First a thank you to my reviewers:

lizardmomma - Yes, Chris is the oblivious one. There's good reason for that. Wyatt's in his office. Chris is not. And if he was, Chris doesn't really use (or maybe have, I haven't decided) an evil sense. Wyatt most assuredly has one and after what happened in the last episode, seeing his father using those powers, he's trying to learn to use it.

Anym. - Had you been reading this while I was writing it, I would have been as clueless as you, because every time I tried to direct the story it waylayed me. That was kind of fun, because even I did not expect the ending. My beta read chapter four and commented on the content of one of my stories for the first time in a long while (she mostly does spelling and grammer). She was stunned. At least that's how I read her comment.

TaintedDarkInuShemeeko - I never specifically say what's in the jar, but hopefully it will be pretty obvious when you see it. If you haven't figured it out after a few more chapters, let me know and I'll tell you straight out. For now, the contents of that jar hasn't shown up yet. And Paige's evil sense it pretty much what I was thinking when I first introduced Wyatt having this power . . . back in "Stolen Souls". When Chris sent him to the kitchen to get ingredients for the potion to vanquish Trae he felt something, and dismissed it, but the Spy Demons from the next episode where spying on him then.

Andine - *Big Grin* Thanks. When I first started working on it, all it said was TM (for tiny master) and I had to find a way to make that sound cooler, thought even that makes a funny name for a demon.

Cirolane - :D Thank you for the explanation on the name. I was kind of hoping you would help there. I gues "squirt" works. Still more or less accurate. I'm afraid I get my names through one of two ways. Google search for a word and a language (which got me Archemneme, which is Greek, I think) or a free translation site, which may or may not be accurate. I try to find words that mean what I want and sound good together. So the "K" is pronounced? I was pronouncing it "not", but I want to pronounce it right. That's an interesting idea about Brian's story. I kind of just figured her ex was MIA from the military or something like that. It isn't something I'm going to go into in this story (though in the story it came from I will). Exactly so on Wyatt needing to following his instincts. Exactly so.

Both brothers are going on with their days, but Wyatt's is growing more eerie, while Chris has a pleasant exchange (for the most part) with two of his coworkers.

Enjoy.


Chapter Two – Diversions Both Good and Bad

Chris entered the break room a little before noon. Inside he found Jody and Rose chatting. They stopped and looked up as he entered.

"Hey, Chris," Rose greeted him. "Are you really leaving us?"

Chris nodded. "Today's my last day."

"You'll be missed," she told him.

He smiled. "I appreciate that."

"Do you have a job?" Jody asked.

Chris nodded, again. "I'll be working as a chef at The Manor. Have you ever eaten there?"

Rose licked her lips. "Yum. Yeah, I've been there."

Chris grinned. "I'll pass on the compliments. My mom likes hearing them."

"Your mom?" both girls asked surprised, Rose adding, "Is she a chef there, too?"

He grinned bigger as he nodded. "Chef and owner. The Manor is my mom's restaurant." He walked over to the break room fridge and brought out a sandwich he'd brought for lunch. "Mom's going to have me working evenings for the present. She's been working with just herself and one other person in the kitchen since before Christmas."

"He brings a sandwich for lunch," Rose teased, a grin at Jody. Turning back to Chris she playfully accused. "I'm not so sure you're really a chef."

"Come to The Manor tomorrow night," Chris offered. "I'll cook something up special, but just for the two of you. Anyone you bring pays for themselves."

The girls looked at each other and grinned. "You're on," Jody agreed.

"I'll bring David," Rose informed him.

"Well, he's paying for himself," Chris returned. "He can afford it with the raise I just got for him."

"You got for him," Jody laughed. "Mr. Hollis wouldn't have accepted your recommendation unless he agreed that David was the best person for the job."

Rose looked a bit somber and didn't say anything for a moment. "I think it's time for me to get back on the floor."

Chris looked at Jody confused as Rose stood and left the room without any other explanation. "What was that?"

Jody shrugged. "I don't know. I think she's afraid that David being her boss is going to mean she can't date him anymore."

Chris frowned. "I hadn't thought of that, but I don't think it will be a problem, since they were dating before David got promoted."

"You're probably right," Jody agreed. "In that case, I don't know."

Chris didn't know what else to say so he asked, "Do you think you'll be coming tomorrow night?"

"Oh, I will," Jody grinned at him, accepting the change in topic. "And so will Rose. I'm sure. She just has other things on her mind, be they about David or something else. She's right about one thing. Break time is over, for her and for me. I'll see you on the floor."

As he watched her leave, Chris unwrapped his sandwich. Now that he had made a decision to leave and it was his last day, he just wanted it to be over and soon.


Wyatt put down the phone and looked at the last application. It was straight forward and seemingly ordinary. Yet something about it grabbed at him. He wasn't sure what and as he flipped through it he was he even less sure why it grabbed at him, but he knew the young man listed on the paper was the one he wanted for the job. Had he looked at this application first he wouldn't have looked further.

The longer he looked at it, the more he realized why it was at the bottom. The young man had dropped out of college after only finished one semester. His work history was scattered at best and none of it was very impressive. The only thing of note was a letter from one of his college professors saying that this young man was one of his brightest students and not to take the unfortunate circumstances that forced him out of school against him. He didn't explain what those were, saying it wasn't his place, but did offer to answer questions once they had talked to the applicant and gotten the story from him.

It was all very strange, but Wyatt ran his finger down the page until he found a phone number. Once found he picked up the phone and waited for a dial tone.

And waited.

Wyatt frowned and put down the application. He pressed some buttons on the phone and put it to his ear, again.

Still nothing.

Wyatt's frown grew and he hung up the phone. He pushed back his chair so that he could get up and leave. He had just reached the door when a shiver ran up his spine. He still hadn't heard anything from his dad and the intermittent feeling that something was watching him was back.

He pulled open the door and almost ran down the hall to his friend, Nathan Hensley's office. He knocked on the door and waited.

"Come in."

Wyatt pushed open the door and walked in. "Nathan, does your phone work?"

"Hello to you, too," Nathan replied, giving him a weird look. "And of course my phone works."

"Would you test that?"

Nathan shrugged, used to the occasional odd request from Wyatt, and picked up his phone. He turned it on and waited with it up against his ear. When nothing happened he frowned. "That's odd."

"So it doesn't?"

Nathan shook his head. He reached down and pulled open a drawer. When his hand came up he had a cell phone in it. He turned in it. He turned it on and dialed. He put it to his ear and waited. After a few seconds he flipped it shut. "Nothing there either." He stood up and slipped his phone into his pocket. "I'm going to see if I can find Hal. If my cell's not working this is not an accident."

"Agreed," was all the comment Wyatt gave. Considering what he'd been feeling all day he had a suspicion this was probably demonic.


Have I mentioned that Nathan doesn't believe in magic . . . at all? I have characters with varying beliefs in magic. Nathan would have to have it literally shoved in his face and even then he might not believe. Then, there's a character who grew up around a "master of illusion" and believes real magic is probably out there somewhere. More about that in episode twelve.

The next chapter gives you a bit of a look into the "original" time line for Chris as a chance encounter at Centennial gives him a surprising revelation about one of his coworkers.