CHAPTER 2
"Yum smells great." Paige said as she entered the dinning room, nose in the air as the aroma of the room drifted around her. Phoebe nodded in agreement as she moved to follow her sister. Placing her laptop bag on the counter before shuffling the two younger children onto their sets.
"Need any help?" Phoebe asked, nabbing a leaf of lettuce from the bowl in Chris's hands as she smiled. The brunett only responded by hitting her hands away and emphatically shaking his head. Scowling playfully at him, Phoebe rose on her toes so she could reach up to pat his cheek before she moved to sit next to her youngest.
"She's right mum, it's great." Wyatt said, all while smirking at his brother. Chris huffed, throwing a tea towel at him. Wyatt laughed, picking it back up and throwing it back, only to have Chris orb out of the way, to reappear behind him. Chris poked him and waited as Wyatt turned;
"And thank you Chris," he said, punching his brother's shoulder lightly, "Chief Christopher." He continued, bowing with a grin on his face, Chris only rolled his eyes.
"No respect, none." He mattered, shaking his head and placing the bowl of salad on the table. Wyatt smiled at his brother before taking the seat next to him as Piper brought over the food and everyone else began to file in and take a seat.
The atmosphere around the room was thick with tension. It was awkward to say the least, Chris squirmed in his seat and continued to eat, head down and eyes on his meal.
"So why wasn't Mel forced to come to tonights dinner." Parker asked as she looked up from her food, arm rising and fork to mouth as she inquired about her cousins absence.
Paige and Phoebe turned to share a look before frowning at the two older brothers. Paige swallowed and suppressed a small smile as she turned to look at her niece.
"She's still on her date."
Wyatt and Chris looked up startled, but deflated at their mothers glare. Leo shuffled in his seat and obviously disliking the thought of his baby girl going on dates with teenage boys, but he too settled after Piper turned her disapproving eyes on him. Silence resumed around the normally cheerful table, but each could feel the worry leaking from the monarch and turned their attentions down to their plates. Piper frown, this wasn't how she wanted tonights dinner to go. She wanted to laugh and help her son forget, but his sunken moods only cause hers to drop too.
"So, um" Leo started, breaking the silence and causing everyone's eyes to shift from their meals to him. Leo looked over towards Chris, who hadn't looked up, and sighing he continued, "Um, how was everyone's day. Wyatt how did Caleb go? It's a full moon tonight, do you think he'll be okay?"
"Yeah, he's cool. It's not his first and he let out a lot of frustration today." Wyatt said, swallowing another mouthful of pork. He was about to continue when he heard a muffle laugh from beside him. Looking at his brother, Wyatt frowned.
"What so funny?" He asked, it coming out as a low growl, even though he didn't intend it to be. He'd been worried about his brother's mood all day, he knew he wouldn't be himself anytime soon and seeing him laugh was kind of nice, shocking considering what today was and what occurred last year, but still a hell of a lot better than nice could be used to sum up Wyatt's glee at his brother smiling and laughing beside him.
Well that was until Chris rose his hand curling the fingers and flicking the palm as to imitate a pawing dog and letting out a small soft growl before laughing again.
"You spied on me." He sated no question in his voice. "You, you... I...I..Um" Wyatt stammered as he took in the lightly amused bewildered faces of his family.
"He released his inner wolf, and Wyatt his inner kitty cat." Chris said. "How does it go again Wyatt, release the growl, feel it in the back of your throat then let it out. Release the inner predator." he laughed as he shook his head, eyes full of amusement at his brother antics, the link comes in handy when you need a good laugh.
"So I did feel you in my head earlier today." Wyatt said, turning and looking up at Henry Jr's schooled innocent look, "You knew, that is why you zoned out."
"I um." Jr said, before just flashing Wyatt a toothed smile and shrugging his shoulders.
Wyatt just shook his head before grabbing his fork and stabbing his meat and shoving it in his mouth, mumbling under his breath something about 'brothers' ,'cousins' and "blocking potion".
The elder members of the family smiled at him, causing a red blush to form and Henry to join in on Chris's soft laughs. However the joyful moment was short lived as Chris grunted and grabbed for his head, rubbing at his eyes with his palms before moving on to rubbing at his temples.
The shouting and screaming had returned, looking up and seeing his audience begin to shift into a dark night sky, stairs beginning to flicker before his eyes and the shouts for 'dad' silenced all other noise, he rose and stammered out of the kitchen. Making it to the stair rails leading up to their rooms before the final pieces of the memory slammed into him and he fell to his knees, head in his hands and teeth clenched in pain.
Cold, frizzing air nipped at the seven year olds bear back as he sat in his trousers on the golden gate bridge calling for the elder that never responded to his calls.
"Daddy, dad…..daddy, DAD" he yelled and called as tears began to sting his eyes. He let out a breath and though the pain was evident in the young boy's voice he tried to hide it.
"Daddy I know you can hear me so I'll just tell you about my day again today. Umm were should I start this time, oh I know. Today I lost another tooth see" he said as he looked up towards the sky and laid back against the cold metal of the bridge as he opened his mouth to show his father the gape were his tooth fell out. "Mummy says the tooth fairy will come and because I'm her little Wiccan that I'll be able to see the tooth fairy this time isn't that cool." he smile and though he did seem happy tears still began to fill up his eyes.
"Daddy I know you're an elder and that your busy and I know I'm not as strong as…as "8 year old Chris's tears fell. "daddy, mummy's calling so I have to go now but I love you" he said as he rose to his feet, pausing before orbing away. Looking up at the heavens to see if his dad would orb down and tell him he loved him too, but when he never showed he just orbed home.
"Dad." The whimper pulled from his lips as his tired sense began to restore, shifting the world around him until he could see the face that matched the name. Strong arms surrounded him, lifting him up off his knees and guiding him over to the couch. When he got flashes of memories in his dreams his body had time to adjust before his mind fully awoke but when they slammed into him during his waking hours, they took all his energy with them.
"I'll go and get an ice pack and some Panadol." A voice shocked him from his side, his head spinning and aching he wanted to thank them but he couldn`t find his voice. It was lost, he knew it had to be somewhere but he couldn`t get any words to form and it was too hard to try. He tasted bile in the back of his throat as a coughing fit over took him, dry reaching and trembling he was hardly aware of the voices return, placing the cool pack on his forehead as the muscular arms pushed him back on the couch and laid him down.
"Shh, you're okay. It's okay." A male voice whispered into his ears, causing his head to turn towards it. His vision was still bleary but as he blinked it begun to clear. Turning the hazy image of white, creams, browns and greens form a solid shape of his father. The hand that had been pushing his brown locks from his forehead paused.
"Chris?" His father asked as he leaned in, shaking his head Chris turned to look into the green spheres that seemed to be jumping in and out of view.
He still could not find his voice, it was there somewhere, he was sure of it, and he just didn't know where it was.
"Chris, buddy can you hear me. I'm right here Chris, I'm not leaving you, Son."
"Dad." Chris replied finding his voice as his fuzzy head began to clear and his pixel vision began to fix itself.
"I'm right here Christopher." Leo said, as Chris began to rise of the couch, Leo placed his hand behind his sons back. As he rose Chris's vision leaped, only beginning to clear when the brown ironed cotton of his mother's plant legs were the only things present in his frame of view.
"Here you go peanut, how you feeling." His mother said as she pressed a small tablet to his palm. Smiling up at her he swallowed the small white pain reliever and placed the icepack to his temple, wishing the constant screaming would stop again.
"Fine." He mumbled.
"You're not 'fine' Chris." Wyatt retorted as he came into the lounge room.
"Ok, so I've been better," Chris relented, before continuing, "But I've been worse too."
"I haven't seen one of these affect you this bad for awhile Chris." His brother scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I haven't been sleeping okay, is that what you want me to say." Chris rose, his voice rising as he stood in front of his brother and anger burned in his chest. "It almost knocked me out because I can't sleep without seeing someone I care about being killed. What do you want from me Wyatt."
"How's your head cuz."Parker asked, walking into the room and throwing her tiny frame down onto the cushioned recliner, her twin following, leaning her elbows on the head of the seat as she watched Chris with concern.
"Fine." He said, ignoring Wyatt's huff of annoyance and instead turning and catching the blur of brown hair as she came running into the room. Crushing into his side as she snuggled her head under her arms.
"Ricy, I'm fine really." He repeated as her shoulders rose with a badly sniffled sob, pulling her small arms back from their rib crushing hug.
"Hey, really I am. No need to cry."
The eight year olds only reply was to wiggle back against him, climbing up to sit on her cousin's knee.
"Mom, Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Coop are cleaning down the table and Uncle Henry and Jr are trying to call Mel, guess her date is going a little too well." Peyton stated as she too entered the room. Only sparing the occupants a glance as she bypassed them and walked straight over to her cousin.
"Peyton I…"Chris trailed off as he was silenced by a hit to the back of his head, looking up at his cousin he could see her eyes narrow as they locked with his.
"It wasn't real, it didn't happen this time." She growled, urging him to believe her words before she took a seat next to him.
"I know Pey." He sighed as she sent him a disbelieving glare.
He could never lie to her, one of the negatives of the bond they share, well the only negative. Chris and Peyton are astral twins, though Astral twins don't have to be related, they are strengthen by blood. The Book of Shadow refers to Astral Twins being a bonded soul; they are two beings that have bonded through time and space. Parts of the same coin they literally share a soul that has split, rendering both with the inert knowledge of the other. Therefore she was probably the only one who would know what he was really feeling and though his mind could be read by a telepath, Peyton could read him better than any empathy or telepath anywhere.
"Sure you do Chris, sure you do."She replied.
"Chrissie." Penelope shouted running and bouncing up onto his other knee. Chris smiled and wrapped his arms around his two little cousins. As he took a large breath and shook his head, the last of his hazed vision lifted.
For years he would usually get glimpses of his other life, memories of the hell he had to endure. They mostly came when he was curled up in bed, ever since he was thirteen, whenever he closed his eyes he ran the risk of wakening to screams of fading evils and nightmares. His mind very rarely attacked with visions during his waking hours, the concent screaming of one event his only lingering problem.
When Chris was three and his memories started to appear, his mom and aunt's placed barrier after barrier around his mind. The three year old got to grow up happy and healthy, at least till he turned thirteen. Ten years the shielding held, protecting his innocent mind from those tortures events.
After a demon attacked the Manor, the charmed ones had gone into full alert, trafficking his younger cousins off to magic school. Chris, Wyatt and Peyton would be allowed to stay and help search for the beast but ordered to leave the moment the older witches found it. Only this time, instead of them finding it, the demon returned while only Piper was at home. Not knowing he was the target, Chris stayed along with his cousins to help fight, only to be grabbed and taken to the underworld.
Though the charmed ones never rested till he was home and safe, there was no trace of the witch-elder for four weeks. For a month Chris endured the never ending pain of a group of telepathic demons piercing his shields and searching through his head. The demons were searching for something, the Halliwells never learnt what. After four weeks of being in the underworld, subjected to the constant pressure of reader demons and the tortures they inflicted to try and weaken his mind. His protective shield snapped, flooding his already tired psyche with images and voices of a forgotten world. When his family found him, Chris had been abandoned by the demons with a athema in his chest. His aunts and mother tried to rebuild his shield, but it lay in shreds, thus started his tradition of sleepless nights and the month of moodiness. The 15th of November was the day his shield broke, shattered and lay to waste. The days were his memories always seem to batter and bruise him. The constant shouting and screaming of his painful memories are always locked in his mind and he knows tonight they will revisit him.
Knees burning with the weight of his little cousins seated on them, Chris slowly started to move them off of him so they can be seated next to him when his eyes flash to Peyton. Worry creasing his forehead as he followed her line of sight towards Parker, her normally chocolate brown orbs, were white and glazed as her eyes took in nothing.
"Park." Chris asked, as his Mother moved in front of his cousin's gaze. His eyes shifted to his father's stunned face, but before he could ask Leo what he knew, Parkers monotone voice filled the shocked silence of the living room.
"A battle must be fought
Lost one must find and the guides to search
The darkness never should rise
But rise it shell,
With death brought to the darkest of light, If all shall be true, death will consume."
Eyes shifting back to their chocolaty brown, Parker shifted with the weight of all eyes on her.
"Hey, what's up?" She asked, reaching up to scratch the back of her head as she nervously chewed her lip.
"You're an Oracle." Leo stated, stunned.
"I'm a what?" Parker asked, her eyes roaming nervously among her family.
"Oracle, I think they're in the book." Piper said, moving off up to the attic.
"Mom stop," Wyatt shouted, placing his palm out flat and facing down towards the coffee tables mahogany surface, continuing Wyatt felt the magical tingle of his powers before he stated flatly "Book."
In a shower of blue and white orbs the legendary 'Book of shadows' floated down and landed with a soft thud, on the coffee table. Quirking his eyebrow at his younger brother, Wyatt shook his head at the multi-coloured array of tags sticking out of the book at designated sections.
"So I organized it a bit." Chris mumbled, totally intending to remove the tags to avoid a similar situation but forgetting all about them.
"OK. Mr OCD. Seers; premonitions and oracles, what colure are they." P.J asked as she moved around to sit on the floor in front of the table. Crossing her limbs and resting the rather large book between her legs. P.J looked up at her cousin, understanding in her eyes as her chestnut- brown curls fell in front of her brown orbs.
"Green…I think."
Flipping through the pages, P.J focused on finding the browned heading, ignoring her mother and father as they entered the room.
"Hey what's going on, you ok cuz." Henry Jr asked, as his brown eyes roamed over his elder cousin's form. Chris nodded and offered Henry a smile, the younger blond moved over to stand behind the couch, resting his arms on its back. His father following, offering Chris a smile as he copied his son's movements.
"Water." Paige said at Chris's confused look as a glass of water was placed in front of his eyes.
"Thanks, but I think Parker needs it more than I do." He said, offering the glass to his cousin as Paige moved to set in the recliner on the right corner of the couch.
"Why? What happened? You ok ladybug?" Phoebe asked, worry lacing her voice as she ran over to her child and placing a palm on her forehead. Coop following and leaning down too look his daughter in the eyes as he tried to gage her wellbeing.
"Jeez I'm fine. I'm not even sure what happed. I mean one minute…" Parker looked down at her twin as P.J shouted out a "Found it."
"Oracles are similar to Seers they are magical beings who can foresee the future using a crystal ball, their power of divination, or both. Some also have the power of teleportation, immortality and mediumship. They can either be good or evil depending on whom they work for." P.J read, pausing and looking at her sister. "I guess that orb thingy mom got you will come in handy, huh, Oh wise one."
Parker looked up at her sister, smiling at her before picking up the squared pillow next to her and tossing it in her twin's direction; her smile widening as it hit its target. P.J responded by sticking out her tongue.
"Very mature you two." Phoebe said as she shook her head at her eldest children's antics.
Chris looked up at them, but his gaze shifted as he saw the look of concern in his father's eyes. As Leo felt eyes on him, he turned and meets his son's identical stare.
"Dad, what is it?" Chris asked in a low voice, during everyone's attention to the pair.
"Nothing, it's…" he trailed of, shaking his head, "What you said Parker, it was a Prophecy, I've seen it before."
"What does it mean?" Piper asked he husband.
"What did you see? The meaning of a prophecy can be interpreted in many different ways. The true meaning can only been seen and even then it's disjointed and hazy."
"I don't know. I saw darkness and then an army of demons, I think… I don't... I don't know. Sorry Uncle Leo, I can't really remember." Parker stammered before shaking her head and huffing out a frustrated voice.
"It's ok. I would be shocked if you could, it's rare for someone who has the power of premonitions to become an Oracle, even rarer for an Oracle to be able to remember what they said or saw. It's all about being able to protect time and avoid people being able to change it." Leo assured her, ignoring the rather short and small huffed laugh from his younger son before continuing. "The Elders had a Prophet for many years, however during a battle he was captured and tortured, he lost his tongue. Due to that the elders had a harder time trying to decipher what they meant. Words have different meanings when you write them down compared to when you say them, even who you speak certain words too can alter their meaning."
"Out with it dad, how is this related to the prophecy you saw? What was the prophecy you saw?" Wyatt interjected impatiently as he stepped from one foot to the other.
Looking up at his eldest son Leo's heart thumped harder, his arms lifted and crossed over his chest. The ex-elder, now recently made whitelighter turned away from the piercing eyes of his family.
"When the elders offered to make me a whitelighter again, they didn't do it just to ensure you were protected. They did it because they are scared, they are terrified of this new threat, they have no idea what it is and it scares them. I mean the fact they gave Melinda whitelighter powers is proof enough of them trying to arm this family for something."
"Arm as for what?" Piper asked.
"I don't know, they don't know. Something big, something the magical community hasn't seen before." Leo continued, shaking his head and turning back to look into the eyes of every member of the Halliwell family present. He smiled softly at the determination in their eyes, not surprised, they were Halliwells.
"They think it has something to do with a prophecy the elder's Oracle wrote down a long time ago… About the coming and rebirth of King Author." Silence followed as each digested this new development. Swallowing thickly, Wyatt looked up at his father.
"Why do they think I'm the one mentioned in the prophecy, I've never even pulled that god dame sword."
"You did, when you were a baby." Piper commented softly.
"Doesn't mean I'm bloody King Author." Wyatt cursed, shaking his head and slumping his shoulders.
"Language mister." Piper replied, "And it's not a big deal honey. Ok, so Leo what was this prophecy, exactly."
"The prophecies spoken 'bout the powers of threes
Will determine the course of history,
Good Vs. evils, plea,
Three sisters lost to mystery
Traveller turned the tide of battle,
The King now must face his destiny.
The three of power hold the key,
The three of light guide the knights
The three of love trust the wise,
One holds the knowledge to do what's right."
"That's all." Asked Chris a confused expression on his face, "I thought you said that you had heard what Parker said, that the prophecy's go together."
"They do but the Prophecy's so old parts of it are missing."
"Wait, the Elders lost their own Prophecy?" Peyton asked a stunned expression on her face. Turning to look at her uncle, she saw Leo sigh before looking back at her.
"Sort of, they never had those sections to begin with. Don't ask me way, I don't know. The point is that they only had this bit and what Parker said."
"How does any of that prove that Wyatt is King Arthur." P.J asked, rising from her position on the floor to move back and lean against her sister's seat.
"Excalibur," Leo said, "When he pulled it from the stone," Turning towards Wyatt, "You proved to the elders that the King mentioned in the Prophecy was you."
"Ok. Wyatt's the King mentioned, but who's the traveller and are the powers of three? mum and the aunts?" Asked P.J
"I don't know." Leo replied. "The only elders to know details on the Prophecy or who have tried to decipher it have been in the inner circle on the council, I've never been in it."
All eyes followed Peyton as she rose from her seat and walked out of the room, only to return seconds later carrying a blue point pen and a yellow legal pad. As the pen scurried across the paper Chris lifted his two younger cousins off of him and moved to stand next to his astral twin, a small smile on his lips as he realised what she was doing. As she looked up and green emeralds locking with brown chocolate, she smiled back.
"The powers of three. Any ideas?" She asked, looking from one face to the other, her hand rising to brush back a stand of chestnut coloured hair from her face.
"That one's pretty obvious, the power of three is Mom, Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige, right?" Wyatt asked.
"I don't know." Chris said. "It says 'powers of three' plural."
"But there's only one power of three." Wyatt continued.
"Is there." Chris asked, "We are all charmed and in the other future we had combinations of the Power of three. Sure it only worked between siblings but we could do Power of Three Spells."
"So you think the nine of as have the power of three in combinations." Asked Parker, "But that was a different future, how can you be sure it still works."
"The Prophecy," Chris stated, "It says the power of light, love and power. Which three of us have the power of love, not including Aunt Phoebe?"
"Parker, Prudence and Patricia." Coop answered from the side of the room, his eyes narrowing in worry. "The Prophecy is about the King, which is a progeny of a charmed one, it makes sense if 'the powers of three' are the children of the charmed ones too." He continued, pausing to look at the other parents in the room, "Even if we wish it weren't true."
"Exactly." Chris said, offering a soft smile to his parents as he noted there worried looks.
"Ok Pey, what's next?"
"Well if we are the 'Powers of three', then we will determine the course of history, Good Vs evils plea, The Traveller turned the tide of battle,…"
"Wait, who's the Traveller." Paige asked as her eyes roamed over her children, nieces and nephews.
Peyton and Chris shared a glance as their brains ticked over possibilities, as Chris's eyes closed and he shook his head mumbling a 'dame' under his breath. Peyton knew he came to the same conclusion she did.
"Chris. What is it?" Henry Sr asked as he saw his nephew turn away and rub his hands through his hair.
"Traveller, time traveller. Time is flowing like a river, changing time, the tide of battle." The brunette replied as he turned back, still shaking his head as he mumbled the words.
"What?" Wyatt asked, confused at his younger brothers speech.
"Me, I'm the traveller." He said, "I changed the tide of battle by changing the flow of time."
"Ok, that fits." Peyton declared, clearing her throat before she continued. "The King now must face his destiny. We know the king is Wyatt." Ignoring said persons grant of annoyance Peyton continued, "The three of power hold the key, The three of light guide the knights, The three of love trust the wise, One holds the knowledge to do what is right."
"OK so I'm guessing the 'power of love' is us." P.J declared, looking around to see if someone disagreed, but only getting small nods in reply.
" Power of light, mommy can I be power of light." The ten year old asked as she looked up at her mother, her eyes a light with enjoyment at being allowed to participate in an important magical conversation. Usually Patricia and Penelope would have already had to leave with Henry Sr.
"I don't know Penelope." Paige said, smiling at her daughter as she moved to sit where Chris had previously been between the younger Halliwells, moving a stray strand of hair behind her daughters ear. kissing her forehead before continuing, "But either way, your not fighting any battles to you are at least fourteen, even then I'm gonna make sure you don;t have to." She said, smiling at the little girls huff of annoyance.
" But I'm a big girl now." She pouted, crossing her little arms over her chest and sticking out her bottom lip.
"Penny, 'Power of light' could be either of us remaining. I mean white 'lighter' you would assume has something to do with it, but we both have those." Henry Jr said.
"Maybe." Peyton countered, looking between her brother and cousins. "But Wyatt, Chris and Mel are powerful; they share a greater number of powers between them. It kinder makes more sense for them to be the 'The Three of Power'."
As Henry Jr nodded, Wyatt and Chris shared a look of apprehension.
"Ok, then who's this person that holds the knowledge to do what's right." Asked Phoebe.
All seven progeny looked at each other, as if searching for an answer. When no one found one, Chris just shrugged his shoulders and mumbled 'I have no idea."
The sun was setting outside the wide open window of 'Halliwell's'. As the golden colours begun to fade and form dark shades of blue with specks of sparkling light. Melinda leaned in, her hand rested on the table as their breaths increased. Lips parted, Melinda smiled up at her date as the two slowly separated from their first kiss. As an awkward silence enveloped the two young love birds, the waiter of the table crossed the hall and moved over towards their table.
"Dessert menu, ma'am." The waiter smiled, bowing shallowly before moving off to another table.
"So um…" Coughing to clear his throat, Mathew Rider offered his Girlfriend a small embarrassed laugh as his cheeks darkened. Picking up the dessert menu he inquired "Chocolate cake?"
"No, I will leave the chocolate fetish to Peyton. What about the baked lemon meringue pie? It's one of mom's specialties; you know she stayed up all night trying out different blends? She and Chris trailed thousands of different recipes before she settled on making one up herself, it was the best one, of course…" after catching the eye of her smiling boyfriend Melinda realized she was rambling, lowering her head in embarrassment she offered a small 'sorry' before picking the menu up and turning it over.
"Whatever you decide will do. I'm a sweet tooth so it doesn't matter."
Reaching out and taking Melinda's hand, Mathew turned the Menu back to the Pie and called for a waiter. Ordering the Lemon Pie he gave the menu to the waiter then turned back to his date, never letting go of her hand.
"Um, anyway…Don't tell my brothers about the kiss." Melinda warned, her soft brown eyes roaming over Mathews face, taking in his high cheek bones and light Autumn coloured eyes as they sparkled with amusement, framed by his messy 'bed head' styled black locks.
"Why?"
"They will no doubt give you the whole speech about how 'if you disrespect me they will murder you in your sleep', or though considering you know about magic it will probably be more along the lines of them turning you into a toad." Smiling at his amused electric blue eyes, Melinda leaned in whispering.
"But don't worry; I'll turn you back into a Prince if they do."
"Okay, won't tell them about the kiss… On one condition."
"What's that?"
"Kiss me again."