AN: So. Quickest update in awhile, I know right? :) I would like to thank everyone for the reviews (I'm trying this out for a change, bear with me :):
lizardmomma: I know you've followed for awhile, thank you ;)
leetvfan, tag.0, Saffygirl: Thanks :)
Star Mage 1: I have always found cooking scenes with them adorable, so I decided to try my hand. I'm happy you enjoyed it :)
Charmedfam: Aw thank you :) Happy you stumbled across it
Acarolin95:Thank you for reviewing...i know how it can be, reading awhile and finally being like, uhhh I need to review lol...so I appreciate it ;) I'm happy you like it...hopefully the update was soon enough :)
IloveIloveIlove:Thanks for the compliments on my writing style; I know if can be jumbled and sometimes splotchy, but i'm working on it :) Where is your SN from? Is it from Pride & Prejudice, the one with Keira Knightly? Cause that's what it makes me think of, I was just wondering...it's probably one of my top 5 movies :)
AshleyMarieHalliwell: I'm not sure what the context was in previous chapters, but I do know I mentioned it; I meant it as just being invisible/undetectable from the outside, but if he realized what it was, then he'd be able to get in. By their friend telling him that's what it was, he could then see it. I'm going to look back though, and if it seems confusing, probably do a rewrite. Thanks for bringing it to my attention :) Glad you enjoyed it :)
Mistress Arsonist:I hadn't noticed the awhile, but I'll watch how often I use a certain word in the future; sometimes, there's just that one word that seems to work with everything, you know :) lol...but i'm happy you enjoyed the rest of it.
Okay, so; tried to update ASAP; I had had a bit of this written awhile ago, but I revised it quite a bit and added to it. Hopefully it won't be too long until my next one, but you never know...you know how life it :/...i will try my best though. I know where I want to go with it, and how I want to wrap it up, so it'll probably be a few more chapters before it's over. I hope you guys like it :) ONWARD!
Disclaimer: Necessary? Really? Probably not, but anyway...not mine!
Chris stood in front of his family in friends, shoulders back and face set in a hard glare. "What are you doing here, Wyatt?" He snapped, fists clenched at his side. "How did you even find this place? It's hidden from the outside."
"I know. Nice trick, by the way." His brother quipped as he pulled his sword from it's sheath on his back. He set it to the ground as he paused, the tip hitting slowly, and he began to spin it mindlessly. "It seems an old friend of yours-although I don't know how good of one, since he obviously sold you out-" He pointed out. ", felt it may benefit himself in the long run if he offered up some information. He was correct." Wyatt raised a hand and made a beckoning motion, bringing two guards to his side, a leaner, taller man standing between them. His eyes were blood shot and shined with tears, and he was looking down at the ground. He hadn't expected Wyatt to bring him along.
"Andrew?!" Parker exclaimed angrily, stepping forward, but not before Chris threw out his arm, pushing his cousin back. "You...you told him where we were? We helped you!"
"I'm sorry." The man croaked, his arms raised in a gesture of submission. "I...I didn't feel I had a choice. Kim's pregnant again, and Ella just turned two..."
"Well congratulations!" Parker snapped, leaning forward against Chris in agitation, which earned him a reproving glance from his older cousin. He backed up a few paces, but maintained his glare at his supposed old friend.
"I was protecting my family, Park!" He defended. "It's not optimal, but any of you would've done it. Hell, most of you have done something like it!" His eyes flashed with sadness, and he shook his head. "I'm sorry." He repeated, hanging his head as he spoke, his voice cracking.
"Enough!" Chris snapped, stepping forward a few paces. Leo's eyes widened in alarm, but Chris, as if sensing his father's distress, held up a hand to him. "Enough, Wyatt. What do you want?"
"What do I want?" He asked almost incredulously. "What do you think I want, I want them!" He gestured with his weapon now at the past version of his mother and aunts, anger in his eyes. "And I'm tired of this, Chris. You're becoming far too much of a nuisance."
"Then kill me." His brother replied simply, walking closer to him. "Right now. Do it."
"No!" Piper yelled, fighting to step forward, her sisters holding her back. Leo even started to move, but again, Chris held up his hand. Knowing he had to trust his son, no matter the plan, he stopped, his heart racing. Wyatt would never strike his brother down right out...would he?
Wyatt, for his part, studied his brother for a moment before the corners of his lips turned upward. He began to shake his head, laughing softly. "No...no, that won't do. Despite the pain in the ass you've been, I can't seem to bring myself to kill you."
The relief in the air was palpable, and for one brief moment, Chris hoped he might have been making headway with his stand.
"However," Wyatt noted, cocking his head. "They definitely could." He gestured behind him to his men, who now stood ready to attack. "You should've just handed them over Chris. Guards!"
An arrow seemed to fly from nowhere, heading directly for Chris' chest, but it was stopped in mid-air by Piper, giving Chris time to drop to the ground and edge back to his side of the bar. What had been the sight of a calm family dinner only an hour before, was on the brink of becoming a war zone.
Chris looked up in time to flick his wrist as a demon approached the group of resistance members as they scattered, attempting to find better positions. It flew and hit the wall with a crack and slid to the ground, unconscious. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his father's blue tendrils of electricity flowing from his hands, encompassing two demons that writhed under the attack. In his other peripheral, he could see his mother, her hands working fast as she worked to vanquish a demon that may be working toward hurting any of the resistance members. His heart began to race at the idea that she could die during this, but he knew that telling her to go hide would result in her ignoring the order; plus, having the Charmed ones on their side gave them a distinct advantage.
As it raged on, both sides began to face losses, and more and more bodies seemed to drop to the ground, their cries permeating the air. Each person, while looking out for each other, was focused on themselves, and as the fight raged, it was harder to keep up with others. Wyatt moved through the crowd, his blade slicing through the air with accurate fatality. The world seemed to move in slow motion as he made his way through the remaining resistance members, his intense attack striking down all in his path.
Parker, having no active power, had managed to raid the kitchen for many of the potions they had stored away in case of an emergency. As he was tossing them out, moving around stealthily as he picked out more advantageous positions, he almost tripped over what he thought at first was one of his fallen comrades. His old friends eyes, however, were the ones that looked up at him.
"I hope this was worth it." He hissed in anger, facing off against his friend. "I know it's your family, but Jesus, Drew! Look at what you've done!"
"I AM sorry Park, it's just..." His eyes widened in alarm. "Parker, watch out!"
But the warning wasn't in time. He felt the blow even before he had realized what had happened, and soon looked down at his torso to see the tip of a blade piercing through the front of him. He gasped as it was pulled back out, and he managed to crane his neck weakly behind him to see his eldest cousin holding the offending piece, his blood covering most of the sword. There seemed to be a hint of genuine regret in his eyes, but not enough to help him. Wyatt moved on, and Parker hit his knees, his eyes finding Andrew's in front of him, whose mouth was open in horror.
On the other side of the room, Chris found himself more than occupied. It seemed, he realized, that Wyatt's dark lighters had been instructed to aim for him specifically; Wyatt knew he would not be able to do it himself, so this was the way to go. As Chris faced 3 head on, he was formulating, in his minds eye, a way to handle them in a swift manner. He was aware of his father far across the room, his aunts and mother now separated as they fought their own battles. But it was Parker's name, yelled in horror that caught his attention and as he looked up out of instinct, his defense dropped.
The darklighter's arrow that hit first was not from one of the three he was facing, but obviously from another that was waiting for just the right moment to strike. The arrow embedded itself in his stomach, drawing a soft cry of pain from his lips, but it was the following two whose force drove him in to the wall behind him, striking him in the shoulder and the sternum. This time he yelled loudly, not being able to stop the cry this time. The force of the collision with the wall made his head snap back, banging onto the hard surface and he slumped to the ground unconscious.
The yell had stopped everything, and now, good and evil alike looked around to take in the scene. Wyatt threw his arm up in a halting motion.
"We're done here." His voice filled the emptiness, brooking no argument. He turned to his mother and aunts, whose faces were portraits of horror and grief as they took in what Wyatt had become, along with the chaos that had been created by his visit. "You would be wise to come to me. Or we'll be back to finish this for good."
They stood in shock as Wyatt and his men shimmered out, leaving the chaos to reign around them. As they looked around, Piper rushed to Chris and Paige to where the twins stood, one helping the other up as they began to help other survivors. Phoebe's eyes found Parker in the corner behind chairs, hidden from the group, but the way his chest rose and fell with effort alarmed her. She rushed over.
"Parker!" She exclaimed, falling down beside him. "Oh god, Parker! Oh...!" Her voice broke as she felt the pool of blood hit her knees, and she scooted around, letting his head rest in her lap. His eyes fluttered open and he reached for her almost blindly. She grabbed his hand. "I'm here." Was all she needed to say, and she wondered if he knew that she had been suspecting of his true identity. As if reading her mind, he opened his eyes once more.
"Mom?" He asked fearfully, swallow hard. She squeezed his hand, tears filling her eyes and spilling over quickly.
"Parker..." She breathed once more, and suddenly, with the emotional trigger as he hand squeezed hers once more, was pulled into a vision. A premonition, where she found herself in the main bathroom at the manor with a 3 or 4 year old little boy sitting on the toilet lid in front of her, brown eyes wide and filled with tears. She knelt in front of him as she cleaned off a nasty scrape with some gauze and Neosporin and placed a batman band-aid over it. The boys face was tear streaked and he was huffing and puffing as if he were still close to sobs, so she smiled at him reassuringly.
"What if I kiss it, make it all better. Will that help?" She asked. He nodded, sniffing, so she leaned forward and pecked it, leaving remnants of her pink lipstick on the bandage.
He didn't seem to mind. His tears stopped then, and he opened his mouth in a wide, toothy smile.
"Thank you mommy!"
She felt her body stiffen as the vision ended and his terrified, teary eyes stared back at her knowingly as he clutched her hand tighter. Panic began to rise in her breast and she forced herself to tear her gaze away and look for Leo, look for someone to help heal him, but she realized that anyone else-other than Leo-had been hit by the dark lighter attacks. Her eyes soon found the future version of her brother in law, limping as he pulled himself up from the beating he had taken, and saw him rushing to Chris's side. The arrows seemed to have been pulled from his body by Piper, who was sobbing next to his prone body, and she grabbed onto Leo as soon as he arrived, urging him to save their son. Leo might not have even realized Parker was in such bad shape, but she knew he probably would've chosen Chris anyway. Realizing what it meant, she squeezed his hand tighter and looked back down at him, steeling herself to face the very probable death of her son who hadn't even been born yet. It was amazing to her how palpable the grief was.
"Parker!" A shriek came from behind her and she was soon joined by Prue, her usually cool demeanor gone. She had a large gash on her arm, tied shoddily with what looked to be a cloth from a tshirt and the blood had soaked through it already, but she didn't seem to care. "Parker, no!" She grabbed his other hand and squeezed as she began to cry.
"Prue...hey." He began weakly. "Now you're gonna have to keep Chris in line." He joked, a cough following soon after which spattered blood at the corners of his mouth. This only served to make the girl cry harder, and she let her head fall to his chest. He pulled his hand from his mother's for a moment, resting it on his sisters head as she sobbed, trying to comfort her, but his calming hush sounds came out garbled and bubbly as his blood began to fill his mouth, a clear reminder of the situation.
"Parker, no." She sobbed, shaking her head as she pulled back, looking at him. "Hold on for Uncle Leo...he's taking care of Chris, but he'll be here in a second...you just have to hold on. I need you here. I don't know what I do without my pain in the ass older brother." He laughed at her and she smiled sadly through her tears, continuing in a more serious tone once more. "I can't be the only one left, Park...I don't want to be the only one left."
"I'm sorry." He apologized, staring at her once more. "As much crap as I give you, you know I love you, right brat?"
She began sobbing harder. "Parker, no...."
Phoebe, hands now free, brushed the hair from his brow. He looked up at her again, sadness and exhaustion written plainly on his ashen face. "I'm happy you're here for this. It makes it easier."
"Oh Parker..." She saw her tears land on his face and she wiped them away, determined to keep him a long as possible. "You are all I could ever want in a son."
He chuckled and coughed, his breathing growing more erratic. "And you're all we could ever want in a mom. I guess that's an even trade." He coughed and breathed deeply, growing serious. "Stop this. Save us in another way. Change this future. Make it better."
He was fading fast; both women had seen enough death in their lives to know he had only moments. Phoebe spared a glance in Chris' direction, but was only met with the sight of Leo struggling over his prone body as Piper cried next to him, even though she saw the glow and realized it was probably taking affect. She wondered how close he had come to death, seeing the struggle and tears that seemed to coat Leo's face; wondered, how long it had really taken to pull her nephew back from the brink.
Too long. Prue leaned over her brother once more, her head on his chest sobbing as he struggled with his last few breaths. He tried to calm her once more, brushing his hand over her brown hair, hushing her lightly. Suddenly, his breath caught and he looked at Phoebe.
"Take care of her." He managed strongly. "Take care of us."
His chest fell and did not rise again. Phoebe closed his eyes. He was gone.
-------------
Resistance members gathered quickly as word of the devastating attack on the club circulated to the two other centers in the Bay Area. Clean up began, and other white lighters reported to help with the injuries that had not been immediately fatal and the other bodies were gathered and families were notified. Cary had taken the point on this, since Parker had fallen and Chris...well, Chris was in no state to do anything.
He railed at his father as soon as he had some rest in him. He had regained consciousness some time after he was healed and the first person he asked for upon seeing his girlfriend, and immediate family-the twins, Paige and his parents only, which he dismissed as coincidence-was Parker. Parker never would leave him, he knew, unless Prue or someone else was worse off. Their eyes had filled with tears.
"Chris..." Piper began, but Leo, placed a hand on her knee, knowing that his reaction would probably not be the best and she should not be the one to take the brunt of it.
"Chris," Leo began, and Bianca sat next to the young man on the bed. As she took his hand, he looked into her glassy eyes. No more needed to be said.
"NO!" He had yelled. "NO! NO! Not Parker, not...NO!" Bianca pulled him into a quick hug, but he pushed her away. She stared at him, hurt, and quickly looked at Piper with wide eyes.
"I think this is...this is a family thing." She said slowly, rising slowly, her eyes not on Chris, who had his head in his hands. "I'm gonna..." She just gestured to the door and quickly let herself out, her own tears spilling over. Chris, barely registering the absence in his shock and grief, rose as well. He shook his head in confusion, eyes now red rimmed and tear filled, but clinging to every last fiber of control in his being. He took a deep breath, and opened his mouth once as if to begin, then shook his head at the pause. After a moment, he started again.
"What happened?" He croaked, voice breaking. "What the hell happened?"
Slowly, they filled him in on the battle up to the point where he was overcome by the dark lighter arrows and was told that the yell he had heard, they surmised, was from Andrew; he had been taken with Wyatt when he left.
"He was trying to warn him," Leo said softly.
"Yeah, well a fat ton of good that did him. Especially since he's the one that did this!" Chris snapped, burying his palms into his eyes. "Why...why didn't you help him, Leo? What about the others?"
"All...everyone else, the other white lighters...they didn't make it. I was the only one and you..." Leo trailed off.
Chris's eyes snapped open, suddenly blazing with indignation. "What? I what? You decided to save me instead?"
"Chris..." His voice took on a tone he had used with Chris as a child, something akin to his elder voice, used to explain topics that were less than pleasant. This served to only stoke Chris's anger and he snapped.
"No! Don't try to placate me, you made the wrong decision! You saved the wrong kid!"
Piper's eyes suddenly caught Leo's gaze behind Chris, a burning feeling in her stomach as she remembered a similar argument between them, much more recent for her than him. His gaze became almost wistful, almost yearning of the simple time when the only person he had disappoint was the woman who had chosen to love him, instead of his child, who he loved beyond a doubt but seemed in a constant battle to prove it. His gaze flicked away from her; this was more important now.
He stepped toward his son, hand outstretched to grab him softly. "Chris..." His voice was softer now, genuinely full of grief and apology, but Chris would have none of it.
"No! Don't touch me! Parker is dead, Dad, he's dead, and he shouldn't be." Angry tears shined in his eyes. "You saved me just cause I'm your god damned son! That's not right!" Tears began to slide down his face, but he angrily brushed them away. "You saved the wrong one."
"Hell if I did." Leo snapped, his anger at his son's own blatant disregard for his well being overriding the grief for his nephew. "This isn't just about you Chris; this is about Prue and the fact that she just lost her only tie to her immediate family, to her mother and father and little sister. It's about Phoebe, who had to watch her son, who hasn't even been born yet, die at her feet. It's about everyone else here that loved him. I wanted to save him. I wish I could've, but I didn't have the time."
"Then you should've left me. You should've saved Parker. He is-was-the better one. He was." Chris insisted.
"Parker was a great kid, Chris, but you know what? There is no one else that could lead this Resistance any better than you. Without you, all of this would've fallen apart. That's why you were the one that needed to survive. That's why you shouldn't feel bad about this. He wouldn't want you to blame yourself for this, which I know is exactly what you're doing."
"You don't know that." He whispered. "You don't know that he couldn't have handled this."
"I do." He insisted vehemently. "I do, and so did Parker, and so does everyone else." Leo got up and walked to his son, grabbing his arms. Chris tried to jerk away, but his father's hands were surprisingly strong on his biceps and he couldn't. He leaned back, not wanting to face anymore, just wanting to GO. "How do you think everyone would've felt if they had no one to follow?"
"They could've followed who was left." He replied weakly, his head hung. "There are other people who could do it."
"I wasn't going to lose another son, Chris!" Leo snapped, tightening his grip on the young man. Chris head snapped up, his eyes wide and surprised at Leo's passionate outburst and the tears in his fathers eyes. "So you be mad at me. You need someone to be mad at, so be mad at me if that's what makes this easier for you. I get if you don't see logic through your grief. Yes, I made a decision, and yes, partially, it was because you are my kid. Because I can't do it, Chris. I can't lose the only family I've got left. I lost your mother, then Wyatt. It's not happening. I'm not going to let it."
Chris was finally able to pull away harshly as Leo's grip loosened, his body seeming to deflate after his outburst. Chris could feel the others eyes on them, expectant and understanding. They knew this would be his reaction; the denial, the anger, the bargaining...all the stages of grief, playing out quickly just like they needed to. He knew that at that moment, after Leo's heartfelt declaration, they thought he should fall into his father's arms, sob into his shoulder and just be held by him like a part of him wanted to do. Even if not that particular scenario, that maybe he should just accept the fact that his father had made a difficult decision when he chose to stick with Chris as he realized Parker was in far worse shape, no matter how much he may disagree with it.
But he didn't. He couldn't. He sunk back further, the tears beginning to stream down his face at a more rapid pace now. He just shook his head, unable to keep the full force of his grief at bay. "I can't." He said as his voice broke, and orbed out, escaping to a refuge where he could sob alone.
"Let him go, Uncle Leo. He needs to be alone." Cary said, stepping in as Leo seemed to make an action to follow him. Leo opened his mouth as if to protest, but realized it was the truth. He hadn't been in Chris' life for 5 years, and while the last few days had been good for them, it hadn't alleviated all the negative aspects of their relationship enough for him to force his reassurances upon him. He would let him have a little bit, he decided; but after a few hours, he would go, whether he liked it or not. Chris was a grown man that needed his space; but Leo knew that at some point, he'd have to stand up and yet again prove to him that he wouldn't leave again, that he wouldn't ignore him, even if that's what he was told to do. He leaned back against the wall and slumped to the ground, letting his head fall into his hands with a strangled sigh.
How had it all come to this?
-----
Out in the main room, bodies laid neatly next to each other, unable to be covered by sheets or blankets. Each had at least one person next to it, waiting for a family member to come claim them. Those who were injured, or fighting for life sat against walls and laid on sheets, and were being tended to those who had come from the other two centers. Family members identified the bodies where they were needed, but Phoebe was surprised to see them merely somber where they would've expected hysterics.
For now, though, Phoebe and Prue sat quietly, across from each other as Parker's prone body lay still in between them, the younger of the two's tears sliding down her face in silence. They had stripped the boy to his boxers-even though Phoebe felt awkward doing it, Prue didn't seem to- and had begun to wash him up, wiping off the dried blood from his torso and removing the sodden clothing. The door opened slowly, and the twins appeared in sight, each with a bundle in their arms. Paige followed behind them, her face drawn and quiet. Her eyes met Phoebe's and, while she didn't want to voice her concerns in front of the others, Phoebe knew her sister well enough to know what she was asking. She swallowed and waved her hand, as if to say she was fine, but two tears made their way down her face as she closed her eyes. Everything was not fine.
"How did he take it?" Prue asked deadpanned, not taking her eyes from her brother's body as she dipped the cloth in a warm bowl next to her, wringing it out before gently passing it over his chest, cleaning the area where the blade had sliced his skin in order for them to bandage it up so no more bled onto the change of clothes they had brought. Cary cleared his throat.
"Um...well, about as well to be expected. So. Not well. He kinda took off." He sat down next to her and Callie took her other side, resting a hand softly on her cousins back as she took in Parker's state. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, as if in prayer. Phoebe thought it an odd gesture, seeing as prayer and God was never really apart of their lives, but said nothing.
"Yeah, I figured." She replied softly, tilting her head as examined the wound more closely. "Oh Excalibur." She sighed, barely breathing the word. She sat back, licking her lips as she swallowed, her eyelids half closing, tears brimming beneath them. "If King Arthur could see you now."
Phoebe, seeing the girl was weakening, picked up her own rag and continued where she had left off. She didn't look at her; she didn't know what to say, or how to say it. This girl had been cold and distant the entire time she had been in her time, while she and Parker had seemed to have an instant connection, a rapport that was eerily comfortable and familiar. Now, knowing who they were to each other for sure, she felt that she should say something, but there was really nothing she could think of. So she decided to wing it; when the impulse came, she'd know...or, she hoped, she'd know.
As she cleaned him, she gently ran her hands over his now cool flesh of his arm, over his fingers, making a mental memory of everything he was, wanting to soak in every physical aspect of him while she could. She looked up at Prue without making eye contact, as Prue's eyes never left her brother.
"What now?" She asked softly. "What happens now?"
The teenager sniffed and swallowed, shaking her head. "Chris will decide what to do, but usually, Wyatt allows us a funeral at least. Not completely heartless, it seems." Her tone was caustic and cold. Lost.
"The Mausoleum?" Paige asked softly, treading carefully. Callie took over now, speaking quickly as she laid a hand on her cousin's arm in reassurance. They had tried to get her to take a break, to take some time, but she refused to leave his side in the hours since he'd passed. Now, with the sister's asking questions, her cousin didn't want to be too overwhelming; Prue had quite the temper and she didn't want to see what would happen if one of them set her off, as she was already on edge enough.
"No...no. Not...not a burial." She shook her head, dark curls falling out of the loose bun at the base of her neck to frame her face. "We haven't entombed anyone in years. We cremate them now."
"Cremation? Why?" Phoebe asked, as it was customary for those of the Halliwell bloodline to be entombed with those from the family. Cary met her eyes.
"Let's just say that Wyatt has gotten...creative, in his ways of manipulating us and others who he feels are best reached on an emotional, rather than physical, level. He knows how close our bonds are to our family." The blank stares he received let him know they weren't catching his drift, so he swallowed, looking away. "I know you're familiar with Necromancy, Aunt Phoebe."
She went pale; paper white. "Oh. Oh, God..."
"Yeah, cause God's the one I'd go with on this one..." Prue interjected with a roll of her eyes, picking up the cloth again to continue. He was pretty much clean, the paleness due to the blood loss more apparent. Cary had taken care of his more sensitive areas earlier, while Prue was still in shock and Phoebe and Paige were helping others, trying to keep their heads on straight. Now all that was left was bandaging up the wounds and redressing him.
"People seem to be...taking this better than I thought they would." Paige offered, deciding to try and move the conversation away from Parker specifically. Cary shrugged, raising his eyes to meet his mother's.
"This is common place." He explained. Brown eyes that had once seemed so common were now so clearly mirrors of her own, and she began to see features that echoed her own. It hadn't been hard to nail down who they were, once Phoebe had seen Parker's vision as he died. She knew the twins were close to the other top officers that made up the resistance, and they seemed to be included in the close knit group that Prue and Parker also belonged. It was easy to confirm her suspicions that they were more than just close friends to Chris, especially given their partial white lighter status. They hadn't even needed to say anything; the way Cary had launched himself at her when he saw her come to check on them as the fight ended was enough of a confirmation as any. He had wrapped his arms around her, thankful for her safety and she had seen the terror and worry in both of their eyes. And she had hugged them back, both, just as hard.
"Common place?" Phoebe ventured.
"This was a minor scuffle, compared to what we've been through over the past few years." Prue replied flatly, eyes still on her brother. "The real devastating part of this is all of the senior officers that were wounded or killed. We lost a lot of good people."
Phoebe, seeing the distress and hearing the depression in her voice, reached a comforting hand to cover the girls where it rested on her brothers torso. Prue's head snapped up, eyes blazing, and yanked her hand back as if Phoebe had burnt it. "Don't TOUCH me!" She yelled. Everyone's eyes widened, silent. Prue seemed to falter then, gaining her wits about her as she shook her head.
Phoebe, slack jawed and surprised, sat back on her haunches as the girl back away slowly, rising in her flustered state. "I'm sorry," She began to explain. "I just thought..."
"I know what you thought." The girl snapped. "You thought you'd try and help me through this," She sneered. "I think you and your sisters have done quite enough."
Callie had risen by now. "Prue, don't..."
"No!" The girl exclaimed, turning on her cousin. "No. She shouldn't try and make this better. It's your fault!" She exclaimed, turning back to her mother's younger counterpart. "If you and your sisters don't show up here, none of this happens! Chris doesn't get left for dead, Leo doesn't get caught saving him, Parker doesn't..." She had begun crying again, and as she mentioned her brother, a sob overtook her and she covered her mouth with both hands to stifle them before spinning around and bolting away. Callie looked back at her mother and aunt, hands open as if to try and explain, then shook her head and turned to chase after her.
Phoebe stood, stunned and now pale at her future daughter's unexpected outburst. As she had fled, the door had swung open and failed to fall back shut, and she was acutely aware of the multiple sets of eyes peering in out of curiosity and wonder. A few, she assumed friends, had followed Callie, but she didn't dare turn to look.
"She didn't mean it." Cary began after a few moments of silence, moving towards the door to close it and regain their privacy. Paige watched him, the image of a young man who had realized the amount of responsibility now upon him as everything around him began to crumble.
"Yes she did." Phoebe whispered back, her eyes on Parker now. "Yes, she did." She looked up at Paige, tears shining in her eyes again. "And she's right."
"Phoebe..."
"No....no, she is, she's right." She shook her head, the sheen in her eyes growing brighter. "I did this. Me. I said the spell wrong, because of some stupid, stupid misguided desire for...for some man, and I...I've killed..." She dropped off, gasping for a breath. Cary grabbed her hand.
"You've saved us, Aunt Phoebe. Because of you, this doesn't have to happen, ever." He grasped it tightly, forcing her to look at him. "Prue does this. She lashes out. She rationalizes stuff in the wrong ways, but she'll come around. Please, though. Believe me when I say, you are not who she is blaming in this. She is grieving and you just happened to be the one in her line of site when she reached her limit."
"But it's true...everything she said, about Chris, and Leo, and..." She trailed off, looking at the lifeless body in front of her. "It's all true. None of you would've been in this position if not for us. For me. For my botched, selfish spell."
"There's nothing to say he wouldn't have died without your interference here. Not to mention, if we'd have had to come up with some sort of time traveling fiasco on our own. Could you imagine Chris, or Parker, coming to your time? You'd never believe them." He said it with the hint of a sad smile on her face, but she reeled back.
"Of course we would! If it was to protect our family, we would do anything!"
Now the smile was full; sad, but full. "Exactly. And we know that. We know that you'll stop this. So let her let lose some steam. She was reaching her limit, your gesture just happened to be the boiling point." He dropped her hand, smiling more cheekily now than sorrowful. "Besides, you'll learn from this right? A life lesson? You'll never do something like this again, hm?" There was a twinkle in his eyes, like something of a result of an inside joke, and she had to smile.
"Something tells me that I'm a heavy proponent of this stuff in the future."
"If you mean learning from our mistakes-especially the magical ones-then yes, you are. Especially magical ones...what did you say?" He closed his eyes, biting his lips, which still formed a smile, his voice becoming tight and almost haughty. "Ah yes; 'Good judgement comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgement.'" And he winked at her, laughing a little as he turned to retrieve some of Parker's things. Her eyes narrowed.
"Surely I don't sound like that."
"Oh please, you sound like that now; I doubt much changes. Time probably makes you worse." Paige interjected with a teasing smile, stepping forward. Phoebe returned to glance sourly, then rolled her eyes, resting on her back foot. Paige's gaze found Cary then as he kneeled close to Parker's head. "Looks like you're wrapping up here?"
"Yeah...yeah." He nodded, now avoiding her eyes. They hadn't really spoken since their tight reunion after the battle, and she sensed he was off-put now, maybe even regretful of the affection he had displayed. Maybe she wasn't a great mom to them, maybe they were only worried for their own well being...or maybe it was something else. Either way, the task at hand was trying enough that she didn't want to press, and she sighed.
"Did you need help, then, or did you want us to do something else...? I think at times like these, it's best to be busy." Paige offered then. He looked up at her now, but his eyes darted between her and Phoebe's face, and random other spots in the room. Paige's spirits fell but a bit.
"I'm sure there's still things to be done out in the main room. Um...I'd go check with Uncle Leo and Piper. I'm sure they could use the help. Plus," He pursed his lips, looking back at his cousin's corpse. "I'd kinda like some time alone with him, if that's alright."
"We understand." Phoebe replied. "We're gonna...we'll be out in the main area, if you need us. Okay?"
"Mmhmm." He replied, nodding, but as he tended to his cousin's body, it was obvious he was already in a world of his own. Paige sighed and Phoebe grabbed her hand, motioning with a head gesture towards the door where they quietly made their way out to the main room to face their sister and brother in law, and see what they could do to help with a mess it seemed, they had only served to create. And hopefully, forever prevent from happening.
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