Post by StoryGirl83 on Jan 11, 2010 18:26:22 GMT -5
Chapter Twenty-Two – Peanut
“No, Mom I don’t know when he’ll be back,” Wyatt informed his mom over the phone. He’d been glad to hear her voice on the other end until the subject of Chris had come up and he’d had to tell her that his little brother had gone after Vera.
“He probably got hurt,” Piper started.
Wyatt quit listening as his brother orbed into the room in front of him. “Chris!”
Chris smiled. “It’s over.”
“You killed Vera?” Wyatt asked astonished.
Chris shook his head. “No, Lawrence did. Who’s on the phone?”
“You don’t just say things like that and change the subject,” Wyatt protested.
Chris shrugged. “What else do you want? Vera caught me looking for Ashlyn and when I managed to get away with the girl, she followed me. Everything happened pretty fast after that, but Vera is dead. Lawrence shot her.”
Wyatt was quiet as he considered this. Finally, he picked up his phone and handed it to his brother. “Tell Mom you’re back and alive.”
Chris rolled his eyes, but complied. “Hi, Mom. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure, Peanut?”
“Mom!” Chris winced. “I’m twenty-two not two. Ladybug might want to go by her baby name, but seriously, Mom.”
“Chris,” Piper replied sternly, “you are my baby and I love you and I will call you Peanut if I want to.”
Knowing it was pointless to argue, he sighed. “Fine, yes, I am sure. I am unharmed. Vera is dead and apparently, I wasn’t there.”
“What?” Piper asked confused. “Did you say Vera is dead?”
“I did,” Chris replied. “Look, I’ll tell you more later. It’s late and since I no longer have Vera to worry about, I intend to get some sleep. Good night, Mom.”
“You can’t just . . .”
“Mom, I love you, but it’s been a long night, so later. I’ll come by in the morning and tell you the story. Just know we are safe.” He glanced back at his brother. “Do you want to talk to Wyatt?”
“No, just pass on my love to him. Good night, Peanut.”
“Chris.”
“You’re my baby right now.”
Chris sighed. “Good night.” He flipped closed Wyatt’s phone and handed it back to him. “Mom sends her love.”
Wyatt smiled. “What’d she call you?”
“None of your business.”
“I’ll find out.”
Chris scowled at him. “I am going to try and get some sleep.”
“Uh uh.” Wyatt shook his head. “You are going to tell me what happened.”
Chris looked at him for several seconds and sighed. He sat down in one of the chairs. “She has, had, a really creepy house,” He began. “I think I smelled blood as I walked down the hall.”
Wyatt wrinkled his nose. “And you’re sure she’s dead?”
“Bullet between the eyes.”
Wyatt blinked at stared at him. “Bullet? She was downed by nonmagical means?”
Chris nodded. “She was human of sorts.”
“But she was a warlock. Are you sure she’s dead?”
Chris inclined his head. “I am sure that if she wasn’t when I left, which I do think she was, that she is by now. After what she did, taking their daughter, trying to kill all of us, they won’t let her walk away.”
“Fair enough,” Wyatt conceded. “I just hope for their sake she was already dead.”
“Want me to call and find out?”
Wyatt shook his head. “No, we can call in the morning, but unless they call and let us know otherwise, we’ll assume you are right.” He searched his brain for some way to change the subject. “Kali was in here earlier.”
Chris raised an eyebrow. “I know. I heard her when we were on the phone earlier.”
“Yes, well she had some news.”
“Good news.”
“Not so much, but why don’t I tell you about it?”
Chris looked at the clock in the wall. “You don’t want to sleep, do you?”
Wyatt blinked in surprise. “What makes you think that?”
“Because you keep stalling. Am I right?”
Wyatt sighed. “No. I mean, yes, you are right. I don’t want to sleep, but not for the reasons you think.”
“Oh?”
Wyatt shook his head. “Look, there’s some things going on in my dreams, weird things and I just don’t want to dream.”
“Weird things?”
“Very weird things. Things about Amber, things about Seth. It’s been over eight months since I’ve seen Amber and no one knows anything.” Wyatt sighed. “And now Seth. Have you heard any word from him?”
Chris shook his head. “Not in a while. I just figured he was busy.”
“Well, if he’s busy, than he hasn’t told his dad, because Derek called me today. He’s worried about his son and I couldn’t tell him anything because I have seen him in over two months.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “I just don’t want to dream.”
Chris stared at his big brother, debating what to say, what to ask. Finally, he chose five words. “Tell me about Kali’s news.”
The End