I swear this story refuses to leave me alone, which I guess is great for you guys 'cause it means I update really quickly. Me? Not so much.
Not when it's distracting me from just about everything and won't let me sleep through the night. Ah well... so long as it involves Chris I suppose I can't complain.
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. I just borrow them from time to time.
It's been two months since he left his family to join the Elders and every day Leo repeats that same mantra in his head. They're the Charmed Ones. The most powerful of witches. They don't need me. They have that other twerp for a white-lighter now. As much as I may dislike him, I can't accuse him of being incompetent. He's good at what he does. Very knowledgeable. Seems dedicated enough… He hasn't done anything to harm my family thus far… Well, nothing that I can outright prove, anyhow. Who's to say he ever will? Wyatt will be fine. I can take him Up Here every so often. They don't need me...
On and on. Whatever it takes to convince himself that everything is okay.
Every day Leo fights the urge to look down on them, just a peek, just to see what they're doing. Knowing that he can't. His willpower isn't everlasting. If he looks, he'll return. Leo wouldn't be able to stop himself. And then it would be all the more difficult to leave again. That's all there is to it.
Every day he feels the need to justify his decision.
And every day that sickening sense of uneasiness deep in the pit of his stomach swells. Unbearably. Incredibly intense.
Because he knows… as much as he may try to deny it, Leo knows that he made the wrong choice. Yet, he can't bring himself to regret it. Can't admit that he may have made a mistake. One which has already cost him his marriage. And for that reason, Leo has to believe that all the sacrifices he's making are worth it, somehow, in the end.
And for the first time since his departure, Leo has his son in his arms, asleep now after a long day of precious father and son bonding. Father first, Elder second. Forever and always, right?
In spite of everything, Leo has not abandoned Wyatt. Not when he's here with him right now. He will always make time for him, no matter what. There will be plenty of opportunities like this in the future, too.
And with that thought a lump seems to solidify in his throat.
Already, Leo feels the weight of the approaching separation pressing against his chest. How can he possibly let Wyatt go for a second time?
But he has to. His job as an Elder is greater than all of this… isn't it?
It's what he's always wanted… All Leo's ever dreamed of…. He'd have been an idiot to turn them down.
Leo loves his family. He hasn't deserted them.
He hasn't and he never will.
When referencing the toddler version of Chris I'll be sure to say Little Chris so you don't get confused. If at any point this needs to be made clearer please let me know.
"Wyatt," Piper suddenly exclaims, nearly choking on the word. "I can't believe it." She brings a hand up to her face, shaking her head in disbelief. And even though her next words are muffled, everyone in the room hears them eerily clearly.
"You're my son, aren't you? You're Wyatt."
"Of couwse it's Wy Wy, silly," little Chris confirms, pulling out of adult Wyatt's grasp with an unconcerned giggle, inadvertently breaking his biggest rule concerning time travel.
Never expose your identity. Ever.
Other Chris smacks his forehead and groans loudly whilst Wyatt merely shrugs as if to say, meh, what can you do?
Then Phoebe releases a delighted squeal and literally launches herself at Wyatt, peppering his face with squelchy kisses. "Oh my God! Look at you! My baby nephew all grown up! How adorable!"
Grinning enormously, she pulls away, just missing the wry glance he shares with Chris at her dramatics.
Paige, on the other hand, simply grins at the knowledge, seeming to take it all in stride, and Piper, still in shock at seeing her one-year-old son so old, just stares intently, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly without making a single sound.
Then little Chris cocks his head to one side, puckers his brow, and says in bewilderment, "Wy wy, your haiw's all diffewent."
Unsure how to respond, Wyatt darts a nervous look at the three sisters, and Chris gapes at his younger self, finally seeming to acknowledge the significance of his presence.
"Wait a second..." he muses, wide-eyed and far too shrewd for his own good. "If this is 2004 - and it must be because our future is still not set in stone and there is still the potential for the other timeline to come into existence - then why is mini-me here? Aren't I supposed to be your pushy, twenty-two year old whitelighter attempting to save the world from an evil dictator right around now? And, another thing, how the hell did he recognise Wyatt if he's never seen him at this age before? Shouldn't Wyatt be, like, one or something?"
"Um… about that…" Paige grumbles, anxiously twisting her fingers. "You, uh, may have been, um, accidentally transformed into a three-year-old yesterday by an… Anno... demon..."
"What?!" Chris screeches. The sisters wince. "How is that even possible?"
"Uh-oh," Wyatt murmurs. "That actually explains a lot come to think of it…"
When he glances towards Chris, his face is filled with pity.
Chris swallows hard as whatever Wyatt's talking about seems to dawn on him, too. "Oh no. Oh God, no." Starting to hastily pace the room, he releases a wild stream of imaginative expletives and Phoebe actually moves to cover little Chris' sensitive ears. "Damn intricate time travel! How did this even happen?" he implores frenziedly, and the Charmed Ones are shocked by the unusual display of emotion that flits across his features.
Makes him look almost… human.
"No, no, no, no, no…" he moans to himself, frantically shaking his head from side to side in this feeble sort of attempt at denial.
And then, the most astonishing thing of all, Chris - unemotional, unnaturally composed, impenetrable Chris - sinks to the ground, drawing his knees to his chest and hugging them fiercely, and begins to openly weep.
I know I keep harping on about reviewing, but literally, it takes like two seconds and all you have to do is say whether you like it or not. And if you're feeling especially generous, why you feel that way...
Wyatt immediately rushes to his side and pulls him into a warm embrace and if possible, Chris cries harder. Some inner part of him tries to resist but he can't. Having his brother with him. So close to him. Trusting him completely, knowing that he'll do everything in his power to protect him… It's reassuring.
Wy wy always takes care of him…
Resting his head on Wyatt's shoulder, Chris feels calmer, safe and more in control of himself even when everything's slipping from his grasp.
"Shh…" Wyatt murmurs gently, rubbing his back in slow circles, the moment appeasing him even as it causes his mind to overload with alarm. What the hell is happening to him? "Just relax, alright, buddy? It's okay… Everything is okay…" Wyatt tenderly runs his fingers through Chris' hair and it's just so soothing. His body growing heavier and heavier as he leans on his brother more and more with each passing second…
Worst of all, Chris feels himself drifting, dozing off, and there's not a damn thing he can do about it. Against his will, his eyelids flutter before closing altogether. He is just so tired… Snuggling into his brother, it's not long before he is fast asleep.
Only then does Wyatt glance up to see all three sisters gawking at them in utter disbelief.
Little Chris, however, is simply staring off into space with this expression of total perplexity, too wrapped up in his own troubling thoughts to pay them any heed as he, too, seems to return to some level of awareness.
"Yeah, remember when I said Chris was acting strangely?" Wyatt asks awkwardly, pressing his lips together with a worried frown, careful not to disturb the young whitelighter. "Well… What you just seen… That was just a taste of it…"
Thank you so much for reading.