Yeah, I just realised how long this has gone without an actual update – there is a one shot though if anybody's interested...
So on with the story and FINALLY things will start moving a bit more – I hope!
A/N – just realising that depending on how long this goes on and how old Chris gets he might start cutting, I'll warn you if it does happen but I'm not sure...
Something Chris does later on is something I used to do a lot as well so that bit I know is accurate – ish Chris' thoughts are obviously different to mine...
.................................
Andy scowled as he once again failed to come up with any ideas on how to help Chris. Heck he didn't even know if the kid knew anything was wrong! He was quieter than everyone else but God he had one hell of a good mask up, as far as he could tell no one else had worked out Chris' secret.
"Andy?" A voice questioned from the doorway.
Andy frowned as he didn't recognise the voice, the figure stepped forward into the light.
"It's Sam, Chris' friend."
Andy nodded remembering – the kid who seemed to be making sure Chris was actually alive.
"Hey, how'd you learn my name?"
"Chris, he was kinda utterly terrified when you walked in. He's scared your gonna find out."
"About Piper? I already know."
"Oh." Sam seemed shocked. "So there's no point in me being here then, I'll just go." He started backing towards the door.
"Sam, wait." Andy called. "Talk to me, hell knows Chris won't."
"Ok. What d'you wanna know?"
"Whatever you know." Andy said leaning back in his chair. "All I know is Piper is being a – well a lot of words I shouldn't say in front of you."
Sam laughed. "I know she is. Question – can you see through glamours?"
"No. Why?"
"Why do you think no one ever guesses? There's barely a day goes by he doesn't glamour himself, hiding something. Especially on PE days, he's practically covered in them. I've seen him without, there's days when he looks like a walking skeleton. My mom is more worried about him than his own is; don't ask me why Piper doesn't really care though on that Chris is incredibly tight lipped. He really doesn't want the world to know. More to the point he doesn't want anyone to help him – he's utterly terrified of her."
"Does he ever talk to you?"
"Nope, I just kinda hang around with him; it's not hard to pick up on stuff especially when the two of them think nobody's there. I'm good at hiding." Sam shrugged. "It comes in handy sometimes."
"So I see."
"I gotta go; Chris is escaping for the night in the form of my Mom making a direct request that Chris comes over tonight – she never did get to give him his birthday tea; Piper rang and said he was ill. Next day he came to school and could hardly walk. He wasn't ill."
........................................
Chris hugged his right arm to his chest trying to stop some of the blinding pain running through it. It wasn't broken, he knew that but it still hurt; and it wasn't like Piper would care. He hadn't bothered to look at it, he knew there'd be a bruise in the shape of Piper's hand; he just glamoured over it. The only problem was – it didn't stop the pain. He slid off the bench and headed towards the main building Sam would be waiting for him.
He walked mentally running through all the pros and cons of going to Sam's; he'd been through them all before it didn't take long so he switched instead to what telling Andy would do. Oddly he came up with a long list of cons – Piper would kill him if she found out, Piper might make it worse, he might get taken away from Wyatt and Leo etc – and the pro list consisted of one; Piper would stop hurting him.
He spied his friend and waved, deliberately only using his left arm, and smiled though it didn't quite reach his eyes which were still clouded with misery and pain. Sam just grinned back at him not wanting to tell the boy about what he had just done.
"Hey Chris." He said cheerfully, avoiding asking Chris about his arm which remained by his side barely moving. "Bet you I can beat you on the boredom scale."
"Wanna bet?" Chris said laughing, opening up now he was alone with someone who knew his secret. "History; nothing beats that."
"Maths does, well today's lesson did anyway. Seriously who cares about fractions? It's not like they're any use in real life."
Chris grinned and ran ahead yelling over his shoulder for Sam to catch him up. Sam obliged sprinting after the small brunette smiling.
....................
"Prue! I got an idea, will you come down here?"
"What?"
"Well, I don't but it got your attention didn't it? Anyways Chris' friend trusts me enough, well enough to let me know a little bit of what's going on."
"How did you get his friend to trust you when Chris doesn't?"
"Sam isn't terrified of Piper." Andy said simply. "Plus Sam actually cares about him; unlike some other people."
"So you still have no ideas?" Prue asked exasperated. "How hard is it to get an eight year old to trust you?"
"When that eight year old has managed to keep this a secret for at least 4 years, hard!"
"How much do you think I'd get killed if I went to see Phoebe?" Prue asked jumping up onto the desk.
"A lot, and it wouldn't work. Chris has managed to completely master the art of blocking her empathy."
"I don't need her empathy; I need her to see."
"And you plan on doing that how?" Andy said confused. "You don't have you wiccan powers anymore and it's not like you can use a charge for it."
"Wanna bet?" Prue said grinning. "Seriously when have I ever listened to those guys? Even when I was alive I didn't, why would I start now?"
"Because now they can recycle you." Andy said rolling his eyes. "It's not like I like them either."
"Ok, so powerful charge...umm Melinda will do. She wouldn't be able to rival the power of three but she should be able to take on the power of one."
"Do I want to know what you're planning?"
"Probably not." Prue grinned. "But..."
"Whatever, go ahead. Chris won't die tonight; he's with Sam." Andy shrugged. "I want no knowledge of this."
"Bye." Prue said before orbing off still planning how exactly she would get Melinda close enough to Phoebe to say the spell.
"You are going to get yourself killed." Andy called after her. "For Gods sakes do not let them find out."
.....................................
"So when are you gonna talk to Andy?"
"When are you gonna tell him you're half demon?" Chris shot back avoiding the question.
"I tell him that, you talk to him about your Mom. He already knows anyway."
"Exactly why he needs no more detail." Chris said his hands balling into fists at his sides. "I do not want to give her anything else."
"God Chris! Will you look at yourself? – And I mean without the glamours." He added quickly watching Chris glance down and shrug. "Take them off."
"No." Chris said tensing up. "There's nothing there."
"So that's why there's at least one on your arm and god knows how many others elsewhere."
"Just drop it k? I'm fine. Please don't spoil this."
"Promise to talk to Andy and I will."
"Fine." Chris said dully. "I'll talk to him."
"You've got a week. Now will you come on my Mom has been going on about this all week." Sam said grabbing hold of Chris' shirt and dragging him towards the front door.
...................
"Melinda, I need a favour." Prue said orbing in front of her charge.
"What?"
"I need you to cast a spell on my sister."
"What? Why? Isn't your sister a Charmed One?" Melinda said spluttering.
"Well my nephew is being abused, I don't like it and Phoebe should be an easier target than Paige because she's an empath. Oh and yeah she is. So please?"
"Fine." Melinda said leaning back in her chair. "What have I gotta do?"
"Just cast an eensy teensy little spell to let her see what's going on. You can write it; you know I would just fail spectacularly."
"Oh My God." Melinda said feigning shock. "Did the great super witch, well whitelighter, admit she can't do something? What happened to you?"
"Very funny Mel." Prue said rolling her eyes. "So are you gonna do it?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not really, no." Prue said smiling before orbing out.
"Spell, spell, spell." Mel muttered trying to come up with something decent. "Why do I allow myself to end up doing these things? Oh yeah because my whitelighter doesn't give me a choice!" She grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen and started scribbling crossing words out and muttering under her breath.
..............................
Chris orbed home, well not home just into a little alley behind his house, and snuck inside not really wanting to see his Mom. Going to Sam's always made him feel like this; it was the only downside of being away – it hurt more when he came back. He froze after hearing a creak behind him and slowly turned his head around.
"Hi Mom." He whispered. "I'm just off upstairs, I, I didn't mean to disturb you."
"Well you did didn't you?" She snarled. "Come with me." She grabbed hold of the young boy's arm and dragged him through to the kitchen. If anyone had been in the house they would have heard a sharp crack and quiet sobs following it; but no one was and no one heard.
.....................
Tahdah! I think this is like my longest chapter ever and I'm gonna be posting another one shot on Thursday kinda based on this...this Thursday is kinda special for me so almost all of my stories will be updated then. I am not going to give you my life story to explain it but I am going to say that it is a 5 month anniversary of no cutting so...YAY!
As ever please, please, please review!!!! Everyone who does gets a cookie!
Ldf x