Chris felt a strange pull as he was thrust into Melinda's memory, he could see and hear what was happening, but not interact as he was only seeing a memory. He looked around and recognized the place as one of the resistance's strongholds, but it looked nothing like he remembered. There was no command center set up, there were no cots, no weapons, no surveillance equipment, nothing. In fact it seemed more like a demon's den. Then he saw Wyatt orb in with Melinda, followed by his future self.
Memory
"Okay the book says that this demon can create massive earthquakes. My online friend in Oklahoma started telling me about weird earthquakes happening there. Right now they're fairly small quakes but it says that's how he gets his power: Do several small ones, feed on the panic and fear it causes and create bigger ones. The bigger they are the more pain, panic and fear for him to feed on. The stronger he gets the wider the destruction he causes."
"And you're sure this is where the demon's lair is?"
"For the millionth time Wy, yes. You've asked me that since we started scrying for it. What do you think, Chris is the only one who can find a demon?"
"Well it is unusual. You've rarely looked for a demon for us to go after." Chris said.
"I've done it before. I'd do it more if you two wouldn't keep excluding me from vanquishes. "
Before another argument could erupt several demons appeared. Melinda took out the first couple of demons by throwing potions at the nearest ones. Chris took out a few of his own with his telekinesis. Then he saw a fireball head towards Melinda.
"Mel, look out!"
Chris watched as Melinda successfully dived out of the way. Unfortunately, with his attention diverted, another demon that had claws slashed his chest causing him to cry out. Melinda stood and used her freeze on the other demons and Wyatt threw energy balls that destroyed them all. Chris used his telekinesis to send the demon they came here for, Lente, flying across the room. Lente slammed into a rock wall and dropped to the ground, unfortunately he recovered quicker than expected and in anger he sent the three of them flying instead.
They got up weakly and Mel tried freezing him. It worked, but they could see the ice already cracking dangerously quickly, so Melinda started to dig in her pocket for another potion to throw. She looked towards Wyatt and Chris and said, "Say the spell, now."
The three started chanting a spell they found in the book for the demon.
The demon screamed and was vanquished. Mel turned and finally noticed Chris was bleeding, "Oh my gosh Chris, you're bleeding."
Wyatt looked up, quickly holding his hands over his brother's wounds as he started healing him, "How did this happen?"
"I let myself get distracted by Mel and a demon snuck up on me. I've never seen one with claws. It took me by surprise."
"I'm so sorry Chris." Melinda said.
"It's fine, no problem. Wyatt fixed me up just fine. Let's just not mention this to mom."
"You should have said something sooner." Wyatt practically yelled at him.
"In case you weren't watching Wy, we were a bit busy."
"Next time pay more attention. I could have orbed us out, healed you and come back. Think about that next time."
End Memory
Chris was so stunned that he was pulled out of the memory. He'd often wondered growing up if he and Wyatt we're supposed to be The Power of Two instead of Power of Three, but after Wyatt became all about power that thought, dream, whatever you wish to call it, faded or died.
Now seeing himself and an obviously overprotective Wyatt do a Power of Three spell with this girl was surprising. There was no way to fake that. No demon Wyatt hired could ever think of something like this. Especially with Wyatt being good. Wyatt himself who, even by the books standards isn't exactly evil, would never think this up. Besides, Chris knew how much Wyatt liked his hair and wouldn't change it even for a fake spell like this, not to mention the facial hair. Seeing Wyatt all upset at his being hurt was shocking as well. Wyatt hadn't cared about his well-being like that in years.
"Wyatt's really good and Mom's alive?"
Melinda frowned, "Yes, wait, what do you mean by really good? And of course Mom's alive, why wouldn't she be?"
Chris forgetting he suggested that the memory spell work both ways started remembering the last time he saw his mother. Melinda, still holding Chris' hand, felt herself pulled into his memory.
Memory
"Mom, I'm home. Dad came for Wy, again. Of course he ignored me and only said Happy Birthday when Wy mentioned it. Naturally he forgot, again. He said he'd try to make it to the party but we both know he won't. I don't know why he even bothers saying it anymore." Chris said, while setting his books and his bag down. He took his coat off and headed towards the kitchen, "Wy said he'd be home for the party. I know it's my birthday but do…" he stopped and looked in and saw Piper laying on the floor bleeding. "MOM!" He ran over and put his hands on her and tried to stop the bleeding from the atheme wound in her chest, while trying not to do further damage to the fireball injuries covering her torso. He put his hands over her, "Come on, come on. Please just this once heal!" When it was clear it wasn't going to work he cried out, "Dad! Dad! Dad please, just this once answer me, please! Dad, PLEASE!."
There was no answer but he kept begging, "Please dad, it's Mom she needs help now!!"
Melinda was crying as she watched the scene before her. She could almost feel her brother's emotions. She didn't need to be an empath: It was like she could feel every one of his emotions, as she seemed to be experiencing the same ones right along with him. If this was even half of what her Aunt Phoebe and youngest cousin Peyton go through she was glad she wasn't an empath. She could almost feel the raw mixture of desperation at their father finally answering him, confusion as to why he was taking so long when he'd clearly said their mom needed help. 'Why isn't dad coming? Can't he hear Chris calling him? How can he ignore the pain clearly in his son's voice?' she wondered.
"You can't die, you just can't!" Chris cried with utter desperation.
He was about to give up and try calling for Wyatt when he looked up hearing orbing. He thought his father finally was going to show but was of course disappointed and relieved at the same time when he saw Wyatt standing there.
"Chris I heard your panic calls to dad, what's wrong with… MOM!" he didn't need to ask anything more as he saw the problem and got on his knees and tried to heal her.
"What's wrong Wy, why isn't anything happening?" Chris asked as the glow from his brother's hand stopped.
Before Wyatt could answer Leo orbed in, "Wyatt what are doing? Why did you leave? We weren't finished yet."
Wyatt looked up and said, "It's mom, she's…she's gone."
Chris broke down crying at that.
It was then Leo noticed Piper, "Oh my god, Piper, NO!" The Elder ran to his wife's side and placed his hands over the wound. The golden glow never came as he tried in vain to heal her.
"It's my fault I couldn't heal her." Chris sobbed.
"No it's not Chris! It's the fault of the demon that did this!" Wyatt said, trying to reassure his brother.
"No, she can't be." Leo looked at Chris enraged, "Why….why didn't you call for me?" Leo demanded, looking at his son with a mix somewhere between betrayal and anger.
Taken back by the question, Chris looked up and asked, "What? I DID call you! Multiple times! What part of 'Please dad, it's Mom she needs help now!' Wasn't clear?!"
Wyatt glared at his father, "He did call. That's why I left! Unlike you, whom I can only assume had him on mute, I heard his frantic calls and pleas. I should have come sooner. But in spite of me telling you he was calling, and sounded desperate, you convinced me to stay longer than I should have. You said that he was just trying for attention! Even when he said it was about mom I, again at your instance, chose to ignore him. But unlike you I couldn't just ignore him anymore and I refused to put him on mute like you suggested! I couldn't get the desperate sounding pleas out of my head!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Wyatt. If Chris had really tried calling me that desperately I'd have heard him even on mute."
"But you didn't!" Chris yelled at him. "You never came! Wy, was the only one who came. She might have been saved if you had come when I called or at least let Wy come!"
"Don't go, blaming your failure to heal her on your brother!" Leo shouted back, refusing to believe he was at fault.
"I wasn't, I was blaming you! I tried to heal her! I can't heal, you know I can't."
"Can't? More like you didn't want to. Obviously you didn't love her enough or you'd have been able to!"
Wyatt got seriously mad."Enough! That's not fair Leo and you know it. Chris can't help it if he can't heal! It's not his fault."
"Then whose is it huh? And that's dad to you."
A look of hurt, disgust and finally anger flitted across Chris' face before he yelled out, "You're not our father, not anymore!"
"And what is that supposed to mean!"
"Just what he said, Leo. You stopped being our father when you started blaming Chris for your failures. Let's go Chris. We'll go tell grandpa what happened and let him and Leo, if he's still here, deal with it."
End Memory
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A/N: In Love's a Witch, Leo follows Chris as he's getting an empath blocking potion. Leo intercepts it. Chris of course plays it off like he was really getting it for the sisters. But then they hear a noise and Chris says, "Oops, looks like Wyatt needs another babysitter, Dad."
So Chris heard the call too. So that's why I put it here that Wyatt heard Chris calling for Leo when he ignored it.
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Thanks for the reviews. Not getting any I was worried no one liked it. Some authors may hate it when people throw out things like suggestions. Like one reviewer who commented on Melinda's family. I hadn't thought to bring them up yet, but maybe next chapter I don't know. Can't tell you the chapter number as I can't plan that far ahead, but I will tell you both Wyatt's will appear in Chris cross. So we have a couple of things to do before then. Suggestions or questions unless it's very specific, I tend not to answer in author notes I tend to try if at all possible to put the answer in the next chapter.