Chapter 16

Paige watched the color drain away from her niece's face leaving a pale, ghostly complexion. She traded a glance with Phoebe – what had Prudence seen in her visions?

Phoebe gently reached out to her daughter, "Prudence, what is it? What did you see?"

Unbidden, images of a past, alternate Chris flowed through Prudence's mind. To Prudence, this boy – this man, had been real. She had lived through pieces of his life, had understood the suffering and anger that lived in his soul, and knew the confused love he coveted for his brother, the instigator of all his pain.

How would she be able to look at Chris the same ever again? Or Wyatt? Her family had always taught her that their powers were gifts. Despite the curse of demons, they were blessed with strong family connections and the ability to help others. But Prudence didn't want this…gift. What kind of gift robbed her of her two best friends? Tears began to fall. She felt the warm salty liquid trace down her cheek – Prudence didn't bother to wipe them away.

Phoebe squeezed Prudence's hand. "I know it's hard sweetie, but you've been given an incredible gift."

"NO!" Prudence shouted, unable to control her emotions. "NO! You don't know Mom! You don't know how he felt when his brother killed their mom right in front of him! You don't know the pain he lived each and every day hating his brother but loving him as well. You don't know the resentment he felt – the guilt or the anguish when he killed. You don't know! But I do – I KNOW!" She looked to the ceiling, "Take it back! I don't want your gift! I want my cousins – my best friends! Take it BACK!" Prudence buried her head in her lap, muffling her loud sobs.

Paige sank into the chair she had been standing next to.

Will ran into the living room, half-expecting to find a some warlock or demon threatening his family. "What's going on in here?"

Paige allowed her gaze to move from her niece curled against her sister. "Prudence woke up."

He frowned slightly, "That's good, right? So why was there yelling? I heard it all the way downstairs."

"It would appear that Prudence experienced part of alternate Chris' life," Paige replied.

Although Will had a dark olive complexion, he paled visibly and sat on the arm of the chair Paige was currently residing in. His wife and sister-in-laws had told him several years ago about the Chris from the future. He knew his death had triggered Leo's guilt – and eventual self-sacrifice. What he didn't know was how Prudence's new revelations were going to fit into the chaotic puzzle they were currently trying to piece together.

The adults sat in silence, consumed with thoughts and concerns as Prudence forced the last of her tears

Prudence managed to take control back of her emotions then turned to her mother and aunt. "You knew him." She said quietly, feeling the truth behind her statement. The two Charmed Ones traded a look over Prudence's head.

Phoebe met her daughter's gaze. "Yes."

"He must have come here to save Wyatt," Prudence muttered to herself quietly. "Does Chris know about his other self?" She asked.

Paige shook her head. "No. It was ultimately Leo and Piper's decision on whether or not to tell him. They wanted to protect Chris and Wyatt. They believed the boys never needed to know about the alternate Chris – or the alternate Wyatt."

"What happened to him?"

Phoebe looked down – over twenty years had passed since Chris had given his life for his family, but there was still a bruise on that place in her heart.

Prudence looked once again from Phoebe to Paige. "He died, didn't he? He sacrificed himself, right?"

"I think that's a question that Piper would best answer." Paige said quietly. "Last I knew she was going to write a spell that would hopefully take her to Leo – I don't think it would be the best time to disturb her."

Phoebe nodded in agreement, "Paige is right. I think Piper needs to tell you the story of our alternate Chris. In the meantime – why don't we get something to eat. It's after 9 p.m. and you haven't had anything since this morning. Still feel up to having some Indian?"

Pushing the pain of his life and her questions of the alternate Chris to the corners of her mind for another time, Prudence attempted to focus on the here and now. She nodded, just realizing how empty her stomach felt.

Paige pulled herself forward in the chair, gripping the very edges of the arms and readied herself for action. "Okay, Will – would go upstairs and ask the girls what they want? Prudence chose Indian for us earlier."

Will gave his wife a mock salute and headed for the stairs.

Paige continued, "Phoebe – you, uh – you stay here with Prudence for now. I'm headed to the kitchen for a phone." With marching orders given, Paige headed out.

"Hey Aunt Paige – don't forget to order those potato and pea dumpling-thingys!" Prudence called after her.

His long hair was still wet from the shower, water drops occasionally slid down his bare back only to be stopped at the towel wrapped around his waist. He was sitting, waiting patiently as Piper finished shaving the last bit of his beard away.

Piper… She hadn't left his side since she had found him in that abandoned warehouse. Hadn't risked letting him out of her sight. He wasn't going anywhere – he wanted to comfort her with that, but when he opened his mouth, the words would not come.

"There, all done. What do you think?" Piper asked, forcing a lightness into her voice.

Leo turned to the mirror and winced. The man staring back at him was a stranger – lost and confused. The man in the mirror was merely a shadow.

Piper noticed the reaction to his reflection. "Hey," she said softly, catching his chin with her hand and puling his gaze to hers. "One step at a time, right?"

Leo found himself nodding to her soft smile.

"Why don't we find you some clothes to wear?" Piper suggested, gently placing her hand around Leo's and pulled him towards the bedroom.

She made a motion for him to sit on the bed while she dug into her closet – a few moments later, Piper emerged with a pair of gray sweatpants and a plain white undershirt.

"Here you go," Piper said, handing the clothing to Leo. "You get dressed, and I'll be right back – I'm just going to clean up the bathroom quick, okay?"

There wasn't much to clean, but Piper wanted to keep her hands busy. "After I'm done, I'll go get us something to eat, okay?" There was silence, "Leo?" Piper poked her head around the door and saw Leo sprawled out on the bed, sound asleep. Piper smiled, took the blanket from the edge of the bed and placed it on top of him. She whispered, "I'll be right back Leo." And quietly left the room.

At the moment, Wyatt was up to his neck in teenagers. He watched from behind the bar as the 16 to 20 crowd bumped, wiggled, jumped and shoved each other around on the dance floor – nothing they were doing remotely resembled dancing. Wyatt shook his head as a kid scooted past trying to do the ancient "lawnmower" dance move, these kids really needed better role models.

"Hey, cuz – can I get a soda?" Perry asked, plunking himself down on a barstool and interrupting Wyatt's musings.

Wyatt turned to his cousin, who, in all reality was another younger brother. "Sure – you want that straight up, or on the rocks with a twist?"

The corner of Perry's mouth pulled up in a half-smirk, this was Wyatt's sense of humor – sad as it may be. "Straight up, but I'll have the twist."

"Coming right up." As Wyatt filled a glass, he snuck a glance at Perry. "Having a good time?"

Perry nodded – "Yeah. DJ is pretty cool."

Wyatt put the soda with lime in front of his cousin. "What's up?"

"Nothing."

Wyatt narrowed his eyes and bent over, resting his forearms on the edge of the polished bar. "Perry – the next time you lie, don't lie to someone whose got a built-in b.s. detector. Now – what's going on?"

Perry wiggled in his seat and looked at his drink. If he told Wyatt what Puck was up to, he'd be labeled a squealer and his best friend would never trust him again. However, this was Wyatt – and he looked up to him more than anything in the world. His eyes flickered to Wyatt's gaze and then landed back on his drink. "I – I can't say."

An alarm went off in Wyatt's head. Cautiously, the older witch darted his eyes around the club – he didn't see Perry's troublemaking friend Puck anywhere. "Perry – where's Puck?"

The question had barely had time to hang in the air before the entire club was consumed with blackness. All of the teens that were packed in the club instantly began screaming. Wyatt sighed, "Never mind…"

Leo lay on the bed, half covered by the blanket Piper had gently lain on top of him. his eyes fluttered wildly and his head began to turn…

The hatred coursing through his veins made him stronger and with a final yell of rage, he drove the blade through the demon. As the Evil dissolved to ash, Leo dropped the blade from his hand. The cool metal clanged against the stone of the ground beneath him.

He felt the poison of Excalibur seeping into his magic. But he was weak from the fight and his soul was filled with sorrow and desperation – two emotions that are irresistible to Evil. He fought, but was quickly overpowered. Memories and visions of Piper and their sons danced through his mind, their happiness and love tortured his heart with every beat. Throwing his head back he wailed with desperate agony.

And then – then there was nothing. Silence roared against his ears as the Darkness consumed him – body and mind. It was all he saw, all he could think of. He stalked the Darkness and the Darkness stalked him. He would never escape from this agony. He was damned to the Darkness for eternity.

Damned. For eternity…

The food had arrived; and as usual, Paige had ordered way too much. The kitchen island was covered with takeout containers of all shapes and sizes. Phoebe, Paige, Will and Prudence were all sitting around the kitchen table silently eating. The background was filled with half-sounds of the television program Veve and Melly were watching in the conservatory. Normally the girls weren't allowed to eat while watching t.v. – but Paige hadn't wanted either of them to overhear any conversation about Leo or Prudence's visions; and since Phoebe or Will hadn't questioned her decision, she was sure they were all on the same page.

"So," Will broke the silence, "Anyone feel like watching a movie tonight? I think there's a Hitchcock marathon on one of the movie channels."

Paige darted a glance to Prudence, then gave her husband an abbreviated Look. It was the look that after 20 years of marriage still made Will's blood run cold in his veins – even the abbreviated version. Deciding it was best to be silent, Will turned his attention to the curry on his plate.

"Something smells really good – whoa, Prudence!" Piper stopped mid-sentence noticing her niece was conscious. A smile flickered across Piper's face for a second before turning into a light frown. "Wait, a – alright, what's wrong? Demon? One of Perry's pranks? Someone possessed? Did we get someone else's take-out order?"

Paige shook her head, "Nope. Wrong on all four accounts. Why don't you get a plate and take a seat for a little bit Piper."

Piper looked at each of the four around the table. "Seriously guys – I don't have time for you to break the bad news to me easily. Leo's upstair – "

"Whoa, Leo's here?!"

"You found him?!"

"Is he okay?"

"Is there anything we can do?"

"How is he feeling?"

"What's he doing now?"

"When can we see him?"

The four diners suddenly came to life. Their voices, crackling with energy, talked over and through the others – desperate for their question to be answered.

Piper put her hands up to stop the onslaught of questions. "Guys! Please! Chill out. Yes, he's here, but he's not okay. Leo – " Piper took a breath to steady her voice before continuing. "He's not himself. I found him in an abandoned warehouse – he, um, vanquished a gang member. But it's not his fault! He doesn't know who he is. He's forgotten. Ever since – "

Paige reached a hand out and placed it on Piper's. "We understand honey, you don't have to tell us."

"Yeah, some of us understand a little too well," Prudence muttered bitterly. "Ow!"

Phoebe pulled her leg back from kicking Prudence under the table. "Is Leo hungry? Were you getting him a snack?"

"Nice try Pheebs – but I'm not distracted that easily. What do you mean Prudence?"

She hesitated for a moment, mouth partially open, unsure of what to tell her aunt. Obviously Piper was distraught over Leo and his current actions. But she needed answers. "I saw Chris' past life. Actually – I didn't just see it, I lived bits and pieces of it with him. I know that when he was 14 you, and Mom and Aunt Paige were killed – by Wyatt. I know when he was 18 when the rest of his family was murdered. I know Wyatt made him kill witches. I know he dug each and every one of our graves by himself. I know he promised you he would save our family. I know this is a really bad time, but I need to know what happened to him. I need to know that he had a happy ending."

Piper gripped Paige's hand to steady herself. Silence consumed the kitchen and its occupants. Several moments later Piper's sharp intake of air broke the quiet. Piper released her sister's hand, pulled a chair up to the table and focused on Prudence.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that past life Prudence. I'm sorry anyone did. Shortly after Wyatt was born, Chris came to the past. At first, he claimed it was to save us from the Titans, but after many months we finally learned the truth. Chris had traveled to the past to prevent his brother from turning evil and save his family. And he did – he ensured our future with his life." Piper blinked away her tears before continuing. "Our Chris is exactly like him – looks like him, talks like him, he even has the same neurotic tendencies." A half-smile played upon Piper's lips. "But Chris is also the complete opposite of him. He doesn't have the sadness, the rough edge in his voice, the anger..." Piper's voice trailed off, remembering the man her son was. Paige reached out her hand to Piper and grabbed her hand, giving Piper needed the extra reassurance and strength she needed with a squeeze. "We never told any of you kids about this because it was in the past, because we didn't want to burden you with the knowledge of a life that could of happened – there are too many more important things in life to focus on."

Prudence sat, her fork resting on her dinner plate, forgotten. "Don't you think Chris and Wyatt have a right to know what happened Aunt Piper? Whether they – or you – like it or not, it's part of their history, it helped shape them into the individuals they are today."

Piper nodded her head. "I never wanted to tell them Prudence. I never wanted to damage the bond they share - magically and as brothers. But I know that now, with your new power and what you have witnessed, they have to know. But I will tell them – in my own time – the right time."

Prudence opened her mouth to object, there never seemed to be a "good time" to drop a bombshell in this family - especially one as big as this one. There was always a magical malady or a demon popping out of the underworld for there to ever be a "good time" – but there was something in Piper's voice that made her shut her mouth as soon as she opened it. That the empathic "kick-in-the-leg" she had just received from her mom made her think twice. Instead, Prudence nodded in agreement with Piper. After all, Piper couldn't keep this to herself forever - at least, if Prudence had anything to say about it, she wouldn't...

Leo suddenly found himself in a long hallway flanked on each side by doorways. He looked at the first door to his right – it was numbered: one. Leo reached his hand to the door knob but then pulled back. This door didn't feel right. He began to walk down the hallway, finally he stopped in front of the door numbered 42. He loosed the door from the frame and took a step forward, only to find himself in the past.

Mortars crashed all around them. They were pinned in the crumbling ruins of another decimated city. He and the rest of the medical team were doing the best they could but there were few supplies and too many wounded. And then Nathan was brought in on a stretcher – his brother Rcik right next to him. After all the men Leo had watched die – either on the battlefield or in the operating room, death should not have surprised him. But it did, and he was stunned. Disbelieving that death seemed to want Nathan – no, no – not Nathan. The three of them had joined together, vowing to protect the world from hatred, believing to be invincible.

But there wasn't much Leo could do. He didn't have the proper tools, medicine or time to give to Nathan – but there were plenty of medics here that would be able to help him. There were dozens more men needing his attention on the battlefield and no medic to help them.

Rick accused him of deserting Nathan in his time of need. He argued with Leo – no life on that field was as valuable as Rick's – as his brother's. But Leo saw the value of all of them. He turned his back to give his attention to other fallen soldiers and in that split second – two of the most important people in his life – his world – were gone. A mortar crashed through the makeshift hospital roof, instantly killing his two best friends. No! No! NO!

"NO!" Leo woke with a start, sitting straight up in the bed. For a moment, he was confused – but then it came rushing back to him. He was responsible for the deaths of Nathan and Rick. He shouldn't have turned his back…

Piper opened the bedroom door and stepped inside, balancing a tray of light snacks on her left arm. "Leo?" She questioned the room softly. Glancing up, she noticed him awake, red-faced with sweat and trying to catch his breath. "Leo?" She asked, alarm creeping into her voice. "Leo? Leo – what's wrong?"

He looked to her – but saw straight through her. His mind playing the vision of Nathan and Rick's deaths over and over.

Piper sat down on the bed next to Leo and hesitantly took his hands in her own. His green eyes were filled with pain. "Leo – tell me, what's wrong?"

He pulled his hands away as if her touch had scalded him and leapt from the bed. He stood, trembling, arms crossed in the corner closest to the window. "St-St-Stay away." He stuttered.

Piper was very confused – she had been gone for an hour – what had happened in – and then it hit her. The first time Leo had returned to them from the Underworld he had had horrific nightmares and visions that he fought through. It seemed as if he would have to fight through them again. She stood and approached Leo very cautiously. "Leo, did you have a nightmare?"

He didn't know what to do – he wanted to stay: in that room, with Piper, with his family – but he didn't want to hurt them. He, and he alone was responsible. Leo refused to fail them – again.

"I – I'm sorry Piper." Was all he said before fading from the safety of her and their room.

Hi All! I'm back! Thank you for those who have been faithful and sent me little e-mails to inspire my writing once again. I promise to update regularly until the end of the story! Nor more year-long hiatus' for me! Thanks again! Miss.