Wow. It's been like, forever, since this has been updated. Time moves way too fast when you get older, doesn't it? It seems like it was just yesterday that I started this...it doesn't help that my computer died a few months ago and the few chapters I had been working on for this story went with it :( Mal-ware is EVIL.
Anyway, sorry for the delay guys. Work's been kinda crazy, and my creative drive for this story went away for awhile, but I think it's back now :) I wasn't completely satisfied with the rushed feeling of the last chapter, so I really wanted to do well with this one. Hopefully you guys kinda enjoy it! :)
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Leo watched Chris pace a little more as he stayed silent, then ended up on the couch, his hands on his head. He sighed and spoke first. "So what do you want now?"
Leo stood still. He saw his son as a skittish animal; that if he made any sudden movement, any inclination to get close to him, he would either lash out or flee. He didn't want that to happen. "I want to talk to you."
"So? Talk."
Leo looked at the ground, wondering where to start. Since Chris was generally all business, he figured he'd lead with that. "I think I may have an idea about why Wyatt is the way he is."
Chris finally looked up at him, a serious look replacing the petulant one on his face. "Go on."
"It was around the time you were born; something happened to him involving an elder named Gideon..."
"I've never heard of Gideon...and I've met all the elders." Chris interrupted.
"Right. I don't want to go into details, because you don't need to know the details, but if we can stop Gideon from getting to him in the past, then we may be able to prevent all of this."
"Which is why you have all of a sudden shown up when Piper shows up?" The childish tone was back, pushing and instigating something.
"Not the only reason." He replied evenly. "But if we can inform them so they can prevent it, it's the best way to solve this problem. Think of it Chris! No more fighting, no more death. Hell, think of everyone who we may have back."
The thought of Piper hung in the air. "Why can't I know? Why don't I need to know? You're going to have to tell them, right? I'm in charge here. I need to know what's going on."
His urgent tone saddened Leo. Chris wasn't even 21 yet; he wouldn't even be able to legally drink if it were normal times. He shouldn't have to fix this, shouldn't have to feel like he needed to fix it. "You don't have to be the one in control all the time, Chris. You should trust us to help you."
"I should trust you? I, should trust, you?! I haven't seen or spoken to you in 5 years and you have the nerve to tell me I should trust you? That's rich, Leo."
"I was just doing what you wanted me to do." Leo replied calmly. Chris was starting to get worked up, and if Leo fought back, Chris might shut down and stop. He needed Chris to yell at him, to be mad; he needed his son back, and he knew as messy as this would escalate, he wanted it to happen.
"Well you picked a damn fine time to start listening to me." He replied bitterly.
"I knew I had never been the kind of father you needed, so if being rid of me was what you needed, I figured I could at least do that for you."
"Oh please, don't lie to me. I gave you an out, a way to finally get rid of your big mistake, and you took it gladly." He spat, eyes blazing in anger. Leo knew he was getting to him, but he was suddenly confused.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Don't play dumb, Leo. I heard you. I heard you talking to Victoria a little while after Wyatt disappeared, after Mom died. I was waiting outside your office with Parker, but you didn't know I was there. And you said it-you said I was the biggest mistake of your life. Verbatim."
"I would never say that." Leo denied vehemently. "I would never---"
"You DID! I heard you!" He exclaimed. "I was picking up bits and pieces, but I heard you clearly..."
"I remember that conversation, Christopher Perry, and I did not say that. I said that not listening for you, not hearing you, was the worst mistake of my life, and I stand by that." Leo looked around wide eyed, shocked. "You really think that little of me? That I would say that about my own son, who I love very much? You do know that, right? I love you very much, Chris."
Chris wasn't able to respond; a very key part of what fueled his anger and resentment toward Leo was being debunked in the moment. It could be true-he and Parker were only able to hear bits and pieces of the conversation, and both had heard that part clearly, but even Parker was vehement about Leo not meaning it.
"It couldn't have been what you think, Chris. We didn't hear everything..."
But something like that, to hear when you have no one else and after everything that had happened, was too much for Chris to find an excuse for. So later, when he was talking to his father, he just screamed at him. Told him he hated him and never wanted to see him again.
"If it wasn't true, then why did you stay away?" He asked weakly, his logic crumbling.
"I thought it was truly what you wanted, and I felt I needed to give you that. You had Victor, you didn't need me." He was making his way closer to Chris now, slowly, with his gaze meeting Chris'.
"What I wanted was for you to be a parent for once, and tell me no! I wanted to see if you cared!" He exclaimed, his eyes shining now. "I was 15 years old Leo! Of course I needed you. Mom had just died, and Grandpa was sick with the cancer, Wyatt was gone..."
"And you thought I didn't want you." Leo finished, stunned. "I...I didn't know. I'm...I'm sorry, Chris."
"It doesn't matter." Chris said, shrugging it off, and there it was, the tough exterior. The wall was up, but Leo wasn't going to leave it alone.
"It does to me, Chris." He closed the gap between them, but Chris peeled away and fell onto the couch, avoiding his father's eyes.
"We don't have time for this right now, Leo..."
"All we have is time for this. And if you want to know everything, I'm going to need you to trust me. For that to happen, I need you to understand something." He sat next to him, and Chris continued to turn away from him. Leo grabbed his chin and turned his head toward him. "Look at me."
"Don't! Touch me." Chris said jerking back. "I'm not some child you can make do what you want. I'm all grown up, and you missed it Leo. You missed it, so don't think you can come here and act like you care, like you want to make things better, like you actually love me. If that were the case, you wouldn't have stayed away."
"You're so sure I did, aren't you? How did I know about the other night then? Or a few years ago, after the Fight, you came in here to be alone and you just cried Chris, how would I know that? Or that sometimes, just to get away, you just come in here, lock the door and read something not related to magic? I mean, really. How many times can you read To Kill A Mockingbird without getting bored of it?" His tone was light at the last sentence, but his eyes were serious and caring. Chris just stared at him.
"Have you been spying on me?" He whispered.
"You have no idea how hard it is to watch from the shadows and not say anything." Leo stood now so he was looking down at Chris, and then pulled the chair from the desk so he was sitting directly in front of his son. "Once or twice a week, I come down and I check to see how you're doing. But I never say anything, because you made it abundantly clear you didn't want me in your life. But I can't cut you out, Chris. You're all I have left in this. And I know, I should've been this attentive when you were younger, and I made mistakes, and yeah, I was a shitty dad for awhile, but we had some good times didn't we?" He was searching his son's face, which was down turned as Chris studied the ever so interesting holes in his knees. "I couldn't stay away because I can't let you go, because you're all I have left. And I love you, very, very much. The fact that I made you think I didn't...well, that might just replace the biggest mistake of my life."
Chris looked up, startled. "But mom..."
"I loved your mother...I still love your mother, but she's gone. We can dwell on our mistakes and let them erode us, or we can focus on what we have left. If anything, death should remind us we have to show those we care most about that we do." He cuffed his hand on the back of his sons head and was relieved when Chris didn't jerk away. "And I should've told you to deal with it, that I was sticking around, but I couldn't cause I was ashamed of the father I had been, and I thought you deserved better. I'm a coward for that. But it doesn't change the fact that you're my son, it doesn't mean I love you any less than I ever could, and I've learned from my mistakes. You're gonna have to kill me yourself to get me to leave you alone after what happened the other night. There's no way I should've let it get this bad."
Chris was picking at his jeans, biting his lip, and Leo had nothing left so he leaned back, waiting. Chris would probably side step it, probably turn it right back to business, but it didn't change the fact that Leo had at least put it out there.
"I never thought you were a coward." Chris whispered after a few minutes of silence. "I don't think I ever could, especially after the other night. You outright disobeyed him. You knew he wanted me left alone." He was still staring at his lap, swallowing hard. Chris was so hard to read sometimes, but Leo hadn't really started being an absentee father until Chris was around 11 so he still knew his mannerisms well. Wyatt was the kid who was always open with his feelings, because they weren't extreme. He was happy go lucky, or mad, and you knew about. Chris, on the other hand...he was always ashamed of his feelings, hated to show emotion because it meant so much to him; people meant so much, and he knew he was emotional and tried to stifle it. Leo just waited.
When his father didn't speak, Chris continued. "And for as angry as I am at you, I could never hate you...and I would never be able to hurt you, let alone kill you, because you're really all I have left too." His voice was breaking and he finally looked up at Leo, who was shocked to see that a few small tears had escaped from the corners of his eyes.
"Oh, Chris..." He sunk in next to his son and hugged him close as Chris began to cry softly, letting Leo rub his back and his head and tell him he was sorry, that it would be okay, that they would work it out, that he was so fucking sorry.
"Dad." Leo tightened his hold at the name, for Chris hadn't addressed him like that since Piper had died. "I've really missed you." He admitted reluctantly, afraid to be any more vulnerable than he already was though his tears.
"Oh Chris, you have no idea..." His own voice was on edge, and tears burned in his eyes but he wouldn't cry. He would be strong for Chris, because he was the father in this situation, and Chris had been the strong one for far too long.
"I'm sorry...." He sobbed quietly. "I didn't mean to yell; I wanted to thank you for helping me the other night, but it's been so hard with them here, having to see her everyday...."
"I know son...I know. You're handling it so amazingly though...I'm so, so proud."
He just kept muttering to him reassuringly, rubbing his back and head as Chris dug his face into his neck like he had done when he was little. Leo could feel the warm moisture rubbing off, and when Chris calmed down and pulled away, his face a watery red mess, he saw the wet marks on his fathers shirt and flushed a darker red.
"Sorry...I...didn't mean to get all out of control."
"You're fine Chris. I'm sure it's been pent up for awhile." He got up and moved to the desk, which housed a small fridge beneath it and a box of napkins that would have to do. He retrieved a bottle of water and the tissues and handed them to his son.
"Thanks." Chris replied. He paused for a moment, sipping his water, evening out his breath. "This doesn't make everything peachy between us."
"I know." Leo replied smoothly. He stood in front of his son who leaned back on the couch, looking up at his father seriously.
"I'm still really mad at you."
"I know."
"You're okay with it?" He asked warily.
"Whatever it takes; i'll bug you until I die if that's what it takes to make up for the last 10 years. Deal with it, kid."
Chris hid a smile. "Thanks, Leo."
"When you're ready, we can head out. We need to get this taken care of, but I wanted to talk to you first." Leo explained. "And, if you really feel like you need to know, i'll tell you everything. You won't like it though."
"I need to know. As the head of this Resistance, it's my responsibility." He said smoothly, evenly, and then offered a small smile as Leo opened his mouth to comment. "This time, though, I know it's not on my own."
"Such a smart kid. Wonder where you got that from." He replied with a smirk.
There was a pause, and the small smile turned into a grin, as they both stated the same thing in unison. "Mom."
------
Wyatt Matthew Halliwell was angry.
Not just a little angry, like he felt like hitting something. He was a lot angry; he had already vanquished two of his top guardsmen because their time was dwindling and no leads seemed to be available. They weren't even able to bring in his pacifist father, for Christ's sake!
"Sir!"
"What?!" He snapped as one of his lower level guardsman entered his office. The man had a smug grin on his face at first, which fell at Wyatt's sharp tone. He stood at attention.
"Sir, I tracked down an old friend of your cousin's, Parker Cooper. He claims to know the location of the headquarters of the Resistance."
Wyatt smiled. "Really? Good work...what is your name again?"
"Samuel, sir. Samuel Curry."
"Well Samuel Curry. If this pays off, you may be getting a promotion." The man beamed, causing Wyatt to smirk. "Bring him forward." He barked.
"Yessir!" He said, exiting the office and ushering in a nervous looking man. He didn't look much older than 25, and no younger than 20, but he was trembling. A mortal, from the looks of his marker. Wyatt scoffed.
"Your name?"
"Sir, my...my name is...it's Andrew Miller." The man fumbled with his hands, forcing himself to look at Wyatt, although the terror was written on his face. Wyatt ignored it, and stared boredly back at the man in front of him.
"How do you know Parker Cooper? He must be at least 6 or 7 years younger than you."
"About 5, sir. Not to correct you, or anything, but...i'm 22. Sir. I tutored him for a few years in school when we were younger."
"Wonderful. Where is the headquarter's?"
"It's...at P3, sir. Or what is left of P3."
"Impossible. I sold that dump years ago, and it's been abandoned ever since. It's forbidden." Wyatt snapped.
"With all due respect sir, I've been there. It's been glamoured to look like a boarded up building, but it's not. Inside, they've made it much like magic school; a small space but infinite rooms for those who need to stay."
Wyatt eyed the stranger now, his interest surely piqued. "You speak as if you know a lot of magical things, but you're mortal."
"Sir, yes, sir." The man was still nervous. "I only lost contact with them a year or so ago; I was friends with his other cousins as well."
"My brother, I suppose? You both are around the same age."
"Yessir."
"So what makes you come forward now? Why, if you were such good friends, makes you turn them in? Did Chris piss you off? A falling out? He's quite good at that."
"No sir. I...I have a daughter. And...my wife is pregnant. And I heard you were looking."
"Ah, there it is." Wyatt stated silkily. "You want immunity."
The man just shuffled nervously, not daring to look at Wyatt. "Well?!" Wyatt growled.
"Sir, yes...sir." He said quietly. "I understand, if you don't give it to my family, that I am doing this, for the good of this city, but I was hoping..."
"Done." Wyatt said with a wave of his hand; mortals were of no consequence to him. The man looked positively radiant until Wyatt spoke again. "Samuel, show Mr. Miller here to his room here in the building. Make sure his wife and daughter stay on the other side, away from him."
Andrew paled. "Sir?"
"Well, I can't very well let you go to your home, pack up your belongings and flee in case what you've just handed me is complete bull. Which I'm sure you wouldn't have done anyway, because you seem like a...decently average, intelligent man. Not too loyal to your friends, though."
"My family ranks higher sir."
Wyatt sharpened, and Andrew cowered, but he didn't yell or send the man flying; he did supply useful information. "Get out. Your wife and daughter will be kept as collateral. Once we investigate your story and find it to be credible, you will be allowed on your way. If you can live with yourself."
The man paled more, but nodded. "Thank you, my liege. I will be eternally grateful."
Samuel wasted no time. He grabbed the man's upper arm and gruffly led him away, as two of Wyatt's top guards innately knew to approach their leader.
"Assemble everyone." He snapped, turning to stare out the glass window at the city. "We attack tomorrow at dusk; that gives us 24 hours. Go!"
------
Chris and Leo had finally emerged from the office, no worse for the wear. No one could tell he had had an emotional breakdown, which he was thankful for, but those closest to him-Bianca, his cousins-could see the hostility had disappeared from his stance. Whatever had gone on inside the office probably had helped.
Many of the people who had waited to hear something about the meeting had dispersed to their own quarters as it was drawing to night time and they had grown bored waiting. All that remained were his cousins, Bianca and the sisters.
He had wondered how Leo would take this; it was hard to guess. After all, he could wear his emotions on his sleeve with them; they had history already. He watched his father as Leo's eyes traveled around the club and found his mother, bent over a book reading. Paige and Pheobe were at the bar, chatting about something inconsequential and hadn't even noticed their emergence.
As if she felt his eyes, Piper looked up. And just stared.
"Oh boy..." Callie whispered.
Leo's eyes filled with tears that he fought to hold in. Piper stood slowly, and the sudden silence drew her sisters attention.
"Leo!" Phoebe exclaimed. He didn't even look at her.
"Piper." He whispered her name like it was water in the desert. "Piper."
"Hello Leo." She said, stepping closer. She knew this would be weird for him; he was still in her life daily. She had seen him only days before! But it had been 6 or 7 years since the her of this time had died, and she knew if she was in his shoes, she'd be a wreck!
He reached out cautiously, wanting to touch her face, but not wanting to intrude. Slowly, she took his hand and brought it to her cheek. He closed his eyes. Chris' sharp words from a few days earlier rang through he mind unbidden.
"He didn't seem to care so much about you when he let you die."
She wondered what the story behind that was, but for now, she'd ignore it. She stepped close to him, embracing him tightly. He smelled her hair, and took a shuttering breath.
"Oh, there is a God." He whispered. She smiled.
How are you doing with this? Parker's voice pervaded Chris' mind. He had stepped back against the wall to watch his father and mother interact for the first time in 7 years. He smiled.
I'm good with it. It's weird, but they look happy.
So you and your dad worked things out?
Chris chuckled inwardly at the hope Parker evoked. Well, it's not like we're in Full House or anything, but we made some progress.
Parker smiled and nodded across the room. Piper had pulled away and the sisters had come over to greet Leo, both surprised by how excited he was to see them. They were close to Leo, sure, but this was different. They supposed, though, that the 15 years had made them closer, not to mention the devastation of the loss of the Charmed Ones. It was understandable that his grief had reached a level of such intensity.
"So you know what changed Wyatt?" Prue spoke first, her voice strong. Leo turned to her, a small smile on his face.
"Hello to you too Prue." He looked at the other cousin. "Cary, Callie...it's good to see you guys too. It's been awhile."
"Hi Leo." Callie rushed to him, hugging him. Cary followed, but Prue hung back, offering only an impatient smile.
"You know all of them?" Phoebe interrupted. She was watching the interaction closely. They were obviously comfortable around him, happy to see him, although Prue looked off put and Parker looked like it was nothing new to be around Leo. Her curiosity was getting the best of her and she didn't notice, but everyone else could. They had known her in the future, all their lives, and could see her tell when she presented it.
"Yeah, well, they all were at magic school with Chris and Wyatt, practically grew up with them...I take it they told you about magic school?"
"Mentioned it. You can fill me in more later." Piper chimed in.
"Oh, sooner rather than later." Leo led, his attitude changing from excitement to a more somber tone. "It has to do with what turned Wyatt. Or who, rather."
"So you know?" Prue pressed. Leo turned to her.
"I think I know; we can't know for sure." He reminded her. "It's what I'd hedge my bets on though. Years of careful research-and first hand knowledge-have given me an almost sure understanding of it."
"What if you're wrong?" She demanded. "What if this is our chance to stop this and it doesn't change anything?" She was beginning to get worked up, unable to control her rising emotions. Leo strode to her.
"Prue, I know you've lost a lot. We all have. I think I would be the first person you could trust with this."
"I know but..." She looked at Parker. She loved him, she did; but in the big picture, he was always closer to Wyatt and Chris and she and her sister, only a year apart, were much closer than she was to him. Not to mention being a huge daddy's girl. When they, after her mom, had died...she felt more alone than she ever thought she could. "You know what, I'll be right back."
She turned rushing to the bathroom. Callie made a motion to follow, as did Phoebe, but Parker stopped them both. "No, I'll go. You guys need to be filled in on this. I can find out later." And he left quickly, moving to a trot to catch his sister.
"We do need to. There's not much time to waste." Chris began. "Leo?"
"Yeah, we do." He sighed. "Hey, I'm a little thirsty. How about we meet back at the bar in a few minutes? I needed to actually talk to Bianca about something real quick."
"Me? Really?" She looked sideways at Chris, who shrugged, although his expression was wary. Chris watched her as he walked away, but she followed Leo as he led her to a corner of the club without any objection.
"Bianca. I don't think we've really met." He smiled, offering his hand. She shook it awkwardly.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Wyatt."
"Leo, please."
"Leo, then." She paused. "What can I do for you, I guess?"
He looked back at the waiting group; Chris was watching closely, but Leo knew he couldn't hear anything. "We both know how Chris is about things sometimes; he blames himself for things that aren't his fault. And I'm afraid that might happen when I explain the situation I'm about to."
Her brow furrowed. "He's not always like that." She defended. She was righteously angry for him. Leo was blatantly an absentee father and to insinuate that his very grown up son wasn't going to be able to handle something because he thought he knew how he was was irritating; even if he was right.
Leo raised an eyebrow, and Bianca sighed. "Okay, nevermind. He can be like that. But what do you want me to do about it?"
"He's going to feel bad, and I've been the cause of that too much. He doesn't listen to me. I need you to make him realize it's not him. It's never been his fault. None of this is."
She sighed, staring at him. "You really are worried about him."
"I love him, Bianca, despite what he and apparently everyone else believes. Crappy dad as I may be..." His voice got husky and he looked away. "This is really all my fault. I need everyone to understand that it can be undone, but I need him to be okay too. I've done enough damage."
"I'll take care of him. I always do."
Leo smiled, like he knew something she did not, but she ignored it. "I know you do. And I appreciate it, even though that probably wouldn't matter." He sighed and clapped his hands together. "Okay, let's get going though. I think the natives will be getting restless."
They joined the group, Bianca walking next to Chris and grasping his hand. Chris looked at her questioningly, and she shook her head, indicating she'd tell him later.
Leo stood next to Cary, close to the sisters, directly across from Chris. He sighed. "I guess I need to get to it then."
"So. What causes this? What turns my baby into this...monster?" Piper asked.
------
Prue was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, hands on the porcelain sink. She splashed the water on her face, took deep breaths. She could hear them moving out in the front room near the bar, making small talk, happy that no one had followed her. She just needed some time...
And then she looked up to see her brother leaning against the doorway, watching her with concern. She sighed. "I didn't mean to get upset."
"Well no one ever means to get upset." He teased, walking in, letting the door close behind him. "I wanted to see how you were doing."
"You should be out there. We both should be, but this...it's so hard, Park." She shook her head. "I don't know how you do it."
"How I do what?"
"Talk to her. So easily. You give nothing away. No wonder you were so good at poker when we'd play with Grandpa."
He chuckled, moving to sit in front of her. "It's not so easy. And I think she's onto us, by the way. Hopefully we can get her home before she has the courage to say something."
Prue rolled her eyes. "If there was anything Mom had enough of, courage and curiosity is it. If she does know who we are, then she's gonna say something."
"Yeah, you're probably right." He replied with a small laugh. He looked up at her.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, not looking at him, tears finally filling her eyes.
"Aw, Prue." He leaned forward, grabbing her hands.
"No, I am because, that...rant out there, I know what you're all thinking. About Daddy, and Patty, and how upset I am, I seem ungrateful..."
"No one thinks that." He filled in.
She scoffed. "Don't know if I believe that. I see the way some people look at me." She licked her lips, tapped her toes on the floor. "I am grateful I still have you. I'm sorry I'm such a bitch sometimes. I just...I'm scared I'm gonna lose you too. Or that we'll waste this chance. Sometimes I miss them all so much, it feels like i'll just die. And I will, if something happens to you too. I hate it, Parker, I hate that our lives are like this..." She began to weep quite suddenly, which surprised Parker because she was just not that kind of girl. He rose and wrapped his arms around her, trying to calm her down.
"You're not a bitch. And I'm afraid of losing you too. But Uncle Leo knows what he's doing-he's trying to save his family too, you know." He squeezed tighter.
"I know." She sniffed.
"We can trust him." Parker reassured. "He really has been helping. He really wants this to work too. And it's really our only option."
"I know." She pulled back, sheepish now. "Thanks. For that."
"No problem kid." He handed her some tissue. ""And I'm not going anywhere. You can count on it."
She wiped her nose with a sniff. "I hope you're right. Maybe...when this works, we won't have to worry about it. How long do you think it'll take?"
"Instantaneous, I would think. But who knows how time travel works." He chuckled. "Can you believe it was mom who caused this?"
"Yes." She answered bluntly, right away, and then laughed. "I remember her telling me about Jason as one of her many loves in her life. I don't think this was part of it though."
"She probably just didn't botch the spell. Or who knows. They've done other stuff in their past. One wrong word..." He shrugged. "Boom."
"Whatever. What do you say we..." She stopped. "Wait. One wrong word." She stared at him, a very expectant look on her face. He stared back curiously.
"I think I know how to get them home without needing the book. But we'll need to know the spell they used. I'm surprised Chris hasn't thought of it." She mused. Lost, Parker just sighed.
"Well, he has had a little bit on his plate these last few days, wouldn't you say?"
"Hilarious. So happy you got the sense of humor in the family." She snapped. "Let's just get out there, hm? Try and pick up what's going on? Do I look like..." She motioned to her face, wondering if there was any trace of her recent display of emotion. He shook his head.
"Not enough for them to pry. Your eyes are bright though."
She waved it away. "It's fine. Let's go." She began to lead the way, and Parker followed, a small smile on his face. She could switch so quickly, snap to attention so easily, work so well even though her heart was falling. She was definitely the daughter of a Charmed One.