Disclaimer:
Once upon a time there were two brothers.
One light and extrovert.
One dark and cagily
One destined to be the bearer of the holy sword.
One to be his balance and confidant.
Both chosen to fight the battle between good and evil.
Both a pawn in the hands of the higher powers of heavens and darkness…
Chris: Ehm, ehm, dragons!
What?
Chris: Is this going to be the disclaimer or "Lord of the rings" part IV???
You are spoiling all of my fun! Bäh! One thing's for sure: If I'll ever write LotR part IV, YOU, my dear are going to become an ugly, bugging Ork.
Chris: That's so cool!
No! It was meant to be mean.
Chris: Too bad, cause I like it. Always being the good one, that's straining.
Maybe I should let your brother turn you for a while???
Chris: I dint meant it like that…you wouldn't do that, would you??
Watch me!
Chris: Nooooooooooooo++hides behind the couch++
++hears the beeping of a handy++ What are you doing??
Chris: Calling the FHO!
Don't you dare!
Chris: You leave me no choice. You know where I'm coming from. I'm trained to survive!
OK, OK, what about a truce?
Chris: You won't let him turn me?
I don't think so…OK promised!
Chris: ++hangs up the handy++ Then let's get over with this, I want to see what happens next…
Charmed don't belong to me and it would anyway be a wicked shame to make an ugly Ork out of sweet handsome Chris…
Chris: Did you hear that Wyatt!
Chapter eleven / part three
Piper kept on holding the young mans hand as her eyes wandered out of the window into the starry night sky.
Why did she suddenly feel so familiar to her young whitelighter?
It seemed like the most natural thing, to just sit there and guard over him.
And it wasn't the slightest bit strange…!
A sudden movement, like the tiniest twitching, brought the lost in thoughts witch back into reality.
She was greeted with the brightest green orbs she'd ever seen.
"….mom??" whispered a tiny tender voice.
And there was this moment- this fraction of a second, when she wanted to answer Yes´!
But moments elapse like the sands of time and Piper answered "No Chris, It's me, Piper."
She could see as the brightness in the boys eyes faltered. There was only one thing left: Sadness.
There was a sadness that was deeper and more desperate, then she'd ever seen in any human beings eyes!
Chris let his heavy eyelids fall again and tried to comprehend what had happened.
Piper saw the young whitelighter drift back into the lurking depths of unconsciousness.
She wasn't quite sure but her instinct told her that she should not let him fall asleep again.
The resolute witch was resolved to try her best to keep from that.
"Hey Chris, don't fall asleep on me now. Do you hear me!?"
Chris didn't like the thought of fighting to open his tired eyes once again. The first time had been that strenuous.
He'd only managed to bring up that much strength, because he thought he would see his mom – even if there was a chance that he would find himself in the afterlife - that did not matter to him.
But this was definitely not the mom he remembered.
He had to sate in some kind of relief that all physical pain had gone. For Christopher Halliwell being free from any pain was a rare feeling throughout the last years of his life.
There was a warm and relaxing sensation that filled his body now. Even his broken arm did not hurt anymore and the annoying cast had vanished.
But where was he? And the bigger question was: How did he get here?
His curiosity won and he summoned up his strength to get away from the beguiling abyss of unconsciousness.
He forced his eyes open once more.
"Where….? How…??" Chris croaked, bewildered of the sound of his own voice.
Piper, who still held the boys hand, pressed it heartening.
She felt the heated palm of the boys almost imperceptible trembling hand trying to rejoin the gesture.
"That's better! Stay with me!"
She had to keep the boy awake at least as long as the potion, her sisters had made needed to fight the withdrawal effects of the sleep drought he had taken.
For the first time since they'd met, Piper saw their young whitelighter with his emotional guards down.
There were no masks left to protect his features from being seen what they were- Piper looked into the tender, pain filled and ever so vulnerable face of a boy.
How could she have missed to see that?
How could he have hidden this from her for the last six month?
And the most important question of all: How much more secrets were hidden behind the usually so never inscrutable features of Christopher Perry?
She looked deep into the boys eyes, trying to fathom their secret.
And she knew it was there, right in the endless green orbs…
Heavy eyelids began slowly to fall right in the middle of Pipers musings.
"NO, no, no, no, no!" Piper whispered and cupped the tired face before her with her left, her thumb stroking gently over the flushed and feverish cheek.
Chris felt his eyes closing unintentionally.
He didn't fight them anymore.
Why should he?
To look at Piper?
To look into the eyes that only watched him with distrustfulness and sometimes pure hate since he came back?
But now something had changed within them. They looked at him almost tenderly, with such a huge amount of sympathy and compassion.
They were…there were his mothers eyes…almost!
A warm feeling began to spread through his body.
Maybe now something would change?
But Chris had learned out of bitter experience, to never set his hopes to high.
…
High hopes or deep despairs, the youngest Halliwells body succumbed to what it needed most at the time…
Sleep!
…
There was a row in the kitchen as Chris came to his senses next time.
Every family member seemed to gather in the room, where Piper updated everyone of the condition of the actual main subject of worry, their young whitelighter.
The scent of fresh brewed coffee and toasted bread hung in the air of the living room and engulfed Chris with a pleasant and homelike feeling.
For the first time since long ago the boys stomach started to notify itself loudly.
Despite of his gnawing hunger, he held his eyes shut tight.
Just one moment longer…
He wanted to relish just a little more in the feelings of waking up at home with his family safe and sound (and best of all complete!) in the neighbour room, chatting over their breakfast.
Soft voices got through the open door.
Chris couldn't completely make out what was said but the substance of the words were not to misapprehend.
They were words of concerned worry and care. No one was angry or annoyed and yes – they were unmistakably talking about him.
The young whitelighter took in a deep relaxed breath.
Maybe the things wouldn't turn out so bad after all, maybe…
No! He forbade himself to go there.
He couldn't tell them.
The truth would hurt them – hurt him.
He could never let that happen.
Slowly Chris stood up and made his way on unsteady legs to the kitchen.
…
Everyone was so deeply entangled into discussion that they first didn't notice his emergence…
"He's so vulnerable at the moment, and I'm happy that he'd make it out of his comatose state. So just get off of his back, Leo!" Piper stated, a deep fold on her forehead revealing her worries.
"But this has to be discussed! He will have to justify himself to us and to the elders as well!" Leo's calm demeanour gave away more and more to his deep lying distrust and anger.
"No he doesn't! He is a great whitelighter as long as you and those stupid elders did not get involved. All you ever cause him is pain. So why can't you only let it be good with that. I'm sure he'll talk to us at given time.
Don't you start your little pressure game ever again on him!" Piper started with a growing voice.
"But he's far to labile to protect someone as important as the Charmed ones and the twice blessed!"
Pipers eyes shot daggers.
"Hands up girls. Who is with me in this matter? Has Chris ever let us down? Do we still want him as our whitelighter?"
Phoebe hand went up as well as Paige's.
The latter's hand suddenly turned into a pointing gesture at the figure leaning heavy in the door-frame. "Ehhm, Piper…!" Paige hemmed.
"Hey" Chris caught the speakers eyes - finally found. He looked shyly up out of tousled, far too long bangs, unsure what to say.
"Chris! Hey…you're up!" Piper overwhelmed the boy with one of her light up the room smiles´, which by the way her youngest had inherited. But they never had given it any cause to come to life.
Chris mirrored Pipers smile in his own, now more restrainedly ways, not sure if he would ever be able to smile in that way again…
TBC…