JonnyFantastico
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This will be the last post of "FC" where I post two chapters at a time. The rest will be seperate chapters on their own... I hope you're all enjoying this story! 
I looked into Mama Piper’s eyes.
“You’re my what?”
That’s all I could say. Shock wasn’t even the word I was feeling. I looked around the room at everyone. Mom was still crying.
“Well”, said Mama P, “in a way, you’re my son.”
I let go of her hands and walked to the window. I was in total confusion. I had two moms? What?
“Baby,” my mother started to walk towards me. “You have to understand it was the only way.”
“So...you’re not really my mother?”
“Of course I’m your mother”; she said. “My blood is running through you just as Piper’s is. It just was something that had to be done to make sure that you were born.”
I turned around and looked at her with tears streaming down my face. “I get that. And I’m grateful to be alive. But how could you keep this all from me?! All those times I asked, begged, pleaded to know about my past... All of these years, I’ve been around this family and called them “family” because we were so close. And now, you’re telling me, “Oh, guess what, honey? They really ARE your family! Oh, and by the way, you’re a powerful witch?” This is too much right now.”
Mama P walked to me and looked concerned, “Baby, I know this is a lot to take in. This wasn’t an easy decision for us to make. We only kept this from you until we were sure you could handle it.”
“And now was the time? How about before, oh, I don’t know, before I got attacked by a demon?!”
Wyatt stormed up to me. “Don’t yell at her, dude. Don’t you think this is hard for her, too? And what about me and Chris? The fact that we knew that we had another brother and couldn’t say or do anything to let him know?”
I stepped right up to Wyatt’s face. “You’re not innocent in this either, and neither is Chris. We’ve been best of friends all of our lives. We hang out almost everyday. We tell each other just about everything and you couldn’t even give me a hint. You know how I felt about my past; how I wanted to know about my life. And you didn’t say a goddamned thing! So, right now isn’t the time to tell me who to scream at and who the fuck not to!”
With his face full of anger, Wyatt pushed me. I pushed him back, and then Mama P stepped between us.
“Stop it! This is not the time for this. Peter, I know this is confusing for you, but you will not bring any negative energy into this house! Wyatt is still…” she broke off, unable to finish the sentence.
I looked right at her, “Say it. He’s still my brother. Go on.”
The pain in her eyes was too much to bear. I suddenly felt very sorry for what I had said, but was way too upset to apologize. She looked at me and said, “I was going to say your friend.”
Chris joined in, “And your White Lighter, too.”
All I could do was laugh. “Damn. And the secrets just keep coming, don’t they? For people who are supposed to care about me, this is a really messed up situation. You know what, I need to go. Now.” I started towards the door and Mama P came after me.
“Baby, I know you’re upset... so, we’ll leave you alone right now.”
Aunt Pheebs came towards her. “Leave him alone? He just found out that his life is nothing that he thought it was and you want us to leave him alone?”
Aunt Paige came right behind her; the original Charmed Ones joined together. “Calm down, Phoebe. Remember how much I needed to be for a while after I found out who I was. I just about ran away myself. He needs time. Just give him that.”
“Exactly”, said Mama Piper. “Peter, I understand you need time to process this. But please know we’re not going anywhere and neither is this part of your life. Whenever you want to talk to me or any of us, we’ll be here. We love you very much.” She tried to hug me, but I backed off.
“Yeah,” I said. I walked out the door and just kept walking.
I ended up walking down to the beach. As cold as it had been lately, it was the only place that relaxed me. I just watched the water rise and fall overlooking the San Francisco Bridge. The same thoughts repeating over and over again.
I’m someone else’s son.
I’m a powerful witch, connected to an even stronger family of witches.
And worse of all, the boy I have been in love with since I first realized I was gay…
Is my brother.
The sea splashed around without a care, seemingly throwing my problems right back at me with every forceful wave.
“Well, if you’re just gonna throw water around…” I said before the tears started to flow.
“Well, that went well,” said Piper as she walked back into the living room. She walked back to the couch and plopped down.
Amanda walked to her. “It’s not like we expected him to be all excited about everything. We kept everything a secret to him for 16 years. Where Wyatt and Chris always had full knowledge of his powers, he just learned about his accidentally.”
“Actually,” said Chris; “Mom just told us all of this about Pete two years ago. We only picked up on it because of how similar we looked despite our races… and then I kind of overheard Mom and Dad talking about it.”
“Yeah;” said Leo. “Nosy little thing, isn’t he?” Chris glanced down, a little embarrassed.
“Speaking of which, what were his powers, Wyatt?”
“Well, from what I saw, he somehow was able to literally freeze that demon into a block of ice. He blew it out of his mouth. It was like a blizzard in the room. So cool, Dad. No pun intended.”
Leo walked to his son and patted his shoulder. “It’s nice to know you’re not too mad at him.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m pissed at how he treated Mom and Aunt Mandy. But, I guess I understand where Pete’s coming from.”
“Also,” Chris stated, “He was able to orb. I don’t think he realized it, though. When the demon threw a fireball at him, he orbed away.”
“Definitely his fathers’ side”; Amanda said.
The three sisters smiled at that.
Amanda looked towards the broken table. “Let me guess. Demon attack.”
Piper nodded. “Yeah. And he was looking for Peter. Something about attacking “the next in the Charmed line”.”
“Did he have a weird face tattoo?” asked Wyatt.
“Um… actually, yeah he did.”
“He was the one that attacked us in Aunt Mandy’s kitchen”; Chris added. “The one Pete vanquished.”
Amanda sighed. “I guess it’s really starting, huh?”
Chris replied, “Yep. I guess it’s time for our destinies to begin. There goes our childhood.” He let out a fake sniffle.
Everyone in the room laughed a little. “So, Wyatt, you ready for it?” He stood up and walked to his brother.
“I’ve been fighting for as long as I can remember, bro. The question is, “Is Peter ready?”
Piper simply said, “Let’s hope so.”
For the next week, I avoided anyone with the name Halliwell like the Plague. I sat in a different seat in English. I ate lunch outside, no matter the weather. I didn’t answer any phone calls from them. I had letters left in my locker by Chris and even a couple from Wyatt. I just tore them up. I wasn’t ready to deal with any of it and I couldn’t face anyone from that family for a while.
I would go to school and straight home, which was more difficult than not, because I was usually at Halliwell manor. I would attempt to avoid my mom, but when she wasn’t working, she was always home and she just tried to always talk to me. I gave her a few noncommittal phrases here and there, but no heavy conversation. The next weekend, I was sitting at home, bored at my computer listening to music. I had bought some new CD’s thanks to Papa Leo’s gift. I had them playing on my computer and I had to minimize the Media Player to get to the desktop.
There, staring back at me was a picture of me, Chris, Wyatt and Mama Piper. I forgot I had that set on my desktop wallpaper. It was on her birthday last year. She was wearing one of those silly birthday hats (that Chris insisted she wore). Wyatt had his hands around my neck, jokingly choking me. Chris had two fingers behind Wyatt’s head and Mama P was laughing at the three of us. It was one of my best memories, and not anything I needed to see at the moment. I turned off the monitor and lay in the bed.
I had never felt more alone in my life at that moment. The tears started to flow and I had no other thought than to cry myself to sleep. Suddenly, the room started to glow, which worried me considering all of the lights were off. I glanced to my side and saw the familiar glow of little stars. When they faded, Aunt Paige stood there with Chris by her side.
“Hey there, bro”, he said.
I looked at him and said, “Wow. Bro. Funny.”
Paige walked to me and sat on my bed next to me while Chris turned on my desktop light.
“You can turn that right back off”; I said, “‘cause I don’t want to talk to you or anyone else right now. And besides, you need to learn how to knock.”
Chris looked very upset as he said, “Well, I never needed to knock before. Neither did you.”
All I could do was scoff and look the other way. “Well, things change.”
Paige touched me slightly, “Don’t be upset with him. We were worried about you. Even with me not living at the manor, it’s not like me to not see you for a week. Are you OK?”
“Yeah. My life is totally different, my best friends are my half-brothers and I have another mom I didn’t know about. Totally peachy with a side of keen; that would be me.”
“Look, Petey”; said Aunt Paige. Only she could call me that. “We need to talk and the family decided that I and Chris would be the lesser of the evils right now. Please don’t prove them wrong.”
I sat up on my bed and leaned against the bedpost. “Fine. Talk.”
Paige sighed a little and started. “I know what you’re going through, babe.”
I just gave her a look and giggled. “Really?”
Paige continued, “Don’t get smart. Anyway, we really do have this in common. I guess I never told you how I became who I am today. It was all about 20 years ago. When your Aunt Prue died. I used to be a social worker and one day, I was at my desk and something hit me.”
“A demon?” I asked.
She smiled. “No, sweetie. Not literally hit me. Like a realization or something. I was looking at the obituaries in a newspaper and I saw a piece for Prue. I don’t know how it happened or why it happened, but I went to the funeral. It was like I needed to be there, you know?”
“Like something you couldn’t control?”
“Something like that, babe. I still don’t get it.”
I just laughed at that point. “Yeah, cause that’s what happened to me. Suddenly, I realized I had another family. And I was a witch.” Chris walked over to the other side of my bed and grabbed my hand. I looked over at his face, somewhat sad, but more resigned.
“Look, don’t do this, OK? Let her speak.”
I realized there was no point in fighting this. Chris wouldn’t let me and Paige would keep trying until she got through. I might as well just listen to what she had to say. “Fine, Chris. I’ll shut up. But, once again, the hand thing?”
“Does it make you uncomfortable?”
“No. I just don’t understand.”
“Mom only told Wyatt and me 2 years ago that you were our brother. Our half-brother, anyway. I loved you like family before that and from that point on, I realized that we actually were family. I had a real connection to someone I have always cared so deeply about. So, the hand thing is just a realization of that fact. You’re my brother. You’re family. You’re a Halliwell. We’re connected. Always. So, just let me do this and let Paige speak, OK?” Tears started to fill his eyes and I could no longer hold up a fight. I could never hurt Chris.
“OK. I’m sorry, Chris. Paige, continue.”
Paige sighed and smiled. “OK. So, I went to the funeral and… I felt like I was grieving in a way for this person I had never known. Being adopted, I never really felt whole. I loved my family, of course, but I knew something was missing and I didn’t know it. That day, I felt like I had found something. I just didn’t know what it was at that moment.”
“I know the feeling, Aunt Paige. I’ve had this hole in me for so long, but I knew being around you guys helped make the hurt go away. I didn’t realize the hole had filled itself.”
Paige smiled, a bit teary-eyed and continued, “Anyway, after some digging and some fighting, new information came to light and… it turned out that Piper and Phoebe were my sisters. And… that we were witches. Well, I was half and half anyway.”
“How did you find out you were a witch/White Lighter? Or is it White Lighter/witch?” I followed.
Chris smiled. “Is there a proper combination?”
We all snickered at that. “I really don’t know”; continued Aunt Paige. “Actually, I found out the same way you did; I was attacked by a demon. And Phoebe filled in a lot of the rest, since Piper was less than enthused about me at first.”
“Mama Piper? That doesn’t sound like her at all.”
Chris responded. “I know. But, understand that she just lost her oldest sister. She really wasn’t in the right state of mind to hear about another possible sister.”
I nodded.
Aunt Paige continued, “She eventually came around, because I’m that cool.”
Chris and I giggled. I glanced down at our hands and thought, “I would’ve given anything for this a month ago. How time changes things.”
Chris looked at me a little confused, but smiling. I looked back and Aunt Paige, who had a similar look on her face, but pushed it off and continued with her story.
“Anyway, it took me a while, but I started to want to know more about my past. And my sisters. And my heritage. After a while, it was more important to me than being upset about being given up. I learned more about that over time and the rest is history.”
I was totally surprised about what she had just told me. And very touched. I started to cry.
“Hey, Pete,” Chris started, “What’s wrong?”
“I just feel horrible. I’ve said some really terrible things to you guys and you’re still here trying to get through to me. I understand I was hurt, but it’s no excuse to the way I’ve acted over the past week. I’m sorry, Aunt Paige. Chris, I’m so sorry… I…” The tears started to flow even more.
Aunt Paige moved up to me and hugged me. Chris hugged me as well.
“It’s OK, sweetie”, said Aunt Paige. “We understand why. But there are 3 other people who need this apology more than us.”
I nodded. “Mom, Wyatt and Mama Piper.”
Chris said, “Exactly. And you need to do it soon, because just hanging out with Wyatt is like Kevin leaving the Backstreet Boys. The end of an era.”
I giggled at that statement. “Dorkus.”
He responded back, “Dorkus maximus.”
Paige stood up and interrupted. “OK, I know you guys are glad you’re speaking again, but we need to go. We’ll stop by the house and tell Piper the good news. It is good news, right, Peter?”
I looked up at her and smiled.
“Good”, she continued. “Chris and I will go to the manor and then, I have to get Henry and the kids some dinner.”
Chris stood next to Aunt Paige. “KFC again, Aunt Paige?”
She poked him in the ribs. “We all can’t be master chefs like your mom. And this time, it’s McDonald’s.”
He laughed at that, and then looked at me. “So, Pete, you coming or not?”
I looked down at my attire; a T-shirt two sizes too big and “Spongebob Squarepants” boxers.
Chris giggled. “OK, how about this? Paige and I will go back to the manor for now and I’ll come back and get you in about an hour? It’ll give you time to actually put on some clothes not from the Nickelodeon collection.”
I smiled. “Sounds like a plan. Maybe you can teach me how to do that glowy thing.”
“It’s called “orbing”, bro. You’ll like it. See you in an hour. Love ya, Pete.” Then, they “orbed” away.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I love you, too, Chris. Too bad it’s not the way I want to love you…”
Chris and Paige orbed into the kitchen at the manor. At the kitchen table were Phoebe, Leo and Mandy. Piper was getting some iced tea from the fridge.
“So”, Amanda started. “How did it go? Did you get through to him?”
Chris walked to them and had a seat. “Well…” he said.
Paige caught on to his game; “Well… it went…”
“Oh, God. What happened? Does he hate us even more now? I knew this was a bad idea. We should’ve waited”; Piper seemed to say in one breath as she walked to the table.
Chris had to laugh. “I’m sorry. I had to. It went great, everyone. He’ll be here in an hour.”
Paige had a smile on her face. “He apologized and everything.”
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Piper playfully hit her son on the back of his head. “Christopher Perry Halliwell, how could you do that to us? This is serious, you know.”
He rubbed the spot where he was smacked, “Sorry, Mom. It’s called an ice breaker, and it looked like you all needed that.”
Leo nodded, “Very much so.”
Piper continued, “OK, OK, enough games. Wow. So, how is he? Was he OK?”
Chris answered. “Yes. A little sad, a little scared. But, he seemed ready to talk. And he misses us. And he’s sorry. I have to get him in an hour. He had to get presentable.”
“Let me guess”, said Amanda. “Oversized T-shirt? “Spider Man” boxers?”
Chris and Paige replied, “Spongebob.”
Amanda smiled. “Yep. He’s sorry.”
Everyone just giggled.
“Alright”, said Piper. “Let’s all go into the living room and get ready for Peter when he comes over. Obviously, he’ll have a lot of questions. Chris, go up to the attic and get the Book of Shadows. It’s a good place to start.”
“Sure, Mom”, Chris responded. “Where’s Wyatt?”
Leo answered while standing up, “Upstairs in his room, upset about Peter as well. Just in a T-shirt and basketball shorts. They’re more alike than they think.”
“On the way up, I’ll tell Wyatt to come down.”
“Thanks, son. Well, everyone let’s get ready. This is going to be an interesting day.”
“Actually”, said Paige, “Since we’ve spoken already and I’m leaving him in capable hands, I’m gonna have to get going. Henry and the kids are waiting for me.”
Piper looked at her sister. “Come on, Paige. This is a family matter. Can’t you stay a while longer?”
“No, sis. I promised them I’d be back early. Melanie has the sniffles and Randy and Reina are probably driving Henry mad right about now.”
Piper sighed. “OK, OK. I understand. But, if we need you…”
“I’m an orb away, I promise.”
“Good,” Piper said. “Alright, everyone, let’s go into the living room. Chris, don’t forget Wyatt and the book.”
As everyone went out the door, Paige called out, “Um, Chris. Can you stick around for a second? We have to talk.”
Chris looked genuinely confused, but sat back down at the table. “Yeah, Aunt Paige?”
She sat down opposite to him. “I know what’s going on.”
Chris gave her an odd look. “Huh?”
“The hand holding. The whole “We were connected before” statement. “Just let me do this; this is something I need to do.” I’m not stupid, you know.”
“I already said what that was about”; Chris argued. “It was because I finally got to treat Pete like my brother instead of a friend.”
Paige had a mischievous look on her face. “Uh-huh. Yeah. That was all brotherly love. Come on, Chris. I see the way you look at him. Every time his name is mentioned, you hide your face so no one can see you blush.”
Chris got out of his seat and walked towards the fridge; still facing his aunt. “Aunt Paige, I love you, but you’ve got issues. I don’t have feelings for him. He’s my half-brother, for crying out loud!”
Paige sighed and stood up. “OK, whatever, I was obviously wrong. I misread the signs. I mean, I know you’re gay and all, so maybe I just saw something that wasn’t there.”
“Yep. And, obviously, coming out to you was a mistake.”
“No, no, no, Chris”; Paige countered. “I’m glad you told me. I just stuck my foot in my mouth, as usual.” She walked over to Chris and hugged him. “I’m sorry. Forgive me?”
Chris just smiled and nodded. “Of course, Aunt Paige. You know I love you.”
Paige kissed him on the cheek. “Cool.” She looked at her watch. “Oh, shit. I gotta go. Henry’s gonna kill me. Um… don’t forget to get Wyatt, bring down the Book and get Pete. Love ya. Bye!” She orbed away immediately.
Too bad she didn’t stay around. Chris Halliwell’s face was as bright as a cherry.
“You’re wrong, Aunt Paige. I don’t have feelings for Pete”; he said as he walked towards the kitchen door to grab Wyatt and the book.
“I’m in love with him. I’m in love with my brother.”
I finally got suitable enough for presentation in front of other human beings and was waiting for Chris in my living room. You know, it was funny. I used to think what it would be like if I was actually with Chris. I know it sounds pretty odd. I mean, we grew up together. We knew everything about each other. Well, not true, exactly. Chris didn’t know I was gay. Well, no one knew except Mama Piper and that was because of that movie I made her watch. Damn me and my emotions. I just had to cry during that scene when Christian tells Aaron that he loves him. Mama P totally caught my tears and asked me if that was something I wanted one day.
“Yeah”, I had said. “I think so. Mama, I think I’m gay.”
She held me so close and cried with me and told me everything was OK. We just stayed like that forever. I knew that she would always be in my corner. Then, the question came.
“So, is there someone special in your life, baby? Or, just wishful thinking?”
I glanced over at the other couch, where Chris was sleeping silently. He looked so angelic there. The way his face looked was so peaceful; a wisp of his bangs swept down his forehead. I don’t think she noticed me looking at him.
“No, Mama. Just wishful thinking.”
I shook off that memory. It would never happen now, now that Chris and I were actually related. He was my half-brother. I could never be with him. I sat there with a soda in my hand; wondering if I could ever let these feelings go. That’s when the lights appeared. Chris was here.
“Hey. You look much better”; he stated. I just had on some old jeans and a Polo shirt.
“Ha, ha, ha. Thanks, dorkus.” I said as I stood up. “You want a soda or something?”
“Yeah, sure”; he responded. We walked into the kitchen and he went to the fridge and grabbed a soda. “Damn,” I thought. “Cute butt.”
He got up with a smirk and looked back at me. “You know, I really missed you, Pete.”
I glanced at him and smiled. “Yeah. I missed you, too, bro.” He gave me this big smile that I hadn’t seen in a while. I guess he wasn’t paying attention and his dropped his soda on the floor and it spilled all over the place.
“Shit!” he yelled. “Sorry about that, man.”
“It’s no problem. Let me get a towel or something”; I said as I walked to grab some paper towels from above the sink. He grabbed some as well. We went back to the spilled soda, got on our knees and started to clean it up.
“And I’m the dorkus maximus, right?” I said to him as I cleaned in one direction.
“Shut up. And yes, you will always be the dorkus”; he said as he cleaned in the other. I kicked him for saying that.
“Hey!” he yelled and kicked me in the leg. I turned around and pounced on him and we started to wrestle in the middle of the kitchen. We rolled all around the place; laughing hysterically. We even rolled around in the leftover soda we’d forgotten to clean up. “I had really missed this”, I thought silently. The fight seemed to go on forever and then, I finally got him pinned right under me.
“Got you right where I want you!” I told him as I pinned his arms down.
“Yep”; he said. “Poor little helpless me. What are you gonna do now?” he said with a smirk. But, it was more than a smirk. It was like this seductive look. His eyes were glowing and his lips curved. I was totally imagining this, I just knew it. Yeah, it was time to get up now.
I looked at his and my shirts. “Damn;” I said. There was Pepsi all over my Polo and all over his sweater. “I better go change. Do you want a shirt to change into as well?”
He looked down at the damage of his shirt. “Yeah; that would be nice. Let’s get something from your room. I have some clothes left over here, if I’m not mistaken.”
We went upstairs and I went to my drawer. I found another Polo shirt and one of Chris’ shirts that he had there. I started to change and turned around to make sure there was no soda on my jeans. It was at that moment that I saw Chris shirtless.
His body was completely flawless. Not too skinny; but not too built. A light six-pack forming and a light coating of hair that started from his navel down. I felt my dick begin to stir in my jeans. Fuck. I suddenly realized what I was doing. I turned around quickly. “Uh, sorry, bro.”
“Yeah”; he snickered. “No problem. Maybe I’m doing something right if I got guys looking at me.”
I laughed and threw the old shirt I had taken off at him. He started to laugh and when I had put my new shirt on, he threw the old one back at me. I ran to him and pounced on him again and we started to wrestle again. This time, he was the victor and had my hands pinned behind my head. When I was finally able to stop laughing, I looked up at him and he had this look in his eyes. I don’t know how to describe it. Then, it happened.
He leaned down and gently kissed me. He quickly got back up and started to apologize. “Dude, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” He broke off ‘cause I ended up kissing him back. His lips felt so good on mine. I could smell the light cologne he wore mixed with the Pepsi from the kitchen. I could feel his body on top of me. I could feel his cock hard in his jeans, pressed against mine. It felt so wonderful, like something I had been waiting for as long as I could remember.
I was able to take off the shirt Chris put on and took off mine as well. I felt his chest pressed against mine and I swear my dick got even harder. The 8-incher I owned was straining against the fabric of my underwear. Chris moved his hand down and started to rub me through my jeans and I did the same to him. It felt like Chris wasn’t doing so badly under his jeans, either. I started to moan while kissing him.
“Oh, my God”; I thought. “I’m touching Chris. I’m kissing Chris. My best friend. Mama P’s son.” Then it hit me.
“My half-brother.”
I pushed him off and he stammered. “Pete. Why did you stop?”
“Because this is wrong! So wrong! We’re related! You’re my half-brother.”
He walked towards me. “Dude, you can’t tell me you didn’t want to do this. I know you like me.”
I looked at him and sat on the bed. “It doesn’t matter how I felt in the past, Chris. Yes, I was into you, but I can’t do that now. We’re more than just friends who are into each other. We’re brothers. This is incest. It’s just wrong.”
The sadness in his eyes was just overwhelming. “Pete; this is more than just feelings between friends for me.” He started to cry. “I’m… I’m in love with you, bro.”
I stood up and looked at him. “Right there. See? Bro? Short for “brother”? Chris, we can’t do this. Ever. And as much as I care about you, this can’t happen. Ever. You should go.”
Chris wiped his face and went to grab my hand. “You have to come with me, remember?”
I looked down at the hard-on still stirring in my jeans, as well as his. What he just said was more ironic then he knew.
“That wouldn’t be wise right now. You go ahead. I’ll walk. It’s only two doors down. I’ll be there in a few.”
He looked away and said, “Yeah, sure. See ya.” Then, he orbed away.
I looked to the mirror and just stared at myself for what seemed like forever. “God,” I thought.
“What have I done?”
Meanwhile, in another place and a totally different time; 20 years into the future…
A young man was home alone. His parents were away for the weekend and he had full charge of the house. He was sorting through his closet; figuring out which things to keep; which to give to Goodwill and what things to plain throw out. It was then that he heard it; a glass smash behind him.
“What the hell was that?”
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and pulled the bandana from his head. His dark blonde hair was all over the place, but he didn’t seem to mind. He walked towards his desk where the noise originated from and found a picture frame on the floor.
He sighed and picked up the picture. It was a family photo taken nearly two decades ago. He’d rummaged it out during another one of his cleaning days and it always made him smile. The smiling faces of his past looked as if they were taken the day before; not two years before his conception.
But, for some odd reason, the picture looked different to him. Maybe, after all these years, time finally caught up with it. The picture was really old anyway. But, as he looked at it again, he noticed something weird about it. Two of his relatives looked as if they were fading from the picture. He wiped off what he thought was dust and it still did not become any clearer. The same two people seemed to be disappearing from the photo.
“What happened to this?” he wondered as he put the picture back on the desk.
“Yeah, I’m definitely losing it.”
Just thinking that he was possibly tired, he went to the den to get another picture frame to replace the broken one. His parents always had extras. As he reached for the new frame in the den closet, he froze in his tracks. His arm crossed his line of vision and…
He could see right through it.
He dropped the new frame and blinked his eyes rapidly. He looked at his arm again… and everything seemed normal.
“Yep, definitely losing it.” Before the young man figured he would totally lose his mind, he decided to go for a walk instead. He really needed his parents right then… but it would have to wait.
“God, I’m such a drama queen. Just like them.”
He just hoped he would be able to hold out until they returned.
TBC
****************************
“Forever Charmed”
Chapter 3: Fade To Black
“Forever Charmed”
Chapter 3: Fade To Black
I looked into Mama Piper’s eyes.
“You’re my what?”
That’s all I could say. Shock wasn’t even the word I was feeling. I looked around the room at everyone. Mom was still crying.
“Well”, said Mama P, “in a way, you’re my son.”
I let go of her hands and walked to the window. I was in total confusion. I had two moms? What?
“Baby,” my mother started to walk towards me. “You have to understand it was the only way.”
“So...you’re not really my mother?”
“Of course I’m your mother”; she said. “My blood is running through you just as Piper’s is. It just was something that had to be done to make sure that you were born.”
I turned around and looked at her with tears streaming down my face. “I get that. And I’m grateful to be alive. But how could you keep this all from me?! All those times I asked, begged, pleaded to know about my past... All of these years, I’ve been around this family and called them “family” because we were so close. And now, you’re telling me, “Oh, guess what, honey? They really ARE your family! Oh, and by the way, you’re a powerful witch?” This is too much right now.”
Mama P walked to me and looked concerned, “Baby, I know this is a lot to take in. This wasn’t an easy decision for us to make. We only kept this from you until we were sure you could handle it.”
“And now was the time? How about before, oh, I don’t know, before I got attacked by a demon?!”
Wyatt stormed up to me. “Don’t yell at her, dude. Don’t you think this is hard for her, too? And what about me and Chris? The fact that we knew that we had another brother and couldn’t say or do anything to let him know?”
I stepped right up to Wyatt’s face. “You’re not innocent in this either, and neither is Chris. We’ve been best of friends all of our lives. We hang out almost everyday. We tell each other just about everything and you couldn’t even give me a hint. You know how I felt about my past; how I wanted to know about my life. And you didn’t say a goddamned thing! So, right now isn’t the time to tell me who to scream at and who the fuck not to!”
With his face full of anger, Wyatt pushed me. I pushed him back, and then Mama P stepped between us.
“Stop it! This is not the time for this. Peter, I know this is confusing for you, but you will not bring any negative energy into this house! Wyatt is still…” she broke off, unable to finish the sentence.
I looked right at her, “Say it. He’s still my brother. Go on.”
The pain in her eyes was too much to bear. I suddenly felt very sorry for what I had said, but was way too upset to apologize. She looked at me and said, “I was going to say your friend.”
Chris joined in, “And your White Lighter, too.”
All I could do was laugh. “Damn. And the secrets just keep coming, don’t they? For people who are supposed to care about me, this is a really messed up situation. You know what, I need to go. Now.” I started towards the door and Mama P came after me.
“Baby, I know you’re upset... so, we’ll leave you alone right now.”
Aunt Pheebs came towards her. “Leave him alone? He just found out that his life is nothing that he thought it was and you want us to leave him alone?”
Aunt Paige came right behind her; the original Charmed Ones joined together. “Calm down, Phoebe. Remember how much I needed to be for a while after I found out who I was. I just about ran away myself. He needs time. Just give him that.”
“Exactly”, said Mama Piper. “Peter, I understand you need time to process this. But please know we’re not going anywhere and neither is this part of your life. Whenever you want to talk to me or any of us, we’ll be here. We love you very much.” She tried to hug me, but I backed off.
“Yeah,” I said. I walked out the door and just kept walking.
I ended up walking down to the beach. As cold as it had been lately, it was the only place that relaxed me. I just watched the water rise and fall overlooking the San Francisco Bridge. The same thoughts repeating over and over again.
I’m someone else’s son.
I’m a powerful witch, connected to an even stronger family of witches.
And worse of all, the boy I have been in love with since I first realized I was gay…
Is my brother.
The sea splashed around without a care, seemingly throwing my problems right back at me with every forceful wave.
“Well, if you’re just gonna throw water around…” I said before the tears started to flow.
“Well, that went well,” said Piper as she walked back into the living room. She walked back to the couch and plopped down.
Amanda walked to her. “It’s not like we expected him to be all excited about everything. We kept everything a secret to him for 16 years. Where Wyatt and Chris always had full knowledge of his powers, he just learned about his accidentally.”
“Actually,” said Chris; “Mom just told us all of this about Pete two years ago. We only picked up on it because of how similar we looked despite our races… and then I kind of overheard Mom and Dad talking about it.”
“Yeah;” said Leo. “Nosy little thing, isn’t he?” Chris glanced down, a little embarrassed.
“Speaking of which, what were his powers, Wyatt?”
“Well, from what I saw, he somehow was able to literally freeze that demon into a block of ice. He blew it out of his mouth. It was like a blizzard in the room. So cool, Dad. No pun intended.”
Leo walked to his son and patted his shoulder. “It’s nice to know you’re not too mad at him.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m pissed at how he treated Mom and Aunt Mandy. But, I guess I understand where Pete’s coming from.”
“Also,” Chris stated, “He was able to orb. I don’t think he realized it, though. When the demon threw a fireball at him, he orbed away.”
“Definitely his fathers’ side”; Amanda said.
The three sisters smiled at that.
Amanda looked towards the broken table. “Let me guess. Demon attack.”
Piper nodded. “Yeah. And he was looking for Peter. Something about attacking “the next in the Charmed line”.”
“Did he have a weird face tattoo?” asked Wyatt.
“Um… actually, yeah he did.”
“He was the one that attacked us in Aunt Mandy’s kitchen”; Chris added. “The one Pete vanquished.”
Amanda sighed. “I guess it’s really starting, huh?”
Chris replied, “Yep. I guess it’s time for our destinies to begin. There goes our childhood.” He let out a fake sniffle.
Everyone in the room laughed a little. “So, Wyatt, you ready for it?” He stood up and walked to his brother.
“I’ve been fighting for as long as I can remember, bro. The question is, “Is Peter ready?”
Piper simply said, “Let’s hope so.”
For the next week, I avoided anyone with the name Halliwell like the Plague. I sat in a different seat in English. I ate lunch outside, no matter the weather. I didn’t answer any phone calls from them. I had letters left in my locker by Chris and even a couple from Wyatt. I just tore them up. I wasn’t ready to deal with any of it and I couldn’t face anyone from that family for a while.
I would go to school and straight home, which was more difficult than not, because I was usually at Halliwell manor. I would attempt to avoid my mom, but when she wasn’t working, she was always home and she just tried to always talk to me. I gave her a few noncommittal phrases here and there, but no heavy conversation. The next weekend, I was sitting at home, bored at my computer listening to music. I had bought some new CD’s thanks to Papa Leo’s gift. I had them playing on my computer and I had to minimize the Media Player to get to the desktop.
There, staring back at me was a picture of me, Chris, Wyatt and Mama Piper. I forgot I had that set on my desktop wallpaper. It was on her birthday last year. She was wearing one of those silly birthday hats (that Chris insisted she wore). Wyatt had his hands around my neck, jokingly choking me. Chris had two fingers behind Wyatt’s head and Mama P was laughing at the three of us. It was one of my best memories, and not anything I needed to see at the moment. I turned off the monitor and lay in the bed.
I had never felt more alone in my life at that moment. The tears started to flow and I had no other thought than to cry myself to sleep. Suddenly, the room started to glow, which worried me considering all of the lights were off. I glanced to my side and saw the familiar glow of little stars. When they faded, Aunt Paige stood there with Chris by her side.
“Hey there, bro”, he said.
I looked at him and said, “Wow. Bro. Funny.”
Paige walked to me and sat on my bed next to me while Chris turned on my desktop light.
“You can turn that right back off”; I said, “‘cause I don’t want to talk to you or anyone else right now. And besides, you need to learn how to knock.”
Chris looked very upset as he said, “Well, I never needed to knock before. Neither did you.”
All I could do was scoff and look the other way. “Well, things change.”
Paige touched me slightly, “Don’t be upset with him. We were worried about you. Even with me not living at the manor, it’s not like me to not see you for a week. Are you OK?”
“Yeah. My life is totally different, my best friends are my half-brothers and I have another mom I didn’t know about. Totally peachy with a side of keen; that would be me.”
“Look, Petey”; said Aunt Paige. Only she could call me that. “We need to talk and the family decided that I and Chris would be the lesser of the evils right now. Please don’t prove them wrong.”
I sat up on my bed and leaned against the bedpost. “Fine. Talk.”
Paige sighed a little and started. “I know what you’re going through, babe.”
I just gave her a look and giggled. “Really?”
Paige continued, “Don’t get smart. Anyway, we really do have this in common. I guess I never told you how I became who I am today. It was all about 20 years ago. When your Aunt Prue died. I used to be a social worker and one day, I was at my desk and something hit me.”
“A demon?” I asked.
She smiled. “No, sweetie. Not literally hit me. Like a realization or something. I was looking at the obituaries in a newspaper and I saw a piece for Prue. I don’t know how it happened or why it happened, but I went to the funeral. It was like I needed to be there, you know?”
“Like something you couldn’t control?”
“Something like that, babe. I still don’t get it.”
I just laughed at that point. “Yeah, cause that’s what happened to me. Suddenly, I realized I had another family. And I was a witch.” Chris walked over to the other side of my bed and grabbed my hand. I looked over at his face, somewhat sad, but more resigned.
“Look, don’t do this, OK? Let her speak.”
I realized there was no point in fighting this. Chris wouldn’t let me and Paige would keep trying until she got through. I might as well just listen to what she had to say. “Fine, Chris. I’ll shut up. But, once again, the hand thing?”
“Does it make you uncomfortable?”
“No. I just don’t understand.”
“Mom only told Wyatt and me 2 years ago that you were our brother. Our half-brother, anyway. I loved you like family before that and from that point on, I realized that we actually were family. I had a real connection to someone I have always cared so deeply about. So, the hand thing is just a realization of that fact. You’re my brother. You’re family. You’re a Halliwell. We’re connected. Always. So, just let me do this and let Paige speak, OK?” Tears started to fill his eyes and I could no longer hold up a fight. I could never hurt Chris.
“OK. I’m sorry, Chris. Paige, continue.”
Paige sighed and smiled. “OK. So, I went to the funeral and… I felt like I was grieving in a way for this person I had never known. Being adopted, I never really felt whole. I loved my family, of course, but I knew something was missing and I didn’t know it. That day, I felt like I had found something. I just didn’t know what it was at that moment.”
“I know the feeling, Aunt Paige. I’ve had this hole in me for so long, but I knew being around you guys helped make the hurt go away. I didn’t realize the hole had filled itself.”
Paige smiled, a bit teary-eyed and continued, “Anyway, after some digging and some fighting, new information came to light and… it turned out that Piper and Phoebe were my sisters. And… that we were witches. Well, I was half and half anyway.”
“How did you find out you were a witch/White Lighter? Or is it White Lighter/witch?” I followed.
Chris smiled. “Is there a proper combination?”
We all snickered at that. “I really don’t know”; continued Aunt Paige. “Actually, I found out the same way you did; I was attacked by a demon. And Phoebe filled in a lot of the rest, since Piper was less than enthused about me at first.”
“Mama Piper? That doesn’t sound like her at all.”
Chris responded. “I know. But, understand that she just lost her oldest sister. She really wasn’t in the right state of mind to hear about another possible sister.”
I nodded.
Aunt Paige continued, “She eventually came around, because I’m that cool.”
Chris and I giggled. I glanced down at our hands and thought, “I would’ve given anything for this a month ago. How time changes things.”
Chris looked at me a little confused, but smiling. I looked back and Aunt Paige, who had a similar look on her face, but pushed it off and continued with her story.
“Anyway, it took me a while, but I started to want to know more about my past. And my sisters. And my heritage. After a while, it was more important to me than being upset about being given up. I learned more about that over time and the rest is history.”
I was totally surprised about what she had just told me. And very touched. I started to cry.
“Hey, Pete,” Chris started, “What’s wrong?”
“I just feel horrible. I’ve said some really terrible things to you guys and you’re still here trying to get through to me. I understand I was hurt, but it’s no excuse to the way I’ve acted over the past week. I’m sorry, Aunt Paige. Chris, I’m so sorry… I…” The tears started to flow even more.
Aunt Paige moved up to me and hugged me. Chris hugged me as well.
“It’s OK, sweetie”, said Aunt Paige. “We understand why. But there are 3 other people who need this apology more than us.”
I nodded. “Mom, Wyatt and Mama Piper.”
Chris said, “Exactly. And you need to do it soon, because just hanging out with Wyatt is like Kevin leaving the Backstreet Boys. The end of an era.”
I giggled at that statement. “Dorkus.”
He responded back, “Dorkus maximus.”
Paige stood up and interrupted. “OK, I know you guys are glad you’re speaking again, but we need to go. We’ll stop by the house and tell Piper the good news. It is good news, right, Peter?”
I looked up at her and smiled.
“Good”, she continued. “Chris and I will go to the manor and then, I have to get Henry and the kids some dinner.”
Chris stood next to Aunt Paige. “KFC again, Aunt Paige?”
She poked him in the ribs. “We all can’t be master chefs like your mom. And this time, it’s McDonald’s.”
He laughed at that, and then looked at me. “So, Pete, you coming or not?”
I looked down at my attire; a T-shirt two sizes too big and “Spongebob Squarepants” boxers.
Chris giggled. “OK, how about this? Paige and I will go back to the manor for now and I’ll come back and get you in about an hour? It’ll give you time to actually put on some clothes not from the Nickelodeon collection.”
I smiled. “Sounds like a plan. Maybe you can teach me how to do that glowy thing.”
“It’s called “orbing”, bro. You’ll like it. See you in an hour. Love ya, Pete.” Then, they “orbed” away.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I love you, too, Chris. Too bad it’s not the way I want to love you…”
Chris and Paige orbed into the kitchen at the manor. At the kitchen table were Phoebe, Leo and Mandy. Piper was getting some iced tea from the fridge.
“So”, Amanda started. “How did it go? Did you get through to him?”
Chris walked to them and had a seat. “Well…” he said.
Paige caught on to his game; “Well… it went…”
“Oh, God. What happened? Does he hate us even more now? I knew this was a bad idea. We should’ve waited”; Piper seemed to say in one breath as she walked to the table.
Chris had to laugh. “I’m sorry. I had to. It went great, everyone. He’ll be here in an hour.”
Paige had a smile on her face. “He apologized and everything.”
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Piper playfully hit her son on the back of his head. “Christopher Perry Halliwell, how could you do that to us? This is serious, you know.”
He rubbed the spot where he was smacked, “Sorry, Mom. It’s called an ice breaker, and it looked like you all needed that.”
Leo nodded, “Very much so.”
Piper continued, “OK, OK, enough games. Wow. So, how is he? Was he OK?”
Chris answered. “Yes. A little sad, a little scared. But, he seemed ready to talk. And he misses us. And he’s sorry. I have to get him in an hour. He had to get presentable.”
“Let me guess”, said Amanda. “Oversized T-shirt? “Spider Man” boxers?”
Chris and Paige replied, “Spongebob.”
Amanda smiled. “Yep. He’s sorry.”
Everyone just giggled.
“Alright”, said Piper. “Let’s all go into the living room and get ready for Peter when he comes over. Obviously, he’ll have a lot of questions. Chris, go up to the attic and get the Book of Shadows. It’s a good place to start.”
“Sure, Mom”, Chris responded. “Where’s Wyatt?”
Leo answered while standing up, “Upstairs in his room, upset about Peter as well. Just in a T-shirt and basketball shorts. They’re more alike than they think.”
“On the way up, I’ll tell Wyatt to come down.”
“Thanks, son. Well, everyone let’s get ready. This is going to be an interesting day.”
“Actually”, said Paige, “Since we’ve spoken already and I’m leaving him in capable hands, I’m gonna have to get going. Henry and the kids are waiting for me.”
Piper looked at her sister. “Come on, Paige. This is a family matter. Can’t you stay a while longer?”
“No, sis. I promised them I’d be back early. Melanie has the sniffles and Randy and Reina are probably driving Henry mad right about now.”
Piper sighed. “OK, OK. I understand. But, if we need you…”
“I’m an orb away, I promise.”
“Good,” Piper said. “Alright, everyone, let’s go into the living room. Chris, don’t forget Wyatt and the book.”
As everyone went out the door, Paige called out, “Um, Chris. Can you stick around for a second? We have to talk.”
Chris looked genuinely confused, but sat back down at the table. “Yeah, Aunt Paige?”
She sat down opposite to him. “I know what’s going on.”
Chris gave her an odd look. “Huh?”
“The hand holding. The whole “We were connected before” statement. “Just let me do this; this is something I need to do.” I’m not stupid, you know.”
“I already said what that was about”; Chris argued. “It was because I finally got to treat Pete like my brother instead of a friend.”
Paige had a mischievous look on her face. “Uh-huh. Yeah. That was all brotherly love. Come on, Chris. I see the way you look at him. Every time his name is mentioned, you hide your face so no one can see you blush.”
Chris got out of his seat and walked towards the fridge; still facing his aunt. “Aunt Paige, I love you, but you’ve got issues. I don’t have feelings for him. He’s my half-brother, for crying out loud!”
Paige sighed and stood up. “OK, whatever, I was obviously wrong. I misread the signs. I mean, I know you’re gay and all, so maybe I just saw something that wasn’t there.”
“Yep. And, obviously, coming out to you was a mistake.”
“No, no, no, Chris”; Paige countered. “I’m glad you told me. I just stuck my foot in my mouth, as usual.” She walked over to Chris and hugged him. “I’m sorry. Forgive me?”
Chris just smiled and nodded. “Of course, Aunt Paige. You know I love you.”
Paige kissed him on the cheek. “Cool.” She looked at her watch. “Oh, shit. I gotta go. Henry’s gonna kill me. Um… don’t forget to get Wyatt, bring down the Book and get Pete. Love ya. Bye!” She orbed away immediately.
Too bad she didn’t stay around. Chris Halliwell’s face was as bright as a cherry.
“You’re wrong, Aunt Paige. I don’t have feelings for Pete”; he said as he walked towards the kitchen door to grab Wyatt and the book.
“I’m in love with him. I’m in love with my brother.”
I finally got suitable enough for presentation in front of other human beings and was waiting for Chris in my living room. You know, it was funny. I used to think what it would be like if I was actually with Chris. I know it sounds pretty odd. I mean, we grew up together. We knew everything about each other. Well, not true, exactly. Chris didn’t know I was gay. Well, no one knew except Mama Piper and that was because of that movie I made her watch. Damn me and my emotions. I just had to cry during that scene when Christian tells Aaron that he loves him. Mama P totally caught my tears and asked me if that was something I wanted one day.
“Yeah”, I had said. “I think so. Mama, I think I’m gay.”
She held me so close and cried with me and told me everything was OK. We just stayed like that forever. I knew that she would always be in my corner. Then, the question came.
“So, is there someone special in your life, baby? Or, just wishful thinking?”
I glanced over at the other couch, where Chris was sleeping silently. He looked so angelic there. The way his face looked was so peaceful; a wisp of his bangs swept down his forehead. I don’t think she noticed me looking at him.
“No, Mama. Just wishful thinking.”
I shook off that memory. It would never happen now, now that Chris and I were actually related. He was my half-brother. I could never be with him. I sat there with a soda in my hand; wondering if I could ever let these feelings go. That’s when the lights appeared. Chris was here.
“Hey. You look much better”; he stated. I just had on some old jeans and a Polo shirt.
“Ha, ha, ha. Thanks, dorkus.” I said as I stood up. “You want a soda or something?”
“Yeah, sure”; he responded. We walked into the kitchen and he went to the fridge and grabbed a soda. “Damn,” I thought. “Cute butt.”
He got up with a smirk and looked back at me. “You know, I really missed you, Pete.”
I glanced at him and smiled. “Yeah. I missed you, too, bro.” He gave me this big smile that I hadn’t seen in a while. I guess he wasn’t paying attention and his dropped his soda on the floor and it spilled all over the place.
“Shit!” he yelled. “Sorry about that, man.”
“It’s no problem. Let me get a towel or something”; I said as I walked to grab some paper towels from above the sink. He grabbed some as well. We went back to the spilled soda, got on our knees and started to clean it up.
“And I’m the dorkus maximus, right?” I said to him as I cleaned in one direction.
“Shut up. And yes, you will always be the dorkus”; he said as he cleaned in the other. I kicked him for saying that.
“Hey!” he yelled and kicked me in the leg. I turned around and pounced on him and we started to wrestle in the middle of the kitchen. We rolled all around the place; laughing hysterically. We even rolled around in the leftover soda we’d forgotten to clean up. “I had really missed this”, I thought silently. The fight seemed to go on forever and then, I finally got him pinned right under me.
“Got you right where I want you!” I told him as I pinned his arms down.
“Yep”; he said. “Poor little helpless me. What are you gonna do now?” he said with a smirk. But, it was more than a smirk. It was like this seductive look. His eyes were glowing and his lips curved. I was totally imagining this, I just knew it. Yeah, it was time to get up now.
I looked at his and my shirts. “Damn;” I said. There was Pepsi all over my Polo and all over his sweater. “I better go change. Do you want a shirt to change into as well?”
He looked down at the damage of his shirt. “Yeah; that would be nice. Let’s get something from your room. I have some clothes left over here, if I’m not mistaken.”
We went upstairs and I went to my drawer. I found another Polo shirt and one of Chris’ shirts that he had there. I started to change and turned around to make sure there was no soda on my jeans. It was at that moment that I saw Chris shirtless.
His body was completely flawless. Not too skinny; but not too built. A light six-pack forming and a light coating of hair that started from his navel down. I felt my dick begin to stir in my jeans. Fuck. I suddenly realized what I was doing. I turned around quickly. “Uh, sorry, bro.”
“Yeah”; he snickered. “No problem. Maybe I’m doing something right if I got guys looking at me.”
I laughed and threw the old shirt I had taken off at him. He started to laugh and when I had put my new shirt on, he threw the old one back at me. I ran to him and pounced on him again and we started to wrestle again. This time, he was the victor and had my hands pinned behind my head. When I was finally able to stop laughing, I looked up at him and he had this look in his eyes. I don’t know how to describe it. Then, it happened.
He leaned down and gently kissed me. He quickly got back up and started to apologize. “Dude, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” He broke off ‘cause I ended up kissing him back. His lips felt so good on mine. I could smell the light cologne he wore mixed with the Pepsi from the kitchen. I could feel his body on top of me. I could feel his cock hard in his jeans, pressed against mine. It felt so wonderful, like something I had been waiting for as long as I could remember.
I was able to take off the shirt Chris put on and took off mine as well. I felt his chest pressed against mine and I swear my dick got even harder. The 8-incher I owned was straining against the fabric of my underwear. Chris moved his hand down and started to rub me through my jeans and I did the same to him. It felt like Chris wasn’t doing so badly under his jeans, either. I started to moan while kissing him.
“Oh, my God”; I thought. “I’m touching Chris. I’m kissing Chris. My best friend. Mama P’s son.” Then it hit me.
“My half-brother.”
I pushed him off and he stammered. “Pete. Why did you stop?”
“Because this is wrong! So wrong! We’re related! You’re my half-brother.”
He walked towards me. “Dude, you can’t tell me you didn’t want to do this. I know you like me.”
I looked at him and sat on the bed. “It doesn’t matter how I felt in the past, Chris. Yes, I was into you, but I can’t do that now. We’re more than just friends who are into each other. We’re brothers. This is incest. It’s just wrong.”
The sadness in his eyes was just overwhelming. “Pete; this is more than just feelings between friends for me.” He started to cry. “I’m… I’m in love with you, bro.”
I stood up and looked at him. “Right there. See? Bro? Short for “brother”? Chris, we can’t do this. Ever. And as much as I care about you, this can’t happen. Ever. You should go.”
Chris wiped his face and went to grab my hand. “You have to come with me, remember?”
I looked down at the hard-on still stirring in my jeans, as well as his. What he just said was more ironic then he knew.
“That wouldn’t be wise right now. You go ahead. I’ll walk. It’s only two doors down. I’ll be there in a few.”
He looked away and said, “Yeah, sure. See ya.” Then, he orbed away.
I looked to the mirror and just stared at myself for what seemed like forever. “God,” I thought.
“What have I done?”
Meanwhile, in another place and a totally different time; 20 years into the future…
A young man was home alone. His parents were away for the weekend and he had full charge of the house. He was sorting through his closet; figuring out which things to keep; which to give to Goodwill and what things to plain throw out. It was then that he heard it; a glass smash behind him.
“What the hell was that?”
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and pulled the bandana from his head. His dark blonde hair was all over the place, but he didn’t seem to mind. He walked towards his desk where the noise originated from and found a picture frame on the floor.
He sighed and picked up the picture. It was a family photo taken nearly two decades ago. He’d rummaged it out during another one of his cleaning days and it always made him smile. The smiling faces of his past looked as if they were taken the day before; not two years before his conception.
But, for some odd reason, the picture looked different to him. Maybe, after all these years, time finally caught up with it. The picture was really old anyway. But, as he looked at it again, he noticed something weird about it. Two of his relatives looked as if they were fading from the picture. He wiped off what he thought was dust and it still did not become any clearer. The same two people seemed to be disappearing from the photo.
“What happened to this?” he wondered as he put the picture back on the desk.
“Yeah, I’m definitely losing it.”
Just thinking that he was possibly tired, he went to the den to get another picture frame to replace the broken one. His parents always had extras. As he reached for the new frame in the den closet, he froze in his tracks. His arm crossed his line of vision and…
He could see right through it.
He dropped the new frame and blinked his eyes rapidly. He looked at his arm again… and everything seemed normal.
“Yep, definitely losing it.” Before the young man figured he would totally lose his mind, he decided to go for a walk instead. He really needed his parents right then… but it would have to wait.
“God, I’m such a drama queen. Just like them.”
He just hoped he would be able to hold out until they returned.
TBC
