Title: Chris Chronicles

Summary: Even with a changed future, a good brother, an alive mother, and a caring father, Chris Halliwell just can't stop telling lies and finding trouble.

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed. Surprise!

A/N: You may notice that Chris is quite a bit out-of-character in the beginning chapters; that is on purpose. You'll get a full explanation as the story unfolds.

Chris Halliwell tapped his pencil agitatedly against his chemistry notebook. When would he ever use this stuff in real life? Would a demon stop an attack to quickly quiz him on the properties of periodical elements? A grin flitted across Chris' face at the mental image. Normally, Chris thrived at school work. Unfortunately, being confined to the manor for the past three weeks and four days put quite the damper on Chris' ability to concentrate. Sighing with frustration, Chris stretched out his back and leaned more comfortably against the sofa cushion. He tilted his head back and carefully balanced his pencil on his nose.

"I see you're getting a lot done in here," an amused voice observed behind him.

Chris started. The pencil plummeted to the floor with a short clatter. He half-turned to see Wyatt leaning in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" Chris asked in surprise as he retrieved his pencil.

Wyatt left his place against the door frame and walked all the way into the room. He plopped down on the sofa next to Chris, who snatched his legs out of the way just in time.

"I had a free night and realized I hadn't seen my family in awhile, so here I am." He looked around the unusually quiet house. "Where are our folks?"

Chris shrugged. "Dad's probably working late at Magic School and Mom's probably working late at the restaurant. One of her chefs called in sick." Five years earlier Piper had opened the restaurant she always dreamed of.

"Listen," Wyatt said. "Me and some friends are going to the concert at P3 tonight. You should come." Unlike Wyatt's other friends with little siblings, he actually liked it when Chris tagged along.

With a grimace Chris stated, "Can't. I'm still grounded, remember?"

Wyatt's eyebrows shot halfway up his forehead.

"Still?" He asked incredulously. "Going to a cop-raided party is bad, but not worth a month of no music, TV, or contact with the outside world."

Chris suddenly became very interested in the problem he was working on in the Chemistry book. "That's just Mom and Dad for you."

Wyatt's eyes narrowed suspiciously. He knew his little brother well.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"I may have gone demon hunting while I was still grounded," Chris admitted. Even though he mumbled his words, Wyatt still heard him. His expression immediately jumped from suspicion to anger.

"What?" he demanded sharply. "You know you're not supposed to demon hunt alone!"

"I was bored," Chris stated dully. It was a weak defense and he knew it.

Wyatt, visibly upset, stood up. "All it would take is a single stray fireball and one slow reflex for you to be gone forever. Do you think I-" Wyatt cut himself off, too distressed to continue.

Wyatt learned at a young age to value his brother's life. Too many close calls in the family taught him that. As a result, the two brothers had always shared a close bond. Not to say that they didn't have their fair share of petty spats over the years.

Wyatt sat back down. "Just promise me the next time you get bored and want to kick demon ass you'll call me first and we'll do it together. I'll drop everything."

"Only if it goes both ways," Chris replied, not really expecting agreement. Wyatt was more than able to take care of himself. After all, he was the most powerful being on the entire planet. The bottom line was that Chris was the only one of the two Charmed Sons that needed protection.

"We'll see. Just promise me Chris."

"Sheesh. Just chill Wy. I promise."

Wyatt looked toward the kitchen and missed Chris' melancholy expression. "I'm starving. If you're bored you can make me a sandwich."

"Make your own twice-blessed sandwich. Every time you come home you do nothing but eat. I swear they don't feed you at college."

"You'll learn next year when you're a freshman; never pass up a chance at a free meal." With a laugh Wyatt messed up Chris' hair before darting into the kitchen.

Deciding that anything would be far more fun than Chemistry, Chris followed.

The front door to the manor opened to reveal Piper. She immediately caught sight of her youngest son's school papers strewn around the sitting room. He better not be playing video games again, she thought.

She loved both her children with all her heart, of course. But somehow Chris seemed harder to deal with on a day to day basis than Wyatt ever was. If Chris wasn't pushing his boundaries every chance he got, he was sick. Add that on top of the nightly dreams of a parallel world and she and Leo had a handful.

Balancing a sack of groceries on her hip, Piper placed her purse on the hall table. She heard the lilting drawl of her youngest son followed by the infectious laughter of her eldest.

Both came into view. Wyatt, golden and open, stood at the counter piling assorted condiments onto rye bread. Chris, catlike and lithe, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Dinner's in an hour," Piper commented.

Wyatt, always cheerful, replied, "I know. That's why I'm keeping my pre-dinner snack light."

Piper rolled her eyes as Wyatt carved four generous slices of leftover ham. That kid had to have hollow legs or a magically induced metabolism based on how much food he could shovel away.

Chris pushed off the wall he held up and helped his mom pull groceries out of her bag. He opened a cabinet to put away a bag of potato chips. Wyatt pulled the bag out of Chris' hand.

"It's my pre-dinner snack's side dish," he defended himself.

Piper said, "I saw your school books on the couch Chris. Have you finished your homework?"

"Of course mom," Chris lied smoothly. "I promised I'd do it as soon as I got home from school, and that was two hours ago." In actuality, Chris had been home for merely forty-five minutes. He had hung with some friends for awhile after school because he knew neither of his parents would be at the manor. Piper gave Chris a proud smile. "Good job Peanut."

Chris felt guilty. He would finish his homework everyday right after school from here on out, he swore to himself. No more getting caught up with pick up games of soccer.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

After everyone finished eating at seven Wyatt and Piper left for P3 to help the band set up. Chris and Leo cleaned up the kitchen before Leo headed upstairs to grade his students' papers. Chris wandered around the house. Finally he moseyed up to the attic out of pure boredom. Heaven forbid he finish his Chemistry.

He nosed through the book of shadows before spotting an open map of San Francisco left out on a table. Chris located the scrying crystal in a dresser drawer and ran the chain through his slender fingers. Idly he hung the chain over the map and halfheartedly scryed for evil. It dropped quickly. He didn't even bother to look where it landed. He would be in so much trouble if he even thought about going on a wild evil chase. Another idle spin of the crystal landed it in another part of the city. He picked it up again and scried a third time. He mildly noticed as he went to pick it up that it stuck to his high school. Oh well, it was probably his gym teacher. Mr. Bernelli was pretty demonic about his work outs.

A fourth crystal drop landed on the golden gate bridge. A fifth landed on Apple Orchard Blvd. Bored, Chris went to lift the crystal back up for a sixth round.

Suddenly he froze. He focused in on where the innocent white gem pointed. He knew that house. He had gotten busted by the cops at wild party there just last month. His best friend's girlfriend lived there. She was in danger! Without thinking Chris began to mutter an impromptu spell. "I don't want my family to notice me missing; let them not summon me through any bewitching." It wasn't the greatest spell, but he would only be gone for five minutes or less. He started to orb. As he did so he put up a magical block. He could only hope that Wyatt would be too busy to notice. In second he stood on Jessica's porch. Should he knock or barge in? What if Jessica and her family were being killed right at that moment? He never had a chance to decide. A sharp pain shot the back of his head. The ground rushed up to meet his unconscious body.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Chris couldn't be sure of the first sensation he became aware of. It could have been the foggy consciousness in the back of his brain, the feel of mushy leaves under his limp body, or even the distant cries of bickering owls. The sensation that snapped him fully into reality was the darkness. It had barely been past dusk when he orbed to Jessica's house. Now it was very dark with the waning moon perched high in the night. Chris didn't have his cell phone on him (he was grounded, after all) so he couldn't check the time.

He trembled. He orbed slowly and hovered in a swirl of orbs hesitantly. Where should he go? He had half a mind to orb straight into his bed and act as if he had been there the whole time. His family was not stupid; they would catch him.

He decided to bite the bullet and orbed into the manor's foyer. A loud ruckus rose at the sight of his telltale glowing entrance. Angry faces surrounded him. Very, very angry faces. His mother's livid expression loomed in his view.

"Christopher Perry Halliwell! Where in the world have you been?" She didn't give him a chance answer before barreling on. "How DARE you sneak out of this house. Do you have any idea what time it is?!" Once again she answered for him. "It is FOUR in the MORNING kiddo. On a school night nonetheless! Where were you? And why would you block anyone from sensing or summoning you? That's what makes me the angriest! Answer me when I'm talking to you!" Her voice pitched higher and higher as she worked herself up into frenzy. She leaned forward and shook Chris by his shoulders.

Leo put a restraining hand on his wife's arm, but Chris saw no sympathy for him on his father's face when he searched it.

"I-, I-," Chris stuttered out. Why wasn't his brain backing him up? No plausible explanation formed into full sentences in his brain. His parents and aunts would have seen the scrying crystal. There was no use pretending he blocked himself off to do anything else. Finally he choked out, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry is not going to do it this time mister. You misuse your magic all the time, but to deliberately… argh!" She threw her hands up in the air and turned to Leo. "I can't talk to him, he's your son."

"Chris," Leo said quietly. "We've been discussing a proper punishment while you were missing. Being grounded hasn't ever worked because you've always had your powers to break the rules. We've decided to strip you of your powers as punishment for lying to us and sneaking out into danger."

Chris felt flummoxed. Take away his powers? They had threatened before, but to actually do it? A small bubble of anger began to boil in place of his apprehension.

"You can't do that to me," he protested. "I need them to protect myself in case of a demon attack."

"We'll arm you with potions, and your Aunt Paige and Wyatt will orb to you in a flash if you're ever in danger."

A stunned emerald gaze swept the stony faces circling him: his parents, his aunts, Wyatt, and Phoebe's oldest daughter (all his other cousins were no doubt in bed).

Piper backed up until she stood shoulder to shoulder with Phoebe and Paige. Chris noticed the piece of paper in Paige's hand.

"Right now?" he asked dazedly.

Nobody directly answered him, but the fact that the Charmed ones were chanting a limerick spell gave the answer away.

"Because Chris ignored our firm expectations

He will now be given these limitations:

No orbing, No telekinesis, no potion making

No spell casting, nor basic human limits forsaking

Until graduation he may have no deviations"

As they rhymed out his prison sentence, Chris couldn't believe this was happening to him. He felt the noose of time already slipping around his neck. The Charmed Ones finished their power of three spell and looked up at Chris. His mouth flapped open and shut like a fish stranded on dry land. Because Chris no longer had any blocks up, Phoebe could empathically feel his torrent of emotions. Strong feelings of helplessness, anger, and grief assaulted her senses.

Before anyone could say anything Chris shot up the stairs. His bedroom door slammed loudly above them seconds later.

"Let him be until morning," Phoebe advised quietly as Piper moved for the stairs. "He already feels guilty enough. I can feel it."

Piper nodded.

"Thanks for being here tonight you all."

"That's what family is for," Paige said airily. "We'll see you all later." She put her arms around Phoebe and Peyton. Blue swirls outlined the three silhouettes momentarily before dissipating.

"You should probably get back to campus now," Piper advised Wyatt tiredly. "You have class in four hours."

Trying to make the mood lighter, Wyatt joked, "That's the beauty of college mom. Class is a suggestion rather than a requirement." Judging by Piper's face it was too early for humor. He pecked Piper on the check, nodded at Leo, and then orbed to his dorm. Wyatt was keenly aware of the missing magical connection that he and Chris had shared all their lives.

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A/N: I love constructive criticism! Rip me apart so that I can get better.