Chapter 52: Tate-shmate

All rights to the Halliwells and Charmed go to The Wb and Aaron Spelling.

This is a spin-off of his creation, of which we're all thankful for. Please

Do not plagiarize or anything. LOVE YA

I stood in my room, shifting through Wyatt's clothes, trying to figure out what to do with them. I pulled off my shirt and slipped on his, going to lie in the bed next to Matthew. He was the thing we made. I closed my eyes and held Matthew close, hoping that I would open them to see Wyatt, but I didn't. I began to sob, a quiet sob as I lay beside my baby.

-           

I stood in the kitchen, testing the milk before letting the baby drink. I turned to go back upstairs, but stopped when Chris orbed in and went right for the spice cabinet, fishing through it, trying to find something.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I..." Chris stopped, looking me over, "Are you wearing Wyatt's shirt?"

I looked down at it myself, "It was his favorite." I said.

Chris nodded and went back to searching the cabinet.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

"Pendrake." Chris said, "You might want to stay down here until..." before he could finish a demon shimmered in and Matthew put up his shield! Chris scrambled to find the Pendrake and when he did, he dropped it and the demon grabbed him and threw him across the kitchen and onto the table! The demon went to strike him and Chris kicked him in the head, rolling off the table and orbing behind him. I dropped to the floor and grabbed a Pendrake root that had the potion on it and threw it at the demon, then I waved my hand at it, causing it to blow up and the demon flew backwards, incinerating before it hit the wall!

"Thanks." Chris panted.

"Are you okay?" I asked, walking over to him. Matthew put down his shield and I stared at the giant scorch mark on the wall.

"Peachy." Chris said.

"What's your issue? Demons in the Manor?" I asked.

"Imagine that." Chris said, standing and walking over to the mess he'd made and beginning to clean it up.

"We have a baby here now..."

"Yeah, so? Does that mean we all clam up and shut down?" Chris asked.

"What?" I asked, "Demons are dangerous and...and..."

"We can't all be afraid to leave the house, nothing would ever get done." Chris said.

"We're not Charmed, not anymore. Screw the power of three! No more power of three." I said.

Chris sighed in frustration, putting the Pendrakes back into their bags, "Yeah, we are. With Warren..."

"So, that's it? We just move on without Wyatt?" I asked, shocked at the thought.

Chris looked at me, "You're not the only one who lost him...who misses him, but life does go on." He said, "You, of all people, should know that."

"Me and Matt are going away. To visit my dad and I'm thinking of moving there." I said.

Chris looked at me angrily, "You would do that to mom and dad and..."

"They're welcome to come visit, I'm just an orb away." I said.

"...Me?" Chris finished.

"Chris..."

"You would leave me here, alone?" Chris asked.

"Chris, I..."

"No, you know what, go. Go!" Chris shouted, turning and walking away.

I felt like screaming, like crying, like blowing everything I see up! Wyatt was the one that kept us all sane and together and I hadn't even thought about Chris, I just assumed...but my assumptions were so wrong. But how could I stay here? How could I move on? How much water did I have to wade through until I could finally be happy? How could he leave me? Leave us? He promised.

-           

"What?" Piper asked, almost dropping her ladle.

"Yeah, he drops that little bombshell and...well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. That's what he does, runs away from it all." Chris fumed.

"This is a little different." Leo said, "Wyatt's..."

"He can't." Piper said, "Neither one of them can go! What about..."

"Screw the power of three" Chris said, "That's his words."

"What about our family?" Piper asked.

"I think we have bigger problems." Chris said.

"What's bigger than this?" Piper asked, pouring some wine into her mixture.

"Did you have to be so surly?" Leo asked, "He's going through some things."

"Dad, he's not the only one that lost Wyatt. We all did!" Chris said.

"I know, son. I know, but look at things from his point of view, he's a newlywed father. He's scared." Leo said.

"We're all scared." Piper said, "We're all angry and sad and barely making it."

"But he's got someone he has to take care of on top of that, someone that needs his attention more than he may have to give." Leo said.

"He just can't leave...he can't." Piper said, looking at Chris, "He can't."

"What am I supposed to do?" Chris asked, "I acted like a complete jerk before he left."

"He's gone?!" Piper asked.

"Don't have a coronary, mom, he just went for a visit." Chris chuckled, "Look, I'll try, but first there's a demon..."

"Don't go alone, get Warren." Piper insisted.

"Your mother's right." Leo said, "And be careful, son."

Chris nodded and orbed away.

-           

"Mom, that job just wasn't for me." Warren groaned. He had just quit his third job, his first and second being positions at the Mirror.

"Well, have you thought about going to school?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm too old for High School." Warren said, walking into his room.

"I meant college." Phoebe said, following him, "You could find something that interests you!"

"Your mom's right." Coop added.

"Of course I'm right, look, you're not a demon anymore. You can be normal." Phoebe smiled.

"But I'm not, mom." Warren said, "Sounds so weird."

"It's your life. I just want you to be happy." Phoebe smiled, "And it's not so bad."

"So, I can do anything?" Warren asked.

"As long as you have a job, too." Coop smirked, "You're going to need money."

Just then, Chris orbed in, "Warren, I need you." He said.

-           

"He's so tiny." Peter said, "I remember when you were tiny."

"You do?" I asked, sitting at his coffee table, sipping coffee and watching them. At my comment, he turned, "I didn't mean..."

"I know what you meant." Peter said, beaming down at his grandchild.

"Did I cry a lot? Cause he cries a lot." I smiled.

"It's worth it, isn't it?" Peter smiled.

I nodded, "Yeah. Be more fulfilling if Wyatt were here." I said.

"You having a hard time? Money troubles, because I..."

"No, dad, thanks." I said, "I'm just really struggling with being a single parent. It's hard."

Dad finally looked back up at me, "What about Chris?" he asked.

"Chris is getting tired of me. I can't say I blame him." I said, looking down.

"Your husband just died, you have to mourn." Dad said.

"How'd you get over mom dying?" I asked.

Matthew played with Dad's finger, "I'll tell you when I do." He gave a weak smile.

Matthew fussed.

"Here," I said, reaching in the diaper bag and pulling out his bottle," He's probably hungry." I said, handing him the bottle, "Have you talked to Caleb?"

Dad stopped, "For what?" he asked.

"He's your son." I said.

"He needs time to think about what he's done." Dad said, "What he did was wrong, it goes against all the things we've tried to teach you two."

"He's wrong, yes, but..."

"He made us do bad things, poor Warren had to kill witches." Dad said, "He wanted your baby."

"He needed a family." I said, "Dad, we all need a family."

"Maybe." Dad said, "Does he cry a lot?"

"Huh?" I asked.

"Matthew. Does he cry a lot?" Dad asked.

"I thought we established that, yes, he does cry a lot." I said.

"Maybe he misses his dad." Dad said, "His other dad."

"I know I do." I said quickly.

-           

Matthew Tate stood , wondering where he was and how he'd gotten there! The last thing he knew, he was being cursed back into the Pewter Heart. He stood in the middle of a blacked out room.

"Matthew Tate, do you know where you are?" A disembodied voice asked.

"No." Tate responded.

"Do you remember anything beyond your century?" the voice asked.

"The witches, they cursed me back into the locket." Tate said, remembering.

"The locket has been destroyed." The voice said, "You're welcome."

"Thank you?" Tate said, looking around, trying to find the voice's owner.

"The witches will come soon." The voice said.

"Witches?" Tate asked, "The Charmed Ones?"

"The New Charmed Ones." The voice said, "They wield power unlike you've ever faced."

"I think I can handle them." Tate said.

"Let us hope so." The voice said.

Tate knew the voice and its owner were gone, even though he had seen nothing, he could feel the presence leave. Just as the presence left, a jingle sounded and Tate looked over his shoulder to see two men.

"What in the Hell are you doing here?" Chris asked.

"Charmed Ones." Tate smiled.

"We don't have time for this." Chris said, waving his hand. Nothing happened, "What's going on?"

"I think you wanted this." Tate said, waving his hand, causing Chris to fly back into some old boxes!

Warren threw an energy ball at him, but he deflected it, causing Warren to duck out of the way!

"This is easier than I thought." Tate said, "Where is the third?"

"Mirror!" Chris shouted, causing the mirror to fly off the wall and directly at Tate, who ducked and threw him across the room! Tate walked to the book and Chris shouted, "Book!" and it orbed to him.

Tate stood straight and shimmered away.

"We need a third." Warren sighed, standing.

"Yep." Chris said.

-           

"Are you okay?" Dad asked.

I looked around, panicking, "Just a premonition." I said.

"Don't you need to do something about it?" Dad asked.

"No, they'll be alright." I said, pained.

-           

"So, this Matthew Tate guy has your powers? What makes you think that I can be any help?" Henry Jr. asked.

"We're the Charmed children, and thus we can make the power of three." Chris said.

"Where's Drake?" Henry asked.

"He took the baby to see his dad." Warren said, sitting on the couch with his trusty ice pad, "We need a third, he's kicking our ass."

"Hey, I just realized something." Chris said, standing at the book, "All three sisters are represented."

"See, there are signs!" Warren said, "Besides, we know you like being a cop, so we just need you to stand in until Drake comes back."

"What if he doesn't come back?" Henry asked.

The room was silent.

"He will." Chris said, "I think Tate might go after our moms and siblings."

"That's a safe bet." Warren said.

"So, where do we start?" Henry asked.

"We round everyone up." Chris said.

A few hours later...

"What are we doing here?" Paige asked, "My charges are killing me." She said, rubbing her temples.

"Matthew Tate is back." Chris said.

"What? He...what?" Piper asked.

"And he has our powers." Warren said.

"Why didn't you guys come to us? We don't even..." Phoebe hyperventilated.

"Where's Drake?" Melinda asked.

"He's at his Dad's." Chris said, "He should be safe."

"Ohhh, gosh!" Ladybug said.

"What's wrong?" Phoebe asked.

"Vision! Drake's in trouble." Ladybug said.

"Yeah, he is." Wyatt said, orbing in. The family stared at him, his white robe seemed to glow and his hair was cut and he was clean-cut, "We don't have much time."

-           

"Get down!" Dad shouted, causing me to crouch behind the couch with the baby as an energy ball sailed past us! The demon had attacked shortly after I had the vision! Dad was holding him off, but I couldn't move because I had the baby. Dad's energy balls had no effect on the demon, "Get back to..."but he stopped and I heard him slump to the floor.

"Charmed One." A voice said.

"Matty, we need to get back to the Manor." I said.

The baby looked at me, trying to understand and suddenly, we were orbing into the attic! I fell back with the baby in my hands.

"Drake..."

"My dad!" I shouted.

"We're on it." The sisters said, orbing out.

"Go with them." I panted.

Chris, Henry, and Warren nodded and Chris orbed them out.

At Peter's Condo...

The Sisters flew back against the wall just as Chris, Warren, and Henry orbed in. They quickly interwove their hands and began to chant, "The Power of Three will set us free!" but it only slowed him.

"Prudence, Melinda, Astrid, and Helen, Halliwell witches stand strong beside us!" The sisters said, holding hands.

"Powers of the Halliwell, I call you forth through space and time, banish this evil from our current time." Wyatt chanted. All the Halliwells' eyes went white and suddenly, Tate glowed and burst into a million pieces!

"Wyatt!" Piper cried, running over and hugging him. The sisters followed.

"Mom." Wyatt said softly.

"Where..."

"You can't tell Drake, ever." Wyatt said, "It's part of my promise."

"Your...promise, what are you talking about?" Piper asked.

"You have to come home." Chris said.

"I can't." Wyatt said, "I made a deal, if I stay in the Heavens with the Elders, my family wouldn't die."

"No, but Wyatt..." Phoebe started.

"Blessed Be." Wyatt said softly, orbing away.

-           

Chris knocked on my door just as I was putting the baby down.

"Oh, hey." I smiled, "What's up?"

"Nothing, I'm just coming by to check on you." Chris said, "You've been pretty quiet since we vanquished Matthew Tate."

"You've been pretty quiet yourself." I smiled, "Something on your mind?"

Chris just smiled.

"I'm sorry I've been mopey guy. I'm just trying to make sense of it all." I said, "It's not fair."

"I know." Chris said, "I understand."

"I don't." I said, "Sometimes I don't understand myself."

"You've got a baby to take care of, all by yourself." Chris said. I nodded and looked down, "But you're not all by yourself. I'm here. The whole family, we're here for you."

"It's unfair of him to just leave me here to do this." I said, "Thanks for being here."

"No place I'd rather be." Chris smiled.