A New Life in San Francisco
Chapter 16; Rift
Halliwell Manor
James shot up with a gasp and his hand hit Chris who jolted out of his own sleep. "What's the matter, James?" He said tiredly as he pushed himself up onto his elbows and placed his hand on James' back. James shivered ever so slightly but didn't look at his boyfriend.
"I think I had a premonition." James whispered staring around the room. Something was seriously off, the sun was still low in the sky and shadows still ruled the room making it difficult to work out.
"Past, present of future?" Chris asked not sounding in the least surprised which concerned James immensely. He'd only had a few of them since coming to San Francisco and Chris had never known about them but here he was not in the least shocked.
"Present…I think." James whispered before standing from the bed. "This is wrong."
"What's wrong?" Chris asked, his frown echoing in his voice.
James walked to the window but his nose picked it up first. His panther almost growled at the strange smell. It smelt like lingering smoke, like the garden had burnt down a couple of weeks ago and nobody had cleaned it up properly. He pulled back the curtains and gasped.
As far as he could see was ruin, the buildings were there but they were barely standing. Scorch marks were everywhere, smashed windows and far worse was the sight of down town San Francisco. Most of the buildings were cut off like something had destroyed the top few floors. A fresh smoke trail reached into the sky in the distance by the bay and all James could do was stare in shock.
He didn't notice Chris come up behind him until he felt his arms wrap around his waist. "You know I prefer to keep them closed." Chris muttered.
James pulled himself out of his boyfriend's arms and backed up against the window in an attempt to get away from him. "What are you talking about, Chris!?" James gasped out to his shocked boyfriend. "This is all wrong!"
"What are you talking about?" Chris frowned slightly, the city's been like this for two years.
"What!?" James ducked passed him and headed for his jeans and shirt lying on the back of one of the chairs in the room. "I ate in a café with Kevin just yesterday!"
"Kevin?" Chris quirked his head as if trying to recall somebody who didn't exist. "Who's Kevin?"
"He works with me and Paige." James sighed exasperatingly.
"James! That's not funny!" Chris snapped tugging on his own jeans in annoyance. James glanced around the room and noticed the difference, it looked like it hadn't been cared for in years.
"What are you talking about, Chris?" James lost the edge to his tone. Whatever had happened to the city had obviously done something to change Chris as well. Things started to fall into place in his mind.
"I don't even know Aunt Paige, James. I didn't think you'd joke around about something like that." A deadened look flashed through Chris' eyes and James noticed that they were almost dead, like his had been ever since he had been dumped into Azkaban.
James grabbed Chris' arm with a tight grip and stared up into his eyes, something in his panicked expression must have had an effect since Chris frowned slightly. "What did you dream about?"
"The Wizards, they plotted something with a Demon named Abaddon to go back in time and kill your family." James whispered in despair and he felt he knees sag slightly. He just wanted a way for Chris to understand what had happened, he couldn't face this alone. James frowned as Chris jerked before they both fell to the ground. Chris gasped out as a premonition swept through it and James was forced to cradle him to stop him from falling the last two feet to the ground.
James watched Chris' face until his eyes came back into focus. His boyfriend glanced around the room before his eyes settled back on James and tears began to form at the corner of his eyes. "Chris?" James prompted nervously, "What happened?"
"I saw it, I think it was your premonition but I remember everyone." Chris sobbed. "Oh god, they're all gone!"
"Who're gone, Chris?" James prompted as he grabbed for Chris' hand and tried to sooth him. "Who, Chris?"
"They killed Paige first and then Wyatt died." Chris sobbed. "He was too young to remember either of them."
"He?" James asked slightly worried now.
"I cant explain it. I remember everything from this world like it was in a dream but I remember growing up with Wyatt and everyone clearly." Chris shook slightly and pulled himself back to standing. "Dad never became human after that and Prue and Anna were never born. Mom hasn't said a word to me in the last year."
James gasped in shock. This was far worse then he'd imagined. "What about your Aunt Phoebe?"
Chris shock his head slightly. "She's alive I think but she hasn't been around in years. She still married Uncle Coup and they had Patience, Felix and Jason but I don't know how they are."
"Where's your dad?"
"Never met him." Chris frowned, "Well, obviously I have… well I have…I mean, but he hasn't"
James almost laughed but calmed himself by remembering how bad the situation was. "I get it, Chris." James sighed.
"What are we going to do?" Chris muttered.
James fell back onto the bed and placed his head into his hands. He thought for a while before finding a plan that actually had a chance of working, remembering what he had read in the Book of Shadows about when this had happened the first time. "We'll have to go back and fix the problem." James said suddenly. "Voldemort sent Wizards because the Charmed Ones wouldn't be able to handle them back then so we'll just have to go back to even the odds slightly."
"And we get back there how?" Chris raised an eyebrow.
"You did it before." James grinned slightly even though he didn't feel at all happy with the situation. "Well, one of you did."
"Funny, James." Chris shook his head. "I don't know how he managed it. Mom removed the spell from the book."
"Should we try and ask her then? She's downstairs." James suggested.
"How do you know she's downstairs?" Chris asked as he pulled his shorter boyfriend up from the bed and towards the door.
"I can hear her in the kitchen." James told him as he tapped one of his ears. Chris just nodded as he led the way down.
"Hey mom!" Chris called as they reached the downstairs hallway. The rest of the house was as bad as the bedroom, it looked as if it hadn't been properly looked after and, James noticed, many of the windows had been smashed. "Mom!? Are you in here?"
James and Chris walked into the kitchen to find his mom looking out of the window. She didn't react to their presence at all. James walked over to her side whilst Chris grabbed some stale looking bread from the table. He eyed it slightly before tearing off a chunk and biting into it. "Piper?" James asked quietly and she finally turned to look at him. She seemed confused for a time and her eyes didn't actually come into proper focus.
"Breakfast in on the table." She deadpanned without the least emotion in her voice. James heard Chris take a sharp intake of breath and he turned his head to meet Chris's gaze. There was a deep sorrow there but also Chris just seemed scared.
"Thank you, Piper." James sighed before he pulled Chris from the room. He placed his arm around Chris' slim waist and guided him back up the stairs noting that Chris wasn't even walking on his own. He led him straight up into the attic. He guided Chris down onto a dusty sofa.
"What are you doing?" Chris asked as he came back to himself.
"The Book of Shadows isn't here." James pointed out. "Either your mom hid it or your Aunt Phoebe has it."
"So?" Chris asked.
"We're going to summon her here to find out exactly what happened back then and get her to help send us back." James explained.
"You think that will work?" Chris asked.
"I cant think of any other plan." James surmised. "I had to have had that premonition for a reason. If not to fight those Wizards then why else?"
"Let's do it." Chris nodded and stood. "At least I know I'm not leaving anything behind here."
James nodded before grabbing Chris' hand so that they could combine their magic to overcome any resistance on Phoebe's part. They chanted the first part together before Chris cut into his wrist with his teeth before saying the last two lines.
"Power of the Witches Rise,
Course unseen across the skies,
Come to us, we call you near,
Come to us and settle here.
Blood to blood, I summon thee,
Blood to blood, return to me."
For a couple of seconds James thought that it had failed, obviously the delay meant that the person resisted the effect since it had happened with Charlie too, but soon grey orbs began to collect in the centre of the attic and they faded to reveal a very pissed of Phoebe Halliwell.
"Chris?" She gasped. "What are you doing?"
"Aunt Phoebe?" Chris gasped. She had obviously changed a lot, she wore a lot of black, her hair hung around her neck rather than in the short way she had taken to.
"Of course it's me!" She softened slightly as she took in Chris' rather worn appearance. "How is your mom?"
Chris winced violently at the mention of the woman downstairs who didn't act in the slightest part like his actual mother but rather a zombie. "She's downstairs. We need your help."
"Who is this?" Phoebe asked.
"I'm James, a Wizard." James sighed impatiently.
"A Wizard?" Phoebe gasped. "Chris! You should know better then to associated with any Wizard!"
"James is good." Chris snapped harshly. "Listen to us. We need your help to go back in time."
"What are you talking about?" Phoebe frowned. "You told me you wanted nothing to do with magic."
"I had a premonition this morning." Chris lied, not willing to tell her that it was actually James' premonition since she seemed to not trust him. "This is all wrong!" He said gesturing around him at the decrepit attic space.
"What do you mean wrong, sweetie?" Phoebe asked though she soundly slightly placating.
Chris sighed and looked at James so he took hold of the explanation. "I don't remember anything from this world. Magic obviously brought my mind from the proper reality. We witnessed a man called Voldemort send thirteen Wizard's back through time to kill the Charmed Ones and their children."
"I remember that, they killed Paige and Wyatt." Phoebe gasped slightly, "You think they're from the future?"
"They were from yesterday." James told her. "Like Chris said, this is all wrong. You should be living in San Francisco. Paige should be married to a mortal with five children. Leo should be mortal and Chris has two younger sisters. Not to mention Wyatt is still alive."
"You're kidding!?" Phoebe seemed to believe them though.
"I wish we were." Chris sighed. "We need to know how my other self went back in time to protect Wyatt."
"You want to go back?" Phoebe frowned obviously unwilling to let them regardless of the strange situation.
"I guess that when they attack you didn't know what you were facing?" James asked.
"We didn't have a clue what they were." Phoebe sighed. "Paige died without a chance and then after three months of fighting we managed to kill four of them but they managed to kill Wyatt in their last attempt. Piper blew up on them and completely obliterated them but it cost her. She came out without her mind and without her powers."
"I'm a Wizard, I'm like them." James told her. "If you help send us back I can help protect you all and Chris can face them in the not messed up reality."
"You've got to believe us, Aunt Phoebe. You've got to help us!" Chris cried.
"I do believe you, Chris." Phoebe sighed. "Regardless of how surreal it sounds. I'll help you out. Chris, go draw a Triquetra on the wall over there."
Chris nodded before searching for a piece of chalk. James walked over to where the pedestal sat, still undisturbed. "Do you have the book then?"
Phoebe watched him as he ran his hands over the dusty wood obviously sizing him up. "My family keep it in New York." She said eventually.
"So, you're letting Patience, Felix and Jason practice magic?" James asked with a small smile.
She nodded. "I'm sorry if I'm acting rather rude, I have never had a good experience with a Wizard."
"That's ok, I can understand it." James sighed. "What are the Wizards doing then?"
"They helped the demon Abaddon take over the Underworld and I couldn't stop them alone. They've been acting as assassins ever since, killing off any Wicca witches they can find." Phoebe sighed. "There are rumours of resistance groups in Europe but I've never met one of them."
"Sound about right." James sighed. "What about a Wizard called Voldemort?"
"I've met him once but luckily I was with Patience and she could transport us out of there." She shivered slightly. "Is he in your world as well then?"
"He killed my parents and I'm on the top of his to kill list." James chuckled slightly though he wasn't really amused. He'd had enough of this world already.
James realised that she had been scribbling on a piece of paper while they talked and Chris joined them just as they finished. "If this works then you'll appear just before they did any permanent damage. I've been trying to remember exactly what happened back then. We were at the park playing with Wyatt and Chris when they ambushed us. Paige fell to the Killing Curse before we realised what had happened."
"So we need to get her out of the line of fire and then get you all to safety?" Chris asked uncertainly.
"You'd best do it without warning us as well. All thirteen attacked us and the two of you wont be able to defend us in time." Phoebe explained. "Can you both orb?"
"Chris can, I can apparate." James told her.
She shivered slightly. "Can you take passengers?" James nodded resolutely as her plan became clear to her. "I was sitting on the ground with Wyatt and Chris, and Piper and Paige were sitting on the bench talking together."
"So Chris can orb you, Wyatt and Chris out." James said frowning at the strange sentence. "And I'll apparate Piper and Paige out."
"You'll appear in the attic," Phoebe explained, "Do you know the small fountain of an angel in Golden Gate Memorial park?" James and Chris both nodded. "That's where you'll find us."
"Are you ready, Chris?" James asked and Chris nodded.
"Join hands and read the spell then head through the portal." Phoebe said. They all looked down at the paper and chanted the spell.
"Hear these words, hear the rhyme,
Heed the hope within my mind,
Send me back to where I'll find,
What I wish in place and time."
Blue light swirled across the wooden wall and the Triquetra filled with a blue portal. "You wont have much time once you go through." Phoebe warned. "Good Luck."
"Thanks Aunt Phoebe." Chris smiled at her.
They joined hands and both stepped through the portal of magic and stepped out again far in the past into a clean attic. The Book of Shadows sat on the pedestal with all innocence and the blue light filling the room faded in a few seconds back into the low sun of a later afternoon. "Use your powers to pull your mom and Aunt down onto the ground whilst I distract the Death Eaters." James told him as he turned to face them. "I'll apparate us or we wont arrive at the same time."
Chris nodded fully prepared for the horrid feeling of side-along apparition. "Main thing is to get them back and get some sort of protection up." James nodded his agreement before concentrating briefly on apparating them.
XOXOXOXOXOX
Golden Gate Memorial Park
"It's so nice to see the two of them actually playing together." Paige smiled at her older sister after watching the two young boys, four year old Wyatt and two and a half year old Chris, as they played with Phoebe on the grass not ten feet from them.
"It's been so long since I've gotten them out of the house and I wanted to do it before it got too cold for it." Piper smiled back warmly.
Whatever Paige was going to say was interrupted by a loud crack nearby. Paige stopped Piper from attacking on instinct even as she had to resist the urge to orb out of there. Two men stood nearby and there wasn't a chance that they had arrived their naturally. Before either of them could take a good look at the two, they heard the sound of branches cracking as somebody emerged from the forest behind them.
Piper spun on the bench along with Paige in time to see a beam of sickly green light heading straight for her youngest sister. She tried to call out but nothing came out. Her eyes widened as she felt an undeniable force grip her whole body and sent her sprawling backwards off of the bench with Paige at her side. The green light shot harmlessly over their heads but the air nearly crackled with evil energy. The force vanished as fast as it had arrived and Piper twisted from the ground to see the taller man obscure her view of Phoebe and her two boy's before the four vanished in a large cloud of orbs.
"No!" She cried out as her boy's were kidnapped and she pulled her self to her feet to find herself beside her youngest sister. The shorter of the men stood nearby facing away from them. His brown hair waving around in the non-existent breeze. They watched as a symbol appeared in the air between him and the trees where cloaked figures lurked in the trees with skulls for faces.
The symbol her had drawn flared with blue flames before he swept his arm in a wide arc parallel to the floor. Fire flew from the symbol and set light to the outer edge of the small wood. Cries of pain erupted as some of the attackers were burned but neither her or her sister had time to ponder this magic. The man spun and startling green eyes met her own.
He closed the gap between them before she could react and she felt a hand clamp tightly to her own wrist and then her world went blank. For what felt like a full minute she was being sucked through a tube only a fraction of her size.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
Halliwell Manor
James reappeared with another loud crack in the attic but didn't get a chance to do more then release his woozy passengers when a blue light flashed to his side and he realised his mistake even as he felt a massive force smack into his side and send him flying across the room and into the wall.
He groaned slightly as he propped himself up on his arms to view the room sending a light glare at Wyatt that seemed to irk his mother. "Don't glare at my son!" She snapped.
"My apologies, Piper." James groaned again as he pulled himself to his feet. Chris chose that moment to orb in beside him making the point that he hadn't actually been there when James had arrived. "Where have you been?"
"I went back to find out what they were doing?" Chris sighed ignoring the shocked silence that had spread through the room.
"Cooking merrily I hope." James smirked. "Hopefully the arrival of mortal fire fighters will prevent them from hanging around and tracking my apparition."
"Chris!?" Piper gasped out drawing their attention back to the three women in the room. James glanced sideways at Chris before taking a half step back leaving Chris in the open.
"Yeah, mom?" Chris winced slightly.
"It is you!" Piper cried and before James or anybody else could interrupt she'd gathered Chris up in her arms with a small sob.
James knew this would happen, by the presence of baby Chris this was after the other Chris had died protecting Wyatt. "Not to be a spoil sport here, Piper. But you've not actually met this Chris before." Piper let go of Chris with a frown and James' boyfriend turned to him with a small glare on his face. "Well, he is sitting on the floor there, but he's not the same one that came back from the future to protect Wyatt."
"So, the other Chris managed it?" Phoebe frowned though none of them took their eyes off of James, still unsure as to who he was.
"Yes, he did." Chris spoke as he came to stand beside James. "The future we come from should be happy. Perfect actually."
"At least in your part of the world." James muttered but he was silenced by his boyfriend's glare. "Those men that attacked you in the park were sent back from the future to kill you because they weren't capable of facing your whole family in the future. I'm sorry to say that they managed it."
"What do you mean?" Paige asked cocking her head slightly.
"The future we live in was changed, the City is dead and the family is gone." Chris sighed. "James and I were the only ones that remembered what it should have been so we came back to now to try to save you."
"Who are you then?" Piper asked James with a slight glare, obviously remembering the way that Wyatt had reacted to him.
"I'm like those that attacked you. A Wizard, though I'm far more powerful then them, and on your side." James told them.
"How can we be sure of that?" Piper asked him. "Wyatt doesn't trust you."
"Please, mom!" Chris laughed. "Wyatt didn't trust anybody straight off at that age. You trust him in the future. He works for Paige in the proper future."
"What do you mean by in the proper future?" Paige asked with a frown.
James winced and knew that Chris gulped rather extremely. "That spell would have hit you if Chris hadn't knocked you out of the way. It kills anything living that it touches. The twisted history shows that you died in the park today and that a three month war wages between you and those Wizards, Death Eaters." James sighed again and found himself a seat near to the two babies. Piper still didn't take her eyes from them but she didn't stop him. "By the end of the fight, Wyatt is dead and Piper, in a search for revenge, utterly destroys the Death Eaters at the cost of her own magic and mind."
All three gasped at this. Chris took over. "Aunt Phoebe was the only one there along with her family and she helped us come back." He told them sadly. "Hopefully none of that will happen though. We're here to kick arse."
"Chris!" Piper snapped. "Watch your language!"
"Especially around yourself, Chris." James joked, "We wouldn't want you being corrupted just yet."
Phoebe snorted in amusement and Paige had to cover her mouth to hide her giggles as Chris glared at his boyfriend. "Very funny, James."
"Right, no magic allowed." James told them.
"What!?" Piper asked.
"I want to set up anti-apparition wards so that those Death Eaters cant just appear in the house." James told them but noticed that all three were just looking at him suspiciously. "Would it help if I let the Book of Shadows prove that I'm not evil?"
"Come on mom, he's good." Chris whinnied slightly but shut up as James grinned at him before beginning to leaf through the book. It actually took Piper, Phoebe and Paige a few moments to realise what he was doing.
"So you're not evil." Phoebe said. "That doesn't mean you don't mean us harm and I cant sense anything from either of you."
"They've probably taken that potion again." Paige suggested.
"Still here you know." Chris muttered making James laugh.
"Actually its more the fact that we both have mental shield around our minds. Magical shields under our own control." James lectured. "I could lower mine if you want to search me for ill-intent."
"I don't know if that's a good idea." Chris said worriedly but Phoebe was already nodding. "Be careful to just stay on the outside of his mind. Don't try to delve, Aunt Phoebe."
"I've been doing this for seven years, Chris. We can handle ourselves." Phoebe pointed out.
"Just to point out in Chris' defence." James spoke with a small smirk as his boyfriend groaned. "But Chris has been doing magic since he was three, that's twice as long as any of you."
"Shut up, James. You're complicating matters." Chris told him sternly.
"Are you ready, Phoebe?" James asked as he squared off to her. "I'll only allow you to see why I hate the Death Eaters and their master and also what I know of the messed up future. Don't try to seek any more."
She nodded and he lowered his shield letting her pry into his emotions and since they were tied to his memories and that they were both seers she was allowed to relive them as well. She gasped as the most recent memories of the messed up future flashed through her mind, seeing herself helping them and seeing the sight of San Francisco destroyed.
She watched the Death Eaters destroy the Motel and then try to kill James. She witnessed their attack on Chris on the beach when Chris had so nearly been killed. She stood by as Voldemort killed his relatives and then as the Wizards convicted him and locked him up with the Dementors for Voldemort's crime. Then back to watching his a man James cared about being killed by a cackling Death Eater. Of the gathering to welcome back Voldemort. She was forced to witness James' confrontations in both his first year and second year at a strange school.
James was careful to make sure he skipped over his pre-Hogwarts years but he knew she got an impression of the pain that stemmed from those years. Finally she witness the utter pain and despair that he felt as a baby as Voldemort killed his mother even though James didn't remember it himself. He gave her an impression of what he felt towards Voldemort and all of his Death Eaters because of the event and the sheer power and evil that he remembered in that flash of green light.
James came back to himself and felt drying tears on his cheeks and he glanced to the side as he wiped them away hurriedly though it was obvious that everyone had seen it since Chris was standing just behind his right shoulder, obviously not wanting to show their relationship but still wanting to support him. Phoebe wasn't dry eyed either as she glanced at her two sisters.
"He's not on their side." Phoebe told them simply and Piper and Paige both gave him slightly sad looks of pity. James suddenly felt the blood drain from his face as he thought of something awful and he turned a panicked look on Chris before facing baby Chris.
"How old is Chris?" He asked glancing at Piper briefly and waving at the small child.
"He's two years and four months." Piper said, "Why?"
"Then I'd be a year and two months." James whispered only just loud enough for them all to hear if they struggled. Chris easily caught it though and began to put things together. "It's September here right?"
Phoebe nodded as she too started to put the memories together in her mind. James turned on Chris with a horrified look. "I never thought of this, Chris. They're still alive." He almost sobbed. "I'm sorry, I cant do this."
An echoing crack rang through the room making them all jump as James vanished from sight, the pages of the book falling back into place where he'd dropped them. Chris gave them all a sad look. "He's parents are killed on Halloween this year. This hadn't even occurred to us."
"Where did he go?" Piper asked.
"I have no idea." Chris sighed. "His method of transport is instantaneous, he could be anywhere in the world by now."
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
England; Godric's Hollow
James had spent a long time sneaking through Hogsmeade looking for directions to the small magical village that his parents had lived in and it had been difficult to do since the whole town was under Martial rules and since it was only early morning it was hard to find anything useful.
Still he'd managed it by breaking through the wards of a house and searching their library and he was now crouching in the bushes around the garden of his childhood home, or at least his proper home. Luckily the wards were tuned to his younger self and therefore he wasn't considered an intruder. He noted to himself that he'd have to remember that loophole with his own wards back in the future regardless of how unlikely it would be.
A light flickered on just as the sun broke the horizon and a woman walked passed the window though all he could see was her shadow. A baby began to cry in another of the rooms and James felt a tear fall down his cheek.
He wouldn't let this happen again. His departure was accompanied by a very slight pop and the bush fell back in on itself with barely a whisper.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
End Chapter
