Chapter 1

At fourteen, Christopher Halliwell learned what it was like to lose someone. He wasn't there when it happened, but he arrived right afterwards.

Chris was at his Jake's house that evening. It was Jake's fifteenth birthday party. Chris told him that he didn't think he could go because his father, Elder Leo Wyatt, wanted him to spend the day home with his mother for back-up while he and Chris' older brother, Wyatt, went to the Heavens.

However, his mother, Charmed Piper Halliwell, told him that he should go to the party and that she could always call Paige if something happens. So, Chris left and Jake was stoked that his best friend came.

When the party was over, Chris stayed a little afterwards to watch a movie, but once the movie left, he walked back home. When he opened the door, the first thing he saw was his mother's mangled, bloody body lying on top of a broken table.

"MOM!"

Chris darted over towards his mother, sliding down next to her side. At first, she thought she was dead, but when she saw her blink and stare at him, his heart lifted.

"Dad!" he screamed. "Dad! Wyatt! Aunt Paige! Somebody! Mom's hurt!"

His mother reached for his face and caressed his check. Chris felt the mixtures of warmth and coldness from her blood and skin.

"Mom," he quivered. "Please don't go."

"Chris…" she muttered. "Peanut…I-I lo-love you."

"Mom," tears dripped from his jade eyes. "Don't—"

Her eyes grew wide as she looked behind him. "No! Chris!"

Chris didn't understand what his mother meant, but then he felt as if his life being ripped out from him as he fell into darkness.

Chris woke up from a tingling sensation. He fluttered his eyes to see Wyatt's crystal blue eyes staring down at him. Chris' eyes searched for the cause of the tingling sensation and he saw Wyatt's hand glowing over his stomach.

"Dad," said Wyatt. "Dad! He's waking!"

Chris tried to sit up from the floor, his hands touching something sticky. Wyatt stopped him. "Easy Chris, let me finish healing you."

Chris obeyed and when the light from Wyatt's hands stopped glowing, he attempted to sit up again. Wyatt helped him to a sitting position and Chris could see Leo kneeling down next to his mother, his hands stretched over the wound. His hands didn't glow.

"Come on Piper," Leo uttered. "Come on, don't give up."

Chris looked down to see his mother's face pale and lifeless. There was no spark in her eyes. She was dead.

Leo fell back onto the floor, dropping his head into his hands. Chris could hear him sobbing. Wyatt tightened his hold on his younger brother as Chris struggled in his brother's grasps.

"MOM!" Chris cried. "Mom! Wake up please! Dad! Try again! Wyatt?"

Leo wasn't paying attention to his youngest child, as he was too busy sobbing in his hands. Wyatt embraced Chris tighter.

"It's too late," said Wyatt.

"It's not too late!" cried Chris, though he knew it was. "Wyatt!"

"She's dead Chris."

Upon hearing those words, Chris burst into tears and Wyatt pulled him close as Chris cried on Wyatt's chest. Wyatt brushed back Chris brown hair, "I'm here, little buddy," he murmured, "I'm here and everything's going to be alright."

Daryl and his police force came and took care of the scene. Chris had to give a statement and Daryl told Chris that he was very sorry. Wyatt waited for Chris when he was done talking to the police. Leo left for the Heavens and Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige hurried as soon as they heard. Aunt Phoebe was devastated and dropped to her knees upon seeing her older sister's bloody body.

She kept screaming, "Not again! Not again!" Chris knew she was thinking about Aunt Prue and how she died.

Aunt Paige didn't scream. Tears flowed from here eyes and her rosy cheeks disappeared from her face, as she looked more like a ghost than her usually cherry self.

When the police let Chris go, he walked over towards Wyatt.

"Come on, little brother," said Wyatt, wrapping his arm around Chris' shoulders. "It's going to be alright."

Chris shook his head. Nothing will ever be all right after this night. Nothing will ever be the same.

A few days after the funeral, Leo pulled his sons aside.

"Wyatt, Chris," he said. "I wanted to let you know that Grandpa Victor is coming over."

Chris smiled. He always liked Grandpa. He and his grandpa would hang out on weekends and play lots of card games. Grandpa Victor taught him blackjack, poker, pedro, and pinochle.

Wyatt didn't seem too happy. "Why is grandpa coming?"

Leo looked into his oldest son's eyes. "He's coming because he's going to live here now."

Chris was confused. He didn't mind having grandpa living with him, but wouldn't that put him in danger if more demons came and attacked. He wasn't a magical being. He was just a mortal.

Wyatt frowned. "You're leaving us."

Chris looked from Wyatt to Leo watching the scene unfold as Leo's forehead wrinkled more as he sighed. "I must go back to the Heavens. The Elders—"

"Screw the Elders!" cried Wyatt. "We're your family! You have to stay here!"

Chris agreed. "Dad, don't you want to be with us? We need you."

"I know, I know," said Leo. "But, the Elders believe that the best way to help keep the two of you safe is to go up and be with them."

"How's that keeping us safe?" snarled Wyatt.

Chris wanted to know the answer to that as well. Wyatt glared at his father, waiting for a response, but Leo just sighed in resignation.

"You two wouldn't understand," said Leo.

"I think we understand a lot more than what you credit us for," said Wyatt. "We understand that Mom was the only person that you really cared about."

"I care about you and Chris."

"No you don't."

Chris bowed his head. His relationship with his father was never great. His mother had told him that his father loved him and that he is trying his best to be there for Chris, but he never came to any of Chris' school plays, sporting events, and when birthdays came, Leo only went to a few. The rest of the time, he got letters.

Wyatt's nostrils flared. "When we got home, you didn't even realize that Chris was dying! You just went straight to Mom, even though both of us could feel that she was dead."

"Wyatt—"

"You know what?" said Wyatt. "Why don't you go? Just go! We don't need you!"

Wyatt stomped away before orbing out of sight. Chris sensed for him and found that he was in his bedroom. Leo sensed him there too.

Leo looked over at Chris. "You know that's not true, Chris."

Chris didn't say anything.

"I love you Chris," he said. "I always have."

Chris still remained silent. Leo opened his mouth again to speak to his youngest son when the doorbell rang. Chris ran away from his father and to the door. He opened it and saw his grandpa standing before him.

"Grandpa!"

"Chris!" greeted Victor as he and Chris embraced.

Leo appeared shortly later and greeted Victor with a nod. "Hello Victor."

"Hello Leo," he responded tersely back to his son-in-law as he walked inside and closed the door. Chris stood by his grandpa.

Leo glanced at his son. "Chris, why don't you orb up to your room?"

Chris frowned at his father, but he obeyed as his body started to be consume by blue and white lights. It was now only Victor and Leo standing in the hallway.

"What something to drink?" asked Leo, but Victor shook his head.

"That's all right, Leo," he said. "So, when are you leaving?"

"Soon."

"Did you tell the boys?"

"Of course I did."

"How did that go?"

"Not as good as I hoped," he answered.

Victor frowned. "Of course it wasn't going to go good," he said. "Telling them that you are leaving them behind after their mother is brutally murdered and Chris almost dying the same way. You definitely have my vote for Worst Father of the Year."

"I didn't ask you to come to offend me," said Leo. "What I am doing is something more important than what the boys would understand."

"More important than family?"

Leo sighed and rubbed his forehead. "What I am doing is for my family. After Piper's death, it will only get worse. I need to protect my boys, give them guidance."

"And you can't do that here on Earth?"

"The Elders believe that I will do a better job staying up in the Heavens," said Leo. "It's not like I am abandoning them. I will always be watching over them."

"Huh-uh."

"You're a mortal," said Leo. "You wouldn't understand, but what I am doing is for my two boys."

Leo waited for Victor to say something more, but he didn't. Then, Leo heard a jingle. He sighed and glanced at the photo of Piper holding a younger version of Wyatt and Chris.

"I have to go now," said Leo, looking up. "They are calling for me."

"Okay," said Victor, "Go on."

"Promise me you'll take good care of them."

"They're my grandchildren," said Victor. "I will always take good care of them."

Leo nodded his head and thanked Victor. He stared at the photo of his wife and children before being consumed by blue and white lights.

Victor and Chris were sitting at the kitchen table, eating dinner. Wyatt had disappeared again. They were both use to it, but Chris still worried about him. Since their mother's death and Leo abandoning them, Wyatt had disappeared and reappeared with bloodstain clothes.

Wyatt claimed that he was demon hunting and Victor disapproved of the behavior, but understood it as Wyatt's way of dealing with grief. Chris still didn't feel comfortable that his brother went to the Underworld alone. Yes, he was the Twice Blessed child, radiating all sorts of power, but Chris didn't like the idea. When Chris asked to come with him to the Underworld, Wyatt furiously said that he couldn't.

"Sorry, Chris," he said after watching his brother's flinch at Wyatt's tone. "But I don't want to lose you too."

"But I can help you," complained Chris.

"I know Chris, but I still don't want to risk the chance of you dying," he said. "I already experienced that."

Chris knew what he was talking about. The night that their mother died, the magical creature that attacked and killed Piper appeared behind Chris and tried to kill him as well. Luckily enough, Wyatt and Leo orbed in and Wyatt saved his baby brother from death.

"I can still help," whispered Chris and Wyatt patted him on the back.

"I know, so why don't you stay here and help grandpa," said Wyatt. "I promise I will be home for dinner with you, grandpa, and the rest of the family."

Wyatt disappeared in blue and light lights and he was gone.

As they both washed the dishes by hand and sat down in the living room, watching television, Chris turned to his grandfather.

"Grandpa Victor," he said. "Do you think Wyatt is okay?"

Victor gave a half heartily shrug. "Physically, I know he's fine. Mentally, I don't know. You know I don't approve of demon hunting unless they attack first, but your brother…I like to think this is his way of grieving, but I don't know to be honest. I was planning on having a chat with him tomorrow."

"Good, because I'm worried that he might get hurt. He's all I got left."

"You still have your father and me."

"I know," said Chris. "But I mean from my immediate family. Like parents and siblings. You mean a lot to me grandpa. You really do."

Victor smiled at hearing that. "And you really mean a lot to me to. But, don't worry, we won't lose your brother. I'll have a chat with him tomorrow morning."