Chapter Thirty-Two: Quick study, aren't you?

Previously on CYTMWIA:

Chris was about to answer when a blur of light shot into him with the force of an oncoming war elephant. He was thrown off his feet and banged his head against the nearest wall. Groaning, he raised a hand to right himself... and sent a shock wave towards the door that nearly blasted it out of the opening. Alex stared at him in horror. "Oh yes, I'm quite sure it works, God damn it!"

Lara's manor, private office

Alex was surprised the alarm had not gone off as soon as the door had been ripped out of its hinges. The only logical explanation he could come up with was that the security system did not react to Lara's own magic. His mouth twisted into a cold smirk at the thought of the queen's annoyed expression at the alarm blaring every time she used her powers. Alex wondered briefly if it had happened before. His pondering was a welcome distraction from the task at hand. He was busy looking through the few hard copy files left (it seemed ridiculous that once upon a time people had stored tons of them) while Chris systematically searched Lara's office for clues. He had used Lara's powers to boot up the computer and now navigated the thing like a composer an orchestra. His speed was awe inspiring.

Alex was not sure he wanted to know where his uncle had learned to that. His calm efficiency was disturbing. He wondered if his uncle realized just how alien he seemed compared to other people. It was like watching a panther play house cat – creepy and saddening at the same time.

Chris old apartment

Nicky felt like he was about to take a test he had been ill prepared for: Describe a memory containing love. He tried to come up with something, but his mind drew a blank. It wasn't that he had never felt loved, but he could not seem to single out a concrete memory. Panic started to rise and he found himself looking around the room as if someone could help him out with the task. His gaze finally settled on his mother. Her eyes were moist with unshed tears and the way her right hand cramped around the fingers on her left hand... Nicky realised he had seen her like this once before.

*flashback*

He was 8 years old. His mother was sitting at the kitchen table, lips pressed tightly together, hands cramped around an old iPhone that lay on the wooden surface.

"Mom? Where's dad?"

She tried to plaster a smile on her face only to fail miserably. "He's... he's not coming home tonight sweety, he has some things to do and..." A sob interrupted whatever she was going to say.

"Mom?" He felt incredibly young then. His mother never cried. Clumsily he climbed on her lap, throwing his little arms around her neck. "It's going to be ok mom," he said, trying to sound as reassuring as his father whenever Jesse had said that to him.

His mother laughed a little, even though tears ran down her cheeks. "Yes," she sniffed. "I know." She rocked him in her arms.

*end flashback*

Nicky felt his heart swell in his chest at the memory. His parents had had a big fight that night and dad had not come home. Instead he had opted to stay with a friend, leaving his mother a sobbing mess of guilt and anger. He had wanted to make her smile again. Back then, he would have done anything for her, anything to make her happy. He still would. Anna may not have been his biological mother, but she was his mom in all the ways that mattered.

"Nicky!"

Her surprised shout tore him out of his memories. He followed her stunned gaze to his hands and realized with a jolt that a warm golden light came out of them. What. The. Hell?

"I knew you could do it." Wyatt beamed at him proudly, guiding his hands over his brother's prone form. "Hold onto that feeling. That's right," he cooed, noticing the magic was working. "Keep going."

Nicky didn't know how long he was at it. Time seemed to have stopped altogether. After what felt like half an eternity, Chris' cheeks had taken on a rosy color and his eyelids began to flutter. "Wy… Wyatt?," he mumbled disoriented, maybe confusing his nephew with the brother from his memories. The grown-up version of the Twice-Blessed leaned into his field of vision. "That's it Chris, come back to me."

The sight of father and son right next to each other seemed to confuse the young man at first, but then realization began to set in and his face closed like a door.

Nicky was sad to witness this, knowing the reaction must have hurt Wyatt. He wondered just what had gone wrong between the brothers that it come to this. There was a flutter in his heart and from it iron determination bloomed. He would never let it become like that between him and Alex. He would not let Lara destroy their new found relationship – or anybody else for that matter. He would save his twin brother and together they would set things right – for all of them. Nicky even had a few ideas where to start.

Lara's manor, private office

"You've been in here before." Chris glanced back at his nephew. It wasn't a question.

"Not exactly."

"But?," Alex pressed on.

In that moment he reminded him a lot of Wyatt. His brother used to get pretty annoyed watching Chris do something and not being able to figure out his end game. The memory brought a soft smile on his face. "When your mother was still alive I've been in Lara's office, though it wasn't situated here yet."

"But the arrangement is similar?"

Chris shot him an amused glance. "Quick study, aren't you?"

Alex raised an eye brow in return, not sure whether that was a compliment or if his uncle was just messing with him.

Chris frowned at the holoscreen shimmering in the middle of the room. Stealing Lara's magic had proved useful not only for opening the door, but switching the device on as well. Chris had always been convinced that the most powerful beings (such as Lara and his brother) were way too smug about their power and relied too much on their magic alone.

After nearly ten minutes they finally discovered the files they had been looking for. Chris saw Alex go pale as he read the contents.