Sorry for the long gap between updates. Again. I'll not patronise you all with umpteen excuses.
If you wish to take part in my new poll, just head on over to my profile page to cast your vote for your favourite character: Chris, Little Chris, (G) Wyatt or (E) Wyatt.
Disclaimer: These characters belong to the brilliant minds of Brad Kern, Constance M. Burge, Aaron Spelling and E. Duke Vincent. I think. Well, they're listed as the producers on Wikipedia so I'll go right ahead and give them all the credit, shall I?
"Chris is missing."
She stops, gasping for breath. "One minute we were talking, the next he just orbed out. I don't know what happened… I asked if Leo ever-…"
The look on both Wyatt's face makes her voice grow painfully faint, realising her mistake.
Then, weakly, remorsefully, "I have no idea where he went."
"I do."
"Of course you do," (E) Wyatt says dryly, rolling his eyes at the same time (G) Wyatt declares, "He must be blocking me. I can't sense him."
"Well?" Paige prompts with her eyebrows impossibly high, voice sharp with impatience. "Do share."
Little Chris smirks, a calculating astuteness clear in his eyes. "I can't tew you." He half-shrugs. "It's a secwet."
"What?" Piper barks, placing an angry hand on her hip. "You do realise your mentally unstable other self is gone, right?"
"Oh, I am quite awawe of da fact dat Kis went poof and vanished into fin aiw undew youw cawe," little Chris replies coolly. "And wast time I checked, you need my hewp so don't get snawky wif me."
"Just tell us where he is," she almost growls, unmistakably unimpressed by the toddler's attitude.
Pursing his lips, he replies, "Hmm… I don't fink so…"
"Chris!" Paige explodes in exasperation. "While you're over there wasting time, other Chris could be out doing God knows what and putting himself in danger! Just hurry up and spill for God's sake!"
As stubborn as ever, little Chris refuses, "No."
"But why?" His childish behaviour seems to be getting to them all.
"I don't have to exwain mysewf to you," he quickly retorts, before taking a deep breath and stating much more calmly, "In fact, I'w make you deaw. You wemove dat anti-owbing spell, and I'w go get him mysewf." He looks squarely at his brothers, anticipating their next move. "Awone."
"No way!" (E) Wyatt intervenes. "Didn't I just tell you, you weren't going anywhere without my approval and that you were not, under any circumstances, to leave my side?"
"And if you wemebew cowectwy, I don't cawe what you want."
"No."
"If we do 'dis," little Chris persists, "we do it my way. I'w go, find him, and den bwing him back. Pwobwem sowved."
"There's just one little drawback with that plan," (G) Wyatt murmurs, sharing a glance with his other self.
"And dat is?"
"No-one trusts you to simply come back. What's the catch?"
"Dewe is none."
"Yeah, I'm not buying that."
"It's true," Phoebe nods. "We took away your ability to orb for a reason. And it isn't that long ago that you were fighting to get down to the Underworld."
"And let's not forget that you are a three-year-old," Piper chimes in. "That kind of implies that adult supervision is necessary."
"Dis is about me," little Chris says, glaring up at the Charmed Ones. "I am da one who is out dewe on my own, upset about somefing none of you wouwd undewstand. I awso happen to be da onwy one who knows whewe to find me. So, who's wasting time now?"
"I'm not happy about this," Piper expresses with a worried frown, nibbling on her bottom lip.
"But?" little Chris says hopefully.
"But… it would appear we have no other options."
"Unless…" Paige mumbles with a thoughtful expression. "We could reverse the spell temporarily. As in, set a time limit for Chris to return? That way he can't go anywhere he shouldn't."
"You know, that's actually not a bad idea."
Paige smiles. "Just another moment of pure genius."
"Hold on," (E) Wyatt cuts in. "You're not actually considering this, are you?"
Piper shrugs. "We don't have a choice."
He sniggers mockingly in response. "I'll go with him."
"Den I won't tew you whewe to go."
"Do you have to be so Goddamn stubborn about this? It's a secret location," (E) Wyatt says contemptuously, waving his hands dramatically in the air. "Big deal."
"You. Awe. Not. Coming," little Chris enunciates slowly, leaving no room for opposition.
Still… (E) Wyatt tries.
"Yes, I am."
"No, you'we weawy not."
He snorts. "Who put you in charge?"
"No-one needed to. I'w do fings when I want, and how I want. No matter what you say ow how much you awgue."
"I am getting really sick of your-"
"Spell's done," Phoebe suddenly interrupts, glancing between the two brothers.
Promptly spinning around, (E) Wyatt notices for the first time that the Charmed sisters have linked their hands, closed their eyes, and that moments before, their mouths had been moving, whispering words far too lowly for him to overhear.
"How could you?" he gasps.
Paige rolls her eyes. "Pretty easily, actually."
"Chris," (E) Wyatt commands urgently, turning back towards his brother. "Don't you dare-"
But it's too late.
He is already gone.
Piper and Leo gaze at each other from across the room, and as they do so, all of the shouting, all of the arguing and all of the reasoning going on… it all just fades away.
And suddenly, it's just the two of them.
Standing there, looking at their ex-spouse and wondering where it all went wrong.
The longing in their eyes would be clear to any outsider, but more importantly, the evident pain they each perceive goes beyond what either could ever have predicted both in themselves and in each other.
Yet, it's easy - far too easy - to forget that any problems ever existed, that any fights ever took place or that there was ever a reason for Leo and Piper to be separated.
Ever since he returned, Piper has been avoiding Leo, not wanting to lie and yet dreading the thought of admitting the truth about Chris, but now the love she still carries overwhelms the need for space.
Similarly, Leo has found it difficult to be near Piper because of the burning regret he faces for ever leaving, but in this moment, those feelings pale in comparison to his extreme desire to make things right.
She is pregnant with his child.
And will always be the love of his life.
Leo knows what he has to do. Becoming an Elder ruined Piper and his relationship, and distanced him from his son.
It set everything in motion, and now it is time to undo the damage his old, foolish priorities has done.
"You'we vewy pwedicatbwe, you know," little Chris calls from a distance, approaching his older self slowly.
Other Chris laughs, but the sound gets caught in his throat.
He sniffs, the red rim around his eyes portraying a deep sadness.
"Yeah, well, so are you," he replies amusedly. "I knew you'd turn up soon enough. It was only a matter of whether or not you'd come alone."
"As if I'd wet dem maw somefing so sacwed," little Chris says with a smile, sitting down beside himself and admiring the expansive view of San Francisco from the Golden Gate bridge. "'Dis is twadtion. I don't want dem fowowing me evewy time I come hewe fow some peace."
"I don't know if it's because you're me or if I'm just getting better at this, but I actually understand you."
"Good. I hate wepeating mysewf."
"I take it they expect you to take me back at once?"
"Yeah," little Chris nods, pulling a face. "But we have time." He smirks. "I might not be abwe to owb after a whiwe, but you wiw."
Chris shakes his head, a half-smile on his face. "Always finding a loophole."
"Of couwse."
"Just for the record, it's nice being able to talk to you while we're both of sound mind."
"Yeah, about dat…" Little Chris frowns in confusion. "I fought you wewe being aw… I don't know…"
"Childish?" Chris supplies. "It's okay, I won't be offended." He pauses. "This time."
"Okay den. What happened?"
He shrugs. "I guess I kind of… returned to normal. When Mom asked that about Leo, I just-"
"Snapped out of it?" little Chris guesses, quirking a brow.
"Yeah," Chris sighs, running a hand through his hair.
They're silent for a few minutes as they breathe in the fresh air, absorbed in their own thoughts.
"I'm sowy," little Chris suddenly says softly, fiddling with his chubby fingers that rest on his lap.
Chris cocks his head. "What for?"
Gazing out at the horizon, he says simply, "Evewyfing you've went thwough the past two months. I know it must have been difficuwt finding out you've wived anothew wife. Especiawy when da one you have has been so good."
"Am I reading into things too much or was there an underlying apology in there for the memories that I'm struggling with of Leo?" Chris asks knowingly, a playful glint in his eyes.
"Am I dat twanspawent?"
"Only when you're talking to yourself."
"Funny," little Chris says with heavy sarcasm. Then he sighs and the atmosphere shifts to something much more serious again. "I just… I hate dat you have to wemembew him wike dat or feew in any way confwicting about someone who's onwy evew shown you wove."
"And how do you know that?" Chris asks curiously, scrutinizing his younger self. "You haven't got the same experience as I have. You don't know the Leo of my time."
"Don't need to," little Chris chuckles. "I know you. Me. And I can tew dat undewneath aw dat huwt and confusion, you'we happy."
"I am," Chris answers sincerely. "Things are good. Strange, different, and a little challenging at times, but overall, it's been really, really good."
"Da Weo dat we both know, he isn't weaw. Not yet. You have to stop mine fwom becoming a weawity," little Chris says passionately. "I want us to gwow up wif a Dad who woves us despite da fact dat his othew son is stwongew and dat doesn't ignowe us or fowget ouw biwthdays or diswegawd ouw caws when ouw mothew wies dying." He stops, wiping away the tears that have spilled over onto his cheeks. "I don't want to hate my fathew."
"I know," Chris replies gently. "And you won't. Wyatt isn't going to turn."
His expression tightens with determination.
"I'll die before I let that happen."
Thank you for reading and for any of the reviews that have been sent in.