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: Hey! Finally another update for you. Not a very happy one though – I couldn't avoid the sadness that colours this chapter. Chris and Future Leo's parting was never going to be anything other than super emotional.
Thanks for all the reviews.
Re: Chattypandagurl – thanks for the warning. I'd missed the recent update to the rules.
Re: jenna51980 – always glad to welcome a new reader :-)
Re: CharmedOne24 – I can't really answer your question about Chris without giving away some of the plot, so you'll have to wait and see.
Re: Joskers – the last few chapters have been very Leo-centric because of the plotline. Chris will be moving back towards centre stage soon though. I suppose this is more of a Leo-Chris father-son story rather than just a Chris one however.
Re: Septdeneuf & Martina G & IcantthinkofaFnick – Chris finds out about the memory transfer in a couple of chapters time. I wanted Present Leo to tell him rather than Future Leo.
Re: TriGemini – thanks for the big review – it's nice to hear your thoughts about specific parts of the chapter.
Re: Victorious Light & ilovedrew88 – there'll be more flashbacks of Chris/Wyatt growing up as the story progresses towards its conclusion – some cute, some not so cute with Wyatt being nasty to poor Chris :-(
Just for anyone who's forgotten where we're at: It's the day of Future Leo's departure. Present Leo has taken on Future Leo's memories of their younger son, and Chris and his father have gone out to spend some time together before he leaves.
Chapter 18
Chris stared glumly down into his cappuccino, absently stirring it with a spoon, his mind elsewhere. It didn't matter how hard he tried to pretend this was just a normal day, the time of his father's departure was rapidly approaching and he couldn't think of anything else.
"Chris…"
Future Leo's quiet voice cut through his reverie and he immediately raised his gaze from his coffee cup, his green eyes glassy with emotion.
"I'm sorry – I just… I can't pretend this isn't happening anymore, Dad."
Leo nodded. "I know, me neither. Come on – let's get out of here," he said, pushing aside his half-finished drink and getting to his feet.
The Elder tossed a five-dollar bill onto the table, and then the two of them left the small café and stepped back out onto the busy street. Weaving their way through the steady stream of people going about their daily business, father and son walked a little ways along the sidewalk, and then ducked into a narrow alleyway to get out of sight of the general populous.
"So where to?" Chris asked.
"I think I know somewhere," Leo answered. "Follow me."
He promptly disappeared in a swirl of blue lights and Chris, heeding his father's instructions, quickly orbed out after him. Moments later, they reappeared in a small clearing, somewhere deep in the woods. Refracted beams of sunlight filtered down through the trees, and the lush, springy grass was covered in a multi-coloured patchwork of wild flowers where the golden rays hit the ground.
"What is this place?" Chris asked curiously, quickly sensing the strange, unearthly power that hung in the air.
"A meditation zone," his father told him.
"Huh?"
Leo smiled at his son's confusion. "The Elder's are big on listening to one's inner instincts. They've set up several of these zones both here on earth, and up there, to facilitate in the process."
Chris nodded. "Okay, but why have you brought me here? Please tell me that you don't expect me to sit cross-legged on the floor and hum."
Leo laughed and shook his head. "No - I don't think you have the patience for that, do you?"
He walked across the clearing to sit in the shade of one of the trees. "I brought us here because we won't be disturbed," he explained as his son moved to join him. "I don't want anything left unsaid between us."
Chris looked down at the floor, biting on his lower lip. "I don't know what to say," he confessed. "I'm just… I'm sorry, I guess."
"For what?"
"For not seeing through Wyatt's spell. Maybe if I had, this wouldn't have been necessary. We could have worked together to get him back in our own time instead."
Leo shook his head. "No – I think this would have been necessary regardless. The combined power of the Elders hasn't been able to turn Wyatt back onto the right path. The only thing that could have done was the Power of Three, but since your Mom…"
Leo trailed off and looked over at his despondent son. "Let's face it - you're the one who came up with the only viable option to get Wyatt back. I'm so proud of you for that, you know. After everything you've been through, you could have easily given up. But you didn't - you kept on fighting and now there's a real chance that the future can be changed for the better."
"I had help," Chris pointed out modestly. He was secretly thrilled by the glowing praise though. The after-effects of Wyatt's spell still lingered and made him somewhat insecure about his status in his father's eyes.
"Oh, I agree you've got some very resourceful friends, but the idea was essentially yours, wasn't it?"
"Well yeah, I guess."
"Well then."
"It was sort of an accident though," Chris admitted. "Everyone was pressurising me to come up with a plan to limit Wyatt's power – like I had all the answers or something – and I kind of lost my temper. I think my outburst went something along the lines of 'What the hell do you expect me to do? It's not as if I can go back in time and stop him from turning evil, you know.' Cue the proverbial light-bulb moment."
"Well, however accidental the idea was, it has the potential to change the entire course of history. You should be rightly proud of yourself for that."
Chris nodded, but then his expression suddenly crumpled. "I'm sorry," he said brokenly, trying to choke back the sobs. "It just feels like you're about to die or something, and I've already lost Mom and Wyatt…"
Leo wrapped his arms comfortingly around his son's shaking shoulders as Chris finally gave into his grief.
"Listen to me – I love you and I'm so very proud of you. Don't ever forget that, okay? You will go on because that's who you are, and you won't be alone, I promise you. This time's version of your family loves you just as much as we did. It might not be quite the same, but it certainly won't be anything less."
"You promise?" Chris mumbled into his shirt, a little boy lost in a wilderness of his own making.
"I promise," Leo said confidently. "It's only right that you get to see the better future anyway – you're the one who will be responsible for it. I know it's scary, but it will be worth it, I'm sure."
"I'll still miss you."
Leo kissed the top of his son's bent head. "I'd be upset if you didn't," he admitted candidly. "But I don't want you to let our timeline define your life. I always wanted so much better for my boys, I'm relying on you to take the opportunity and run with it."
Chris lifted his tear-streaked face with a watery smile. "Great – no pressure then," he quipped.
Leo chuckled and affectionately ruffled his son's hair, despite his heavy heart. Chris looked back at him, his eyes red-rimmed and emotional.
"About not letting things go unsaid," he said gruffly.
"Yes?"
"I love you, Dad. I'm sorry I was so horrible to you – things could have been so different if…"
"No - no what ifs," Leo cut in. "What happened wasn't your fault and your reaction was perfectly understandable."
"I should have known."
"How, when your mind was telling you that I never really cared for you?"
"You're not going to let me take any of the blame, are you?" Chris asked ruefully.
"Nope," Leo shook his head, "Because you're not responsible."
"I feel responsible – I was pretty awful to the other you because of that. I mean, there was probably another way other than Valhalla."
"Then apologise to him, not me."
"He probably won't accept that I was responsible either though."
"More than likely, yes," Future Leo agreed. "But then he is me, so what do you expect? Ask his advice and I'm almost certain that he'll give you the same answer as I would. I think in time you'll start to understand that I'm not really gone at all. Not completely anyway. There'll always be a part of me here, because the other Leo is the man I used to be. Twenty more years of existence hasn't changed me that much."
"Just added a few pounds," Chris returned cheekily.
Leo playfully cuffed him, and then pulled him into another hug. "I love you, son," he said, his voice cracking with emotion.
OOOOO
"How long are they going to be?" Phoebe asked, somewhat grumpily.
"I don't know – why?" Leo replied a little distractedly, his thoughts focused on the new memories occupying his shell-shocked brain.
"Future You has to leave today. How are we supposed to say a proper goodbye to him when he's not around?"
"I think it's more important that he spends some time with Chris, don't you?"
"I guess," Phoebe admitted begrudgingly. "We're gonna miss him too though."
"Thanks," Leo said sarcastically. "Make me feel important, why don't you?"
"That's not what I meant. We love him because he is you – a more mature, battle-weary you."
Leo wasn't really listening; he was still contemplating the grim reality of the other future. Needing to be alone with his thoughts, he got to his feet and went out into the garden.
"Is he alright?" Phoebe asked Piper.
"I don't know," her sister said. "Something's going on between him and his other self, but he wouldn't tell me what it was last night – said he had to figure it out by himself."
"Maybe he's ready to talk now," Phoebe suggested.
"Maybe," Piper agreed with a nod. "I'll go and speak to him." She handed her sister a bowl of mushed-up cereal. "Can you give Wyatt his breakfast please?"
The dark-haired witch then went outside in search of her husband. She found him seated on a small bench at the far end of the garden, staring blankly off into space, his blue-green eyes dark with silent sorrow.
"Hey," she said quietly, sitting down beside him and reaching out to curl her fingers around his.
Leo tightened his hand around hers, but didn't respond to her softly spoken greeting. He sighed, closing his eyes, and Piper was concerned to see tears glistening on the end of his lashes.
"Honey – please tell me what's wrong," she urged gently. "I know you said that you didn't want to talk about it, but I think maybe you should, don't you?"
Leo opened his eyes again and wiped away the tears with the tips of his fingers. "I've seen it, Piper," he said, his voice hoarse and scratchy.
"Seen what?"
"The Future – well, some of it at least anyway."
"I don't understand."
"The other me – he was worried about Chris living in the new future haunted by memories of the old one. He asked me to take on some of his memories, so that I would understand and be able to help him deal with things."
"And you agreed?" Piper was shocked, but not all that surprised by his decision.
"Of course I did, Piper. He's my son – how could I not?"
His wife nodded in understanding. "So when?"
"This morning."
"It's bad, isn't it?" she asked fearfully.
"We already knew that, Piper."
"I know – it's just…"
"We won't let it happen again," Leo cut in firmly. "I don't want to ever have to look into my eldest son's eyes and see such coldness there - nor do I want to see the suffering in my youngest child's gaze because of it. We can't take away what Chris has already been through, but we can change things for the better. I know we can."
Piper rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. "Do you think it's ever going to stop being such a struggle?"
"We are who we are, Piper; we can't change that," Leo told her, slipping his arm around her slender shoulders and drawing her into his side. "We may not have a normal life, but we have what some people don't – love and plenty of it to go round. Chris wouldn't be here fighting tooth and nail for his brother if he didn't love him. God knows, Wyatt has given him reason enough to wash his hands of him – and yet he still risked everything to come here to try to save him."
"What do you mean 'reason enough'?" Piper asked, her stomach tightening at the thought of what those ominous words meant. "Oh God – Wyatt didn't torture him or something, did he?"
Leo shook his head. "No – at least not in the physical sense anyway. Chris took a beating from him a few times, but nothing much beyond that."
"That's bad enough, Leo," Piper said in a horrified tone.
"I know. I get the impression that Wyatt didn't really want to hurt Chris though – he just wanted him on side. I think that's why he deliberately set out to destroy my other self's relationship with him – he thought I was the reason that his brother refused to join him."
"Only you weren't."
"No – it seems our boy has more integrity than that," Leo said, a strong note of pride evident in his tone.
"I guess we're not completely horrible parents then," Piper decided.
Leo pressed a loving kiss to the top of her head. "It's not all bad," he reassured her. "My future self mainly gave me his memories of Chris, but there was a lot of Wyatt mixed in with all of that. You could see the potential for what he could have become in the boy he was. And, even after everything went bad, Chris was his Achilles Heel. He's incapable of killing him - or subduing him for that matter."
"Thank god!" Piper said fervently.
"Yes, but it shows that amidst all that darkness, there's still a trace of humanity there. Despite everything, he still loves his family in some shape or form. He may have made their lives a misery – but he's never really, truly hurt any of them. Phoebe, Paige and their children are still alive and well."
"Wyatt has our nieces and nephews imprisoned in the Underworld too?"
Leo shook his head. "No – myself and the Elders created a safe haven for them and a few others. It's like Magic School in a way, but on this plane of existence. Our nieces don't have the same kind of freedom to move about outside as our son does, but they're safe from harm."
"Just nieces?" Piper asked curiously.
Leo's lips curled up into a faint smile. "Yes, but you keep quiet about that, okay? I hate to say it, but Chris's 'future consequences' mantra is kind of important. We need to correct what went wrong; we don't want to change anything that went right."
Piper nodded and smiled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Okay – it'll be kind of fun to know a few things that my sisters don't anyway. So – what else can you tell me?"
Leo laughed. "Nice try, honey," he said. "But I know you – I think I should follow our son's example and keep the future to myself from now on."
"Spoilsport!" Piper complained with a pout.
"You don't have to protect me, you know," she said seriously, after a beat.
"I'm not. Well alright, so maybe I am," he added off her look. "But I think that's for the best. You need to concentrate on what you have to do right here, right now, not worry about what might be."
"I want to be able to support our son too."
"And you will – just by being his mother. Believe me; if there's one thing that these other memories have taught me, then it's that our boys need their Mom. I think you can do that job much better if you're not overburdened with what might happen. Just love Chris for who he is, Piper, and you'll give him everything that he needs from you."
Piper simply looked at him in response, soft affection shining in her warm, brown eyes.
"What?" Leo asked her.
"I can't believe I ever thought I could exist without you in my life," she admitted. "It's funny, what seemed like such an insurmountable obstacle a few months ago, just doesn't anymore."
Leo pulled her close. "I pray that I never have to lose you prematurely like my other self did," he said, his voice thick with unfathomable sorrow.
Piper cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. "We're gonna change the future, Leo. I know we are," she said, suddenly confident about that fact. "I'm not going to leave you and our boys ever, I promise."
Leo wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, holding onto to her like he was never going to let go. "I love you so much."
"I love you too."
Her husband drew back and looked down into her beloved face. "I think my other self needs to know that," he told her.
Piper's eyes opened wide. "You're not suggesting that I…?" she trailed off when she realised that she wasn't as uncomfortable with the idea as she should be. She felt more of a connection to her Leo, but the other one still stirred the same kind of feelings within her.
Leo shook his head. "No – I know he's me, but I'm not that tolerant. Just make sure he knows, okay? Don't leave him in any doubt. He's given me our son; I think I can give him back his wife for a few precious moments."
"You're a good man, Leo Wyatt."
"I try to be."
"Well, you succeed," Piper told him, and then drew his face down to hers for another kiss.
"So what exactly does not leaving him in any doubt mean?" she asked when they broke apart.
OOOOO
Several hours later…
Future Leo drew the familiar triquetra of the Charmed Ones on the attic wall in white chalk, and then stepped back with a heavy sigh.
"Okay, I guess this is it," he said, turning back to his family, who were all lined up in a row, ready to say goodbye to him.
Nobody moved for a minute, and then Paige took the bull by the horns and reached out to hug the future version of her brother-in-law. "I'm really going to miss you, you know," she told him as she released him.
"I'll still be here, Paige," he pointed out, exchanging a knowing look with his present self.
"You're supposed to say 'I'll miss you too,'" she playfully admonished him.
"I will," Future Leo replied. "Correction – I have."
"Can you get a message to our future selves?" Phoebe asked as she also stepped forward and embraced her brother-in-law.
Leo frowned. "I don't know, maybe. I don't want to arouse Wyatt's suspicions about where I've been – I think it's best that he remains unaware that I've had any contact with you. I'll do what I can, okay?"
"What about our children?"
Leo smiled. "Now that I can do. What do you want me to tell them?"
"That we love them and are looking forward to meeting them," Phoebe said, looking over at her younger sister for confirmation.
Paige nodded in agreement. "And that we're going to move heaven and earth to make sure that there's a better future waiting for them when they arrive," she added.
Future Leo nodded. "I'll tell them," he vowed, and then turned to his other self, who stood holding little Wyatt in his arms.
"Take care of our family, okay?"
"Always."
"And the other stuff…"
"I will, I promise."
Future Leo nodded. "Thank-you," he said, and then awkwardly offered his hand to his other self to shake.
His present counterpart reached out to grasp it in his. "Okay, so still weird," he commented.
"Yeah," Future Leo agreed as they shook hands.
He then took his baby son out of his other self's arms. Smoothing his hand over Wyatt's blond mop of hair, he tenderly kissed the little boy on the cheek.
"I love you and I'll never give up on you," he said, hugging him close for a moment before handing him back.
Turning towards Piper, he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "Hey! No crying, it's not allowed," he said, reaching out to touch her face with his hand.
His own voice was a little wobbly though – this was getting harder by the second. Twenty years younger she may be, but Piper was still his wife and he missed her so much.
Piper sniffed and wiped at the tear trickling down her cheek. "I know – it's just I look at you and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I married the right man. Not that I ever really thought that I didn't, but it's nice to have confirmation, you know."
Future Leo nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Piper lifted her arms and he stepped into them, tugging her close and burying his face in her wealth of silky hair. "I love you," he whispered softly in her ear.
Piper lifted her head, but didn't move out of the circle of his arms. "I love you too," she said firmly, and then surprised him by leaning forward and kissing him full on the lips.
Forgetting where he was, he tunnelled his fingers through her hair and deepened the embrace. He never had the chance to say a proper goodbye and he needed her to know how much he loved and missed her. Piper didn't pull back, but instead responded with passion, holding firmly onto his upper arms as he kissed her with everything that was in his heart. Finally though, he gentled the stormy embrace and reluctantly released her.
"Sorry," he said, looking a little guiltily over at his other self.
"Relax, we had his permission beforehand," Piper told him, gently touching his cheek with her fingers. "Oh and by the way – you're just as good a kisser as he is – funny that."
Future Leo laughed and kissed her forehead. "Goodbye, Piper."
Piper moved backwards but still held onto his hands. "Goodbye," she whispered softly.
Squeezing his fingers gently, she finally let go. Future Leo sucked in a deep breath and turned to his son. Chris's green eyes were as full of tears as Piper's had been, but he was refusing to let them fall.
"You just scarred me for life, you know," he joked shakily, referring to his parent's fervent embrace.
"Oh, you'll survive," Leo said thickly, also trying to hold back the tears.
In reality, he'd said goodbye to Wyatt and Piper a long time ago, but Chris… his youngest son was his lifeline and now he had to let him go as well. To a better life certainly, but it was a bereavement nevertheless. There were no words so he stepped forward and drew his boy into a tight hug.
Chris clung to him as if he was a life raft on the open sea, breathing heavily to control his emotions. He eventually gave up the battle though, and Leo felt the warm wetness of his son's tears on the skin of his neck. Rubbing the flat of his hand up and down Chris's back, he let the hug go on for a while longer, before he finally pulled back.
"I love you," he said for what must have been the umpteenth time that day. "Be strong, okay?"
"Okay, Dad."
Taking his son's face in his hands, Leo leaned forward and planted a firm kiss on Chris's forehead, and then turned towards the chalk-drawn triquetra.
"Ready?" Paige asked.
"As I'll ever be," Future Leo replied.
Closing his eyes, he listened as the three sisters began to speak in unison.
"In this place and in this hour,
We call upon the ancient power,
Open a portal in this place,
To send Leo home through time and space."
The ground shook and the triquetra began to glow blue as the time portal opened. Future Leo took a deep breath, shot one long, lingering look back over his shoulder at his son, and then stepped through it.
There was silence as the portal closed behind him and the attic wall became solid wood again. Finally though, Leo handed Wyatt to a quietly sobbing Phoebe and moved towards his other son. Chris was standing staring blankly at the chalk triquetra with tears pouring, unchecked, down his face.
"Chris," he said quietly, reaching out with sympathy towards the distraught witch-whitelighter.
"Don't!" Chris snapped, making his hand freeze in the act. "Just don't. I… just leave me alone!"
With that, he rushed from the room, leaving his worried family staring at the spot where he'd just been standing.
To be continued…
Next chapter will be a bit happier, I promise!