A Charmed Future

Right Where I Want You

"No!" Anakin cried, sounding like a wounded animal. He kicked and punched Lucien.

Lucien tried desperately to pull the distraught teen away from the piles of ash that were once Wyatt and Chris.

"Leave me alone! I want to die! – please kill me!"

Lucien's breath caught in his throat, but he pushed his emotions aside. "Come on, Anakin, we can fix this."

Anakin shook his head violently and ripped himself out of Lucien's grip. "No! No, we can't, Luc! I just murdered my two brothers! How the fucking hell can we make this better?"

Lucien bit his lip. "I don't know yet. But we will fix this." Lucien ran a hand through his brown hair. "But you need to calm down."

"'Calm down'?" Anakin asked insanely, eyes red and wide. "Are you kidding me? I just killed the last two members of my family!"

Lucien tried to place a hand on Anakin's shoulder, but the blond teen moved out of reach. "Bad choice of word," Lucien muttered. "Er, you're right. You have every right and reason to be pissed, annoyed, sad –"

"Just shut up!" Anakin snapped. "You – I – they..." Anakin took a deep breath struggling against the forthcoming wave of sobs and tears.

Lucien smiled sadly. "It's okay to cry, Annie. It's okay to feel lost and alone. You're not alone; I'm here, and I'll help you." He pulled the powerful witch into a tight hug. "We can fix this. You're a Halliwell, after all!"

Anakin just collapsed and sobbed into Lucien's shoulder. Lucien kept silent, searching for a way to help. After a few minutes, Anakin pulled back out of Lucien's embrace. "How?" This time he asked, helpless and lost. He was searching for an actual answer.

"I don't know," Lucien said honestly. "But despite everything that's happened to your family over the last three years, I know you are all miracle workers. If there was ever a family that deserved a cosmic break, it's yours."

"Ha," Anakin laughed sarcastically and sniffed wetly, "the universe cut me a break! Did you just see what happened?"

"I know, Annie," Lucien whispered gently. "I was there."

"I am sure this is easier for you," Anakin commented almost coldly. "I mean, I chose you – there must be a party going on in your head or something."

Lucien grabbed Anakin by the shoulders and forced the blond to look him in the eyes. "No! Anakin, I love you. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, never mind my boyfriend. I'm flattered that you protected me, but –" Lucien lost his voice. "But, Wyatt and Chris shouldn't have been a sacrifice for this, you and I, to survive."

"So I should I have chosen them?" Anakin asked, getting angry. "You mean –"

"Annie," Lucien interrupted, "this should never have happened. Someone played us; I'm just not sure if they got what they wanted or not."

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked incredulously. "Of course, they got what they wanted! Wyatt's dead! They've won!"

"No!" Lucien shook his head, and he waited for Anakin to look at him again before continuing, "As long as you carry on the fight, they'll never win."

Anakin's eyes became dull and distant. "But I don't want to carry on, Luc. I just want to die – I want to..." he simply shrugged and wandered back to the pile of ashes. "I want them to be here still. Luc, I want my brothers back."

Lucien nodded and walked up to Anakin and wrapped his arms around his waist, placing his chin on Anakin's right shoulder. "So let's find a way to get them back."