FALSE MEMORIES
My first posted story here. Also my first Charmed Fanfic, although I have written fanfiction for other shows.
Disclaimer: The characters in Charmed do not belong to me. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Summary: Loved the Piper/Leo/Chris family dynamic in Season 6 so that's when this story is based. Set after Chris-Crossed and Prince Charming. Nobody knows who Chris is yet, but they're about to find out, courtesy of an unexpected visitor from the future…
Notes: Funny, I thought this was going to turn out to be a short chapter, but somehow it's ended up being nearly a page longer than normal – very strange – guess I just like to waffle :-)
Replies to reviews at the end.
Last time…
They gazed at each other in silence for a few moments before Present Leo finally spoke.
"Okay, I'll do it," he said calmly, although his eyes were filled with dread. "Give me the potion."
Chapter 17
Future Leo let out his breath in a rush. "Is everyone still asleep?" he asked.
His present self nodded. "Yes, they will be for a few more hours."
"Sleep dust?" Future Leo guessed.
"I figured we wouldn't want to be disturbed."
After nodding in agreement with his counterpart's actions, Future Leo held out his hand. "Potion," he said in a commanding tone.
A small bottle of green liquid orbed into the centre of his upturned palm, and he carefully placed it on the breakfast counter between them. He then lifted his gaze to look his other self directly in the eye.
Gulping back the apprehensive lump in his throat, Present Leo reached out to pick up the glass container, but was prevented from doing so when his future self's hand suddenly shot out and caught him by the wrist.
"Wait!"
"I'm sure," Present Leo quickly assured him.
"It's not that, I… there are some letters, bottom drawer of the bureau in the hall, right at the back. Umm… the top one's for you, you'll want to read that before you deliver the others."
"Okay."
"I just wanted you to know about them before…," Future Leo broke off with a sigh. "We don't know for sure how my memories are going to affect you. But, if I was to take a wild guess, I think you might be knocked sideways for a little while."
Present Leo nodded, and then finally picked up the potion and twisted off the cap. "Do I just drink it?" he asked, looking down into the neck of the bottle at the emerald-green liquid inside.
"Pretty much – we need to be in physical contact when you do though, so that my memories can be transferred to you."
Present Leo promptly offered his hand to his future self, who took it in a firm grasp. "Okay then," he said, a little shakily. "It's now or never, I suppose."
Setting the bottle to his lips, he tipped his head back and poured the liquid down his throat. The potion tasted bitter and he gagged slightly as he swallowed it down. However, apart from making him feel sick to the stomach, nothing happened.
"I don't think it's working… arghh!"
Present Leo clutched at his head as it suddenly exploded in excruciating pain. A series of rapid disjointed images began to flash before his eyes, but he couldn't make any sense of them. They were coming so fast that his overtaxed brain couldn't keep up.
Future Leo winced as his other self's fingers closed around his like a vice, the pain cutting through the uncomfortable pins and needles sensation that had started up in his hand and arm as soon as the memory transfer had begun. This went on for perhaps two minutes before the strange numbness subsided. Gradually, the feeling returned to his body, telling him that the process was complete – from his side at least anyway.
Present Leo continued to hold his head in his hands though, breathing heavily as the jumble of additional memories slotted into their rightful place in his mind. To start with, it had just been an overload of indecipherable information, but now the emotional impact of his other self's memories began to hit him and he swayed dangerously on his feet in reaction.
Grabbing his present self by the elbows, Future Leo steered him over to the table and gently urged him to sit down. Present Leo obediently took the weight of his legs and lowered himself into the chair with an audible thud. He remained doubled over with his face in his hands however, desperately trying to process the avalanche of extra knowledge that had been given to him. A myriad of emotions overwhelmed him as snapshots of his other self's life pushed their way, one after the other, to the forefront of his mind…
Click…
Wondrous joy – a tiny bundle wrapped in a blue blanket, another boy with a chubby, round face and a few wispy strands of dark hair.
"Congratulations Mr Wyatt, he's perfectly healthy."
Click…
Inner happiness – a small brown-haired boy looking up at him with trusting green eyes, his little face painted with the stripy mask of a tiger.
"Can we go on the Ferris Wheel now, Daddy?"
Click…
Suppressed Laughter – two boys this time – about seven or eight, one blond, one brunette - their earnest faces smudged with mud, their hair sticking out in all directions, and their clothes torn and dirty.
"You were doing WHAT?"
"Summoning the Swamp Sprite, Mommy."
"He's fairly harmless, Piper – mischievous rather than evil."
"That's not the point – what next? An Ogre?"
Click…
Fatherly Pride – "Mom? Dad? You home?"
"In the kitchen, sweetie."
"I won! I actually won!"
"Won what, honey?"
"The spell writing competition at school – I even beat Wyatt. How cool is that, huh?"
Click…
Traumatic Shock – a dark-haired teenager – clearly Chris – visibly trembling, his green eyes stark with horror, his hands and the front of his t-shirt stained red with drying blood.
"I tried to help her, Dad – I tried."
"I know, son. I know."
Click…
Overwhelming Grief – Piper, his beloved wife of nearly twenty years, pale and lifeless in a solid oak coffin. Dressed in her favourite navy-blue and cream dress, with soft tendrils of her dark hair curling round her beautiful face, her chocolate-brown eyes were heartbreakingly closed forever.
Click…
Parental Concern – "Where are you going?"
"Out."
"Out where?"
"What does it matter, Dad?"
"We were supposed to be going to the movies, remember? Your Aunt Phoebe was going to come over and…"
"Baby-sit mental case Chris?"
"That isn't funny, Wyatt. Your brother is sick."
"He's got one foot in the loony bin, you mean."
"Wyatt!"
"Whatever, I'm outta here. I don't have time for this crap."
Click…
Utter helplessness – Chris, about seventeen, his right eye swollen shut, his bottom lip split and oozing blood.
"Oh my God! What did he do to you?"
"He took Aunt Phoebe and Paige, Dad."
"But he left you and your cousins behind?"
"We're supposed to pass on a message."
"Which is what?"
"He said to 'Tell the Elders and Daddy to butt out of my business if they know what's good for them. Remind them that I have the power to bring them down if I choose.' He doesn't though, does he, Dad?... Dad?"
Click…
Crushing Emotional Pain – "Chris..."
"Don't! Just don't, okay? I'm sorry your precious son is Mr Evil Incarnate, but don't expect me to be a substitute. You never cared about me before, why start now?"
"Chris – that isn't true, of course I care about you – you're my son, I love you."
"Love? Huh! If that's your definition of the word, then I suggest you look it up in the dictionary. While you're at it, check out neglect, ignore and abandon too!"
"Chris please! I know this seems real to you, but it isn't, I think that Wyatt…"
"Just go away, Leo. Go back to Elderland and do what you do best – agonise endlessly over your first-born, and forget about the fact that your second son exists."
Click…
"Oh God! I think I'm going to be sick."
Bolting out his chair, Present Leo stumbled across the kitchen, and made it out into the back yard just in time. Bending over at the waist, with one hand braced against the wall, he emptied the contents of his stomach onto the ground, heaving and retching until nothing else would come up.
Pale and shaking, he slumped to the ground, his trembling legs too weak to hold him upright. Unable to hold back the grief any longer, he covered his mouth with his hands and began to sob uncontrollably, salty tears of pain and sorrow pouring, unchecked, down his pallid cheeks.
Future Leo watched in concern as his present self struggled to come to terms with events that he himself had had eight, long and painful years to deal with.
"Come on," he said quietly, hooking his hand under his other self's elbow and helping him to his feet. "Let's go back inside."
Present Leo followed him aimlessly, shuffling along like a zombie, still in state of deep shock. They passed through the kitchen and went into the conservatory, which was flooded with the warm golden light of the early morning sun. Future Leo pushed his present self down into a chair before turning and heading back into the kitchen. Selecting a few ingredients from the magical stores cupboard, he filled a glass with cold water from the faucet and added a pinch of each, swirling the cup to mix the concoction together. The water fizzed and turned pale pink and he nodded in satisfaction.
Dampening a soft facecloth with warm water, he took that and the drink he'd prepared back through into the conservatory. His other self hadn't moved an inch while he'd been gone. Frozen in the same position, he sat with his shoulders hunched and his hands resting limply in his lap, while his wide, unseeing eyes stared straight ahead.
"Here," Future Leo instructed, carefully placing the cup in his other self's hands. "Drink this. It'll make you feel better."
On autopilot, Present Leo lifted the glass to his lips and took a few sips of the slightly syrupy liquid. A feeling of calm immediately came over him, dulling the emotional pain somewhat and allowing him to think a little straighter.
"What is it?" he asked hoarsely, lifting the glass to eye-level and peering owlishly at the rose-coloured drink.
"Just something that Paige used to brew up for Chris when his emotions became too much for him to handle. It took him a while to get back onto an even keel after he'd come out of his catatonic state."
Present Leo nodded as his future self's words sparked one of his new memories. "He wrecked his room," he recalled.
"Yeah, but it was better than him not speaking, believe me. Angry emotional outbursts I could handle, the eerie silence was just frightening."
"I can imagine." Present Leo replied. Taking the damp cloth from his future counterpart, he wiped his face and mouth with it, and then set it to one side. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Are you going to be okay?"
Present Leo sighed. "I think so. I just… I need some time to process it all."
"Is it alright if I leave you to it once the others are up? I was kind of hoping that Chris and I could spend the day together. I want us to make the most of the time we have left."
"Sure go ahead. Are you going to tell him about this?"
Future Leo shook his head. "No, I think it should come from you. You did this for him, not me. You never know, it might help to break the ice between the two of you after I leave."
"I hope so."
A beat then, "You will take care of him – and Wyatt – after I'm gone, won't you?"
"Always," Present Leo vowed. "They will not grow up in the same world, I promise you. I will do everything in my power to make sure of that."
Future Leo nodded. "I guess my sacrifice will be worth it then," he quietly concluded.
A few hours later…
Chris slowly drifted into wakefulness, although it felt like he was swimming through a sea of molasses. His eyes were gritty with sleep and his head ached as if he'd consumed too much beer the night before. All he'd had to drink was his mother's hot chocolate though, so he couldn't be suffering from a hangover.
With a low groan, he rolled over onto his side and was astonished to discover the time – ten o'clock – he hadn't slept in that late for years. A quick glance at the sofa, with its neatly folded bedding, told him that his father was already up. Flinging back the bedcovers, he swung his legs over the edge of the mattress and got to his feet, raising his arms above his head to work out the kinks in his muscles.
Grabbing some clean boxer shorts, his jeans and a t-shirt, he padded over to the door and hastened down the corridor to the bathroom to take a shower. His throbbing headache gradually faded as he stood under the cascade of hot water, and he started to feel more like himself again. It was then that it hit him full force. This was it, today his father would leave and his last link to the other future would be gone for good.
He didn't know how to feel. The situation was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, he longed for a happier, more peaceful future for himself and his family; on the other, losing the future version of his father filled him with dread. Now the effects of Wyatt's spell had waned, Chris was all too aware that Leo had been the one constant in his topsy-turvy life, and he desperately needed to hold onto that lifeline.
In his heart of hearts, he knew that he couldn't however. Sacrifices had to be made for the greater good, and this was one of them. If his father stayed in this time any longer, he would risk throwing the balance out and all Chris's efforts to date would come to nought. He had come here on a mission to save Wyatt at whatever cost, and he would follow that through until the bitter end and beyond if necessary. Of that, he was absolutely certain.
With a heavy sigh, he shut off the water, climbed out of the shower and dried himself off. Once dressed, he made his way downstairs in search of some breakfast. The manor was suspiciously quiet and he realised that he wasn't the only one who had slept in late. There was none of the usual morning bustle and there was something slightly odd about that. His baby big brother wasn't exactly known for his late starts in the morning, so he would have expected his mother to be out of bed at the very least.
He didn't have time to ponder on the whys and wherefores of that strange anomaly however, because the low hum of voices reached his ears. He followed the sound through into the conservatory and discovered both versions of his father sitting drinking coffee and talking quietly to each other.
They were both fully dressed, but neither were wearing their identification badges. Luckily, Chris had grown much more adept at telling them apart, and he quickly established that the older version of his Dad was the one on the right. Sitting on the left, Present Leo looked pale and shaky and a light sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. He appeared to be ill, but that didn't make any sense. Elder's couldn't get sick, at least Chris didn't think they could.
"Good Morning Dads," he said brightly, making his presence known to the room's two occupants. "Are you all right?" he asked, directing his question at Present Leo.
"He's not feeling too good," Future Leo answered for his counterpart.
"Probably something I ate," Present Leo added with a forced smile.
Chris opened his mouth to ask the obvious question, but the future version of his father cut in before he could get a word out.
"So son – what do you say to you and me getting out of here for a while and spending some time together, like we used to before… well, before all of this."
Chris nodded. "I'd like that," he said softly, forcibly blinking back the sudden tears that pricked at the back of his eyelids.
"Good. How about the Zoo?"
"Err - how about not?" Chris immediately countered with an exaggerated grimace.
Future Leo smiled. "I thought you liked the Zoo," he said with mock innocence.
"No – Mom and Wyatt liked the Zoo; I only endured it because I had to."
Future Leo laughed. "All right then – what do you suggest?"
"Umm – well, how about we get some breakfast first? I know this great little diner, just round the block from P3. And then we could… umm, now let's see…"
Chris stopped as if he was thinking about it, but the telltale quirking of his lips clued his father in.
"No, no way," he said in dismay.
"Aww Dad, come on – it'll be fun."
"What'll be fun?" Present Leo asked curiously, searching through his new memories for an answer.
"You don't want to know," his future counterpart replied with a shudder.
"He enjoys it really," Chris said conspiratorially to his other father.
"Enjoys what?" Present Leo was at a loss.
"Rollerblading," his son told him with a mischievous grin.
"Oh… oh right," Present Leo said with a sympathetic glance at his future self as it all clicked into place.
"Our son was a rollerblading fiend. Do what you can to discourage that in the future, won't you? It'll save you no end of painful bruises and embarrassing tumbles, believe me."
"Hey! Spoil my fun, why don't you?"
"What else are fathers for?" Future Leo answered with a smile, then shook his head. "I still don't get why you liked it so much."
Chris sobered at his father's comment. "You want the truth?" he confessed. "It was because it was pretty much the only thing I was better at than Wyatt. Dumb huh?"
"No – understandable actually. I know it was difficult for you growing up in his shadow."
"It didn't bother me that often – just sometimes, you know?"
"I know," Future Leo replied sombrely before attempting to lighten the mood. "Okay – so rollerblading it is. I think I can stand the humiliation one last time."
Chris looked down, not wanting to be reminded that the time of his father's departure was growing ever nearer. Sensing his discomfort, Future Leo slipped a comforting arm around his son's shoulders and gently hugged him.
"Hey come on," he said softly. "I know this is difficult, but let's just make the most of it, okay?"
Chris gave him a watery smile, and then drew in a deep breath and bravely squared his shoulders. "Okay."
Future Leo nodded. "Good – shall we go then?"
"Wait a minute," Present Leo suddenly said, getting to his feet and crossing to the large cabinet that stood against one wall. He rummaged around in the bottom drawer and produced a camera, complete with a new roll of film.
"To record the embarrassing tumbles for posterity," he told them with a smile.
Chris astonished him by leaning forward and giving him a quick hug before he took the camera from his grasp. "Thanks," he said quietly, his voice thick with suppressed emotion.
"There's a store that does one-hourly processing a few blocks from here," he said to Future Leo, guessing that Chris wasn't the only one who would like to keep pictures of the day.
"Yeah, I remember," his future self replied. "But thanks for the suggestion anyway."
"Shouldn't we let Mom know where we're going?" Chris asked then.
"I tell her," Present Leo assured him. "Don't worry."
"I wasn't worried. I was just… okay so I was worried. Mom always got kind of pissed when I didn't tell her where I was going. Somehow I think the fact that I'm twenty-one now won't make much of difference."
Present Leo laughed, despite everything that was weighing on his mind. "I think you could be right," he agreed. "I'll explain things, I promise. Just go and enjoy yourselves."
As the front door closed behind Chris and his future father, Wyatt started wailing for attention, the effects of the sleep-dust having finally worn off. Leo sighed heavily and trudged up the stairs to see to his son, hoping against hope that the cruel, heartless grown-up Wyatt of his other self's memory was someone that he, personally, never had to meet.
To be continued…
Re: MzPink Re: the episode – it was called 'Forget Me Not', I think. He was engaged to Bianca, but it was the one where they all forgot about Wyatt because the Cleaners erased him from reality after he orbed the dragon out of the TV, so I guess he could just about be excused for his shocking behaviour! On the other hand, maybe not. Little bit of a boo-boo by the scriptwriters, I think.
Re: Victorious Light – thanks for sharing! LOL!
Re: Altaira – I meant Leo's motives for wanting his past self to have his memories. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
Re: Martina G - 'Is there no way he can stay until the end of the story?' I know, now that I'm at this point I don't want to him to leave either. Unfortunately he has to go, but he'll still be around in spirit now that the other Leo has his memories.