Post by StoryGirl83 on Aug 27, 2008 21:47:46 GMT -5
Chapter Fourteen – Unbalanced Blame
The sun had long since gone down. Piper was in the kitchen stirring a pot with a blue gel in it. Leo had stockpiled various gauzes, gels, creams, and ace bandages on the table.
Chris was sitting at the table looking through the Book of Shadows. Wyatt was still topless, but there were bandages wrapped around his wounds. He was standing behind Chris, looking over his shoulder.
Victor was sitting next to Chris, looking quite lost. Chris looked over at Victor. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to kick you out, but you don’t have to stay if this makes you uncomfortable.”
Victor looked at his grandson, his face serious as he spoke. “Young man, listen well. Magic may make me uncomfortable; it may confuse me and astound me, but it will never make me leave my family, again, not even for a night. I will leave when both of my grandsons are doing better. Not before.”
Chris smiled. One constant between the two time lines was his grandfather’s love and attention. It was very assuring to have right at that moment when everything else was such a mess, so confusing. When a thought came to mind he was usually able to figure out where it came from. Some memories simply had a feeling of distance to him, something that told him they were from the other time line.
Piper came over, carrying a bowl with blue gel. She put the gel on the table. “Ready, Wyatt?”
“Your lab rat is ready,” Wyatt informed her, only half joking.
Chris rolled his eyes.
“Now, I don’t expect a full recovery,” Piper warned, “but this should make those burns heal a lot faster.”
Wyatt gave Piper an appreciative smile.
Piper detaches the ace bandage covering Wyatt’s burns and unrolls it off his body revealing bad burns and in some places scabs forming. She placed the bandages on the table and removed the gauze, putting it on the table as well. Piper picked up a glob of gel. “This is a bit cold.” Piper put the gel on Wyatt’s back and began rubbing it in.
As the gel touched Wyatt’s back a look of surprise crossed his face, but he stayed quiet. He knew better than to complain about something that that would help him.
“You know I don’t think I like this change,” Piper commented as she rubbed on the gel.
“What do you mean?” Chris asked, looking over at his mom.
“I don’t like demons going after you,” she informed him.
Wyatt looked at Chris. “We’ll be okay.”
Piper looked at her two sons and shook her head. “You aren’t okay, now. Neither of you are.”
“Perhaps,” Wyatt admitted, “but the demon that did this is no more, and we will recover.”
Piper stopped spreading the gel and brought the bowl back to the counter. She put it down and went over to the cupboard in search of something better to store the rest of the gel.
Chris watched silently, something obviously bothering him. His brow was furrowed and his lips formed a small frown.
Leo placed some of the clean gauze on Wyatt’s back and began wrapping a new, clean, ace bandage around Wyatt. He was careful not to touch the burns with his hands.
Wyatt lifted his arms so that they were out of his father’s way. He winced, the action causing skin to rub on his back.
Piper put the gel into an air tight container that she had found in one of the cabinets.
“That was not a tactic I expected of him, Mom,” Chris said, breaking his silence.
Piper looked up from the counter. Her eyes settled on her younger son.
Leo finished with the bandages and clipped them on. He moved away allowing Wyatt some room. He looked at Chris, waiting.
Wyatt put down his arms, wincing once more at the pain caused by the friction of movement. He suspected he wasn’t going to get much sleep that night. Explaining at work in the morning was going to be an interesting feat. He too turned his gaze to his brother.
Seeing all eyes on him, Chris tried to explain. “The water I mean. And the manticores. The last time . . . in the other time line, I mean, he worked alone and had no such assists.”
Piper frowned, grasping for an explanation. “Perhaps an altered experience made him more cautious.”
“Perhaps,” Chris replied with a frown. “Something just doesn’t add up.” He sighed, not sure what to make of it.
“How are you doing now that you don’t have to worry about that demon attacking, again?” Leo asked, his voice filled with concern.
Chris chose his words carefully, not wanting to worry his family any more than they already were. Truthfulness, bread into him since birth, warred with the desire to protect those he loved. Finally, he said, “Trying not to think about it. I have gotten a headache every time I do thus far. When I have some free time, I’ll try sorting my memories out. Once I get around the headaches, I think I’ll be able to sort things out. The lives I have led are so very different.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Leo asked, looking at his son.
Chris looked at Leo. “Dad, you once told me not to hold Wyatt responsible for what his other version did, and I don’t.” He turned his head to look at Wyatt. “I never did.” He exhaled slowly as he turned to look at Leo, again. “What you never mentioned was you. I did hold you responsible for you actions, even the ones you hadn’t made yet. I now hold you responsible for the changes you made, both with the old me in the past and the new me in the present as I grew up.” Chris shook his head, smiling. “I’m confusing myself, now. Can we change the subject?”
Leo chuckled. “What to?”
Chris considered the question. A smile settled on his face as he came up with one. “Dinner. I left in the middle of dinner to get something to show Grandpa. We never finished.”
Food was something Piper could easily deal with. “Are you wanting to stay and eat something or do you need to get back to your apartment and the food there?”
“I put away the food after I called you,” Chris admitted, feeling slightly foolish that in all the pain he had been going through, he somehow thought of that.
“Your father and I already finished eating,” Piper told him, thinking aloud, “but I can fix you something to eat before you return home.”
“Want some help?” Wyatt offered.
“No,” Piper replied without hesitation.
“Wy!” Chris exclaimed in protest.
Wyatt grinned.
Victor chuckled.
Leo smiled. It was good to see his sons getting along, even if things were clearly going to be strained for a while as Chris sorted things out. “Give it up, Wyatt. Your reputation is sealed.”
“I cook at the apartment,” Wyatt protested.
“He has a quick dial finger,” Chris confided.
“Sometimes I actually cook,” Wyatt scowled at him.
Chris kept himself from laughing, barely. “Wyatt, you don’t even eat your cooking most of the time.”
“And yet, you keep insisting that I have my turn at preparing dinner,” Wyatt relayed, eyeing his brother suspiciously.
Chris shrugged it off. “So I have an occasional bout of optimism. Everyone is entitled to some sort of vice. I guess mine is believing that someday you will cook, but that day is not here yet.”
Wyatt mumbled something inaudible under his breath.
Piper eyed her older son. “What was that, Wyatt?”
Wyatt scowled. “I said, I’m not sure whether I should be glad or annoyed.”
Piper walked over to Wyatt and hugged his shoulder with one arm, careful of the bandages. “Just accept that your younger brother is a very determined young man and he will teach you to cook.”
There was silence as Wyatt looked at Chris for several seconds before he groaned. “I’m going to regret sharing an apartment with you aren’t I?”
Chris started laughing as he shook his head. Piper, Leo, and Victor joined Chris as Wyatt frowned and scowled at Chris.
Chris was sitting at the table looking through the Book of Shadows. Wyatt was still topless, but there were bandages wrapped around his wounds. He was standing behind Chris, looking over his shoulder.
Victor was sitting next to Chris, looking quite lost. Chris looked over at Victor. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to kick you out, but you don’t have to stay if this makes you uncomfortable.”
Victor looked at his grandson, his face serious as he spoke. “Young man, listen well. Magic may make me uncomfortable; it may confuse me and astound me, but it will never make me leave my family, again, not even for a night. I will leave when both of my grandsons are doing better. Not before.”
Chris smiled. One constant between the two time lines was his grandfather’s love and attention. It was very assuring to have right at that moment when everything else was such a mess, so confusing. When a thought came to mind he was usually able to figure out where it came from. Some memories simply had a feeling of distance to him, something that told him they were from the other time line.
Piper came over, carrying a bowl with blue gel. She put the gel on the table. “Ready, Wyatt?”
“Your lab rat is ready,” Wyatt informed her, only half joking.
Chris rolled his eyes.
“Now, I don’t expect a full recovery,” Piper warned, “but this should make those burns heal a lot faster.”
Wyatt gave Piper an appreciative smile.
Piper detaches the ace bandage covering Wyatt’s burns and unrolls it off his body revealing bad burns and in some places scabs forming. She placed the bandages on the table and removed the gauze, putting it on the table as well. Piper picked up a glob of gel. “This is a bit cold.” Piper put the gel on Wyatt’s back and began rubbing it in.
As the gel touched Wyatt’s back a look of surprise crossed his face, but he stayed quiet. He knew better than to complain about something that that would help him.
“You know I don’t think I like this change,” Piper commented as she rubbed on the gel.
“What do you mean?” Chris asked, looking over at his mom.
“I don’t like demons going after you,” she informed him.
Wyatt looked at Chris. “We’ll be okay.”
Piper looked at her two sons and shook her head. “You aren’t okay, now. Neither of you are.”
“Perhaps,” Wyatt admitted, “but the demon that did this is no more, and we will recover.”
Piper stopped spreading the gel and brought the bowl back to the counter. She put it down and went over to the cupboard in search of something better to store the rest of the gel.
Chris watched silently, something obviously bothering him. His brow was furrowed and his lips formed a small frown.
Leo placed some of the clean gauze on Wyatt’s back and began wrapping a new, clean, ace bandage around Wyatt. He was careful not to touch the burns with his hands.
Wyatt lifted his arms so that they were out of his father’s way. He winced, the action causing skin to rub on his back.
Piper put the gel into an air tight container that she had found in one of the cabinets.
“That was not a tactic I expected of him, Mom,” Chris said, breaking his silence.
Piper looked up from the counter. Her eyes settled on her younger son.
Leo finished with the bandages and clipped them on. He moved away allowing Wyatt some room. He looked at Chris, waiting.
Wyatt put down his arms, wincing once more at the pain caused by the friction of movement. He suspected he wasn’t going to get much sleep that night. Explaining at work in the morning was going to be an interesting feat. He too turned his gaze to his brother.
Seeing all eyes on him, Chris tried to explain. “The water I mean. And the manticores. The last time . . . in the other time line, I mean, he worked alone and had no such assists.”
Piper frowned, grasping for an explanation. “Perhaps an altered experience made him more cautious.”
“Perhaps,” Chris replied with a frown. “Something just doesn’t add up.” He sighed, not sure what to make of it.
“How are you doing now that you don’t have to worry about that demon attacking, again?” Leo asked, his voice filled with concern.
Chris chose his words carefully, not wanting to worry his family any more than they already were. Truthfulness, bread into him since birth, warred with the desire to protect those he loved. Finally, he said, “Trying not to think about it. I have gotten a headache every time I do thus far. When I have some free time, I’ll try sorting my memories out. Once I get around the headaches, I think I’ll be able to sort things out. The lives I have led are so very different.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Leo asked, looking at his son.
Chris looked at Leo. “Dad, you once told me not to hold Wyatt responsible for what his other version did, and I don’t.” He turned his head to look at Wyatt. “I never did.” He exhaled slowly as he turned to look at Leo, again. “What you never mentioned was you. I did hold you responsible for you actions, even the ones you hadn’t made yet. I now hold you responsible for the changes you made, both with the old me in the past and the new me in the present as I grew up.” Chris shook his head, smiling. “I’m confusing myself, now. Can we change the subject?”
Leo chuckled. “What to?”
Chris considered the question. A smile settled on his face as he came up with one. “Dinner. I left in the middle of dinner to get something to show Grandpa. We never finished.”
Food was something Piper could easily deal with. “Are you wanting to stay and eat something or do you need to get back to your apartment and the food there?”
“I put away the food after I called you,” Chris admitted, feeling slightly foolish that in all the pain he had been going through, he somehow thought of that.
“Your father and I already finished eating,” Piper told him, thinking aloud, “but I can fix you something to eat before you return home.”
“Want some help?” Wyatt offered.
“No,” Piper replied without hesitation.
“Wy!” Chris exclaimed in protest.
Wyatt grinned.
Victor chuckled.
Leo smiled. It was good to see his sons getting along, even if things were clearly going to be strained for a while as Chris sorted things out. “Give it up, Wyatt. Your reputation is sealed.”
“I cook at the apartment,” Wyatt protested.
“He has a quick dial finger,” Chris confided.
“Sometimes I actually cook,” Wyatt scowled at him.
Chris kept himself from laughing, barely. “Wyatt, you don’t even eat your cooking most of the time.”
“And yet, you keep insisting that I have my turn at preparing dinner,” Wyatt relayed, eyeing his brother suspiciously.
Chris shrugged it off. “So I have an occasional bout of optimism. Everyone is entitled to some sort of vice. I guess mine is believing that someday you will cook, but that day is not here yet.”
Wyatt mumbled something inaudible under his breath.
Piper eyed her older son. “What was that, Wyatt?”
Wyatt scowled. “I said, I’m not sure whether I should be glad or annoyed.”
Piper walked over to Wyatt and hugged his shoulder with one arm, careful of the bandages. “Just accept that your younger brother is a very determined young man and he will teach you to cook.”
There was silence as Wyatt looked at Chris for several seconds before he groaned. “I’m going to regret sharing an apartment with you aren’t I?”
Chris started laughing as he shook his head. Piper, Leo, and Victor joined Chris as Wyatt frowned and scowled at Chris.