BrosHalliwell ficlet - "Look To You"
Title: Look To You
Series: Charmed
Character/(s): Primarily Wyatt & Chris, some Piper and Leo
Prompt: With their parents MIA, Wyatt and Chris must face off their first demon together.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2,608
Written For: broshalliwell
Look To You
“Yeah, mom told us about that,” Chris said into the receiver, peering out the kitchen window.
He heard the door to the laundry open and close and quickly moved back towards the table, watching as his older brother entered the kitchen. Barely listening to the ramble on the other end of the line, Chris watched his brother meticulously as he passed through the kitchen, his pace slowing slightly as he glanced at the potions laying on the countertop.
“Uh huh. Look, Aunt Pheebs, I have to go,” Chris interrupted.
Wyatt continued out of the kitchen as Chris hung up the phone. Glancing towards him, Chris moved forward and swept the vials into his hand, shoving them into his jacket pocket. Following him into the hallway, he watched his brother disappear upstairs, Leo pressing himself against the wall as his son passed him. Chris waited at the bottom of the staircase as his parents descended the stairs.
“I’m not going to have to worry about you two, am I?” Piper inquired as she stepped onto the ground floor.
“No, mom,” Chris reassured her. Seeing she wasn’t convinced, he faked a smile. “We’ll be fine.”
“Good,” she responded, quickly kissing his cheek. “Make sure you get your homework done.”
“Already started,” Chris answered. He pulled his hand from his pocket, opening his palm and revealing the vials. “Took me ages to make them. I just have to see if they work now.”
“Don’t go down in the Underworld,” Leo warned. “I don’t want you getting yourself into trouble just to pass some project.”
“I know, dad,” Chris said.
“And Wyatt’s here if you need help,” he added.
“Yeah,” Chris scoffed, rolling his eyes away. “Big help.”
“Just call if you need us,” Piper said, giving him a knowing smile.
Chris looked down to the potions in his hand. All of a sudden they surrounded in blue and white orbs, disappearing from his hand in a matter of seconds. Shocked, he looked up and saw Wyatt smirking from the staircase, the potions in his hand. Ostentatiously he lifted the vials into the air, inspecting them in a scrutinizing fashion.
“Cool,” he said with a smile.
“Mom!” Chris whined. “Wyatt stole my potions.”
His parents turning their attention up to his older brother, Chris felt the potions reappear in his hand. Innocently Wyatt looked at his parents and shrugged. Glaring at his brother, Chris quickly pocketed the potions again and said goodbye to his parents. It didn’t take long for Wyatt to disappear from the staircase to his room, the sound of loud thumping music echoing down the stairs.
Chris made his way up to the attic, thinking it the only place where he could get a little peace and quiet. Purposefully he closed the door and made his way over to the dais, opening the Book of Shadows and flicking through its pages. If he couldn’t go anywhere, he’d need to find a safe way to conjure something here to use his potions on. His Aunt Paige had always consistently advised him to keep crystals on hand as a crystal cage was the best way of containing demons - like the one he needed now. He flicked through the pages she had flagged in the book, looking for the most non-threatening way to undertake this project.
As the time passed Chris found the contained room was starting to warm up. Shrugging his jacket off, he walked over to the nearby table and laid it over the back of the chair, pushing the sleeves of his long shirt up as he headed back over to the book. Picking up the notepad he’d left balanced on the top, he pushed the pen out of the spiral binding and uncapped it, copying the spell that was on the page before him.
“What are you doing?” Wyatt queried.
Chris looked up and groaned at the site of his brother’s sudden appearance. “Homework.”
“With the door closed?” he asked, sweeping a hand back at the open doorway and smirking. “I’d construe that to mean you were secretly working on something.”
“I was trying to avoid you and your loud music and…” Chris looked at his brother’s hand and saw for some obscure reason his brother was carrying around his precious sword. “What are you doing here apart from trying to find ways to get me into trouble?”
“Oh,” Wyatt said, following Chris’ line of sight and looking down at his hand. “There’s more room up here.”
“For what?”
“Well I have to practice, Chris. How else do you think I’m going to be an expert swordsman with my inheritance?”
“Keep it down then,” Chris said, turning his eyes back to the book before him.
In the silence that had befallen them, Chris heard the sword slicing through the air. It was the only other significant sound apart from his page turning and the scribbling of pen on paper. Minutes passed with these repetitious noises until the pattern was broken by a soft splintering noise and a thwack. Chris looked up to see Wyatt had the sword partially in the air.
“What was that?” Chris inquired.
“The table,” Wyatt answered.
Chris looked at him suspiciously, straightening his frame and rounding the dais as he walked towards Wyatt. His brother spun the sword around in his hand and placed it point down against the ground. Chris looked from him to the table, his gaze lowering down to the chair. It had moved slightly. All of a sudden he spotted a watery red stain beginning to seep through and spread across the material of his green jacket. He didn’t need to stretch his imagination to know what it was. Wyatt had smashed the potions he had spent hours working on.
“You had the whole of the attic to swing that thing around, and you thought you’d do it near my potions?” Chris cried.
“I didn’t know they were there,” Wyatt argued.
“They took me hours to make!” Chris shouted. He looked back to his jacket; his favourite jacket now ruined by his brother’s carelessness. “Dude, you’re paying for that.”
“With what?” Wyatt retorted.
“I don’t know, but… how am I going to get this done by tomorrow now?” Chris asked, exasperated. Wyatt shrugged indifferently. “You could help you know.”
“I think I will help myself,” an extra voice said.
Both the boys turned to look in the direction the voice had come from. The man standing across from them lifted his hand. Instantly the sword flew from Wyatt’s grip, the blade smacking against the man’s palm and sticking there like glue.
“Hey!” Wyatt protested.
Before they had a chance to move, the demon shimmered out. Wyatt looked to Chris.
“Now look what you did,” Wyatt chastised.
“Me?” Chris scoffed. Shaking his head he returned to the book.
“You’re just going to pretend that didn’t happen?” Wyatt asked incredulously.
“Dad said not to go to the Underworld,” Chris replied pointedly. Seeing Wyatt was not deterred by this response, Chris sighed. “Do you want me to call them?”
“No.”
“Well?”
“I still want my sword back.”
“So you know who that was that took it?”
Wyatt looked ambiguously towards the empty spot where the demon disappeared. “I could go find out.”
“You’d be gone all night, not to mention dad would kick your ass,” Chris said. He looked down at the book in front of him and an idea sprung to mind. “You know I could find him in here for you if you help me remake that potion you destroyed.”
“I could do that on my own,” Wyatt said.
“I’d be faster,” Chris countered.
Wyatt sighed. “Alright.”
Speedily Chris flipped through the pages of the book. He had managed to get a decent look at the demon, and from the way he wielded his powers Chris presumed he had a magnetism ability. Finally he found a page with a diagram and description that appeared to be who had invaded their home.
“Found him,” Chris said.
Wyatt walked over and looked down at the page. “No’Reh? What kind of name for a demon is that?”
“A conventional one,” Chris replied. It was obvious his brother didn’t look in the book very often.
“Let’s go,” Wyatt insisted.
“But we’ll need a spell…”
“We don’t need a spell,” Wyatt said, grabbing Chris’ arm.
Chris grabbed for the notes on his notepad, tearing the page and shoving it into his pocket. It was the best he could do with Wyatt pulling him away.
Wyatt orbed them both down to the Underworld, finding No’Reh in his own little cavern with a pile of swords before him, attempting to summon something from the metal collection.
“The rest of your collection appears rather subsidiary to the one you took from me,” Wyatt said, observing the mess on the floor. “I hope you didn’t scratch it.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t know. Why don’t you take a look?” No’Reh suggested.
Lifting his hands the swords all rose to their points, elevating themselves into the air and then repelling away from him towards the two boys. Instantly Chris and Wyatt orbed, the sharpened blades piercing air molecules as they drove through where their bodies had been and clattered to the floor behind them. Wyatt glanced back as they both reformed.
“Bastard,” he grumbled. “No appreciation of fine weaponry.”
“Look, we didn’t come to vanquish you,” Chris tried to reason.
“Speak for yourself,” Wyatt scoffed.
Chris glared at his brother then turned his attention back to the demon. “We just want the sword back.”
“I’m not handing back what is now mine,” No’Reh said. “The blood of the fallen slain by these weapons will bring about the ascension of a great power.”
“Like I haven’t heard that one before,” Wyatt criticized. “I haven’t killed anyone with my sword, so if you don’t mind I’m going to take it back to where it belongs.”
They heard metal slice against metal. Chris looked behind them and saw the swords were retracting their path only this time spinning wildly as they circled towards them. Every horror movie he’d ever seen flashed through his mind as he imagined the likelihood of their decapitation. Glancing at Wyatt he saw he was obviously distracted in the belligerent standoff he’d taken against the demon. Grabbing his brother’s arm he pulled him down to the ground.
“What?” Wyatt hissed.
Chris directed his eyes upwards. Wyatt glimpsed in the same direction as the swords sliced together overhead, dropping to form a nicely crisscrossed barrier before the demon. Chris reached into his pocket, pulling out the folded piece of paper and fumbling to open it. Realizing what it was Wyatt softly shook his head.
“We don’t need a spell, Chris,” he said again.
Orbing out, he reformed behind the demon, tapping him on the shoulder. No’Reh turned around.
“Hi,” he said, smiling cheekily. Lifting his hands, he flicked his fingers towards the demon, his molecules blasting apart in a brilliant yellow hue. Wyatt looked over to his brother, dusting his hands. “Now that’s how you destroy a demon.”
“Uh, Wyatt,” Chris said, straightening as he saw black molecules swirling behind his older brother, reforming into the demon’s shape with a distinctive buzzing noise.
Wyatt turned his head. No’Reh lifted his hand and instantly Wyatt’s hand flew against it. Snarling, Wyatt struggled to pull away, realizing he was permanently stuck there because of the metal band around his wrist. Wyatt pulled back his other hand.
“Wyatt!” Chris shouted.
He heard his brother cry out, and it sounded painful, but Chris had achieved what he wanted to - he’d orbed his brother back by his side. His metal bracelet however was still firmly attached to the demon’s palm. Wyatt rubbed his wrist, disgruntled. Chris flicked his fingers towards one of the swords. What No’Reh had failed to achieve he managed to do successfully - the demon was now impaled. The piece of paper now open, Chris held it out to his brother.
“Say it,” he demanded.
“What good’s that-” Wyatt began.
“Do you don’t want him to reconstitute again and steal more of your things?” Chris asked.
Wyatt sighed, taking the other edge of the paper and repeating the spell aloud along with Chris.
Evil is a faithful foe
But good does battle best
We witches will with these words
Waste this demon’s evil zest
It was a general vanquish spell and it worked successfully. The demon was destroyed. Chris waited a moment just to make sure he wasn’t going to reform again. He was thankful now he’d taken some notes from the book in preparation for his project. It had come in handy.
Wyatt looked dismally at the pile of swords and held his hand out. “Excalibur!”
The sword orbed into his grip. Inspecting it closely, Wyatt circled around the pile until he reached where he had stood before, picking his bracelet up from the ground and refastening it around his wrist. Speaking in low tones he waved his hand over the swords that remained. The pile glowed in white and blue orbs before disappearing completely.
“We better get back before we’re found out,” Chris said.
“Yeah,” Wyatt agreed distantly.
Orbing back to the attic, Wyatt took a seat on the couch. Placing his ankle on the opposite knee, he lay the flat of the sword against his leg and carefully ran his hand over it.
“It doesn’t look damaged,” he said.
“I thought you said you were going to help me with the potion?” Chris reminded him, pulling out the bowl and placing it on the table.
“In a minute.”
Shaking his head softly, he gathered the ingredients for the potion and began reassembling it. Throwing in a few herbs, his brother finally got to his feet and came over to assist. Chris handed him the dropper.
“We need one drop of the idaeus,” he instructed, pointing it out to Wyatt.
He watched his brother carefully as he drew the red liquid into the dropper then dispensed it into the bowl. It exploded within the bowl, a puff of smoke rising to cover them. Wyatt waved his hand in front of his face, coughing. Chris drew back.
“What was that?” Chris reprimanded. “I said one drop!”
“It was one!” Wyatt argued.
“You put too much in. Do you know the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon?” Chris accused. Wyatt looked at him askance. “Okay, I know you do. Just take it easy.”
Clearing the mess they started again. Their parents soon appeared in the room looking for them. Leo smiled at the sight of his two sons working together.
“Everything okay?” Piper asked, her gaze falling upon Chris’ stained jacket. She looked back to the two boys. Surreptitiously they looked towards each other.
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Chris answered.
“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked suspiciously.
“Nothing,” Wyatt said with a hollow laugh. “Although I think Chris needs a new jacket. I was messing around with the sword and it kinda got in the way.”
“See, honey. I told you they’d be fine,” Leo said, putting an arm around her and kissing her temple. “Don’t worry so much. They’re big boys now. Wyatt’s even helping Chris out. That’s something you don’t see everyday.”
The boys glancing at each other covertly once again, Leo guided his wife back to the door. She glimpsed over her shoulder and eyed them skeptically, holding a finger up warningly to them. Wyatt smiled, continuing on with the job. Glancing over to the dais Chris saw the book was still opened to the demon they’d just vanquished. Hurriedly he raced over and closed it. Now their parents wouldn’t know.
Series: Charmed
Character/(s): Primarily Wyatt & Chris, some Piper and Leo
Prompt: With their parents MIA, Wyatt and Chris must face off their first demon together.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2,608
Written For: broshalliwell
Look To You
“Yeah, mom told us about that,” Chris said into the receiver, peering out the kitchen window.
He heard the door to the laundry open and close and quickly moved back towards the table, watching as his older brother entered the kitchen. Barely listening to the ramble on the other end of the line, Chris watched his brother meticulously as he passed through the kitchen, his pace slowing slightly as he glanced at the potions laying on the countertop.
“Uh huh. Look, Aunt Pheebs, I have to go,” Chris interrupted.
Wyatt continued out of the kitchen as Chris hung up the phone. Glancing towards him, Chris moved forward and swept the vials into his hand, shoving them into his jacket pocket. Following him into the hallway, he watched his brother disappear upstairs, Leo pressing himself against the wall as his son passed him. Chris waited at the bottom of the staircase as his parents descended the stairs.
“I’m not going to have to worry about you two, am I?” Piper inquired as she stepped onto the ground floor.
“No, mom,” Chris reassured her. Seeing she wasn’t convinced, he faked a smile. “We’ll be fine.”
“Good,” she responded, quickly kissing his cheek. “Make sure you get your homework done.”
“Already started,” Chris answered. He pulled his hand from his pocket, opening his palm and revealing the vials. “Took me ages to make them. I just have to see if they work now.”
“Don’t go down in the Underworld,” Leo warned. “I don’t want you getting yourself into trouble just to pass some project.”
“I know, dad,” Chris said.
“And Wyatt’s here if you need help,” he added.
“Yeah,” Chris scoffed, rolling his eyes away. “Big help.”
“Just call if you need us,” Piper said, giving him a knowing smile.
Chris looked down to the potions in his hand. All of a sudden they surrounded in blue and white orbs, disappearing from his hand in a matter of seconds. Shocked, he looked up and saw Wyatt smirking from the staircase, the potions in his hand. Ostentatiously he lifted the vials into the air, inspecting them in a scrutinizing fashion.
“Cool,” he said with a smile.
“Mom!” Chris whined. “Wyatt stole my potions.”
His parents turning their attention up to his older brother, Chris felt the potions reappear in his hand. Innocently Wyatt looked at his parents and shrugged. Glaring at his brother, Chris quickly pocketed the potions again and said goodbye to his parents. It didn’t take long for Wyatt to disappear from the staircase to his room, the sound of loud thumping music echoing down the stairs.
Chris made his way up to the attic, thinking it the only place where he could get a little peace and quiet. Purposefully he closed the door and made his way over to the dais, opening the Book of Shadows and flicking through its pages. If he couldn’t go anywhere, he’d need to find a safe way to conjure something here to use his potions on. His Aunt Paige had always consistently advised him to keep crystals on hand as a crystal cage was the best way of containing demons - like the one he needed now. He flicked through the pages she had flagged in the book, looking for the most non-threatening way to undertake this project.
As the time passed Chris found the contained room was starting to warm up. Shrugging his jacket off, he walked over to the nearby table and laid it over the back of the chair, pushing the sleeves of his long shirt up as he headed back over to the book. Picking up the notepad he’d left balanced on the top, he pushed the pen out of the spiral binding and uncapped it, copying the spell that was on the page before him.
“What are you doing?” Wyatt queried.
Chris looked up and groaned at the site of his brother’s sudden appearance. “Homework.”
“With the door closed?” he asked, sweeping a hand back at the open doorway and smirking. “I’d construe that to mean you were secretly working on something.”
“I was trying to avoid you and your loud music and…” Chris looked at his brother’s hand and saw for some obscure reason his brother was carrying around his precious sword. “What are you doing here apart from trying to find ways to get me into trouble?”
“Oh,” Wyatt said, following Chris’ line of sight and looking down at his hand. “There’s more room up here.”
“For what?”
“Well I have to practice, Chris. How else do you think I’m going to be an expert swordsman with my inheritance?”
“Keep it down then,” Chris said, turning his eyes back to the book before him.
In the silence that had befallen them, Chris heard the sword slicing through the air. It was the only other significant sound apart from his page turning and the scribbling of pen on paper. Minutes passed with these repetitious noises until the pattern was broken by a soft splintering noise and a thwack. Chris looked up to see Wyatt had the sword partially in the air.
“What was that?” Chris inquired.
“The table,” Wyatt answered.
Chris looked at him suspiciously, straightening his frame and rounding the dais as he walked towards Wyatt. His brother spun the sword around in his hand and placed it point down against the ground. Chris looked from him to the table, his gaze lowering down to the chair. It had moved slightly. All of a sudden he spotted a watery red stain beginning to seep through and spread across the material of his green jacket. He didn’t need to stretch his imagination to know what it was. Wyatt had smashed the potions he had spent hours working on.
“You had the whole of the attic to swing that thing around, and you thought you’d do it near my potions?” Chris cried.
“I didn’t know they were there,” Wyatt argued.
“They took me hours to make!” Chris shouted. He looked back to his jacket; his favourite jacket now ruined by his brother’s carelessness. “Dude, you’re paying for that.”
“With what?” Wyatt retorted.
“I don’t know, but… how am I going to get this done by tomorrow now?” Chris asked, exasperated. Wyatt shrugged indifferently. “You could help you know.”
“I think I will help myself,” an extra voice said.
Both the boys turned to look in the direction the voice had come from. The man standing across from them lifted his hand. Instantly the sword flew from Wyatt’s grip, the blade smacking against the man’s palm and sticking there like glue.
“Hey!” Wyatt protested.
Before they had a chance to move, the demon shimmered out. Wyatt looked to Chris.
“Now look what you did,” Wyatt chastised.
“Me?” Chris scoffed. Shaking his head he returned to the book.
“You’re just going to pretend that didn’t happen?” Wyatt asked incredulously.
“Dad said not to go to the Underworld,” Chris replied pointedly. Seeing Wyatt was not deterred by this response, Chris sighed. “Do you want me to call them?”
“No.”
“Well?”
“I still want my sword back.”
“So you know who that was that took it?”
Wyatt looked ambiguously towards the empty spot where the demon disappeared. “I could go find out.”
“You’d be gone all night, not to mention dad would kick your ass,” Chris said. He looked down at the book in front of him and an idea sprung to mind. “You know I could find him in here for you if you help me remake that potion you destroyed.”
“I could do that on my own,” Wyatt said.
“I’d be faster,” Chris countered.
Wyatt sighed. “Alright.”
Speedily Chris flipped through the pages of the book. He had managed to get a decent look at the demon, and from the way he wielded his powers Chris presumed he had a magnetism ability. Finally he found a page with a diagram and description that appeared to be who had invaded their home.
“Found him,” Chris said.
Wyatt walked over and looked down at the page. “No’Reh? What kind of name for a demon is that?”
“A conventional one,” Chris replied. It was obvious his brother didn’t look in the book very often.
“Let’s go,” Wyatt insisted.
“But we’ll need a spell…”
“We don’t need a spell,” Wyatt said, grabbing Chris’ arm.
Chris grabbed for the notes on his notepad, tearing the page and shoving it into his pocket. It was the best he could do with Wyatt pulling him away.
Wyatt orbed them both down to the Underworld, finding No’Reh in his own little cavern with a pile of swords before him, attempting to summon something from the metal collection.
“The rest of your collection appears rather subsidiary to the one you took from me,” Wyatt said, observing the mess on the floor. “I hope you didn’t scratch it.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t know. Why don’t you take a look?” No’Reh suggested.
Lifting his hands the swords all rose to their points, elevating themselves into the air and then repelling away from him towards the two boys. Instantly Chris and Wyatt orbed, the sharpened blades piercing air molecules as they drove through where their bodies had been and clattered to the floor behind them. Wyatt glanced back as they both reformed.
“Bastard,” he grumbled. “No appreciation of fine weaponry.”
“Look, we didn’t come to vanquish you,” Chris tried to reason.
“Speak for yourself,” Wyatt scoffed.
Chris glared at his brother then turned his attention back to the demon. “We just want the sword back.”
“I’m not handing back what is now mine,” No’Reh said. “The blood of the fallen slain by these weapons will bring about the ascension of a great power.”
“Like I haven’t heard that one before,” Wyatt criticized. “I haven’t killed anyone with my sword, so if you don’t mind I’m going to take it back to where it belongs.”
They heard metal slice against metal. Chris looked behind them and saw the swords were retracting their path only this time spinning wildly as they circled towards them. Every horror movie he’d ever seen flashed through his mind as he imagined the likelihood of their decapitation. Glancing at Wyatt he saw he was obviously distracted in the belligerent standoff he’d taken against the demon. Grabbing his brother’s arm he pulled him down to the ground.
“What?” Wyatt hissed.
Chris directed his eyes upwards. Wyatt glimpsed in the same direction as the swords sliced together overhead, dropping to form a nicely crisscrossed barrier before the demon. Chris reached into his pocket, pulling out the folded piece of paper and fumbling to open it. Realizing what it was Wyatt softly shook his head.
“We don’t need a spell, Chris,” he said again.
Orbing out, he reformed behind the demon, tapping him on the shoulder. No’Reh turned around.
“Hi,” he said, smiling cheekily. Lifting his hands, he flicked his fingers towards the demon, his molecules blasting apart in a brilliant yellow hue. Wyatt looked over to his brother, dusting his hands. “Now that’s how you destroy a demon.”
“Uh, Wyatt,” Chris said, straightening as he saw black molecules swirling behind his older brother, reforming into the demon’s shape with a distinctive buzzing noise.
Wyatt turned his head. No’Reh lifted his hand and instantly Wyatt’s hand flew against it. Snarling, Wyatt struggled to pull away, realizing he was permanently stuck there because of the metal band around his wrist. Wyatt pulled back his other hand.
“Wyatt!” Chris shouted.
He heard his brother cry out, and it sounded painful, but Chris had achieved what he wanted to - he’d orbed his brother back by his side. His metal bracelet however was still firmly attached to the demon’s palm. Wyatt rubbed his wrist, disgruntled. Chris flicked his fingers towards one of the swords. What No’Reh had failed to achieve he managed to do successfully - the demon was now impaled. The piece of paper now open, Chris held it out to his brother.
“Say it,” he demanded.
“What good’s that-” Wyatt began.
“Do you don’t want him to reconstitute again and steal more of your things?” Chris asked.
Wyatt sighed, taking the other edge of the paper and repeating the spell aloud along with Chris.
Evil is a faithful foe
But good does battle best
We witches will with these words
Waste this demon’s evil zest
It was a general vanquish spell and it worked successfully. The demon was destroyed. Chris waited a moment just to make sure he wasn’t going to reform again. He was thankful now he’d taken some notes from the book in preparation for his project. It had come in handy.
Wyatt looked dismally at the pile of swords and held his hand out. “Excalibur!”
The sword orbed into his grip. Inspecting it closely, Wyatt circled around the pile until he reached where he had stood before, picking his bracelet up from the ground and refastening it around his wrist. Speaking in low tones he waved his hand over the swords that remained. The pile glowed in white and blue orbs before disappearing completely.
“We better get back before we’re found out,” Chris said.
“Yeah,” Wyatt agreed distantly.
Orbing back to the attic, Wyatt took a seat on the couch. Placing his ankle on the opposite knee, he lay the flat of the sword against his leg and carefully ran his hand over it.
“It doesn’t look damaged,” he said.
“I thought you said you were going to help me with the potion?” Chris reminded him, pulling out the bowl and placing it on the table.
“In a minute.”
Shaking his head softly, he gathered the ingredients for the potion and began reassembling it. Throwing in a few herbs, his brother finally got to his feet and came over to assist. Chris handed him the dropper.
“We need one drop of the idaeus,” he instructed, pointing it out to Wyatt.
He watched his brother carefully as he drew the red liquid into the dropper then dispensed it into the bowl. It exploded within the bowl, a puff of smoke rising to cover them. Wyatt waved his hand in front of his face, coughing. Chris drew back.
“What was that?” Chris reprimanded. “I said one drop!”
“It was one!” Wyatt argued.
“You put too much in. Do you know the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon?” Chris accused. Wyatt looked at him askance. “Okay, I know you do. Just take it easy.”
Clearing the mess they started again. Their parents soon appeared in the room looking for them. Leo smiled at the sight of his two sons working together.
“Everything okay?” Piper asked, her gaze falling upon Chris’ stained jacket. She looked back to the two boys. Surreptitiously they looked towards each other.
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Chris answered.
“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked suspiciously.
“Nothing,” Wyatt said with a hollow laugh. “Although I think Chris needs a new jacket. I was messing around with the sword and it kinda got in the way.”
“See, honey. I told you they’d be fine,” Leo said, putting an arm around her and kissing her temple. “Don’t worry so much. They’re big boys now. Wyatt’s even helping Chris out. That’s something you don’t see everyday.”
The boys glancing at each other covertly once again, Leo guided his wife back to the door. She glimpsed over her shoulder and eyed them skeptically, holding a finger up warningly to them. Wyatt smiled, continuing on with the job. Glancing over to the dais Chris saw the book was still opened to the demon they’d just vanquished. Hurriedly he raced over and closed it. Now their parents wouldn’t know.