Legacy: Truth Unspoken

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Seven: Survivors

Susan frowned slightly as she studied the two outfits that Brooke presented to her, trying to decide. “Oh, I don’t know,” she admitted as she laid her hands on the bedpost, pressing her forehead against it. “They’re both really cute, but what exactly are we going for? Typical Brooke Murphy first date or ‘I want to have a really nice time that doesn’t end up how my first dates usually end up’ first date?”

“I’m not exactly sure, to be honest,” Brooke admitted. “I mean, we both agreed to take things slow, but I’m not sure how that’s going to last. Clearly, he has had just as much experience as me. How could he not, when he’s that hot?”

With a soft laugh, Susan shook her head, getting up and going into the closet, digging into it. “What are you doing?” Brooke asked. “I asked you to help me choose, not pick out another outfit.”

“Because Wyatt is going to be here in a half-hour, which means you need to get ready,” Susan answered, digging further into it. “How about this?” she inquired, holding up a pale green dress. “It’s nice and comfy and you will both be comfortable, plus it’s only one layer—two if you throw a sweater on. So if at any time, you want to go into ‘Typical Brooke Murphy’ first date mode, it’ll be nice and easy.” Brooke frowned as she looked at the dress, trying to decide. “At least go try it on.”

Brooke practically bounced out of the room, heading for the bathroom. Susan shook her head, glancing towards the mess that Brooke had made. Conjuring up the winds, she directed them back towards the hangers and into the closet. By the time that Brooke had returned, the mess had been cleared up and Susan was pulling out Brooke’s make-up kit.

“What do you think?” she asked, glancing towards her best friend. Brooke grinned happily, heading towards the desk and staring at the mirror carefully as she applied her make-up. “Okay, so what are we thinking about for the hair?”

“Just curl it,” Brooke said happily.

“I haven’t seen you this happy since before Ryan died,” Susan said dryly as she let the curler heat up. Brooke grinned. “So, are you ever going to tell me what exactly happened on your vision quest?”

Brooke stopped smiling and stared at her best friend in the mirror. Their eyes locked for a moment. Susan’s bright with worry and concern. Brooke’s dark with the threat of a secret meant to be kept.

“I wish I could tell you,” Brooke said softly, “but I can’t. There are some things you’re meant to discover on your own. And all that I can really say is that what you’re meant to learn, you’re going to do it in your own time. No amount of researching, googling, or anything else is going to make it happen any faster.”

Susan was quiet for a minute, then began to curl her hair. “You saw Ryan,” she said softly. “Didn’t you?”

“How did you—”

“You called his name, during the quest,” she said simply. “We all heard you. I can put two and two together, Brooke.”

Nodding once, Brooke sighed. “I want to tell you, but I kind of promised him that I wouldn’t. He did tell me that when you’re ready, you’ll know,” she added. “And not a moment sooner. Things always turn out right in the end, Sue, you know that.”

Susan was silent for a long moment before she finally looked up at Brooke, tears glistening in her eyes. “You want to know something?” she said quietly. Brooke nodded. “I’ve been having these weird dreams lately. About the night that . . .” She cut off, not finishing that sentence, but Brooke understood. The night that Ryan and her mother had died. “But it’s the way that I remember it. I mean, my dreams are . . . really vague, you know? It’s like memories that have moth holes or have been chewed upon by mice. Not everything comes together in one nice, neat package.” Leaning her head back, Susan sighed. “It’s almost as if . . . something or someone is blocking my memories of that night and my subconscious is struggling to try and help me remember. How come I’m dreaming about this? It can’t be real, right?”

Brooke said nothing, although her heart was racing as she heard this comment, her mind flashing back to what Ryan had showed her and the spell that Bobby had cast. Slowly, but surely, she was regaining her memories of that night. But only when she met her father would they return entirely. And who knew when that could be? Could she possibly keep a secret that long?

But she had to. She had promised Ryan that she wouldn’t tell Susan the truth about that night; that she would figure it out on her own. And Brooke Murphy was a woman of her word.

Susan seemed to take Brooke silence for agreement. “So why am I dreaming about this if it’s not real?”

“I don’t know, sweetie,” Brooke lied. “But we both know that there’s always a reason for everything. So there’s got to be a reason for this too. Maybe if you just be patient, the truth will come to you eventually.” She cleared her throat. “Don’t you have a date to get ready for?”

“Chris and I are having a nice, quiet dinner here and then watching a movie,” Susan replied as she finished curling Brooke’s hair. “So, I am all ready and the stuff’s in the kitchen.” She patted Brooke’s head. “You look beautiful. Go get him.”

Brooke laughed as she headed out into the living room just as the doorbell rang, her heels echoing across the wood floor. As she opened the door, she smiled pleasantly at Wyatt. “Hey, you look awesome,” Wyatt greeted her as Chris managed to get through the door. “You ready?”

Glancing back at the couple who were watching them near the kitchen, Brooke nodded. “Yeah, let’s go,” she said, grinning.

--

“Thank goodness that’s over,” Chris remarked as he poured the sauce into the noodles. Susan nodded in agreement. “I don’t know what was worse, the fact that we had to intervene in order to get them together or that I was getting involved in my brother’s love life.”

“Try it from my side,” Susan replied. “I was practically shoving her to forget about my brother and date yours.” Chris laughed. “What do you think?” She held up a spoon and he tasted it.

“You are an awesome chef,” Chris replied once he swallowed it. “Wow, you should get together with my mom sometimes. You two might conquer the world of food.”

Susan laughed. “Oh, I don’t know about that. Besides, I, uh, actually think that I might be going back into art,” she told him. Chris blinked, a surprised smile crossing his face. “It’s a part of who I am, somebody that I forgot about. And she deserves to have her chance for greatness.”

Chris grinned wildly as he finished pouring the sauce. “Well, that’s a good thing,” he remarked, glancing towards the chair, where he had laid his coat earlier. “Because I got something for you. Go look under my coat,” he instructed her.

Susan stared at him like he was crazy, then headed over to lift his coat and found the paint set that she’d passed in the bookstore yesterday. She gaped at it as she lifted it up. The tubes of paint hadn’t even been used yet, the expensive brushes weren’t even bent . . .

“Chris, it’s beautiful,” she whispered, unable to take her eyes off of it. “But it must’ve cost a fortune. I can’t take this.”

“See, you really need to get better at gift-receiving,” Chris told her, amused. “I bought it for you, it doesn’t matter how much it cost.” She looked at him. “Susan, when you told me you were an artist, I knew it wasn’t something that you were going to give up. And your brother wouldn’t want you to.” He walked over to her, wrapping her arms around her. “And I know I could love the girl you used to be.”

Susan smiled slightly as she turned around and kissed him more passionately than they ever had before. The only time that had even come close to this perfect moment was that one night on the bridge, when they had shared their first kiss. That night . . . had been just about as perfect as this one.

“Thank you,” she whispered as he held her tightly, kissing her forehead. “Thank you for saving me.”

“From what?” Chris whispered as he held her.

Susan smiled slightly as she looked up at him. “Chris, if it hadn’t been for you, then I might have been lost to my grief. I wouldn’t have survived this long if not for you,” she told him.

And as the two young witchlighters were kissing in the kitchen, no one noticed another witch standing outside of the window.

Bobby Connelly had a hard life, one in which he was forced to grow up much faster than he wanted to, but he had motherly love, the only kind of love he had ever known. And he was looking at the one from which he must protect his heart against, if he were to survive.

Both against finding love for himself and love of his sister.

--Fade to Black--

End Credits

Guest stars:

Holly Marie Combs as Piper Halliwell

Alyssa Milano as Phoebe Halliwell

Rose McGowan as Paige Matthews

Brian Krause as Leo Wyatt

Drew Berrymore as Deidre Connelly

Shawn Ashmore as Bobby Connelly

Jack Devonport as Peter Connelly

Kathy Ireland as Celandine Dawson

and Erik von Detten as Ryan Dawson