Father's Son
By Mellaithwen
Rating: T
Genre: Action/Adventure/Angst
Disclaimer: I do not own ANYTHING
Summary: AU. I Dream of Phoebe. Chris doesn't make his wish, and Leo sends him back to the future. Will Phoebe and Paige be able to get him back in time before Wyatt finds him?
This is a revelation fic in case you were wondering, as well as a Chris angst one. Sorry it took so long, I was trying to get a lot more done at the same time but I know if I didn't post it soon, it'd never get posted!
Chapter One
"I could heal him, master. Your warrior needs his strength. My last master will be coming back for me." The woman said, her scantily clad pink outfit being a perfect contrast against her dark skin.
"I think he's got it under control." Phoebe Halliwell spoke up as she watched her nephew being healed by his father, though the Elder was clueless of such a thing.
"Good idea, save your wishes."
"Did you get a good look at the demon?"
"I did, and when we're done here I'll go up to the Book of Shadows and check it out. I also called Paige to see if she can keep an eye on Jinny for me."
"Thanks." Chris said to Leo, as he stretched his newly healed shoulder.
"There is no need to guard me. Even if I was not bound to serve you I would do it anyway for sparing me from Bosk."
"Bosk?"
"My last master. He's cruel, even for a demon. And I would know. My bottle has been passed around from demon to demon for centuries."
"That's terrible." Leo said with sympathy, and Chris fought the urge to roll his eyes.
"You can not begin to know. That is why I got a message to Phoebe. I knew if she had my bottle she would wish me free."
"No wishes. I know all about Genies. You're tricksters."
"Listen, I gotta get back up there. You think you can handle this without Piper?"
"Where is Piper?" Chris asked
"On a date."
"On a date in the middle of the day?"
"Yeah, Greg works nights." Chris thought to himself for a moment, pondering the name, before his eyes widened as the memories re-surfaced
"Greg, Greg. Greg, the fireman! You mean the one she's insanely sexually attracted to?" Chris asked incredulously, staring at Leo, "Doesn't that bother you?"
"No. If it's makes her happy, that's all that matters."
"Oh, come on! What about all this forbidden lovers, you and me against the world stuff? That just doesn't go away." The story had always given him hope, that despite everything his parents love would overcome all. It was a shame Leo hadn't been as loving when it came to being there for his second son.
"You know, Chris, it's a little late for male bonding. Especially since I'm petitioning the other Elders to send you back to your time."
Everything stopped as Leo uttered the words.
"What?"
"Wait, are you serious?"
Please say it's a sick joke Phoebe's mind prayed.
"You look tense, master. Neck rub?" Phoebe swatted away the genie's efforts to relieve the tension as she stared at Leo.
"Even though Chris's intensions are good, his methods have put us all at risk. So, he's going back."
Going back.
The words reverberated around the young half-Whitelighters mind.
"Dad!"
The clashes and clangs of war whirled around him as he screamed. Gunshots fired from every direction, energy balls whizzed past him, growls and grunts made it impossible to concentrate on the body in his arms. He knelt in the centre of the battle field of what had once been a road, now crumbled and broken. He knelt, exhausted, torn between his heritage and his incessant want to protect innocents.
"Dad! Please!"
He begged as he cried into the air, desperately clinging onto his second in command, blood seeping through his fingers, tears threatening to fall. The world seemed to speed up, as Chris stayed completely still. Soon the battle died down, as the last fighters fell. He lay there, unconsciously shaking the body in front of him, scarily aware of the lack of chest movements that would signal breathing that would signal life. "Dad…" He whispered in a choked sob.
"Chris."
His head shot up, surprised at the voice's presence.
"You have to go to your brother, he's worried sick." The angst left him, and only fury remained. "He did this! I'm never going with him, never!"
"Chris! You have to, this is bigger than any of us, and your brother is trying his best!"
"No! I won't! You can't make me!" He had been about to orb away, and then, a horrible harsh tug and the words of a very frustrated parent in his ear, "No Chris! You are going back!"
"You mean abandoning me again." The words spoke volumes to Phoebe, but meant nothing, sadly enough, to Leo.
"Look, you did your job, you warned us about an evil that was after Wyatt. I think we can handle it from here."
Job, talk about impersonal.
As though he were nothing more than a troublesome messenger.
Chris ignored his fathers orbs, stepping forward to Phoebe.
"I've gotta stop him."
"Don't worry, I'll talk to Leo.
"No, no, not Leo. Greg, the fireman. He's about to sleep with my mom." He said, beginning to orb out when Phoebe said to herself.
"I really wish you wouldn't do that." Jinny slapped her hands together and nodded.
It was different to when Leo had pulled him back those few times. It wasn't like Wyatt's blocking spells where you were thrown back, no, it was smooth and simple, so much so that Chris barely registered it until he materialized back in the manor.
"What just happened?
"Your wish is my command, master." Phoebe grunted, annoyed that she had cast a wish, while Chris scowled.
"Alright, where's the Genie?" A voice called as the front door slammed shut, and Phoebe and the genie walked into the living room, while Chris walked away, trying to find different spots in the manor where he might be able to orb.
"Oh my god, you landed one." Paige said with an awe filled smile as she stared the woman up and down.
"She's a Genie, not a trout." Phoebe replied distastefully.
"You still have two wishes, master. I suggest you save one for Bosk." The name itself held a thin layer of fear.
"I told you, no wishes. We're gonna do this our way."
"But you can not handle him. Nobody can. He has a flying carpet and an army of forty thieves."
"Thirty-eight. I vanquished two."
"Let me guess. He wanted a crew and a nice ride. Original for a demon's wish, yeah?" Paige quirked.
"Yes. And if Bosk gets me back, he will force me to grant his third wish."
"What's his third wish?" Paige asked, her tone more serious as a set of large diamond earrings appeared on her ears.
"Did you do that?" Phoebe asked the genie confused.
"No, but they are lovely." Jinny said without missing a beat. "Who conjured them for you?"
"My boyfriend, Richard. He's been showering me with gifts all week." The sentence seemed out of place when coupled with Paige's annoyed tone.
"I thought you were gonna talk to him about binding his powers?" Phoebe asked as Paige sighed.
"I have but every time I bring it up I just get another present. Luxury problem I know, but still."
"Yeah, not good. Back to the demon. Uh, what was his third wish?"
"Zanbar." The genie said in a menacing tone.
"Zanbar?"
"What's Zanbar?" Paige asked, seeing that neither her nor Phoebe knew.
"The lost city. Before being swallowed up by the desert, it was the seat of power for an evil empire." She said, taking no notice of the young male Whitelighter who walked in just at that moment.
"Phoebe? Will you do something, please? I can't orb." Chris complained, annoyed as a diamond bracelet appeared on Paige's arm.
"Damn him." Paige muttered, staring at the jewelry.
"You know, Paige, if he won't listen to you, maybe he'll listen to his family." Phoebe explained, but Paige sighed.
"Most of them are dead. Remember, the feud."
"Please, we do not have time for this. If Bosk captures me, Zanbar will rise again from the dust." Jinny rambled on.
"It's just a city." Paige shrugged, not seeing the importance in urgency.
"A city of magic. Bosk has been using his thieves to search for his former site. If he finds it and wishes it back, there will be no stopping him. That is why you must wish me free, master. If I am not a Genie, it will solve your problems and mine. I beg you."
"Hey, a little help here, please?" Chris asked, annoyed, as he entered the room, still unable to orb away.
As he spoke Paige gasped looking down as her clothes suddenly changed into a black evening dress, and her hair was styled by the aid of Richard's magic.
"Okay, I'm losing my mind." Phoebe muttered. "Uh, Paige, go to Richard, deal with it so you can help us."
"Okay." Her sister replied, leaving. Phoebe whirled on Chris.
"You," She said, "I will help you get your parents back together but it has to be on my terms. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
"Go get Piper, we could use her help. Uh, I wish that he could orb." She said, the last part to Jinny, who put her hands together and blinked, the wish being cast and Chris orbing out, glad for the tingling sensation that came with it to finally envelope his body. "And we need to find a vanquishing potion for that demon."
"Oh, yes, master."
"Phoebe." The empath corrected.
"Yes, master Phoebe."
Chris waited, having knocked the door several times, he had only stood silent for a moment, but it had been far too long for his impatience at his mother-no Piper's recent attitude.
"Piper! Piper!" He called, knocking the door again and again.
"Forget it." Piper said from her position on the couch. Her and Greg's kiss having been interrupted.
"I know you're in there. Please open the door now." The slightly muffled voice called from outside, and Piper, pondering for a moment, turned to Greg.
"Just a sec." She said, almost apologetically and walked over to the door, the knocks continuing.
"Go away." She said as she swung open the door.
"We have an emergency." He said, as though it would be enough, interrupted suddenly by the aforementioned fireman edging next to Piper.
"Is there a problem here?" He said, making Chris inwardly growl. How dare he come in like the Good Samaritan, saving an innocent damsel in distress from a rude drunkard? Well Chris was no drunkard, and Piper sure as hell wasn't a damsel in distress.
"Yeah, many problems, many levels. Piper has to come home now." He said, almost laughing at the last sentence.
"Excuse me? Who are you again?" He asked, rather poignantly, and Chris turned to him, uninterested.
"I'm a friend of her husband's."
"Ex-husband," Piper said hastily, "And he's not really a great friend." She said with a nervous laugh, leaving Chris to glare as she turned back to Greg. "Um, it's okay, I got it."
"Well, I'm here if you need me." Greg said, kissing Piper as Chris snorted loudly, not bothering to hide his disgust as Piper closed the door behind him, leaving her and Chris in the hallway.
"What is this big emergency? Can't it wait and hour or two?"
"No, it can't. There's a demon on the loose, a Genie running a-muck, and it took me two wishes to get here."
"You can't make wishes with Genies." Piper said, ignoring the rest of Chris' reasons.
"See, we need you. Come on, let's orb." He went to grab her arm but Piper backed away.
"No, no, no. Listen. I am not gonna leave him high and dry again without an explanation. So your demon can wait five minutes." She said, going back inside to the apartement, a cover story about some family emergency not yet used formulating in her mind as she closed the door from Chris.
"He was my master once. And him too. And her." Jinny said distastefully, flicking through the book absent-mindedly as she and Phoebe stood alone in the attic of the Halliwell Manor.
"Boy, you sure got around. How did so many demons get a hold of you, anyway?" Phoebe asked and Jinny shrugged as she answered.
"Some bought, some stole. I changed hands so many times I lost track."
"I'm sorry I can't set you free. But wishing is just too risky right now." Phoebe said sadly, as orbs filled the room and Piper and Chris appeared. The female of the two taking charge immediately.
"Okay, let's go. Greg's not gonna wait forever." Chris cringed momentarily before saying;
"Well, then you should dump him." The comment holding much more than a casual response.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Piper asked suspiciously.
"He's just being over protective." Phoebe said, jumping in on her nephew's behalf.
Her nephew.
The thought still seemed strange to her, but the more she thought about it, the better it sounded. It just fit.
"I take it you're the Genie." Piper said, seeing the strangely dressed stranger in the room.
"Jinny." She replied, as though Piper had pronounced her title wrongly.
"Jinny the Genie." She said, smiling with her teeth forced forward in awkwardness.
"Of course." Piper said, bemused. "Who's the demon?"
"Uh." Chris stalled, as he walked towards the book and quickly scanned it. "He's a low level demon with minimal powers." He said, the page showing a well-drawn picture and a small portion of information. "There's a vanquishing potion."
"Yeah, that's what I'm working on." Phoebe said, her tone betraying how obvious she thought it was.
"Good. Then you're almost done with me too. Okay, so what you're planning is summon him to us?" She couldn't have made it more obvious that she was in a hurry, and all members of the room picked up on it.
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking."
"What's the rush?" Chris asked, almost annoyed.
"Well, not that it's any of your business but Greg's shift starts in a few hours and I won't see him for three days. So I'm gonna go call him and I'd put the Genie back in the bottle just to be safe." She said, taking charge and turning to the genie. "No offence, but we've been burned before." And she left the room, knowing her sister could handle placing the genie back inside of the bottle
"Do you mind?" Phoebe asked.
"Yes, master." Jinny said, her tone showing the Yes was not merely a consent to do as she was told but an answer to the question Phoebe had asked. There was a wooshing sound as Jinny was sucked back into the bottle, leaving a guilty empath behind.
"I feel so bad." She said, staring at Chris.
"As well you should. If we don't do something soon, I can end up half fireman instead of half Whitelighter."
"Oh, for goodness sake." Phoebe sighed, seeing that Chris was far from finished when it came to his own survival. His very existence.
"Look, I'm running out of time here. So what do you say we get to use that Genie to make mum and dad... you know." He said, the idea giving him the creeps, but knowing it may be his last chance.
"That's vile," Phoebe said, pulling a face, "And against the rules. I would think you wouldn't want to be conceived that way." She tried a different tactic but by Chris' reply it was clear it hadn't worked.
"Well, beats not being conceived at all."
"Look, I told you I would help you on my terms, okay? So back off." Though in truth, Phoebe had no idea what she would do.
"What are your terms?" Chris asked the question Phoebe had been expecting but not wanting.
"Hmm, not really sure yet. But I am done with this potion. As soon as Piper gets back we are ready to go." She said with a smile, turning to cork the potion, just as there was a loud crash and she span around to see Chris falling to the floor, knocked down by the large flying carpet carrying the demon Bosk into the attic.
The potion still in hand, Phoebe threw it with a burst of strength, but as it neared it spontaneously combusted before impact, the amulet around Bosk's neck doing it's job.
"Not this time, witch." He said, grinning, not anticipating the next move.
"Jinny, I wish you free!" Phoebe said, suddenly desperate. A cloud of pink smoke rose up from the bottle, engulfing Phoebe, and as it cleared, Jinny stood there, menacing in her black attire.
"Well, it's about time. Who's the master now?" She asked, not waiting for an answer.
Jinny threw the fireball with a glare on her features, smiling with her tongue behind her teeth as Bosk burst into flames. Vanquished. Jinny turned, reaching for the bottle, and Piper, who had walked in, in time to see the cause of the demon's shrieks, called out:
"Chris!" She cried, and instantly he held out his hand, working in tandem with his mother like a well oiled machine as it flew into his hand telekinetically as Piper tried to blow up Jinny, who ducked.
Both Witches looked on as the demon jumped onto the flying carpet and escaped through the window.
"Where's Phoebe?" Chris asked, getting up.
Where's my last chance at getting mom and dad together?
"Here. In here!" A disembodied voice called, and Chris looked inside of the bottle to see Phoebe clad in genie regalia.
"Hello, master."
Chris almost laughed but felt the bottle snatched out of his hands suddenly as Piper strode forward, taking command.
"Get out!" Piper cried, waiting, but Phoebe only stared, and then began to inspect the area around her, taking no notice of her sister.
"Will you come out of there, please?"
"I can't. I don't know how. Try commanding me."
"Uh, okay. Get the hell outta there."
"No, not you; My master." There was a definite hint of embarrassment in the middle-sisters voice but Piper chose to ignore it and walked away. Chris, having heard, looked in.
"You mean me?"
"Well, yeah, you did pick up the bottle, didn't you?" Phoebe said in a duh sort of tone.
"Alright, get out of the bottle. I command you." Chris said, enjoying the small burst of power it gave him. Blue smoke rose up from the small pink bottle and Phoebe appeared, looking none-too-happy, especially when her older sister laughed.
"You look ridiculous." Piper commented on her sister's appearance, trying not to giggle.
"I feel ridiculous." Phoebe growled, harrumphing.
"How am I supposed to get back to Greg now with this?" The elder sister asked, still stifling a laugh.
"Is that all you care about? Would you look at me? I am trapped in pantaloons right now. Where is the mirror?" Phoebe asked annoyed, stepping back to see herself in the reflected glass.
"Oh and why do I always get stuck with the wig?"
"Trust me, you don't. Leo!"
"Have you ever noticed that Leo is the first person you call in your time of need?" Chris said, trying to get his mother to feel something for the Elder non so subtly.
"Uh-oh." Leo said as he orbed in.
"Yeah, right, uh-oh.
"I still can't believe you made a wish with a Genie. You know better than that." Piper said whirling on her sister.
"I thought she was an innocent. How was I to know that I was gonna unleash a demon?" Phoebe asked exasperated while Leo picked up the bottle, reading the inscription.
"It says so right here."
"Oh, right, right there in Arabic."
"There's a warning label on the Genie bottle?"
"Yeah. An ancient sorcerer condemned a demon into the bottle for not marrying him. It says whoever tried to free her they have to switch places with her. Missed a big one here, bud." He said, explaining, and then turning on Chris, blaming him.
"You wanna pin this on me?" Chris asked incredulously, amazed at his father's impertinence.
"Leo, it's not his fault, it's my fault." Phoebe said, sticking up for her nephew when Piper butted in.
"How come your empathy thing didn't give her away?"
"She tricked me and obviously the book too." Phoebe explained.
"Let's just figure out a way to fix this, okay?"
"Well, the only way to fix it is to get the demon to wish Phoebe free, reverse the magic." Leo explained, his Elder-wisdom coming in handy.
"That's what we need to do then."
"I'll call Paige." Piper said, leaving the room.
"Yes. I do believe the element of surprise is very important here." Phoebe said.
"You sure? Because we could always take our time with this plan, you know, keep Piper around just a little bit longer." Chris supplied, through clenched teeth
"Yes, master." Phoebe said automatically, seeming surprised at her own reply.
"Good, I'm glad you agree."
"Actually, I don't agree, but I-I can't... How am I supposed to take charge and take commands all at the same time?" She said, re-directing her question to Leo.
"Well, you won't have to. Chris is coming back up there with me. The Elders have agreed to send him back to his time."
The air was suddenly thick.
"What?" Chris exclaimed, in a panic, and in anger. He had forgotten about Leo's previous threat, but was now harshly reminded.
"You don't know what you're doing here, Leo." Phoebe said emphatically, hoping he would hear the tone in her voice and listen.
"You don't belong here. And as your Whitelighter he's doing more harm than good." He said switching from Chris to Phoebe.
"You're so full of it. This isn't about me being a bad Whitelighter, it's about you feeling like I've let you down somehow. So whatever issues you might have with me, can't you just get over it already!"
"No Chris I can't just get over it, you've put the girls in danger, the Elders have agreed." He looked at the expression of mild hopelessness on Chris' face, almost like a lost puppy. It wasn't forced, and he wasn't trying to get something, he was afraid, pure, unadulterated fear at being abandoned, and left with a madman in a destroyed world.
"Come on." Leo said coldly. Chris took one last pleading look at Phoebe before Leo grabbed his arm and orbed him away.
"Oh god." Phoebe muttered as she began calling for Leo again and again.
TBC
-Hand falls off-
Think that's my longest first chapter ever!
Please Review!