Post by StoryGirl83 on Sept 30, 2008 23:42:17 GMT -5
Chapter Twenty-Six - Family Reunion
Downstairs in the kitchen Wyatt glanced around. “I really can’t cook, Mom. I mean I’ve blown things up.”
Piper looked at him with a sigh. “So I’ll teach you.”
Wyatt chuckled. “Mom, you tried to teach me for twenty-five years. Chris tried to teach me for about eighteen of those.”
“Only eighteen?” Phoebe asked with a smile as she watched her big sister and her adult nephew amused.
Wyatt shrugged. “Come on, it has to be some sort of insult that my five-year-old brother saw fit to teach me how to cook, because he was better than me and still is.”
“I believe that falls under the topic of future topics not to discuss that I mentioned earlier, Wy,” Chris stated as he walked into the room followed by Paige.
There was a stunned silence as Piper and Phoebe stared at Chris stunned, and Wyatt leaned against the counter taking in the scene.
I take it you changed you mind, little brother.
Chris shook his head. Na. Aunt Paige changed it. She caught me up in the attic. Chris looked back at Paige before giving Wyatt a wry smile. She carries out her threats.
Wyatt laughed breaking the silence and causing his mom and aunts to look at him curiously. You doubt me?
Chris bit his lip to keep laughter from coming out of his own lips. I think we’d better keep it audible.
Before Wyatt could respond audibly or mentally Phoebe suddenly reacted. She ran over to Chris and hugged him tight. “Chris! You’re here! You’re all right! You’re alive!” Phoebe pulled away to look at him. Suspicion suddenly clouded her eyes. “You are. Right?”
Chris couldn’t help the grin that lit his face. “Ah, Aunt Phoebe, you know I can’t talk about the future.”
Phoebe hugged him, again. “It is you.” Then, she moved away so that Piper could get in and give her son a hug. She squeezed him a little tighter than was necessary.
It was at that time that Leo entered the room with little Wyatt to investigate the noises coming from the kitchen. When he saw Chris he stopped, stunned and weary. The last time he had seen his adult son was on Chris death bed. Emotions warred within him, not the least of which was fear.
Little Wyatt had no such thoughts. The moment Chris was out of Piper’s arms, little Wyatt orbed to Chris. He said nothing, but he looked up with a serene smile.
Little me obviously knows who he can trust.
Chris rolled his eyes. If you recall, he trusted Vicus.
Wyatt grimaced and didn’t respond.
Chris handed little Wyatt to Piper and walked over to Leo, closing the distance that his father’s frozen feet didn’t seem able to. “Hi, Dad.”
Leo inhaled sharply, not blinking, as if blinking would make Chris disappear.
“I won’t break, Dad,” Chris said reaching out his hand and putting it on Leo’s shoulder. Since Leo still seemed frozen, Chris pulled him into a hug. “I promise, Dad, I won’t break.”
“You died, Chris,” Leo whispered against his son’s cheek.
“I’m still here,” Chris replied. “That little baby over there, that’s me, and I need you, Dad. I need you so much. I know the past hurts, but it’s going to be okay, so long as you don’t let it control you.”
Leo’s arms finally wrapped around his son, harder and tighter than even Piper had hugged Chris. No one said anything, allowing father and son this moment. When Leo finally pulled away he looked at Chris, fear mixed with sadness at a remembered past. “You aren’t going to die on me this time, Chris.”
Chris sighed. “I can’t predict the future.” Ironic that none of us can, not even Aunt Phoebe’s girls.
Since no one was looking at him, Wyatt smiled broadly as he shrugged. You never know. Hope still hasn’t come into her powers. Maybe she’ll have premonitions.
Chris continued on calmly. “I’m not saying I’m planning on dying, and I’m depending on you guys to protect me until I can protect myself and to teach me how. I’m just saying I don’t know the future. I’m planning to live a long time, a very long time. I’m planning to out live you, all of you.”
“Yes and a long boring life it well be,” Wyatt assured him laughing slightly as he thought of the last five months. They had been anything but boring.
The same thoughts were running through Chris mind, thoughts of battles fought, innocents saved, and of innocents yet to save.
Chris was in the front room of the apartment rereading his assigned reading for the next week’s class. A knock on the door caused him to look up. He glanced up at the clock imbedded in the wall. Wyatt wasn’t due home from the museum for another half an hour. Chris moved his book aside laying it open on the couch next to him before standing. He stretched his legs, slightly cramped from sitting for over two hours without a break. Who would have thought that remaining in a resting position would be so bad for one’s body? He walked out of the room, through the archway into the hall. He turned left and walked the few feet to the door. “Who’s there?”
“Pat,” replied a young feminine voice.
That was a surprise. Considering Pat lived with her mom, dad, and little sister in Boston, Massachusetts and had no orbing powers, he really hadn’t expected her to just drop in on him in San Francisco. He opened the door to let the fifteen-year-old in. “Come in.”
Pat smiled, though there was obviously someone bothering her. She entered the apartment, walking past Chris and into the front room.
Chris peered out the door trying to see if there was anyone hiding in the hall that might explain how Pat got there. Seeing no one he closed the door and followed Pat back to the front room.
Pat was sitting down on the couch next to where he had laid his text book. She had picked up the book and was looking at it. “Psychology?”
Chris shrugged. “College class.”
Pat shook her head amused. “Odd choice.”
“Not really.”
“If you say so.” Pat put the book down and exhaled. “How are you with mysteries?”
Chris raised his eyebrows. “I’m working on one right now. How did you get here, from Boston?”
Pat looked up surprised. “Oh that.”
Chris nodded. “Yeah, that.”
Pat shrugged. “Well, we seemed to have gained a whitelighter. Her name’s Mikelle.”
Chris nodded. “Because you’re Mark and Beth’s cousin.”
Pat nodded. “Exactly. She’s not as much of a stickler for the rules as some, so I talked her into bringing me when I explained why?”
“And why is that?”
Pat dug into her pocket, a difficult process while sitting down, but she did manage to accomplish it, bringing out a folded piece of paper. “A few years ago Mom and her sisters faced off against a demon. I don’t know a whole lot of details, but I gather he hasn’t been defeated here.” She handed the paper to Chris.
Chris took it and began unfolding it.
“There is a list of maybe half a dozen names that I remember hearing while they were looking for him.”
“Half a dozen victims?”
Pat nodded. “There were a lot. I’m not sure how many, but the list extends into the nineteen-sixties. People that just disappeared never found to be found... From what I heard they are still alive, or they were when Mom and her sisters found them.”
“Maybe I should call your mom and ask her for more info. This isn’t a whole lot to go by.”
Pat shrugged. “I already talked to her, but go ahead. She only added a couple of names to the list and said something about the demon having to be defeated at a specific time. She couldn’t remember when; it was a while ago. I was pretty young, maybe four or five.”
“So she knows you’re here?”
Pat nodded once more. “Yes. Mikelle isn’t that much of a rebel against the rules. She made sure it was okay for her to take me before she did. I am only fifteen after all.”
“You aren’t much of a rebel either, are you?”
Pat sighed. “I am still getting used to the freedom to answer the front door without fear. Rebelling isn’t high on my list of things to do. I just wanted to ask for you help. Will you help?”
Chris nodded. “I’ll help. Would you like me to take you home?”
Pat nodded. “That would be nice. Thank you.”
“Chris?” Piper asked questioningly bringing her son out of his remembrance. “What is it?”
Chris smiled. “Nothing bad, just a memory.”
“Care to share?” Phoebe asked.
“Phoebe!” Paige admonished, trying to keep her word, though it was obvious she was curious.
“You know you want to know as well as I do,” Phoebe told her sister with a laugh.
Chris smiled and shook his head. “Sorry, Aunt Phoebe, if you want to know about memories, you will just have to wait.”
“So I’m around to hear about them?” Phoebe persisted.
Chris laughed. “You are impossible. I’m not answering your question.”
Phoebe turned to Wyatt. “Care to help?”
Wyatt shook his head. “Sorry, Aunt Phoebe. Chris is right. Topics from the future should really be off limits.” Wyatt turned to Chris, “Or we leave. Right?”
Chris nodded. “Yeah.”
Phoebe frowned and looked around. She saw that both Piper and Leo looked willing to agreed to about anything to keep their sons there a little longer, and Paige just shrugged at her, having already agreed. Finally, Phoebe looked back at her nephews. “I’ll do my best not to ask any more questions. That’s as good as I can give you.”
“That will do,” Wyatt told her, not bothering to even look at his little brother. What good was being the big brother if you couldn’t make some of the decisions? A thought popped into his head. “Hey, Mom, why don’t you have Chris cook with you? He actually knows how.”
“Actually, I want to talk to Aunt Phoebe,” Chris piped up, surprising everyone.
“Me?” Phoebe queried surprised. “Why me?”
“I will attempt to explain when we are alone,” Chris told her with a shrug. “I figure since I am here and you know it, I might as well.”
“Wait,” Paige said look at Chris suspiciously. “Are you going to tell her something about the future?”
“Not exactly.”
Wyatt froze staring at his brother stunned. Did you just volunteer to sort of tell Aunt Phoebe something about the future?
I’m worried about her and Uncle Coop.
Wyatt gaped at him. And? There had to be something more. There had to be. Chris did not volunteer knowledge, even about the present. There was no way he was volunteering info about the future.
And that’s it.
Wyatt continued to stare at his brother in disbelief. But that’s not . . . not you.
When Ladybug, think about this, Chris thought, enunciating each word in his head. Ladybug. When Ladybug comes to me and tells me she’s scared that her parents aren’t coming back, it worries me.
“Chris?” Phoebe waved her hand in front of Chris’ face.
Ladybug does not worry, Chris informed his brother. He smiled at Phoebe, catching her hand on the down wave. “I’m okay, Aunt Phoebe.” Don’t worry, I’ll word it in such a way that she hasn’t a clue what I am talking about until she needs to.
Wyatt laughed, inaudibly. Okay, that’s the brother I know. Sort of.
Chris just shrugged and headed into the dining room.
Phoebe looked at her family with a confused expression on her face, before she too turned around and walked into the dining room.
Wyatt turned an easy grin on his family. “Since Chris is obviously not going to help cook, I can try to help you, Mom. I am as bad as I claim, so you have been warned.” The smile on Wyatt’s face may have looked easy and carefree, but it was anything but. After, all Chris was right. If Ladybug was worried, something really was wrong.