𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 || 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥

Chapter 17 - Memories of the Future

Chris' POV:

A groan emitted from between my lips and I clamped my mouth shut in hopes that no other sound of pain would escape as I shut the bathroom door behind me, locking it tight.

Bracing my hands on the sink in front of me, I couldn't help but let out a silent sigh. It seems like ever since I stepped foot in this timeline, nothing had gone right. I had nearly gotten Leo out of the way and got him where he was supposed to be but at the cost of Piper hating me. Not to mention Leo hating me, too, for lying to him. Then again, what was new about that anyway? It didn't matter in what time frame I was in, he would always hate me.

My green eyes hardened at the thought as I glanced up at the mirror and finally, with shaking hands, I unbuttoned my shirt. Wincing at the sting of material being ripped away from my flesh wound, I could now assess the damage she had done...and it was much worse than I'd realized.

Instead of a simple cut across my chest, a gruesome, bloody gash was slashed across the skin there. It looked as gnarly as it felt unfortunately.

Carefully buttoning my shirt back, I briefly braced my hands on the sink and let out a shuddering breath. Everything was falling to pieces around me...

What hurt worse than the physical wound though was the emotional one that had been inflicted on me. The cut couldn't even begin to compare to the agony I felt in my heart at this very moment, just knowing...she had betrayed everything we ever were to each other.

Unbidden, tears filled my eyes and I sniffed, attempting to hold them back to no avail.

How could she do this to me? How?!

As these thoughts swirled in my mind, warring with each other, my fingers dug in my pocket before closing around a ring hidden there. Gingerly, I lifted it to the light...and let my mind wander back...to once happy memories, now tainted forever...

Cop cars and sirens wailed in the distance but I couldn't hear them, couldn't even remotely see the destruction in the debris all around me. All I could see was her - the color of her eyes and how they shined so brightly, how big her smile was, just how amazing she was.

And I knew - sitting here on this bench, in our favorite spot in San Francisco - I knew I was making the right decision - the only decision - for my life. All I wanted was her.

Gently, I slid the ring on her finger and she beamed, tears in her eyes as she gazed back at me in shock.

"Will you marry me?" I asked her finally, my words soft as they hung in the air between us.

She half-laughed through her tears, "You're asking me now?"

I hummed in response and she smiled slightly, "Here?"

"This is still our spot. No matter what he's done to it... Marry me," I told her, trying to keep the pleading tone out of my voice but likely failing.

Pushing back strands of hair from her face, she still looked skeptical as she replied, "On one condition. You come back to me-"

A grin split my face and a silent laugh escaped my mouth, shaking my head at her.

"-safely," she finished.

My laughter subsided then, softening into something more serious, more loving, "Have I ever let you down before?"

Her eyes locked on mine and I could sense her anxiety, her worry - over me. And I couldn't help but love her even more in that moment. Suddenly, her hand reached out for me and I pulled her closer, leaving no room between us. Our lips collided in a spark of passion, the sensation hungry, urgent. My hands found her waist, fingers digging into the material at the bottom of her shirt. Mattie let out a tiny whimper as her own fingers wove into the strands of my hair.

Never in my life did I think I would want a woman like I wanted her, never did I think I would want to marry someone. But holding her in my arms like this felt so right. I began to deepen the kiss, desire taking over both of us when all of a sudden, a whirring sound filled the air.

We broke away abruptly and she spoke first, "What's that?"

Before either of us had a chance to react, a drone appeared out of nowhere, a light spilling out of it - a light aimed straight at her. She barely had spoken my name when I put up a hand, sending it flying the other direction. The drone hit one of the still-standing statues circling the area, exploding in a shower of sparks when it hit stone.

"Are you okay?" I asked her urgently, suddenly fearful as I rested my hand on her leg, wanting to keep her as close as possible to me.

Breathing hard, she nodded, "Yeah, yeah, I don't think it had time to transmit,"

Getting up from the bench, I groaned in frustration, "I cannot believe he's sending probes after us now... I'm gonna kill that worthless-"

Quickly, she rose up from her seat, putting a hand on my chest to stop me, "No, no, you're not. You're gonna stick to the plan,"

"But he knows,"

"If he knew, he wouldn't have sent the probe," she pointed out and I looked down briefly, knowing she was right, "You have to go back, Chris. It's the only way to stop them. It's the only way to change all this."

I nodded finally and gently, she placed a kiss on my knuckles before I pressed my forehead to hers. No matter what, I was going to stop him from doing this to us, from taking over like this.

And when I did, we could be together - this time without fear of losing the other.

Because I will never, never lose her.

Mattie had been and always would be the love of my life.