Charmed: The Return

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

Summary: After their parents' deaths, the Charmed Children moved on with their lives. Now they return home to where it all started and back to the world, they turned their backs on.

Chapter Eight: Wounds to Deep to Heal; Even for Angels.

We all begin with good intent
Love was raw and young
We believed that we could change ourselves
The past could be undone
But we carry on our backs the burden
Time always reveals
The lonely light of morning
The wound that would not heal
It's the bitter taste of losing everything
That I have held so dear.
Sarah McLachlan, "Fallen";

Charmed: The Book of Shadows Soundtrack

Dr. Christopher Halliwell finished his analysis of the media-named, "Basement Bones" by eleven that morning. He was in autopsy suite five, reserved for anthropology cases, cleaning up. It was equipped with a special ventilation system, after all he deals with the decomposing remains. He headed out of the room and into the long hallway of autopsy suites. As he walked past he could see the medical examiners at work. He was always disheartened at death, but that is what fueled his desire to do this job. To give justice and to help those who are left behind to move on. It also helped him come to grips with the reality of this world. He was too familiar with the reality of his world. The world of darkness, demons and warlocks. He went into the doctor locker room and went over to his locker. He opened it up and pulled out his lab coat, which he pulled over his dark blue scrubs, and slammed the locker shut and was on his way upstairs.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner's building was strange. It had floor floors and only two were visible above ground. The first floor was a parking garage and had storage lockers and cold case vaults. The second floor was the morgue itself with the autopsy suites, the body vault, where all the 'patients' were kept, and the doctor's locker room. The third floor contained the front foyer and reception area, the family room where families are lead after realizing a loved one is in a body bag and cooling off downstairs, and the forensic labs and pathologist offices. The fourth floor had two classrooms for lectures, a hard file storage room for victim charts and physical evidence, two large conference rooms and a small fully equipped kitchen and coffee station.

Chris sat down at his desk and immediately began his work. He turned on his computer and entered his password and opened up a MS Word document and started to type in victim number and all the other required material. He was half way through typing his preliminary findings, taken at the scene, when a knock was heard on his door. He looked up and saw a tall black woman standing in the doorway. He signaled her in with a wave of her hand and she so noticeably entered. "Hello, Dr. Gellar, what can I do for you?" Chris asked as he stopped typing and hit save and looked up at her.

"Not much, Chris. Where were you yesterday for the post?" she inquired as she sat down. Jada Gellar was a renown forensic pathologist. She wore a pale pink short sleeve shirt and black slacks, with her white lab coat over her.

"Family emergency. What did you find?" Chris asked, as he sipped his cold morning coffee, which was left abandoned.

"Cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation. Her hyoid was broken. I sent one of the molars to Newman, he won't be able to look at it until next week. He's in Sacramento for a conference. And I have another molar for you." she said as she pulled a small ziploc bag with a yellowed molar inside of it out of her lab coat pocket.

Chris took it from her hand and looked over it through the plastic. "Okay, I'll look at this after lunch."

"Chris, I'm confused though. It would take something very strong to break the enamel like that."

"I know, Jada, but it's not unheard of. I know I read something about this in an anthropology article in grad school. I can look it up." Chris said as he placed the molar in his top drawer.

"So how was your analysis?" she asked.

"Not bad. I determined that it was a female, mid to late twenties. I was wrong about time of death though, I had a prelim of one month, turns out to be more or less in the area of three to six months. The decomp was delayed for some reason. Cause of death is blunt force trauma to the head. Her temporal bone was shattered. I'm going to have a pathologist look at the body before I start claiming bones for further analysis. And I was hoping you would be that pathologist?"

"Aw, Chris, you don't even need to ask. I can do it sometime this afternoon. I have a MVC fatality to post first, then I would be more than glad to look at the body."

"Thank you, Jada. I appreciate it." Chris said as he leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. "I'll leave you to do your report." Jada said as she stood up and was on her way.

Chris turned back to his screen, his fatigue taking over him, as he started to type some more. Then his phone rang. Chris rolled his eyes and picked up the black handset and spoke, "Hello?"

He stared at his computer screen as he listened to the speaker. "I'll be there in ten minutes." Chris said as hung up the phone and saved his document and logged out. He stood up and removed his lab coat, and grabbed his wallet and keys out of his top drawer. As he left the office, he turned around and locked the door and went to see Dr. Peters, his boss.

Dr. Alex Peters was reviewing a case file when Chris entered the office. "Alex, I'll be back soon. Abridge called and needs to speak with me." Peters didn't even look up but grunted his approval.

Chris drove the fifteen minute drive in about seven, with no regard for the speed limit. He didn't know why he drove so fast, all he knew was that he had to get there. Along the way, he got very nervous and had a sinking feeling in his stomach. But that was absurd, right? He parked in an empty spot and locked his car. He stepped out and headed in. The sun was bright and the temperature was high. He started to sweat in his scrubs, and that's when he realized he was still in his scrubs. The dark blues with Dr. Halliwell written above the left breast pocket in white thread.

"I'm here to see, Inspector Abridge." Chris told the front receptionist. She looked at him and his attire and asked for identification. Chris rolled his eyes and pulled out his driver's license and the receptionist stared at it for awhile before returning it and told him where to go.

Cassie Abridge was sitting at her desk. Her face wore an upset look. Her hair was in a ponytail and she wore blue jeans, a white tee shirt and a charcoal gray blazer. "Come with me, Doctor." she said and lead him into an empty conference room, where Chris sat down and she sat down opposite him.

"I finished my analysis this morning –." he started before being cut off. "That's not why I called. Now I want you to be quiet and let me talk." she said in her hard as nails attitude, and Chris just glared at her with confusion.

"Yesterday, I noticed how you and your cousin reacted to the writing on the wall, and I know you know more about that then you are letting on. I had Grayson in ID pull a background check on you. And here's where it get's interesting. The name Halliwell came up many, many times. And it wasn't just your name. He dug back all the way to 1967, where an Allan Halliwell, your great-grandfather was reported dead at your home address. Then again on February 28, 1978, a woman, Patricia Halliwell was found dead, COD was drowning at Camp Skylark, your grandmother. From 1978 to 1998, there were no instances of death in your family until your great-grandmother, Penny Johnson Halliwell died of a heart attack, nothing suspicious there. But from there on out your family name appears way more than it should. May 26, 1999, an inspector of this very precinct, Andrew Trudeau was found dead in your house, and the same day, an Internal Affairs officer investigating Trudeau disappeared. January 13, 1999, an unidentified woman was shot and killed at your house." that was when Chris interrupted.

"These are all before I was even born." he said in his defense.

"I am aware of that, now please be quiet." she said as she continued, "The same day, a man Bane Jessup was arrested after being knocked unconscious by Prudence Halliwell, your aunt, also as witnesses there, were your mother, Piper and your Aunt Phoebe Halliwell. February 24, 2000, Bane Jessup escapes and turns himself in with Prue Halliwell as a witness. Then on April 7, 2000, a woman and her two friends, named Gail Harris, Helen McArmstrong and Amanda Cutler all pass away, and I believe your mother and her sisters called Ms. Harris, 'aunt'. May 4, 2000, Dr. Curtis Williamson was found dead, the same Dr. Williamson who treated your mother for an illness earlier that year. His death was reported by Piper Halliwell. October 6, 2000, your Aunts Prudence and Phoebe testified against a murderer, and the judge in that case went missing shortly after the trial. On November 2, 2000, a bartender at your mother's club P3 was arrested at your home for stalking Prudence Halliwell. On February 22, 2001, your aunt Prudence was arrested for murder and cleared of all charges. On March 15, 2001, two DA investigators were killed, including Reese Davidson, who's death was called by your Aunt Phoebe. Davidson was investigating the November disappearance of Phoebe's boyfriend, Cole Turner, who mysteriously showed up shortly after Davidson's death."

"Is there a point to this?" Chris asked with anger in his voice.

"I'm getting there. May 17, 2001, your Aunt Prudence and a surgeon, Dr. Griffiths were both found murdered at your home. That case was never solved. On May 2, 2002, your Aunt Phoebe's husband, Cole Turner disappeared and a missing persons report was filed on May 9, 2002, only for him to reappear a week later on May 16, 2002, where your mother and aunts testify at the trial of a woman named, Selena and the death of FBI agent Jackman. November 10, 2002, your Aunt Phoebe was present at the death of her then boyfriend, Miles Marino. Then on January 19, 2003, Phoebe's ex-husband, Cole Turner disappears and has yet to resurface. April 20, 2003, your other aunt, Paige Matthews was spotted dancing with a group of protesters in the park. The protesters were never found."

"This is very nice and all, but what does this have to do with me?" he asked. They weren't protesters, they were wood nymphs, the thought to himself.

"October 12, 2003, three woman, Mabel, Mitzy and Margo, last name still unknown were arrested at your home after attacking Piper and Phoebe Halliwell and Paige Matthews. And that is all that Grayson was able to pull up." she said as she closed the file and slid across the table for Chris took look at.

"Now what I want to know is why your family appears to be every where in our records as witnesses in trials, murders, stalkings. Your family is very well known."

"I don't know anything about this." he said. Lie.

"I wouldn't imagine you would after all, these all happened before your birth in 2004."

"Then why am I here?" Chris asked in defiance.

"Because I want to know what it is about that name that you and your cousin know so much about. I know your ordeal, Christopher, still plagued by the unsolved deaths of your mother, aunts and uncles five years ago –."

'Don't talk about that." he cut her off.

"Did I strike a nerve? Isn't it the least bit curious that Piper Halliwell, Phoebe Halliwell and Paige Matthews in addition to Jason Dean and Richard Montana all die on the same day, with the same cause of death. At the same place? And who reported those deaths? That's right, your cousin Samuel. And whatever happened to your father? Leo Wyatt? He went missing and has been presumed dead for five years."

"Shut up." Chris said in anger, he was losing his control and patience.

"After reviewing all this information and your family's reports from five years ago, I like to think your father did it."

"Shut up about my dad. You know nothing about anything. My dad was an angel, literally. He wouldn't even harm a spider."

"Then where is he?"

"You're the detective. Detect." Chris said as he stood up. "Are you arresting me or am I free to go? After all, I have remains waiting for me." and with that he walked out and slammed the door, and the glass shook.

Once in parking lot, he ripped out his cell phone and dialed, Rachel. "We have a serious problem." he said into the phone and got into his car.

A short Chapter I know, but it was intense, was it not? The dates for all the background information are simply the airdates for the episodes in which they happened. Some information was changed such as: the death of Davidson, we never know who called it in, but for this story, let's assume Phoebe did. I hope you all enjoyed and please review!