Family...(Ch.8 UPDATE 5.29)

[mcharmed21]

Author: silvermoon8705

2 Chapters are up...I have more done already...I'll post as soon as some feedback comes in...

Hope you like it!

Chapter 1

“I want him now!”<br>
“Yes, Lord,” The demonic servant fled then, hoping Lord Wyatt wouldn’t see the trembling that resulted from the presence of his overwhelming power.

He was brought in roughly to the Lord’s chambers, annoyed at the untimely beckoning. The mistreatment, though, provoked the Lord to immediately fireball the uncareful handler. The person brought in stared impassively at the spot where the demon once stood, as if this sort of thing happened so often it was somewhat comical. Then he glared contemptuously at his brother, the fondly nicknamed Devil Incarnate.

“Don’t you ever tire of killing? You know too much of anything is bad for your complexion…at least I think you do…” He remarked bitingly.

“Are you criticizing me, Chris? You know I’m only letting you keep your powers because I knew I can’t always be there to defend you…but if you give me reason to reconsider…”

“Load of help that has been @#%$” He answered silently, still not believing Wyatt was too conceited to see he wasn’t doing anything to make Chris keep from strengthening the resistance.

Out loud: “Oh no, no criticism here…I’m just very interested to find out the reason why you bothered me in the middle of the night. You do know it is the middle of the night, right? ‘Cause you know with this eternal darkness lair thing going on here…it can get kind of tricky…”

“Yes I did notice that…” He murmured as he went over to Chris and began to stroke his cheek in a sickeningly loving manner.

“Wyatt! Damnit, you said…” But he couldn’t continue as Wyatt quickly put a silencing spell on him to keep him quiet.

“You knew it would happen. I never said I would stop.”<br>
Chris quickly backed away, not ready to deal with the ‘torture’ again and attempted to TK Wyatt back, but it was all in vain. His brother had drained him so much to the point where his powers were minimally effective, thus having little damaging effect on his power-hungry brother.

“Think you’re any match for me now? I’m surprised you had the nerve to come back. You’re funny that way…”

Chris mouthed something back to him that seemed to say, “You SOB…I’ll get your ass for this!”<br>
Wyatt waved his hand impatiently and Chris was knocked haphazardly into the wall, head pounding from the hit.

“You’re not in any position to threaten, Christopher Victor Haliwell…I will make you and no one is here to stop me!”<br>
He winced at the mention of his middle name and anger boiled up anew inside of him as he thought of the day Wyatt killed the only person left for Chris to honestly confide in after…well after her death…<br>
*Flashback*

“Chris, tell me what’s wrong. You can’t keep it all in. Come on tell me.” His grandfather asked patiently.
This was a regular occurrence in the Haliwell household after the Charmed Ones had died, and Wyatt had disappeared, which with his immense power wasn’t good. No one knew what he was capable of and his tremendous lack of self-restraint frightened the balance of power. And since history showed male witches handling good magic poorly, there was little doubt where Wyatt would be tempted to turn to…after his mother died…vengeance was sweeter than caution.

“Wyatt. That’s what’s wrong. I heard he was nearby and he wasn’t being rational. I…I saw him…” Chris breathed, trying to not relive the experience.

Victor quickly stood up and gripped his shoulders, looking him in the eye, searching for a hint of what he was feeling.
“What happened, Chris? Did he see you? Did he harm you?”<br>
“I…I don’t want to talk about it...please…it’s just too hard.”<br>
“What did he do to you, Chris? Tell Me! I need to know so I can help you Chris. I’ve always been here for you, you know that. It’s just you and me and if you don’t confide in me who else is there?”<br>
“I know, Grandpa. I’ve always appreciated you being there. But, it’s just too hard to say out loud.” Chris admitted and dropped his head, not wanting to see the disappointment in his grandfather’s face.

The moment was cut short as Wyatt orbed in, a grin on his face—not a good sign.

“Hello all…all two of you. Wow, weird how hardly a decade goes by and the whole family is practically gone. That really bites. So, Chris, how is everything?”

Chris looked up, harshly wiping away his tears, and advanced on Wyatt, ready for a fight.

“No, no, no…no fighting…I just came to talk.” Wyatt explained, though it was evident he definitely had something up his sleeve.

Chris glared suspiciously at Wyatt, trying to guess his motives for coming.

“Grandpa, nice to see you still…alive. But you’re old and’ll be dead soon so it would be no trouble whatsoever to let you in on Chris’s little escapade.”<br>
Chris was incensed at the idea of Wyatt relaying the story to Victor and tried to TK Wyatt out of the room with as much power as he possessed. Wyatt, caught off guard, was thrown out of the room by a fiery invisible force. He quickly recovered though and orbed back into the room a few minutes later with a pleased smirk on his face.

[mcharmed21]

Chapter 2

Chris defiantly glared off Wyatt’s smirk, and prepared himself for another attack. Wyatt though confidently strode toward Chris and looked appraisingly at him as if he was trying to figure something out.

“I thought your powers were ridiculously useless against me. Where did this power boost come from? Enlighten me why don’t you?”<br>
Victor stepped forward and told Wyatt off, “It is none of your business…it’s Chris’s powers and he doesn’t need orders from anyone to explain them. Why don’t you just leave?”

Wyatt laughed at the insane proposition…a normal human being telling him what to do? Thinking he would actually listen with his repertoire of powers?

“I really don’t think I can leave, Victor…and frankly I don’t tend to listen to people that aren’t any threat to me. Logically I won’t get anything out of doing as you say so I don’t see the bother. But just in case…” Wyatt paused and an energy ball formed in his left hand, posed to strike.

Chris couldn’t believe what Wyatt was attempting to do…grandpa was family…he would never…even his own mother or aunts…even if he was capable he still morally wouldn’t have dared…but now something that extended beyond the reaches of early-learned morality lessons had taken affect on Wyatt and nothing seemed to beat it.


“Why are you doing this Wyatt, why?” Chris wondered aloud, hoping to prevent what seemed to be the inevitable.

“For you,” Wyatt answered simply, and smirked again, “You’ll thank me later.”<br>
Before Chris could orb his grandfather out with him, Wyatt expertly materialized a darklighter arrow into his other hand and shot Chris in the chest with it as orbs started to take shape. As soon as the arrow took effect, Chris fell onto the floor, face scrunched up in obvious pain as he felt the poisonous arrow protruding from an area so close to his heart, it was barely lucky it missed by so little.

Wyatt smiled at Chris’s distress. “Well now that was too freaking easy. But don’t worry little brother, I won’t leave to die. You’re too precious.”<br>
Chris’s dark brown eyes flew wide open as he understood the subtext under that pseudo-reassurance.

Victor slowly stood up from the floor and Wyatt turned his attention to him.

“So Victor, if you really want to hear something droll before you kick the nice silvery bucket…I can tell you about Chris eavesdropping on me thinking he was clever enough to be elusive… (looked over at Chris) but you can’t hide from your brother Christopher, especially one that’s twice-blessed, super powerful, leader of all that’s worth ruling over, and before I forget HAS SENSING POWERS…which are quite effective I must say on locating the presence of nosy family members. (looked back at Victor) But enough about me, let’s see…Chris decided to see what I was up to. Yep, he seriously believed he could get a one up on me. I saw him, he saw me seeing him, I saw that he saw me seeing him…so we all got together and I raped him.” Wyatt ended with a mock dramatic pause.

Victor was shocked at this news, and looked over at Chris who was becoming physically weaker with the arrow’s pain-inducing poison. Chris looked away quickly, hiding the shame he felt for what Wyatt did to him.

“Bye then!” Wyatt cut into the awkwardness, and fired up a fresh energy ball (the other one went out with all the talking). He then, without hesitation, threw the energy ball at Victor as Chris looked on helplessly. In a last ditch effort to survive, Chris orbed slowly and quite painfully out.

“What’s his deal? And I thought I’ve seen the last of the stupid people. Ah well.” Wyatt, unconcerned, orbed out planning to sense Chris after a little nap.

[mcharmed21]

Thanks for the comments! In this chapter, someone from the past visits...hope you like it!

Chapter 3

Flashback cont’d…<br>
Wyatt orbed back into his headquarters, which were located in the heart of the charred remains of the decrepit city of San Francisco. He waited expectantly for someone to appear.

“I know.” The person voiced as she stepped out of the shadows.

Wyatt smiled appreciatively of her reconnaissance skills. She never failed to know his plans ahead of time even when he wasn’t so inclined to tell her. Always thinking she could prevent him, prevent her premonitions from coming true. But he was more powerful than some stupid premonitions. He did what he wanted…the hell with what anyone said.

The girl, barely 16, angrily rushed at him and shoved him into the wall that was behind him.

“How could you violate him like that? He deserves better than that! Don’t you love him enough to leave him alone?”<br>
Wyatt, to keep her from hurting him again, TKed her harshly into a conveniently placed steel plate that rang with the vibrations her impact caused.

“You don’t have any active powers Prue, so don’t think you can just shove me around and accuse me of something so asinine! And then not to expect the consequences…”

Prue just looked up at him and asked simply, “But don’t you love him?”<br>
“Like a crack addiction, yes. And that’s why I’m hoping—no telling you to do something for me.”<br>


Haliwell Manor—Attic

Chris struggled to orb into the attic and as he landed his orbs went out in a split second, not able to hold with the lack of magical energy to sustain them.

He slowly walked over to the place where the crystals were at and grabbed three of them, then placed them in a triquetra on the attic floor. After breathing in and out to control the pain, he chanted in a whisper a spell he made up himself.

//Come to me here/
The one who is near/
Who understands what I hold dear/
For fear she can’t handle/
I, of the Haliwell line, call for this plea/
To send to me the mother I never knew/
Across the great divide//

As soon as he uttered the last line, a swirl of white lights invaded his vision and someone appeared in the triquetra circle. She looked at the person who called for her, and seeing his obvious pain, rushed to his side asking if he was okay.

“Who did this to you Christopher? Why’d you summon me now?” She asked worriedly.

“Him.”<br>
“Wyatt? You mean the son I haven’t had yet?”

“Yes Piper, and I called you to see you one last time before he comes for me for good.” He answered, resigned to his fate.

Piper, who was in her early to mid twenties, was at the point in her life where she had just found out she was a Charmed One and all that came with it. She couldn’t believe that her own future offspring would grow up to turn against each other. And she was hoping that good witches were safeguarded against having their children turn evil.

She was somewhat comforted that at least Christopher was the child she had always expected…except for the whole male in a female-dominated family aspect of it. But that was negligible…<br>
“Shouldn’t you call for the me you actually know? What can I possibly do to comfort you? I’m not the mother that knew you your whole life Christopher. And anyway I’m still too young for motherhood, I’m still dating…and you know that handyman?”<br>
“My dad?”<br>
“Yeah, you said he was special in some way? Now I just assumed he was a normal human being…but you won’t tell me otherwise, right?”<br>
“There’s only so much I can tell you…and I think I already told you too much with him being my dad. Maybe I should…” Chris paused, hesitant, but knowing he had to do it.

“Make me forget in cause I slip accidentally?” Piper answered for Chris. She knew it would be wrong for her to keep this future information forever. It was too much of a burden, and she felt like she was molding her life into how it was meant to be…which was really straining on her to accomplish.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t want to burden you unnecessarily. Do you think I should call her? It was hard enough seeing her die, I don’t know if I can take the look in her eyes. Like she failed me somehow by leaving me to deal with Wyatt. Alone.” Chris said, waiting for Piper’s advice.

Piper knelt down and stroked Chris’s hair in a motherly manner, and whispered emotionally, “I don’t like to see you hurt. I can’t believe a child of mine would do such a thing.”

And she cried silently as she looked at Chris struggling to hold on and trying to keep death from taking him.

“Tell me what to do Piper and I’ll do it.” He barely whispered.

“You are your mother’s son. You know what to do…you know your mother better than I do. But I love you. I always will.” Piper told him firmly.

“Ready?”<br>
“Yes, yes I am.”<br>
//Take her back to/
Where she belongs/
There will be no regrets/
No frets/
Make as it should be/
As destiny commands//
Memories…<br>//Hear now the words of the witches,
The secrets we hid in the night./
The oldest of gods are invoked here; /
The great work of magic is sought. /
In this night and in this hour, /
I call upon the ancient power:/
Bring your powers to we sisters three. /
Give us the power. / We want the power. /

[mcharmed21]

/// "I just want to be normal again," she whispers ruefully. "As messed up as that was.”//
Piper stares down the church's front doors from her car, then repeats "I have nothing to be afraid of"
She crosses the church’s entrance. Nothing happens. //
Piper sobs and chokes through a bit of self-deprecating laughter,
"Leave it to me to fall for a dead guy," //
"You must be Mr. Wyatt?" Prue asks. "Just call me Leo." He answers. ///

“Good bye Piper.” Chris whispered softly, trying to assure himself he was doing the right thing even if he didn’t want to do it.
Piper smiled peacefully and left Chris’s side in a swirl of white lights.
Chris, still in pain, knew he was too far gone to attempt to call his mother. Hoping it was enough, he merely said, “Mom…” wishing wildly that that would work.
Before anything could happen, Wyatt orbed in.

Chris, still in pain, knew he was too far gone to attempt to call his mother. Hoping it was enough, he merely said, “Mom…” wishing wildly that that would work.

Before anything could happen, Wyatt orbed in.

Chapter 4

“Well what do we have here? You’re doing magic in your current state? Don’t people like you…” Wyatt started, but Chris sharply cut him off.

“Shut it you bastard. You better do something to make me better or I swear to God!”<br>
“And I was just getting to the good part,” Wyatt muttered under his breath in mock disappointment. “Do you really think you can handle it?” He asked Chris.

“What. the. Hell. Do. You. Mean. I. Am. Dying. My. Ass. Off. Here. And. You. Just. Can not. SHUT UP!!!” Chris yelled as loud as he could, gritting his teeth in tremendous anger.

“Well, I mean I know I said I wouldn’t let you die, but you’ll owe me big time. I know you hate me and will probably organize a resistance against me and letting you accomplish that won’t do me any good. So PARDON ME if I am interested in my own self-preservation too!”<br>
“Fine WYATT, just heal me or SOMETHING and then annoy me when I'm not about to die!”<br>
“Oh…so you don’t want to hear what you owe me?” Wyatt wondered, still patient as ever.

Chris just stared at him incredulously, wondering where Wyatt got his stupid genes from. “Leo…duh…” the voice in his head reminded him. “That explains a whole lot then,” He answered back.

Chris felt himself hanging by a thread, and could not believe Wyatt was taking his sweet time. His vision became blurry and he thought he saw an Angel of Death coaxing him to let go. But he wouldn’t, not now, now was not his time. He still had things to do, to change…he was too young to die. Even if his future looked grim with Wyatt hanging over his head, he still had a purpose in this life and nothing could stop him from the goal he sought. He would save Wyatt.

The Angel of Death nodded his head, “You are being called back. But be wary, witch of the Haliwell line, the answers you seek will not come easy and my presence will always be in your shadow. You will die soon.” And he left, his message haunting Chris until his dying day.

[mcharmed21]

“Happy now Chris?” Wyatt asked coolly after healing him with his powers.

“You’re still an @#%$…” He answered back.

“Thanks for the note of confidence bro, now you’re coming with me.” He grabbed Chris’s hand, and before he could protest profusely, Wyatt orbed him out, sparkly blue orbs and all.

*End of Flashback*

Chapter 5

“You…you did something!” Chris accused Wyatt after having relived the time his grandfather had been killed. He knew there was one thing there that definitely was not from his recollection.

“I did? Like what?” Wyatt asked, pretending to be clueless, so as to insure he wouldn’t be giving him any information he hadn’t seen.

“You were plotting something against me…you told Prue to do something for you…after…after you said…” Chris could not bring himself to continue.

“I loved you like a crack addiction?” Wyatt answered for him, amused at his past phrasing of his relationship with his brother.

Wyatt advanced on Chris making Chris uneasy as he spied his suggestive look. As Wyatt was near enough to touch him, he whispered almost inaudibly into his ear, “But guess what? You’ve just been upgraded into a morphine addiction…lucky you.”<br>
Chris sunk to the ground in utter despair, not believing that he actually got himself into this situation. He should have fought. He should have found a way.

But those thoughts quickly left his head as the voice of reason reminded him of something that would be the anchor for Chris as time went on,
“Find out what Prue had to do for Wyatt. It has to do with you. What if it was a potion to affect your powers? You have to find a way to get rid of it. Completely. And restore your powers. Your destiny is still alive. Don’t forget it.” And with the voice, he strengthened his resolve to beat Wyatt at his game.

So as Wyatt, unaware of Chris’s revelation, took advantage of his listlessness and sent him into the inexplicable pain of hell and back, all Chris was thinking of was Piper’s words,
“I can’t believe a child of mine would do such a thing.”<br>
“God help me, I will not let that happen…” He promised fiercely.

But soon after, Wyatt had hurt him so bad that he had no choice but to surrender to the darkness.

[mcharmed21]

CHAPTER 6--Wyatt's thoughts...

Wyatt released Chris as he slipped into unconsciousness, satisfied that he had fulfilled what he had wanted to do tonight. Yet he was envious of Chris and that aggravated him to no end. He was the second son, the youngest vying for attention, but never getting any except from his mother. As he thought of this, he violently TKed Chris across the room, but it did nothing except bruise his body more. He was in a dead sleep.

Even when Wyatt was always smug about his father paying more attention to him and his problems while pretty much not giving Chris a second look, he still wished he had the relationship Chris had with his mother and aunts. They seemed closer and more comfortable with each other than Wyatt was with them. Sure they cared about him, but it seemed as he started hanging out more and more with his father, they gradually started to avoid him. It was Chris’s doing, of course, because they saw him becoming increasingly unhappy about his father’s perpetual neglect of him and felt then it was better to support him rather than condone the bad behavior. Like Wyatt had a hold on his father’s attention, Chris had a strong grip on his mother and aunts’ attention. And this annoyed Wyatt to no end at that time. Chris had influence on the Power of Three, the most POWERFUL sister witches at that time. Now, though, he laughed at that desperate wish to have that kind of position…the power of three were and never would have been enough to stand up against his power.

He always thought the firstborn would get all the benefits and privileges associated with being the oldest. But whoever told him that should have been shot to Hell. He went over to his brother and turned him over so he could see his face. He felt like he was cursed with a face that was always meant for evil…a face of a person ready to take over the world. But Chris had just the opposite; it was angelic almost, even with its dark features. He felt that simply because he carried the face of their dead mother, all the darkness became light. Beautiful, ever pure, goodness. And he was the fraud, he was the one masquerading as the do-gooder, but he never would be that.

Ever since he was born, he had always felt that the enormity of power inside of him could not be restrained; he was too weak-willed to control it. But Chris…he was not born on the twice-blessed ego trip, he was always meant to be normal, good, and less powerful. He wished he had that chance to not carry the responsibility of being the most powerful, to not be easily corrupted and to have enough power to be effective and still be able to control it.

His envy of his brother weakened him, more than he’d have liked. He felt like he couldn’t function effectively over his dominion, and insure he wasn’t prone to attack emotionally and inevitably, physically. The truth was, even if Chris was planning a resistance against him (which he probably was undoubtedly), he didn’t have the heart to attack him on the battlefield. Every time he looked at his beautiful face, he saw his mother standing there, disappointed and heartbroken at her first son’s actions.

“Damn you!” He yelled hopelessly at his unconscious brother. He knew that if someone dared to use Chris as leverage against Wyatt, he would have to give in. He couldn’t live without him…he was family…the only true connection to his mother who was the person he wished most that he had gained acceptance from. And Chris had now taken her place…and with his death…who would he look to to assure him his soul could still be saved? He wanted to be saved, but he did not have strength to get out of the hole he dug up himself.

But before he could even think another thought, he heard a voice coming from the shadows. A voice, a person he knew well…but did not care to see again.

“Hello Wyatt,” The person said pleasantly.

“Melinda.” He acknowledged with a nod.

“You’ve had your fun sweetie, now it’s my turn.” She motioned to her demonic bodyguards, and they went off to get Chris.

[mcharmed21]

Chapter 7

“Hello Chris, feeling any better?”<br>
No response.

“Come on. I took you from Wyatt, not to mention restored your powers. So here I am thinking you’d rather be far far away from him, and therefore grateful, but instead you don’t do me the courtesy of acknowledging my act,”<br>
“I know ‘butter Chris up’ talk when I hear it. Don’t bother. ” He answered shortly.

“Chris, Chris, Chris…I try to help and you push me away. Now is that fair?”<br>
“Go away. I’ve had enough treachery today. Thank you so very much!”<br>
“Fine then! I’ll leave you to rot in your own wretched determination!”<br>
Melinda though was not deterred from her objective. She silently left the room and recited a spell under her breath.

Chris could barely speak as he saw the sight before him. A dark shadow was coming towards him and it was going to take him. He just knew it. It was the woogy and Chris feared it would turn him into Wyatt. Into Evil.


Meanwhile…<br>
“A freaking shadow? That’s his worst fear? I give up. But as long as it’s here, I might as well enjoy the show I suppose,” Melinda reacted to the result of her spell. She had hoped that Chris would be afraid of Wyatt…apparently she didn’t know him that well. But she also didn’t know that what he feared was far more internal than external. Once the foggy crystal ball cleared up, Melinda felt like she was right there where the dark shadow was taking effect.

------------------------------------------------------------

“You can’t hurt me! I wasn’t born on the Nexus! I’m not…” Chris started, but cut himself off when he realized what he was about to say.

“That’s right. You’re not important. Not wanted. Not loved. Always the youngest suffers when the others steal the attention away. Have you always wanted to be the center of attention? Do you miss it when it never happens? You take anything you can get, right? Even…” The dark shadow morphed into Wyatt who walked darkly towards Chris.

“Me? I hurt you everyday, but you still can’t stay away, can you? You like it when I touch you, right? I’m the only one who noticed you, looked out for you, listened to you…” Wyatt said as he knelt beside Chris who sat still, unable to move because he was too overwhelmed with the words being spoken and the fact that they were really the truth. He wished it wasn’t.

Wyatt lightly touched Chris’s left cheek, moving his finger up and down until Chris shuddered involuntarily and TKed him away with a great passion.

“Let’s get a couple things straight here…you’re creepy, you’re dark, you’re shadowy, therefore I find you utterly negligible. YOU ARE NOT WANTED!!! So why don’t you just leave ME THE HELL ALONE!” Chris responded intensely. He hated the truth. In fact he was truly sick of it.

“The spell…what’s the spell? Phoebe, help me out here!” Chris thought, willing his plea to return an answer.

Only visible to his eye, the familiar twinkle of lights appeared before him, and once they faded away, a memory of Phoebe stood in front of the woogy who was still in the form of Wyatt. And stared at it, unafraid and defiant of its hold on her.

She intoned powerfully,

“I am light I am one too strong to fight
Return to dark where shadows dwell
You cannot have this Halliwell
So go away and leave my sight
And take with you this endless night.”<br>
“You’re supposed to be weak! You’re not allowed to have special powers!”
‘Wyatt’ cried in a desperate rage, hating to be vanquished by the same witch who vanquished him the last time. No variety. Sigh.

“You’re welcome,” Phoebe nodded her head in acknowledgement of Chris and disappeared in a shower of white lights.

Chris watched enthusiastically as the woogy got sucked into a crack in the concrete floor. He wished wistfully that that was really Wyatt getting vanquished, but he just had to settle for this prelude.

But he knew deep down, where it counted, he wouldn’t let go of a chance to help Wyatt, to save him…for the better. That’s what family was for.

------------------------------------------------------------

All Melinda could voice was a, “Huh?” as the dark shadow was vanquished unexpectedly and apparently without any intervention from Chris. Something or someone else had to have stopped it.

Maybe giving back his powers wasn’t such a hot idea…<br>
Underworld…<br>
The darkness of the area seemed to seep through the meeting place of upper level demons who were all impatient to hear the news of the latest assignment.

“What’s the big deal here? Why did you want ALL of us on this?” An upper level demon demanded as soon as their head had entered the room.

The darkness of the place was incomparable to the pure blackness of the head’s appearance. He was one not to be rifled with, not even by cocky witches who thought just ‘being evil’ made up for the fact that they had once been good. He despised them so much especially the one in particular...

“I wanted you all on this because this is our chance…the one we’ve been waiting for,”

The group of demons beckoned him to continue.

“It is time to bring down the witch…” He said.

“How?” They all asked, annoyed that he was slow in the telling of details.

“Through what always works…a weakness…” The head explained as he smiled.

“But why now? Why not before?”

The Demon of Fear stepped forward from the shadows to answer,

“Because I have read his fear. And it is great, so great that if it does really come to pass, he will be affected tremendously. Now is the perfect time..."

[mcharmed21]

Flashback

Chris walked down the dark alley, knowing full well that he shouldn't be here this late at night. But he was hopelessly confused and needed to sort out some issues alone in the quiet danger that the night so stereotypically bred.

He didn't get what was up with Wyatt. He loved him and thus he couldn't bear the thought of him turning...Evil. He was on the path, and Chris felt such an overwhelming burden that trapped him with no escape. None whatsoever. It was his job to prevent Wyatt from losing himself altogether. That's what brothers were for. Besides no one understood Wyatt better than the one who grew up beside him, in his shadow, looking up to him, and giving him the awe and respect an older brother expected of his little brother.

A sudden movement shifted Chris's attention to an out-of-place archway bordering the alley. That was what the someone or something went through, but although he knew he shouldn't follow trouble when he wasn't exactly well off in the powers department and how Wyatt couldn't afford losing Chris to such a risky and meaningless endeavor, he persuaded himself to do it anyway. He could handle himself sort of well and this could be the excitement he was waiting for to give him a much-needed adrenaline rush.

When he looked cautiously past the archway, the sight he saw made him instinctively freeze the scene and step into the alley to investigate.

"Prue, what's going on here?" He asked, but then he was thoroughly shocked when he found she had frozen as well as the others in the alley. But that was entirely impossible because she could not be evil...she was supposed to be safe from that. He had always thought only the males of the Halliwell family were cursed to fall to the looming darkness, but apparently all that thinking was crap since Prue, a female with passive powers no less, had gotten caught up in the darkness.

This was definitely not the adrenaline rush he had been hoping for.

With great apprehension, he flicked his hand in a controlled move so that only Prue and not the others would be unfrozen.

Prue noticed Chris's presence right away and rushed to him.

"Chris! You're here! I knew you'd come, you always come. You have to help me...I really need your help. Can you? Please? Will you?" Prue said hurriedly as she clinged onto his wind beaten jacket.

"D a m m i t Prue. Call Dad or something. I can't even begin to express how mad I am at you. Don't EXPECT ME to help you when you decide to sell yourself! Like hell I'll be the pushover." Chris told her with strong disapproval in his tone. And then he made sure to push her away from him. She didn't deserve it. Not now.

"But...I had no choice Chris. You have to believe me...what about family Chris? Why are you being so mean to me Chris?"

"Stop. Saying. My. Name. Prue!" Chris yelled. He almost always fell for her tactics at persuasion and somehow she could manipulate a person's name in a way that when she said it there was a certain feeling to it that induced her target to be persuaded out of overwhelming guilt for her troubles.

Prue walked to Chris and stood in front of him, seeming to be intrigued by something. She softly traced her finger down his face and said quietly,

"They would want you too, you know. I saw. He doesn't like it though. He doesn't like it at all."

She then giggled as she took Chris's hand and with one flicking movement allowed the other people in the alley to unfreeze.

"Say hi to mommy for me Chris," she said as if her cryptic message had never been said.

"We need to get back now Iris," One dark-clothed, pale-looking man informed her, not missing a beat.

"Yes we do," Prue nodded, "We are all done here, correct?"

The one who had spoken looked to the others and receiving their confirmations, he replied with a yes.

Completely ignoring Chris, she lightly touched the man's shoulder and allowed him to shimmer her away. The others, equally ignorant of Chris's presence, transported themselves out soon after.

Chris just stood there speechless. He traced over where Prue's finger had been as if he were caught in a dream.

And when a light rain started obscuring his vision, he still stared silently at nothing and everything. He was sad. The light rain continued on regardless.

End Flashback

[mcharmed21]

A/N: Following includes parts from Season 6 Finale, Part Two (found on thecharmedones.com)

There's a creak in the attic. Chris looks around, not seeing anything, he goes back to what he was doing...reading the Book. A second later, there's another creak. Taking no chances, he charges over, standing in front of Wyatt's playpen, guarding it.

"Who's there?"

Please don't. Orb away. Don't stay. I'm not worth it. It's just too much...Stop! This is just too much!

He turns to pick up Wyatt, "Come on, let's get you out..." Before he can grab Wyatt, he's magically hurled away from the playpen. Gideon uncloaks in front of the playpen and warns Chris, "Don't make me sacrifice you both." He grabs Wyatt, but Chris telekinetically gestures, knocking Gideon back. Gideon, angered, holds out his hand and an athame appears in it. Then he cloaks again.

Chris desperately calls, "Leo!" In the blink of an eye, Gideon uncloaks, right in front of him and plunges the athame into his gut. Chris looks down at the blade, in shock, and barely gets out a faint, "Dad, help..." before he collapses to the floor.

D a m m i t Chris. I'm not worth it!

The dream shifts to another place, a bedroom, his mother's...

Leo lays Chris on the bed. Chris, in pain and sweating, tells him he has to find Wyatt. Leo tells him they'll find Wyatt together, then goes to heal him. Chris: "It won't work, you've already tried. Gideon's magic did this to me, he's the only one who can stop it now. You HAVE to go - saving Wyatt saves the future, you know that." Leo: "Gideon doesn't know how to kill him, remember? We've still got time." Chris: "Only until the trauma turns him." Leo: "Damn it, Chris, I can't choose Wyatt over you, I won't." Chris: "You don't have to, dad. Find Gideon, and you save BOTH of us." Leo: "Alright, but I'm not going to leave you here alone. I'll be right back." Chris: "Where are you going?" Leo: "To get one of your aunts to stay with you. You're gonna be okay, you hear me?" Leo kisses him and orbs out.

This can't be happening...this is just too much! D a m m i t Chris, why do you always have to be the martyr? He mentally tries to will the dream to stop...he can't stand this part. It's just too much...

Chris, pale as can be, dying, "Chris..." Chris: "Daddy..." Leo, fighting tears, rushes to his side. "It's okay, I'm here now, I'm here. You just hold on, okay? Just hold on, don't you dare give up." Chris: "You either." Then, Chris stops moving, stops breathing. Paige sobs as Leo, desperate to stop this, grabs hold of his son, trying to will him back to life, "No, please! No!!" A beat later, Chris' body fades away in Leo's arms, leaving him with...nothing. Leo looks at his hands as if they've betrayed him, heart-broken and shattered.

It's just too much...I wish I could die.

"Leave me alone!!! Leave me the hell alone, you hear me!" Wyatt screamed in a rage. He could not take these torturous recurring dreams of some time...most likely the past. He'd been beaten down with these visions of the subconscious so many times that he had easily deduced the all important details in order to make some sense of it all.

But he would not leave it to burden him. He always made sure to recite a dream-wipe spell each time. Unfortunately no matter how many times he said those words, it did not stop a higher power from implanting those horrible dreams all over again every night...

It was just too much. He wanted to die. While the temptation was alluring, he quickly recited the spell. And he knew no more.

[mcharmed21]

"I'm leaving Melinda. You're not giving me any incentive whatsoever to stay."

Melinda smiled at him and kissed him gently on the forehead. He had something up his sleeve and she would not let him leave until he told her.

And she knew just the incentive to stall his eagerness to leave.

"I have some news that you'd be interested in. Quite interested in actually."

"Do tell." Chris urged, sarcasm evident. He knew her predictable ways. But he also knew she never lied to him. He'd see right through it anyway.

"A demon contact told me of an organized plot against your brother."

"What sort of plot?"

"Well, one of fear."

"Yes. That'll do it. I have to go."

"But...I can give you updates if you stay..."

"Fine Melinda. I was going to wait...but apparently you're an extremely impatient person...so here it goes: I have a special power that I can only call upon during times of danger or life-threatening circumstances. And before you ask, no I don't know how I got it, who gave it to me –though probably the useless bastards up there--- and the first time I used it was too late..."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't know how to control it, how to work with it...I didn't know. So it was too late."

"What do you mean?"

"It was too late...okay... just too late..." Chris answered, intentionally not telling her what he knew she wanted to know...

She stared at him, reading a face that could not be read. And now she had no choice but to let him leave. He had told her, but still...a burden was heavy enough to destroy anyone. She only prayed for his safety.

Another night, the same nightmare...

It's just too much...I wish I could die.

"If I can't save you...I swear to God I'll stop you."

D a m m i t Chris, what have I done?

And he knew no more.

TBC...

Season 6 Finale excerpts (with some alterations) taken from:

www.thecharmedones.com/badbadworld2.htm