off, taking a long moment to find his voice, "Something isn't right. And you can apparently find out what."
Charlotte looked at the ground before she sat on the couch beside Chris and began twisting her hands together. They sat in silence for a long time until Chris could feel the pain lessen slightly. He had tried all kinds of medication for his pain, but none had taken it all away. He locked eyes with Charlotte and smiled weakly.
"Shall we continue?"
She gave him a dubious look and he looked back down, closing his eyes, "Charlie… we need to start work or we'll never get anywhere. Now if I don't get to know you, I can't help you. I've got a list of questions."
Charlotte looked like she wanted to protest, but sat quietly beside him as he began listing of his questions.
Chris orbed home much later, just in time to see his mother setting plate of food onto the table. After his discussions with Charlie he had determined that she would most likely have some kind of premonition power or anything else to do with visions. He would have to look it up in the Book. Other than that, he had found out a lot more about her. The both of them were fairly similar in many ways. The only subject he was not allowed to touch was things to do with her parents and he respected that. Charlotte had said she would read through his journal and make notes about anything she thought was important and they would meet up later in the week.
Wyatt was picking chunks of chicken from the bowl when his mother had her back turned, ducking when she reached out a hand to slap his away. A door hammered into the ground and Leo stepped out, slipping his teaching robes off and hanging them over the banister. His whitelighter powers had been reinstated when Chris had turned three, though now his only charges were the Charmed Ones and their extended family.
Chris pushed his way through dinner with a weary smile and tired eyes. The flashback today had taken a lot out of him, more than he had first realised. Chris swirled the food around on his plate, trying to ignore the dull throbbing in the back of his head. All he wanted to do was climb into bed and sleep, but he knew it wouldn't come tonight. Not easily.
He went straight to his room after dinner, brushing off his mother's worry by telling her was just in the mood for a good book and some music. He didn't know how long he could keep this from her, but it didn't mean he wouldn't make the most of the time he had.
Charlotte slid between the bedsheets and curled up tight, the light from her window spilling across the floor. Something about tonight was vastly different than any other night, for some reason. These past four days had been a rush, but now… outside in San Francisco, demons lurked everywhere, killing innocents and witches. God only knows what else was out there. Charlotte slid from the sheets and let her hand wrap around her cell phone, slowly dialling the familiar number and bringing the phone to her ear, the dial tone loud and monotonous until there was a low click and a burble of static.
"Hello, you've reached Ken and Amy Perry. We can't come to the phone at the moment, but leave your name and number and we'll get back to you."
The beep rang in her ears and she ended the call without saying a word, sliding back beneath the covers but keeping the phone clutched in her hand. The clock by her bed told her it was two thirty am, far too early for anyone she knew to be awake. Her hands trembled as she slowly typed out a message to the only person she could think of, though she expected no response.
Charlotte: Everything feels different now. Is that weird?
She slid her phone onto the bedside table and had settled back into her pillows when it lit up and buzzed in place. Charlotte picked it up, seeing the response and smiling softly.
Chris: No, it's not.
Charlotte: Did I wake you?
Chris looked down at his phone as the reply popped up on his screen. He had been perusing various texts in his bed, reading whitelighter accounts and journals of their guidance. The message from Charlotte had been a surprise, but not an unwelcome one.
Chris: No, I'm reading about how to try and help you with your powers. Why are you still awake?
Charlotte: There are demons everywhere. It's strange to think about.
Chris: Don't worry. It gets easier.
Charlotte: Do you promise?
She cursed herself as soon as she sent it. The last thing she wanted to come off as was a scared little girl. There was no immediate response as before and she sighed heavily, cursing her paranoia and stupidity. She had been about to set the phone down when it buzzed loudly, this time alerting her to an incoming call. She answered, her brow creased.
"Hello?"
"I promise."
Charlotte smiled and laughed softly, "You called just to promise?"
"I don't want you to be afraid, Charlotte. I'm sorry that you got tangled up in all of this, and I'm even sorrier that I don't have anything to tell you or know anything else. But trust me when I say that now you're under my protection and nothing is going to hurt you."
Chris had grown up without a fear of the dark. He wasn't afraid of monsters under his bed or the boogeyman in the closet. He had known since he was old enough to understand, that his powers would protect him. His family would protect him. If Charlotte had not been afraid, or worried, that would have confused him more than anything. She was alone in the city, coming into powers and having her entire life turned upside down in just a few days. He was surprised she had lasted this long. Especially with some of the things described in his journal; things that had made his own stomach churn.
"Chris? Why do you think I dream about you?"
Chris shifted the phone from one ear to the other and leaned into his pillows thoughtfully. He'd had time to consider the fact, though he had no proof to back up any of his theories. But she wasn't asking for proof, so he saw no harm in making a few stabs in the dark.
"Honestly? I have a million ideas, all of them a little crazier than the next one. It might be something to do with your powers? You could be having dream premonitions about meeting me? Premonitions are a passive power, so it makes sense that it wouldn't be as obvious. But I think it's something more than that…" he trailed off, unsure if he wanted to broach the subject with her just yet.
"Something like?" Charlotte prompted over the phone; Chris hearing a lilt in her voice that made him picture her smiling.
"Maybe we're connected somehow. Magically, I mean. I cast a spell to find a guide and it brought me to you. Maybe your dreams were preparing you for your meeting with me."
"Seems plausible," Charlotte agreed, "Do you think we were connected in the past as well? I mean the original future… thing… whatever."
"It's possible we were. That would also explain any potential connection we have. Really, I think if we can get you into your powers, you might have a better chance at figuring something out. For the time being, I guess we just hope something falls into our lap."
Charlotte let her fingertips stroke down the front cover of the journal and her voice was quiet when she asked her final question.
"Sorry if this is too forward, but… when you said you were nothing special that day in the magick shop… I think you're wrong. From what you've told me, you are certainly more than just Chris Halliwell."
Chris smiled to himself and he laughed. It had taken him a long time to feel like he could step out of Wyatt's shadow. He never understood why he was not as powerful, especially since his father had been an Elder during his conception. According to Leo, Wyatt being born on a special wiccan holiday above the Nexus to two powerful beings. He was in the right place at the right time. That hadn't made his thirteen year old self feel any better, but now he understood.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"…goodnight Charlie."
"…goodnight Chris."
The phone call ended and Charlotte smile to herself. It had been a long time since she had someone to talk to. She was never good at making friends, especially since coming to San Francisco. She took the journal and let it fall open in her lap, finding her place in it and beginning to read. She wanted to have all of it read by the end of the week, especially if she and Chris were going to start working.
May 4th 2023
Wyatt's powers have grown now. The more he takes over the magical community, the more power he gets to take over the real world. There's panic everywhere, war threats and SWAT teams, but Wyatt's too powerful. He kills anyone who gets in his way or uses his demonic army to do it. I've created s safe haven in an old building and disguised it with magic. Wyatt was never as good at spells as I was, so I have that on my side. I've been gathering people all year to try and fight Wyatt, or at least give them some kind of refuge. Mortals, creatures and witches are all under one roof but I never wanted it to happen this way. We call ourselves The Resistance and I just hope we can stay this way.
Charlotte swallowed hard and continued reading, the darkness outside her window fading to a pale light as hour passed her by. She was hunched under her covers, weary eyes trained on the journal in her hands but she could not look away.
July 1st 2024
As of today, the entire world is under the rule of Wyatt Matthew Halliwell. We lost seven more today in his attack. I don't know who betrayed us, but I have moved the entire base again. Bianca helped try to keep everyone calm, but I think she is starting to doubt our place. I have no idea what to do now, but if there is anything out there… I'm praying to it. I think we just need one more miracle.
Charlotte turned the page and picked up reading, but frowned as soon as she read the first few lines.
July 31st 2024
I truly think I have found my miracle. I know Bianca disagrees and thinks it will be a curse on us and we shouldn't trust anything, but nothing this good has happened since the war began. I'm holding out for this and I think I can write these words for the first time and actually mean them.
I think this could be the key to changing our lives.
Charlotte set the book down on her blanket and flipped the page backwards, wondering if there was something she had missed. Not one entry ago, Chris had been lamenting the loss of the world and now he was suddenly sure he had the key to changing it? Her fingers skimmed down the page and she sighed softly, wetting her lips before her finger brushed along something soft and barely there. She brought the book closer to inspect the feeling, her eyes widening when she saw it. There had been a page- or maybe more- ripped from the book. She frowned and flipped several pages ahead in the journal, letting her fingers slip down the centre fold of each page one by one. As her fingers grazed small jagged marks every several pages, her frown deepened. There was no way to tell how many pages had been torn from the book, how much information had been lost? Who would tear pages from the journal? What could they say that would be so bad?
Charlotte smothered a yawn with her hand and jumped when an incessant beeping broke the air. Her alarm clock sounded at six am and she shut it off, realising she had spent the entire night reading Chris's journal. She closed the book and set it on the bedside table, slowly letting herself sink down into the pillows. She would leave Chris a message to meet her so they could discuss the missing pages, but right now she needed sleep.
Who knows, maybe now that everything was up in the air- something could come to her in a dream?
There Charmed Ones' family had grown quite large in the past eighteen years since Chris was born. Paige and Henry had beautiful twin girls; Natalie and April, shortly after Chris' fifth birthday, before adopting their only son, Henry Junior when Chris turned six. Phoebe and Coop had married and added three bundles of joy to their family; Prudence, who was now fifteen and in her most rebellious stage yet; Patricia, a feisty ten-year-old who was determined to be just like her daddy when she grew up, with the newest addition, Lily, coming along only four years ago (much to the surprise of both her parents).
The families had separated to their own houses, had their own lives, but always made sure they never drifted too far. All of them had been enrolled in Magic School as well as attention regular schooling, though if the two ever clashed; it was always the real world that took precedence. The families had fortnightly dinners, rotating the home where it was held between the three families. Their lunches were only held once a month with a picnic in the park so everyone could get out into the fresh air.
Henry Junior and Wyatt were throwing a football around while Natalie and April chased butterflies across the fresh green grass. Prudence was slouched under a tree on her cell phone, ignoring her mother's calls for her to join the family with a roll of her eyes and a flick of her hair. Patty was following couples around the park under the watchful eye of her father, the young girl giggling at the intertwined hands as she skipped after the couples.
The rest of the family was sprawled on picnic blankets, Chris with his nose in a book; Piper nestled against Leo while Paige and Henry fed one another grapes. Phoebe was colouring with Lily, who had situated herself in the centre of the rug with her multitude of colouring books and crayons.
"So, one of my two favourite nephews," Paige began as she fed Henry a grape from the bunch in her hand, "Piper tells me you've been spending almost no time at home lately, hmm?" she grinned and Chris immediately knew where she was going with her words.
"Got a secret girlfriend we don't know about?"
Chris snorted and turned a page in his book, "Nope. Just spending time at the library."
Phoebe laughed and winked at her nephew, "Yeah, yeah, I've heard that before. Hell, I've used that before."
Piper slapped Phoebe lightly and gave her son a soft glance, "You know, you've been spending a lot of time in the library lately though. Anything particular you're working on?"
Chris shrugged, "Reading the mortal's perspective of magic. I mean, I took a year from college to get in touch with my witch side and the unchanged future me. I want to make the most of it."
The decision had been a hard one, but he had the highest grades of his graduating class so he wasn't particularly worried about not going to college yet. His parents had been harder to sell on the idea, especially considering that Wyatt was already a second year into his journalism courses, but in the end they had decided he had the right to make his own choices.
Chris felt the gaze of his two aunts on him as his mother smile and he rolled his eyes, "There really is no girlfriend, okay? I'm not lying."
"What about the girl in Chris' cupboard?" Lily piped up from her place on the picnic rug, her chubby hand groping a blue crayon as she scribbled on a sheet of paper with enthusiasm.
All eyes turned on her in confusion before locking on Chris, who raised his hands in the air in surrender, "To my knowledge, there is no girl in my closet. I mean; a half-naked one in Wyatt's maybe-argh, Aunt Phoebe!"
"Do not say those things in front of my four-year-old!" Phoebe hissed before shuffling over to wrap her arm around Lily, pulling the long dark hair away from her daughter's shoulders, "What girl in Chris's cupboard, sweetheart?"
Lily set down her blue crayon and gripped a chocolate brown, "The one I saw in my head pictures."
The group went quiet, though Lily seemed to not notice. Phoebe's eyes widened and she squealed excitedly, though immediately calmed herself down and moved a little closer. Her two eldest daughters had inherited mostly their father's powers, though Patricia had touches of empathy now and then as an underdeveloped power.
"Sweetie, do you get these head pictures often?"
"Sometimes," Lily said softly, scribbling with the brown crayon before taking a black and red, "but not lots. But there's a girl in Chris' closet. She's afraid. She's hiding."
Chris frowned and shrugged when his mother cast him a worried glance, but Piper smiled sweetly at her niece, "Lily? Do you know if she's a friend? Or is she bad like some of the people your mommy and aunties deal with?"
Lily looked up and gave Piper a toothless grin, "She's special. But there's scary stuff coming and she's scared. I don't like this head picture very much."
Phoebe held Lily tight and Chris shifted closer on the rug, "Lily? What're you drawing?"
Lily set down the crayons and held up her masterpiece, "The closet girl."
Chris's stomach tightened when he saw the image she was displaying. The picture was crude, as a four-year-old's masterpieces sometimes were, but if this was the girl in his closet, he couldn't deny the resemblance to Charlotte. Phoebe looked up at other drawings and frowned, holding them all up.
"I drew her other places too. She works at a table with lots of bottles. And this is her and Chris."
Piper raised an eyebrow and Paige took a few of the pictures Lily had handed over, Chris's heart was pounding now and he shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant about the situation.
"I don't know any girls like that, and not any that would be in my closet for any reason. Are you sure it's me, Lily?"
The girl nodded and resumed her drawing, talking as though she did not notice the gaze of her aunts, uncles and parents.
"You were the one who put her in the closet an' said she needed to stay there 'cause they were comin' to take her powers."
Huge brown eyes looked up at Chris and her lips wibbled a little, "You looked super scared too."
Chris leaned over and wrapped his arms around Lily, who clung to him and didn't let go. His aunts had gathered together and were talking in low voices, Chris catching snippets of the conversations. Words like 'demon' and 'Chris' were being tossed around and he had the sinking feeling that he was going to get a stern talking to at some point about not trusting anyone in the near future, especially a female with brown hair; that was if the lecture wasn't about any potential secrets he might be keeping.
In other words, it was going to be a very long few days.
The serious conversation broke up when Wyatt tossed a football at Chris' head and demanded that everyone "get up off their asses" (the final word had earned him a slap from Phoebe) "and come play some ball", spurring what would go down in the manor as the dirtiest, filthiest, most filled with cheating game of football ever held at a Halliwell family lunch.
Sneaking away from the game, Chris pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found Charlotte's name. He tapped out a message, keeping it as short and simple as possible.
Chris: Need to see you ASAP. Tomorrow at your place? 12pm?
He pocketed his phone and sighed as he returned to the game, his mind reeling on the vision his youngest cousin had had. It was excellent that Lily was finally coming into her powers, but this did not bode well for him if her premonition was true. Why would Charlotte be hiding in his closet; what were her powers and why was someone coming for them?
It wasn't until he was wrapped up in his bed, curled in the warmth and trying to sleep that his phone lit up with a light buzz. He hadn't heard back from Charlotte all day, though it wasn't like he would have had the chance to respond. His mother had pulled him aside as soon as lunch was over and grilled him about who the girl might be. Chris had lied through his teeth, suggesting that maybe it was a future charge that the Elders were continuously suggesting he have (much to Chris' disagreement considering he could not yet heal.) After an hour and a half of Chris' solemn protests of innocence, Piper had given up with a soft kiss to his forehead and a ruffle of his hair. Chris's heart hurt to lie to his mother about something like that, but right now he needed to do this on his own. He looked down at the reply on the screen and smiled.
Charlotte: Sure. I have something for you as well.
Chris was desperate to know what she had for him, but they had both agreed that any major discoveries should be discussed face-to-face. He curled up set his phone back on the desk before closing his eyes, hoping tonight he could dream uninterrupted.
Victor Bennet considered himself a fairly good grandparent. Admittedly, there had been many shortcomings in his fatherhood aspect, but he hoped that whatever he had lacked there, he had made up for with his beautiful grandchildren. Even Paige's son and daughters had taken a shine to him, which he had loved more than he had ever told her.
He would never admit it aloud and often found himself burdened by guilt by it… but he had a soft spot for Chris. Seeing the incarnation of his future grandson in the past had been a huge turning point, and Victor had wanted to make sure that he and Chris share the same strong bond they had in the unchanged future. He and Chris shared almost everything, and Victor took anything Chris said with the upmost secrecy unless it was a vital threat to the lives of someone else. There had been periods where Chris had been angered by his grandfather's betray of trust, but he always came to realise that Victor had done what he had done for the best. Chris had confided in him about everything from girls to magic.
Victor had found himself on the other side of San Francisco on a business lunch, trying to gain as many new clients for his office before he retired (which he was fairly sure everyone in his life was not-so-subtly pushing him into) and making new connections. He smoothed a hand over his slightly protruding stomach with a disappointed frown. Maybe the last plate of sashimi had been a bad idea, but sushi was his weakness- another thing his grandson had so kindly passed onto him. Victor tugged on his jacket to straighten it out and headed back to his car, stopping on the sidewalk when he caught sight of a very familiar face on the side of the road. He stepped out of the bustling crowd and squinted slightly, unsure why his grandson would even be on this side of San Francisco; but there was no denying it was Chris.
The teenager was slumped against the stairs of an apartment building walk-up; hands stuffed into the pockets of his faded blue jeans. He was wearing his favourite black shirt, the name of a band Victor didn't know splashed across the front and his leather jacket slung over his shoulders. His hair was, as usual, a flyaway mess that refused to lay flat against his head. Victor leaned against a post, hoping he blended into the crowd enough that his grandson would not notice him, though Chris seemed distracted enough. Just as he began to think that Chris was just here with Wyatt on an impromptu "let's not tell mom" demon hunt, the apartment building door opened and a young woman headed down the stairs. Victor's eyebrow raised when he saw Chris look up and smile, straightening as she stopped in front of him.
So there was a girl.
To his recollection, Chris hadn't mentioned a girl during their last lunch; that was certainly something Victor would have remembered. Chris had only dated briefly during high school, his only serious relationship ending at graduation when his girlfriend of a year and a half decided to study overseas in England.
The girl slid a pair of sunglasses up into her brown hair and Victor saw a flash of white teeth as she laughed at something his grandson had said. He had to admit, she was fairly pretty. His grandson wasn't shallow in the least; but the dark blue jeans and fitted grey shirt the girl was wearing definitely suited her. Unsure what to do; and somewhat hurt that Chris had not mentioned his new female companion, Victor cast them one last look before continuing down the street, making a note to call his grandson later tonight and set up a lunch with him.
It appears there was a lot to talk about.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who read and those who reviewed. Now that most of the intro is out of the way, we can start getting into what is really going on with Chris.
