A/N: Thanks everyone for the sweet reviews. I hope you will like this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or any of its characters.
It had been three weeks since her sisters moved out and their whitelighters moved in and Piper hadn't found out anything about them, except that they were complete workaholics. Melissa had plundered all cupboards to make an immense pile of potions. Chris had dragged her along to vanquish a demon at least ones a day. And the Book of Shadows always seemed to be in the hands one of them. Worst of all was that most nights one or both of them were sneaking around the house. When she had followed Melissa one night, she had found her kicking the punching dummy Phoebe had bought long ago. Melissa fighting skills had surprised her. She was almost as good as Phoebe.
Despite everything she was glad to have them around. They made the house less empty. It turned out that Melissa was really talkative as long as it wasn't about herself, Chris or the future. Every time the girl was in a chatty mood Piper had tried to get something out of her. But she had taken over the 'future consequences' phrase of her brother. Besides she was highly skilled in changing the subjects and if those two didn't work is she simply orbed away.
As Piper walked past the room that used to be Phoebes, she heard yelling.
"She has to know", Melissa's voice came through the door.
"No, she doesn't. She won't believe us."
"We will make her believe us. We have to. We are not a step closer to saving him. We need their help and for that they have to know."
"No, they will only trust us less and then it will only be harder to succeed our mission."
"But…"
"No, Mel. We won't tell them, understand?"
As Piper slowly pushed the door open to see Chris orb out. She walked into the room. The walls were now covered with star maps and lists of demons. Melissa said crossed-legged on the bed with the Book in her lap. Angry she stared to the place were just a few seconds ago her brother had stood.
"Is there something I can do for you, Piper?" Her voice was monotone and she locked her eyes on the Book.
As Piper sat down next to the girl, she looked up. "Where were you fighting about?"
"Nothing."
"What is it that you think I should know?"
"Nothing."
"You have to tell me everything. Who you are, why you are here and what will happen to Wyatt."
The girl sighed. "I thought we were past that. I can't tell you."
"Someone is after my son. I think I have a right to know." Piper was getting irritated. She was really done with all the secrecy.
"No, you don't. No one has the right to know about the future. So can you please let me continue trying to save your son?" Melissa started to sound very annoyed.
"How do I know that it isn't you and Chris that are after him?"
Again she sighted deeply. Piper could see she girl was trying to keep her calm.
"Well, Chris and I risk everything by coming here. In the best case we change the future. Which means some friends won't be friends and the people we are now won't exist. If we fail, the world goes to hell. And in the case we make a mistake, we could change things we don't want to change. We could end up not being born. So do you really think, we are here to hurt your son?"
"And still I have only your words to go on."
Melissa growled. "Fine, if you really want to know. But remember, it was your wish to know." She put the Book aside, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Give me your hands. I will show you."
Piper hesitated to take the outstretched hand. "Why do you want us to see your memory, so badly?"
"Because if I don't show you, you won't believe me. Take my hand, this is a one time offer."
As she took Melissa's hand she got sucked into the memory.
A very young Chris and Melissa were standing amidst of a large crowd. They were about early and mid-teens. In the middle of it, on a stage, stood a teenager. He was about 17 or 18 years old, with blond curls and a black shirt. "I'm the son of the oldest Charmed One and a whitelighter, heir to Camelot and the most powerful witch that ever lived. My name is Wyatt Matthew Halliwell. Remember it because you all WILL obey me. "
It couldn't be Wyatt. This boy had an air of darkness around him. He was nothing like her sweet little kid.
The siblings looked at each other. Fear laying in their eyes.
"He really got insane", Melissa whispered.
"We already knew that when he started to kill family", Chris said. His eyes were glued to the boy on stage.
"For everyone who doubts my power', the boy, who said to be Wyatt, continued. "I killed the remaining Charmed Ones and all of the Elders." A grin appeared on his face. "With one exception." Two demons shimmered in with a bound and gagged Leo between them. "This is my dear father and last of the Elders. And today, he will die." Wyatt's voice sounded amused.
Melissa grasped her brother's hand. "We have to do something', she whispered.
Chris nodded. "Wyatt must have somehow blocked his magic. I distract Wyatt, than you free … Leo."
Melissa orbed next to Leo and tried to untie him. While her brother appeared behind Wyatt, who immediately turned around and threw a fireball at him. The young Chris got hit in the chest and fall on the ground. Where he lay motionless. Then Wyatt focused his attention on Melissa. With one flick of his hand moved her to him.
"If that isn't our dear little Mel. The two of you didn't really think you could free him, did you?" He laughed.
He pulled hard at her ponytail. As Melissa cried in pain, he forced a potion bottle in her mouth.
"Swallow or you are dead", he whispered in her ear, while holding an energy ball near her face. As soon as she swallowed the potion she started to shake. Wyatt roughly pushed her away. As she fell on her knees, Wyatt said: "The only reason you aren't dead is because I might need you in the future. And now for Chris…" As he turned around he saw that Chris no longer was laying there.
The whitelighter appeared next to Melissa. He gave Leo a glance before grasping his sister's arm and orbing them away.
She had grasped the blankets Piper realized as she regained her sense of reality.
"That was a lie. That wasn't my son. He would never hurt anyone, especially not his father. You made me see this. It isn't real", Piper yelled at Melissa.
"It's how I remember the day Wyatt took over. He killed his father, worked with demons and bound my power. And that was just the start of his tyranny."
"Lies, all lies. You just manipulated my mind. None of it is true."
"It is the truth. Chris and I are here to prevent Wyatt from turning evil."
"No! You are just a liar. Get out of here! I don't want to see you or your brother ever again", she screamed at the girl. Tears appeared in Melissa's eyes, but she couldn't care less. This girl was making false accusations to her son. No way, she would have pity on her.
"Chris was right", Melissa cried. "I should never have told you the truth." With that she orbed out.
- On the Golden Gate Bridge-
Chris was standing on the Golden Gate Bridge. He had to escape the house. Ever since he and Melinda had move in with his mom, he had tried to avoid Piper as much as possible. It all looked too much like old times. It was started to grow harder and harder to avoid answering the endless string of question of his mom. He didn't know how his little sister did it. Constantly hanging around their mother and not telling anything. But the thousands of questions had started to annoy Melinda. She didn't say, but he saw that she started to avoid their mother more.
But now it wasn't only Piper who wanted to know about the future, but Melinda wanted to tell her that Wyatt turned evil. Melinda hadn't been here as long as he had. She didn't know the Piper of this time as well as he. He knew for certain she would never believe her son would be evil and certainly not from their mouth.
He sat on the quiet bridge until he felt the connection with his sister blocked. A fear grew in him. Because of the danger they were in daily, he and Mel had agreed to never block the connection. If they couldn't sense each other, they couldn't know the other was save.
Chris orbed to their room in the Manor. As he materialist he saw his mother sitting on the bed.
"Were is Mel?"
"Gone. And you have to go too", she said harshly.
What had Mel done to make her so angry?
"What happened? Why is Mel blocking me out?"
"I don't know what you are talking about, but I want you gone", Piper repeated.
"I can always sense where Mel is and if she is alright. Now I can't, so something happened and I think you have something to do with that."
"She lied so I kicked the two of you out. So go or I will blow you up." Piper lifted her hands to add force to her threat.
Whatever Mel had told Piper. Throwing her out would have hurt his little sister.
He orbed out to search for his sister. He looked at all the spots she often went to as a child. The hidden spot in the back of the garden, the cemetery where their mothers grave would be, the Golden Gate Park where they played as kids. Eventually he found her on the beach. Their mom had taken them there on all of Melinda's birthdays. Since the girl loved the beach, even if it was too cold to swim.
Melinda sat on the sand hugging her legs and staring at the sea.
"She said she didn't want to see me again, ever."
Chris said down next to her and put his arm around her. "You know this isn't our mom, not yet. She doesn't know who you are. Otherwise she would never had said that."
"She really doesn't believe me."
"Well, Mom is a very protective when it goes about her children, you know that."
"I don't think I like it here anymore."
"You just have to hold on a little longer."
She gave her brother a small smile. "Yeah."