Work Text:
Through her eyes
Bianca wakes up with the feeling of a spike running through her chest and the taste of blood in her mouth. She's in her bedroom, wrapped in her sheets, eyes facing a creamy ceiling and her favorite knife on her nightstand. She's twenty-two, has been a full-time assassin for the last five years, and remembers a lifetime of blood under her fingernails. Blood of too many people with too many faces and too many accusing eyes, everything on the order of a man whose power she bows to before the rest of her Clan loses their heads.
When she finally wipes her mouth after retching for half an hour, she is impressed at the speed it took her to close the distance between her bed and the bathroom.
And she thinks -never again.
Leaving the Clan is not easy. People have tried to stop mid-carrier before. People too soft for the job, or who want to start anew. It doesn’t often happen because there is, technically, no leaving. The leader, the mentors, the rest of family, everyone (except her mother, with whom Bianca may have had a tensed relationship after she became active, but never doubted her support) is far too happy to remind her of the death penalty, should she turn her back on them. Bianca isn't the rising star of the Clan for nothing. She kills the first three assassins they send and leaves a note on each. 'Keep coming, I will keep going'. They stop after that, mostly they can’t afford to lose more members, and also because the Leader knows she won’t betray them. Once she is certain they won't come after her again, she follows her memories and her instincts and moves to San Francisco.
Building a new life is surprisingly easy. She gets hired as a gym trainer, gains the respect of her colleagues and her clients by being frighteningly efficient (and after politely turning away a few grabby hands, aka breaking a finger or two) and becomes the boss' favorite. She rents a small apartment in a quiet street, and every other day, strolls by a certain garden and sits there for hours.
She's not certain what she hopes for. She isn't sure who has gotten their memories back, if he has gotten his memory back, and doesn't try to approach them at all. The sisters -especially Piper -might blow her on sight (she understands, she truly does. She wouldn't be very happy to see someone who held a knife to her throat knocking at her door either) and she's not eager to fall face-to-face with her old boss, no matter how good he turns out to be. She still hangs out in the Underworld sometimes, she has a few acquaintances that are half-demon half-humans, and knows a few clubs that serve mean cocktails.
(Yes, there are clubs in the Underworld. Just because you're a demon doesn't mean you don't know how to party).
It's during one of those nights at the club that she sees him for the first time.
Chris is not well-known amongst the demons. Wyatt of course is all flashy and demonstrations of power, the sisters are also merciless, even more since they had children. There are rumors of course, about the matriarch of the Charmed One's second son, but very tame. Demons aren't interested in him, as if he keeps himself deliberately off the radar.
(In the alternative timeline, Chris makes a name for himself the day he turns sixteen. Wyatt wants to take his brother back, now that his grandfather is dead, and sends demon after demon to get him. They fail, one after the other, until he decides to send her. She's a bit miffed at first; she isn't supposed to be running around after a teenager, even less bringing him back alive. She does obey however. Thus starts a game of cat and mouse that will last two full years and end in a bloodbath of common enemies, followed by a drink at the only neutral bar of the country, and an entanglement of warm bodies in a crappy hotel room in whatever’s left of Reno).
She isn't that worried that he will be recognized in the crowd. Instead, she's curious about his presence at all. So she leaves her acquaintances, heads straight to him and says:
"Haven't we met before?"
He turns around and she has to catch her breath. He is just as she remembers and at the same time not at all. He's younger, less scarred and maybe less trained. But the look in his eyes -steel and strength, and the ghost of thousands of battles reigning in them-
"Bianca," he breathes, and her heart stops.
There is recognition. There is a light in his expression that she thought she would never see again, and there's her name on his lips, and those lips are suddenly pressed to her mouth and she can do nothing else but kiss him back because she missed him, missed him so badly-
He steps back, breaks them for air, and immediately pulls her in a side corridor. She doesn't have time to think, he pushes her back against the wall and she pulls him in and they are at it again, touching and grabbing and kissing and biting and- and she is going crazy because it is him and not, it's his touch and his scent and not and-
"Your place?" he asks breathing heavily his eyes dark even in the barely lit corner and she -
-she is powerless against him. Ever since she’s fallen for him, there is nothing she wouldn’t do for him.
She only nods, holds him tight and shimmers them both away.
They lie facing each other, their hand intertwined between them. It's peaceful and quiet. The lamp of her nightstand cast a golden glow on his skin and his eyes seem translucent at this moment.
"How long?" he asks quietly.
"Almost a year," she replies, equally quiet. "You?"
"A few days."
She hums and kisses his knuckles. This feels right, and she hasn't been at peace for...well, she doesn't remember.
"I went to our spot," he admits. "If I had known you were so close-"
"We would have ended up meeting," she replies with a smile. "I go there every other day."
He shifts closer, and they press their foreheads together. They had fucked the nervous energy out of their system, and now- now they can enjoy the peace. The quiet.
A quiet ruined by Chris' phone. It's been vibrating every ten minutes for the past hour, and he grunts and telekinetically brings it over. His eyes never leave hers.
"'lo?" he mutters. And the proximity allows Bianca to overhear Wyatt's voice:
"Where the fuck are you Chris? I've been trying to call you for the past hour! And I can't find you."
'Anti-orbing barriers and anti-demon wards,' she mouths. Chris nods silently.
"I'm staying over at a friend's," he replies instead. "Did you need me for something?"
Wyatt's silence is a surprise. In her time, he would have demanded his return or threatened him or gotten angry and called for his minions. Here, his voice sounds a little bit embarrassed.
"I followed you down to that demonic club you keep returning to. I was worried, alright?"
Chris huffs and rolls on his eyes.
"I'm fine Wy, go home."
"You remember we must be at the manor tomorrow at eleven, right? If you are a minute later, I’m going after you!"
"I'll be there," he promises and hangs up. The phone is dropped on the floor and he nests his head in her arms. She holds him. Wyatt’s voice makes her uneasy, even if she knows on an intellectual level that he won’t come after her anymore.
"How can you live with him?" she asks, because if she can stay as far away as she wants, Chris is another story.
"It's not easy," he admits. "I have two sets of memories to deal with, and while he's terrible in one, he is great in the second. I'm uncomfortable around him but I don’t want to hurt him. My parents didn't tell us about the time traveling thing, so I didn't bring it up."
She hums again.
"What now?” she asks, deciding to change the subject. “Do you have plans? Do you intend to go to college?"
He shuffles closer, wraps his arm around her waist, and digs his fingers into her flesh, accidentally presses on a bruise. She hisses a bit. They weren't gentle earlier, needing to be certain the other was alive. The leftovers are everywhere on her -and his -body. He mumbles an apology but doesn't release his grip.
"I spent the past few years fighting to survive. I just want to live right now. I want to travel and see a world that hasn't been destroyed by my brother." He gives her a direct look and adds softly: "I want to give you a proper ring, not a stolen one. If you have me, I want to spend the rest of my life by your side," he says, and Bianca is suddenly fine with the pain. It reminds her that she is not dreaming.
She gives her resignation the next day. Piper and Leo are a little surprised at his sudden decision but don't argue much, thinking he just needs to take a year off before starting college. She and Chris leave together. They travel through Europe, visit museums, landscapes, walk through crowded streets and small village. Their real first long stay is in Scotland, where they stop by Gretna Green, and they joke about eloping.
(They do elope in the end, although not quite legally. An old seer who remembers Chris from the alternative timeline insists on holding a magical ceremony. Elves and dwarfs and witches and even a few demons show up and everything gets very weird very fast, because apparently there is quite a crowd that remembers the past timeline, and those who are grateful to Chris want to be there to celebrate)
(Phoebe does have a premonition about the ceremony, but dismisses it as an alcohol-induced dream, because she can’t believe that Chris, in any universe, would agree to dance a reel while wearing an adult-sized green leprechaun costume)
They continue through Asia, enjoy a few days in Africa before orbing to a secluded site in Australia. After a kangaroo nearly KO her husband, they orb back to Mexico and spend a few days exploring the Amazonian jungle. They return to San Francisco exactly eight months after the day they left and Chris doesn’t bother notifying his family that he is back and just crashes at her apartment.
Bianca's old boss is happy to hire her again. And Chris knows exactly what he wants to do.
Meeting the family sounds like a moot point after all this time, but Bianca knows it’s important to Chris that she be on good terms with them. They are more decent people this time around, and his relationship with Leo isn’t like a string about to snap every second. She only agrees to go with him because she knows he will stand by her, should confrontation ensure.
(“It’s going to be alright,” he says encouragingly.
“We’re married, and they weren’t invited,” she retorts. “Talk about a conversation starter.”)
They show up at the Halliwell manor, holding hands. Piper is, of course, the one who opens the door. Her expression, first delight at seeing her son is back from his journey, falters very quickly when she recognizes her. It occurs to Bianca that Piper has no idea that she remembers, and probably thinks that fate has a hand in her meeting Chris. In a sense, fate does. The rest is all theirs.
“I didn’t realize you were bringing a guest,” she says instead, a forced smile on her face. “Do come in.”
She’s obviously upset –hasn’t even realized Chris returned without a luggage, but she’s really trying to play nice, so Bianca reciprocates the effort. Leo never heard the whole story so his friendliness is only tampered by his wife’s reaction. Wyatt has not a clue about who she is, so treats her friendly without assuming things. Bianca is respectful of Leo, and stays away as physically possible from Wyatt. The last part is hard though, because he reminds her of a fucking Labrador and comparing him to his evil counterpart is just really weird –and a bit painful.
“So what do you do for a living?” Piper asks. She watches her with eagle eyes, undoubtedly trying to figure out if she’s still part of the Clan.
“I’m a gym trainer,” she replies, even though it’s obvious the witch doesn’t believe her.
“You met at the gym?” Wyatt asks in turn, eying his brother with an amused twinkle.
“Actually, we met at a club,” Chris intervenes, and it’s not even a lie. Leo frowns.
“You aren’t twenty-one yet,” he reprimands, and Bianca is slightly…startled at that.
She knows, of course, that Chris is physically younger than her. She has just forgotten that he is that young.
(Some might argue that she didn’t care in the last timeline, he was eighteen and a half when they slept together the first time. But that happened after he spent two years escaping her with more and more daring plans and proving he was smarter than half the world around him. He never was too young in his mind)
“Everyone does it dad,” and that last word is the proof that his relationship to Leo isn’t a complete disaster. “Wyatt did it too when he was underage.”
“Thanks for throwing me under the bus, bro,” his brother mutters as his parents stare at him reproachfully. “How come you didn’t tell me you had a new girl? Did you meet before you left for your world tour?”
“Wait,” Piper interrupts, her eyes flashing in realization. “Did you two travel around the world together?”
Piper is sharp; Bianca has to give it to her.
“We have,” she confirms.
“How long have you actually known each other?”
They exchange a glance. Before coming over, they have agreed to tell the truth should the opportunity happen. Chris takes her hand in his and they intertwine their fingers. He faces his family and only says:
“We remember.”
The rest of the night is a blur. There’s a shouting match between Chris, Piper and Leo in the kitchen. Wyatt is very confused about what is going on, and steal glances at Bianca who has no desire to enlighten him. He has parents to do that. In the end, Chris storms out of the room, grabs her hand and they both orb away without much of a goodbye.
(Piper calls Phoebe that night and drops her rage and worry and guilt upon her.
“I can’t believe him! He’s my son and he never told me,” she cracks again. “Leo said I’m overreacting, but it’s like- I feel he doesn’t trust me!”
“Chris Perry didn’t trust anyone,” Phoebe reminds her. “And things are different –his relationship with Leo is good, for instance, and he looks up to Wyatt.”
“But did he have to pick Bianca?” she laments a bit. “Out of every witch there is out there, why a half demon as a girlfriend?”
Phoebe has a sinking feeling as she remembers her vision, and considers whether she should be the one to announce to her sister that a) her beloved second son is actually married and b) Bianca is currently-)
“I can’t believe her!” Chris spits angrily. “She’s my mother, why can’t she trust me?”
Bianca takes out her phone and orders them diner while he vents. She’s in the mood for a pizza and a hamburger. She picks both.
“-spent ten months as an outsider and then, suddenly, they have a completely different approach just because, oh, I don’t know, I’m their son so I must be trustful now? And today, after actually being their son for twenty years, she’s questioning my sanity because I chose to fall in love with an amazing, fantastic woman instead of some plain vapid girl because –and I swear, I made really poor choices in high-school and she seemed to say she’d rather have any of my past hookups than you, seriously?”
Bianca bites back a smile.
“I will skip the hookups part,” she replies sweetly –and Chris blanches slightly at that. “And only remember you called me amazing and fantastic.”
Color returns to his cheeks. He smiles, the kind that makes her knees weak.
“That’s because you are,” he replies. She lets him pull her in his arms, sighs in content as he holds her tight. It’s odd, how tactile and physical he is in private. She doesn’t mind at all. They didn’t have the opportunity in the other timeline.
“We didn’t even get to the part of your choice of career,” she points out, and laughs when he groans in annoyance.
“Let’s keep that for another day. I’m starting tomorrow anyway.”
“Rising bright and early. It was nice of Lirio to offer you apprenticeship at your age.”
“I’m not that old to start learning,” he protests. “And she said I have solid basics. I was the best potion-brewer back then. And I have contacts all over the world now. I can import herbs and roots and all kind of ingredients for basically free, if I go to fetch them myself.”
She loves the small pout on his face, loves that they can complain about little things without being worried about being hunted down every step of the way.
“Potion-maker and Herbalist. Sounds boring as hell,” she teases.
“But it’s perfect,” he half affirms, half asks. Bianca scoffs. As if the notion of him setting down roots would rebuff her.
“I had enough excitement for another lifetime,” she replies. “As long as you don’t mind if your wife is the best trainer of the local gym.”
“As long as she remains mine,” he whispers, and seals their future with a kiss.
If the biggest obstacle of their life is getting along with his family –or rather, the memory of his family –then life isn’t that bad. Perhaps she can even give a call to her own mother sometime soon. She hasn’t seen her in over a year and misses her a bit. Perhaps someday –she’s feeling very optimistic right now- the Halliwell and her side of the family will be able to spend an afternoon together in peace. As she closes her eyes and just allows herself to enjoy the moment, she thinks there would be many awkward stages to pass before they reach that point.
(Reconciliation with the Halliwell begins when Wyatt shows up one evening, looking very disturbed at the notion of a past timeline where he became a villain and scared at the prospect of upsetting them by his very presence. He asks if they can have lunch or dinner together some time with such pitiful eyes Bianca remembers the Labrador analogy and agrees for her and Chris. He also brings a peace offering –a cute tiny pink onesie with the name ‘Hope’ sewn on the front, and it takes Bianca two seconds to connect the dots and think –oh, that explains the morning sickness –and she turns around just in time to see and laugh at her husband’s bewildered expression.)
(Reconciliation with her mother -and the Clan -happens when she delivers a healthy baby girl who posesses the powers of a Phoenix. The Leader always secretly had a soft spot for Bianca and agrees to welcome Hope as a non-acting member of the family, making her the most protected baby in her generation)
(The day where Lynn, the Leader of the Phoenix Clan, Bianca, Chris, Piper, Leo, Wyatt and Melinda sit around a table does eventually happen. It is as uncomfortable and awkward as Bianca imagined it, but at least no-one leaves the table poisoned or with a missing limb, so she counts it as a win.)
(And so begins the long-time alliance between Phoenixes and the Halliwells.)