San Francisco State University, Monday afternoon
Maybe it was the trip to the other world that triggered or, or perhaps being turned into his younger self for the weekend. Whatever it was, Wyatt could feel the brush of a memory against his mind, faint and teasing and out of reach. He managed to resist the urge to cast a spell to help him remember, worried that personal gain would make it backfire. So instead he locked himself in his room, drew the curtains and turned off the lights, then light a candle and sat on his bed, staring at it, willing himself to relax. He had to find out what the memories were.
Images flashed through his mind, too fast and hazy to understand. It took time to slow them down, but even then they weren't completely clear. He could see Chris, flipping through the Book of Shadows in the attic of the Manor. Everything looked too big until he figured out, no, Chris was his normal adult self, the furnishings in the attic were all normal as well, he was smaller. The memories came from the point of view of a child standing in a playpen. So why was Chris older?
Chris glanced up from the Book and looked around the attic, frowning. "Okay, it's time to get you out of here," he said to Wyatt, walking toward the playpen.
Something threw Chris across the room and smashed him into a table. A man appeared beside the playpen. "Don't make me sacrifice you both," he told Chris, then bent to pick up Wyatt.
(Gideon. The name popped into his head. Gideon, an elder, like his father. Gideon who his parents trusted but who had tried to use a magicked athame to get through his shield. Gideon who was hurting Chris now.)
Chris got to his feet and used his own powers to fling Gideon away from Wyatt. Gideon vanished, and Chris ran over to his brother. Wyatt held up his arms to be picked up, but Gideon appeared next to Chris, an athame in his hand. He stabbed Chris in the stomach, and Chris fell to his knees, crying out in pain. "Dad!" he called.
Gideon sighed and shook his head. "I did warn him," he said, returning to the playpen. Wyatt called up his shield to protect him, but Gideon held up the bloody athame. "Now, where were we?" he said. "Ah yes. Wanton powers in this blade, yield, penetrate that which would shield." He touched the blade to the shield, and it fizzled and disappeared. "Your magic grows stronger by the day," Gideon said, picking Wyatt up. He squirmed and tried to orb away and over to Chris (heal him, have to heal him), but Gideon's power kept him where he was. "That much power in one being cannot be allowed. It's too risky, it's bound to turn you evil. Better to stop you now."
Leo orbed into the attic and knelt by Chris's side. "Oh, god," he said frantically.
Chris groaned, eyelids fluttering. "Wyatt," he said weakly, trying to raise his hand to point.
Leo looked behind him and saw his other son in the arms of Gideon. "It's for the best, Leo," Gideon said, then orbed them both out.
The memories continued to fly at him. Gideon and the Demon of Fear, Barbas, trying to kill him. Orbing through the Underworld, trying to find a way to escape. Finally, he heard his father's voice. Following the sound, but instead of his father, finding Gideon, who trapped him in a crystal prison, then called for Barbas. But it wasn't Barbas who answered the call, it was his father, really his father this time. He attacked Gideon without mercy as Wyatt watched. "You murdered my son!" Leo snarled. (Chris was dead? No!)
Gideon kept protesting that he had to kill Wyatt for the greater good. To save the future. To finish what Chris started? (No, Chris would never try to kill him, even in the fucked up future they kept seeing, just like his other-self would never kill Chris, right?) But Gideon's power was no match for an enraged father, and Leo murdered him before his son's eyes. "You have no idea what you've done," Gidon gasped, then turned to dust. (No, Gideon had to be wrong, he wasn't evil!)
Leo walked over to Wyatt and kicked a crystal away, breaking the prison. "Hi," he said, kneeling down and hugging Wyatt. "I got you. You're safe now. I have you."
A shout outside snapped Wyatt from his trance. He grabbed a notebook and began to write some things down, just in case the memories wouldn't linger. Gideon. Barbas. Chris killed protecting him because Gideon said he was evil. Then he began to plan what he needed to do next. He had to visit his parents, his real parents, and find out what this all meant. Did it really happen, or was it some sort of dream? And if it was real, then he'd find out if Gideon still existed in this world or any other -- and destroy him.
Images flashed through his mind, too fast and hazy to understand. It took time to slow them down, but even then they weren't completely clear. He could see Chris, flipping through the Book of Shadows in the attic of the Manor. Everything looked too big until he figured out, no, Chris was his normal adult self, the furnishings in the attic were all normal as well, he was smaller. The memories came from the point of view of a child standing in a playpen. So why was Chris older?
Chris glanced up from the Book and looked around the attic, frowning. "Okay, it's time to get you out of here," he said to Wyatt, walking toward the playpen.
Something threw Chris across the room and smashed him into a table. A man appeared beside the playpen. "Don't make me sacrifice you both," he told Chris, then bent to pick up Wyatt.
(Gideon. The name popped into his head. Gideon, an elder, like his father. Gideon who his parents trusted but who had tried to use a magicked athame to get through his shield. Gideon who was hurting Chris now.)
Chris got to his feet and used his own powers to fling Gideon away from Wyatt. Gideon vanished, and Chris ran over to his brother. Wyatt held up his arms to be picked up, but Gideon appeared next to Chris, an athame in his hand. He stabbed Chris in the stomach, and Chris fell to his knees, crying out in pain. "Dad!" he called.
Gideon sighed and shook his head. "I did warn him," he said, returning to the playpen. Wyatt called up his shield to protect him, but Gideon held up the bloody athame. "Now, where were we?" he said. "Ah yes. Wanton powers in this blade, yield, penetrate that which would shield." He touched the blade to the shield, and it fizzled and disappeared. "Your magic grows stronger by the day," Gideon said, picking Wyatt up. He squirmed and tried to orb away and over to Chris (heal him, have to heal him), but Gideon's power kept him where he was. "That much power in one being cannot be allowed. It's too risky, it's bound to turn you evil. Better to stop you now."
Leo orbed into the attic and knelt by Chris's side. "Oh, god," he said frantically.
Chris groaned, eyelids fluttering. "Wyatt," he said weakly, trying to raise his hand to point.
Leo looked behind him and saw his other son in the arms of Gideon. "It's for the best, Leo," Gideon said, then orbed them both out.
The memories continued to fly at him. Gideon and the Demon of Fear, Barbas, trying to kill him. Orbing through the Underworld, trying to find a way to escape. Finally, he heard his father's voice. Following the sound, but instead of his father, finding Gideon, who trapped him in a crystal prison, then called for Barbas. But it wasn't Barbas who answered the call, it was his father, really his father this time. He attacked Gideon without mercy as Wyatt watched. "You murdered my son!" Leo snarled. (Chris was dead? No!)
Gideon kept protesting that he had to kill Wyatt for the greater good. To save the future. To finish what Chris started? (No, Chris would never try to kill him, even in the fucked up future they kept seeing, just like his other-self would never kill Chris, right?) But Gideon's power was no match for an enraged father, and Leo murdered him before his son's eyes. "You have no idea what you've done," Gidon gasped, then turned to dust. (No, Gideon had to be wrong, he wasn't evil!)
Leo walked over to Wyatt and kicked a crystal away, breaking the prison. "Hi," he said, kneeling down and hugging Wyatt. "I got you. You're safe now. I have you."
A shout outside snapped Wyatt from his trance. He grabbed a notebook and began to write some things down, just in case the memories wouldn't linger. Gideon. Barbas. Chris killed protecting him because Gideon said he was evil. Then he began to plan what he needed to do next. He had to visit his parents, his real parents, and find out what this all meant. Did it really happen, or was it some sort of dream? And if it was real, then he'd find out if Gideon still existed in this world or any other -- and destroy him.