Table of Contents

Disclaimer and Summary

Chapter 1- Long time no see

Chapter 2- Going the wrong way

Chapter 3-Sacrifices

Chapter 4- Speculations

Chapter 5- Farewells

Chapter 6- Family

Chapter 7-Christopher Victor Halliwell

Chapter 8- Feelings

Chapter 9- Progress

Chapter 10- Grandpa

Chapter 11- Our Baby

Chapter 12- Talks

Chapter 13- Mentoring

Chapter 14- Gideon

Chapter 15- Confirmation

Chapter 16- Dad

Chapter 17- Trap

Chapter18- Goodbyes

Chapter 19- What the future holds

Disclaimer for story: I do not own “Charmed”

Summary: Two allies of Chris from the future come bearing interesting information to help the CO, and they end up rocking their world. Extremely AU. Chris revelation fic.

Author’s note: This is my first Charmed fic. I was inspired by other Charmed fics I’ve read so if you see an idea that you’ve read somewhere I probably adapted something I read for my story. I’ll try to give credit always but sometimes I might forget where I read what.

Any mistakes in Canon are due to me changing Canon to suit my story, for instance in this fic Chris is 20, I just like the idea of him being very young when this all started.

Have Fun!

Chapter 1- Long time no see

Piper watched as he expertly tackled the cooking appliances and couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity. She shook herself, of course he was familiar, he had been around them for almost a year now, but he had never cooked. Had he? How would his cooking feel familiar?

They had been once again trying to figure out who turned Wyatt and hunger had settled, Piper had started cooking but even as early as less than two month pregnant the raw food was making her nauseous and with extreme expertise Chris just took over for her while she joined the others at the table for ideas. And she had watched him move, as if he’d been in that kitchen all along, never asking where to look for something.

“Piper,” Leo prompted.

“Uh?” she said eloquently.

“What do you think?”

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

He smiled sympathetically probably thinking she was still queasy, and turned back to her sisters. Leo, he almost left after the whole Darklighter incident but then he decided to stay. Said Chris said something that changed his mind. Chris again. What did he say?

She watched as he sprinkled the Chicken with her special mix of condiments, and frowned, she was sure she came up with that mix and she never told anyone, she always wanted that to be a secret ingredient only imparted to a daughter. She smiled, maybe this time…

Everyone’s head came up as all of them felt a shift in energy, a shift they had already felt once before, when Bianca left and then Chris came back, Piper frowned, not when Chris first arrived.

“What the-“ Paige started as they followed Chris who was already moving his hands raised on another familiar gesture, an attack gesture Piper often made.

They heard noises upstairs and some muttering. Chris looked at Leo and signaled for him with his head to Piper’s direction and Leo seemed to understand because he came closer to her and Piper fumed inside at the treatment, as if she was an invalid.

“Paige and I will orb upstairs,” he whispered, “if we need you we’ll yell.” And so the two orbed out and Phoebe and Piper glared at Leo.

“Yeah, right,” Phoebe snorted and made her way upstairs followed by Piper.

“Piper, the baby!”

“I can take care of myself!”

As she approached the attic among the crashes she could also hear Chris’ yells:

“STOP! PAIGE! PAIGES! STOP! I KNOW THEM!”

“They attacked us!” Paige yelled.

“We defended ourselves!” an indignant voice yelled and Piper’s heart missed a beat as Phoebe whispered entering the attic:

“Prue.”

“Yes,” Chris said firmly positioning himself between the two newcomers and Paige with his arms held in a defensive measure, trying to stop both sides.

“They are from my future on our side,” he insisted.

“What sick sort of game is this?” Leo fumed as he entered. “Impersonating-”

“Oh for crying out loud I am not impersonating anyone, or do you think you are the only one that gets to die and become a whitelighter? I’ll have you know that I was a very good soul too when alive!” Prue fumed.

“Not helping,” Chris said desperately.

Prue, just like she looked the last time Piper had seen her glared at Leo, huffed and crossed her arms like a petulant child.

“We have important information,” the other woman said, “That’s why we came.” And for the first time Piper looked at her and startled a bit. There was no mistaking her, the voice, the eyes, she was Paige, a much older and hardened Paige. She looked so business like, no impish smile, no jokes but Piper knew as she knew herself that that was her baby sister. What happened to her?

“I vouch for them, they are my Paige and Prue, I swear I can sense them, Leo please sense them, you’ll know,” Chris begged. Leo looked reluctant but closed his eyes, after a few moments he smiled, “Prue.”

“Humph, now you’re chummy chummy,” Prue huffed.

“Are we good now?” Chris asked wearily. Paige narrowed her eyes and looked at the others for help, Piper looked back and she knew her younger sister wanted to deny, she didn’t know Prue after all and she must be in a big denial over her older self, she saw the fight go out of her when she got no backup.

“Fine!” she let out.

Chris dropped his arms and turned to the new comers. Thankfully they were positioned in a way that Piper could still see his face and what she saw for some reason made her heart constrict. His features softened, his usual impassive scowl, his fierce bossiness left his face and Piper appreciated for the first time how young he was. Older Paige moved towards him and raised a hand to his cheek tenderly and Piper saw a flicker of her sister but not enough, her hardness was still there but there was no mistaking the fondness, the love, that this person had for Chris, she engulfed him in a hug and Chris let himself be drawn and hugged her fiercely as if she could protect him from all that was hurting him and Piper felt lost. Chris was always so sure of himself and here he was, he was… a lost little boy, that was what he looked like.

“I missed you so much,” he heard him whisper into Paige’s neck and was sure he never meant for them to hear, “I hate it here.”

“I know,” Paige whispered back and she released him giving him a watery smile, the movement was repeated with Prue and by the time Piper looked back at Paige she would have sworn nothing happened, the hard woman was back.

She was recalled to Prue and Chris when Phoebe let a small gasp and she watched as Prue tenderly healed the cuts Chris had over his face from whatever had happened in the attic when her Paige got there and attacked the intruders.

“You said you had info?” her Paige reminded them annoyed.

“Yes we do,” older Paige said with a light smirk at her younger self’s impertinence, “We came across new information that we thought you ought to know. Shall we go somewhere…less clustered,” she finished pointing at the broken pieces of furniture that were scattered around.

“I’m not apologizing,” Paige huffed and left.

“I need to learn proper manners,” her older self remarked and Prue and Chris smirked as if enjoying a private joke. That startled Piper, Prue enjoying private jokes with Paige, who only came to the family after she had died, and Chris, Chris being so familiar, so easy going with them. Somehow that made her jealous of the two women, and she scolded herself, why would she be jealous of Chris?

“Let’s go?” Prue asked.

“Yeah,” Piper nodded unsure of what to do, she wanted to hug her and yell at her for dying, but was this her Prue? This Prue knew Chris, and Paige and obviously knew more than her.

xx

“I need to learn proper manners,” Paige was muttering to herself in a mocking way when Phoebe entered the room still a little dazed and not knowing how to react. She thanked her sister for that, because she managed to get her out of her stupor with her antics.

“Paige,” she said calling her baby sister. The last time she saw Prue she was the baby, and now… Prue had acted more like the baby then older Paige had. Being stuck in her thirties forever while older Paige was obviously in her fifties must have something to do with that, Phoebe thought. Must be hard to think of her sisters as younger then them when they looked older.

“Oh, hi,” Paige said. “Are they coming?”

“Yes,” Piper said briskly as she entered the living room followed by the others and Phoebe noticed that Paige’s glare wasn’t solely dedicated to her older self but she was giving Prue a calculated look too and Phoebe didn’t need to be an empath to know she was feeling threatened. Paige had come after Prue and in a way she had replaced Prue, she never did get over her insecurities.

Prue on the other hand seemed more wary of her and Piper than of Paige, or Leo for that matter. She seemed to be avoiding looking at the both of them and now that she noticed so did older Paige. Phoebe remembered what Chris said when he came, no Charmed Ones in his future. He obviously lied about Paige being killed by the Titans but what if he wasn’t lying about one or two of them being dead, Paige and Prue came, where were her and Piper? And why was Chris so close to them? There had been affection in their reunion. Loads and loads of affection. Chris was right now being led to the room by Prue by the hand and they had been trading looks as if they’d been talking silently. Chris had even shaken his head and Prue huffed and sent an exasperated look at older Paige who just shrugged.

Once they were all seated, and Phoebe couldn’t help but notice that they were separated into present and future groups, Leo asked calmly.

“So?”

“Oh, yeah, er…” Prue started unsure “how can we say this?”

“We found out recently that Wyatt had been assigned a whitelighter but before he reached the age to meet his whitelighter the whitelighter was reassigned to someone else and he never got another one, which proves Chris theory of him being turned instead of born an egotistical, megalomaniac genocide dictator,” older Paige stated matter of factly.

Chapter 2- Going the wrong way

“Of course he was you can’t possibly think my baby-“

“Your baby Piper,” older Paige said coldly, “Killed my babies, Phoebe’s babies, my sister, my husband, my brother in law and tortured his brother because he dared save me and Prue, and that’s not counting the thousand’s of innocents he has killed. She needs to know,” she told Chris who had been on the verge of scolding her, “you can’t protect her, she needs to know what he becomes so if you fail to save Wyatt she can do what’s needed.”

“And that would be?” Piper asked heatedly standing up. Older Paige matched her glare and posture.

“Strip him of his powers before he can wreck the damage he has,” she stated

“Strip him-“ Leo stammered.

“Yes, strip not bind, strip. That is the only way to save him if he wasn’t turned. I this is who he is because the alternative is for his brother, who is the only one that can match him in power, to kill him, and then we’ll loose them both. And right now, I don’t give a shit about Wyatt but I do not want to lose my nephew.”

xx

Leo couldn’t stop the rushing in his ears, he knew in theory that his baby was going to go evil but this, this. Paige was so, so not Paige, but if what she said was true he could understand why. His baby would turn on his own family, on his own brother, he would torture his brother. His brother. He had teased Piper when she said this time they would have a girl.

“I don’t know, the Wyatt propensity for boys has overcome the Halliwell’s for girls once already,” he had said and once again he had been right. His son. The son he almost left. When he had gone to inform Chris he was going Up There for good Chris had eyed him with so much disdain and sneered:

“So you’re bailing out on your family? Yeah, that would be right on schedule.”

That had Leo thinking. He obviously had done the same in Chris’s future and what if that was what helped Wyatt turn? What if his family had needed him and he hadn’t been there for them? And then Piper found out she was pregnant and Leo had been torn. He had been happy at being a father again but shouldn’t they be focusing on Wyatt? Didn’t he need them more?

And now, now the world would come to a place where his boys where on opposite sides and Chris of all people was the only one who seemed to believe in Wyatt, that they could save Wyatt. Paige certainly didn’t and Prue, Prue looked like she agreed with Paige if the apologetic looks she was giving Chris was anything to go by.

“That’s not a choice!” Chris said heatedly. “I already said we can’t do that! He’ll be a sitting duck without powers!”

“Chris is right!” Piper yelled.

“This family can protect him! His brother will protect him! No matter what!”

“His younger brother!” Phoebe remarked, “His almost two years younger brother, who doesn’t have a shield as we’ve already noticed.”

Paige snorted, “Just because he doesn’t have the same powers as Wyatt doesn’t mean he is defenseless. Haven’t you noticed anything different about your powers Piper?”

“No,” Piper answered snottily.

“Really?” Paige asked, “Haven’t blown up more than what you expected? Haven’t frozen the whole block when trying to freeze just Leo over there because he was annoying you?”

“Hey Piper doesn’t fre- oh, okay she does!” Leo conceded at the raised eyebrows.

“Well, that- my powers are evolving.”

“Well, they’ll go back to normal once the baby is born, and you’ll figure out why they had been doubled the first time the baby follows your lead and freezes his father when you two where fighting. If I recall correctly, he was three months old and not happy at having his nap disturbed,” Prue smirked. “Among the many powers he has the two that manifested from the womb were just like yours Piper, that’s why they went unnoticed, and when you figured out the Elders had ruled that he wasn’t as powerful as Wyatt and therefore didn’t need the special attention Wyatt needed and well, that suited you so you just let them think that.”

“Why?” Phoebe asked.

“To give him a normal life,” Piper answered.

Prue smiled, “Yeah. When he got a whitelighter and Wyatt didn’t most of the magical community just assumed that Wyatt was more powerful and could defend himself so he wasn’t assigned one but recently I met up with Andy.”

“Andy, as in our Andy, your Andy?” Phoebe asked.

“Yes, he is a whitelighter too. And he was the one assigned for Wyatt which proves Chris’s theory,” she continued.

“Why?”

“Only good souls get whitelighters,” Leo stated.

“Yes, well he was supposed to go to Wyatt when he was eight to start guiding him into his powers. That age had already been changed when Piper got pregnant again because right now Andy must be in training since Wyatt was born and the initial age was six.”

“But when Piper got pregnant the Elder Council must have decided for the two whitelighters to reveal themselves together, makes sense.”

“One whitelighter each?” Piper asked. “We got one between all of us.”

“Yes, but these boys are extremely powerful, they need one each,” Prue explained. “But the point is that whatever turned Wyatt turned him slowly because; first we never noticed second, Andy was pulled away weeks before Wyatt turned eight. And we surmised that whatever happened has to have happened around the time his brother was born.”

“How?” Leo asked.

“Piper’s journals,” Chris answered, “and Paige’s memories.”

“Someone messed with our memories and must have put a spell for us not to think much on the subject. I only started thinking on that when Chris brought that up because of Piper’s journals.”

“You read my journals? They’re personal!” Piper cried indignantly. Chris shrugged not a little bit guilty.

“I needed to find out what happened,” he said. “They were there and contained information. And I did. Unlike Paige and possibly Phoebe you had questioned yourself because you didn’t remember details from your second’s son birth. And you wanted to know why, all you could remember was that there had been complications that made you go into premature labor and he almost died.”

Leo’s blood froze and he pulled Piper to him putting a protective hand over her stomach right over where her hand had flown to.

“We figured that whoever attacked Wyatt made you go into premature labor as a distraction to get to him,” Chris continued.

“Yes, that was the theory, until Andy,” Paige said. “Now we don’t think someone turned Wyatt but they tried to get rid of both boys and didn’t get what they wanted but instead they did something to Wyatt that made him crave power.”

“What?” Chris asked.

“Think about that?” Prue said. “Wyatt isn’t your usual sadistic bastard. Every death had a purpose; get rid of the Halliwells who in his eyes could challenge him, punish his brother who went against him. He likes power and he kill for power but he doesn’t kill for fun.”

Chris nodded a little startled and Leo had the impression he never thought of that.

“We think someone didn’t like the idea of having two witches with so much power and tried to get rid of them both and whoever did this might not actually be evil,” Paige said.

“Whoever tries to kill babies has to be evil,” young Paige stated.

“No, not if they think they are working for the greater good,” Leo said. “You said Andy and my second’s son whitelighter where trained together, then how come you never knew Wyatt had been assigned a whitelighter?”

“Because the whitelighter’s memories had been modified but Andy’s couldn’t because Wyatt was his charge,” Prue said.

“Uh?” Phoebe asked.

“A whitelighter’s bond to their charge can’t be erased even if the charge doesn’t qualify anymore. His brother’s whitelighter’s memories could be changed because Wyatt wasn’t their charge. But to change the memory of a whitelighter while they were still in training had to be either a High Council Elder or a Cleaner and that can’t be-“

“No? There is no Elder up there that thought a baby so powerful as Wyatt was a bad idea?” older Paige asked Leo. “I’m not the one that came to this conclusion in the future Leo, you where.”

“You thought we had this all wrong. No one tried to turn Wyatt, they tried to get rid of him, messed up and then tried to cover up their screw up,” Prue said.

Chris had sat down again, “That’s, that’s- oh god-“ he grabbed his hair desperately, “so messed up”, he whispered.

“Yes, we know,” Prue said quietly sitting down. “That’s why we came. You couldn’t keep looking in the wrong place while-“

“Giving the enemy a play by play of our steps,” young Paige finished for her and Prue gave her a proud smile. Leo saw Paige blush a little.

“The Darklighter,” Chris muttered.

“What?” Piper asked.

“The Darklighter,” he said raising his head. “The Darklighter must have been sent to convince Leo to go back Up There for good not to get rid of Leo as we thought. Whoever this is must be one of those fanatics who doesn’t like the balance disturbed, like having and Elder down here. We need to find out who, and if we’re dealing with an Elder or a Cleaner.”

“That’s actually logic,” older Paige said. “That happened both times- we put a spell on ourselves when Chris left so we’d know what was new memories from changes Chris made and what was the old timeline. Unfortunately up until now the changes have been minor,” she explained at the looks she got.

“So you where all in the plan?” Leo asked he couldn’t believe he would have sent himself to a place like Valhalla but Prue shot his lingering suspicions of Chris down.

“Yeah. Valhalla- your idea. And stop whining because of one lousy day of fighting!”

“What?” Piper’s head snapped and she glared at him. Leo gave her a sheepish smile and saw from the corner of his eyes that Chris was uncomfortably being glared by the two future visitors.

“So, er, I should go investigate the Dark-“

“Actually, I think you should explain. Leo was quite angry when he got that particular new memory of you disobeying his orders,” Paige said.

“He’s a whiner!” Chris cried standing up. “He’s being whining because of one lousy day can you imagine what he would do if he had had actually to fight the whole time he was there?”

“He, unlike you can’t be killed!” Paige hissed.

“I had time to kill.”

“That you were supposed to use by resting before your mission,” she shot back. “Your orders were clear, banish Leo to Valhalla so he would be out of the day for long enough to a) give you time to establish yourself as our Whitelighter, b) to get him suspicious enough to stick around. And instead-”

“I did! I did just that! And he was, see? See? No harm done.”

“Can someone explain the yelling please?” Piper snapped annoyed.

“He,” Prue pointed at Chris, “Made some kind of deal with the Valkeries different than the one we had planned. He was supposed to go there and ask them to keep Leo for a few months and in exchange they would have an elder to fight for them for a few months. This way Leo would be at the same time out of the way and safe. But suspicious-“

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. We got that,” Phoebe said. “And?”

“And well, first the plan was ruined by you looking for Leo. The Valkeries were just going to let him go after a certain date. The Valkeries in the future gave us a token that would prove that we had struck the deal with them. They want Wyatt stopped too you know. He’s been attacking them,” Prue continued.

“But they were always neutral-“ Leo started to lecture.

“Not anymore,” older Paige said.

“Well, Leo was kept there, yes. But as I said he only fought that last day and there is no way the Valkeries would just wait hand and foot on him like that unless Chris traded,” Prue explained.

“Traded what exactly?” young Paige asked and Chris mumbled something. “Come again.”

“For every day I fought for them was one day they would keep Leo out of the arena,” Chris said. “They gave me a special amulet in the future so I could go to Valhalla to talk to them and I used the amulet to stay there since I had to come early because the portal can’t be set to a specific date but to years back. That’s why time passed by between me coming, and Bianca and them.” He looked for all purposes like a naughty boy awaiting punishment, punishment for taking the pain for Leo, when with a cold shiver Leo though that the girls were right, he couldn’t die but Chris could. Why would he do that when he always held Leo in so much contempt?

“That was-“ older Paige started scolding.

“Done and gone and way too much in the past for us to worry about when we have more pressing matters,” Piper said assuming command and Leo noticed the satisfied and warm smile Chris had on him. He frowned, he had noticed Piper was a bit of Chris’s favorite and at first he had been jealous thinking the young whitelighter had a crush on the older than him witch but the reaction he got when he confronted Chris was enough to quench that.

“Uh, ugh, eeeeeeewwwwwww, you are a sick sick man Leo, sick!” Chris had cried and gagged and left and he was almost sure he heard retching coming from the bathroom. At the time he didn’t understand but now he could. Piper had to be in her fifties if she was alive in Chris’s time. More so, for Chris to believe in Wyatt when his own family didn’t he had to be his friend and a friend’s mother is definitely eeww material.

Chapter 3-Sacrifices

“Are you staying long?” Piper asked older Paige as she approached the dining room’s table where Paige had been writing down the name of all the Elders they knew to think of potentials. Leo said that a High Council Elder had to be responsible and he thought a Cleaner more possible but they didn’t want to leave anyone out.

She could understand him. She was having a horrible time thinking her baby was going to kill her family. “He killed my babies, Phoebe’s babies and my sister!” echoed inside her head. She knew Leo was having a hard time accepting that one of his own could betray him like that.

Paige looked up and shook her head, “Prue is staying, she’s Chris’s whitelighter and she isn’t here right now, besides a whitelighter’s magic is quite passive but if I stay too long my magical energy will start battling with my younger self’s and that would unbalance the world or so Leo says. That’s why he didn’t come. As an Elder the unbalance is even bigger.”

“So Chris can stay because he hasn’t been born yet?” Piper said and Paige smirked. Piper’s eyes narrowed.

“In a way,” she answered evasively, “Chris can stay until his younger self reaches eighteen and therefore magical maturity.”

“Magical maturity?”

“Yeah, I know. I was startled too when I found out about that. But you have to remember our powers were bound theirs aren’t and when a witch grows up with their powers they reach full potential at eighteen. Chris is twenty so until his younger self’s eighteenth birthday their magic levels are different and won’t battle.”

“He’s twenty? Twenty? As in nineteen when he got here?” Piper asked astounded. She thought him older.

“As in very much underage when Leo gave him that bear, yeah.  I had fun watching that memory coming. Leo suddenly got up and went looking for a place to hide when he remembered you couldn’t kill him anymore for promoting underage drinking at P3.”

Couldn’t kill? Why because he was an Elder or because she was dead? Somehow she knew that was the latter.

She smiled, “So he’s Prue’s charges, that explains the closeness he showed to you two.”

“Yeah,” Paige mumbled and Piper had a feeling there was more. “Were he and Wyatt friends?”

“Best,” Paige said, “Chris would die for Wyatt and there was a time I thought Wyatt would die for Chris, I’m not so sure anymore. Chris is though. He firmly believes Wyatt can be saved, that there is still good in him.”

“But you don’t,” Chris would die for her boy and all this time she had treated him like crap. The look Paige gave her sent chills down her spine.

“Would you after seeing you whole family slaughtered? Bianca saved your second son Piper. Wyatt had been keeping me and Prue prisoners, after killing Phoebe painfully to show him what would happen to us if he didn’t agree, to make him obey and he thought he had managed. He had anti-orbing wards on the whole house and where we were imprisoned. He had wards in the house that only allowed him to use magic inside, no one else. Your second son found a way to put shimmering into an object and on one of the weekly visits Wyatt so graciously conceded him he handed us the object and asked for us to wait after the night patrol had passed to use it. Then he went back to the warded house to not arise suspicion. He thought Wyatt would only be informed in the morning when they found our room empty and he would have time to flee too but for some reason Wyatt decided to stop by for a surprise visit.”

Piper gasped and her hand went to her mouth, “He of course knew who had helped us, he pried his brother out of bed and tortured him for weeks. Very courageous of him to do so when only he could use magic. He would heal him just enough so he wouldn’t die. Finally Bianca found a breach where she could take him, effectively blowing her cover. She was supposed to stay and spy for us.”

Piper didn’t know what to think, this was horrible, and she owed her babies life to Bianca? A Phoenix?

“He was awful, and Leo couldn’t heal most of the wounds because Wyatt made sure no Whitelighter could. So he had to heal slowly and naturally. And we didn’t have medical supplies all that available. That was torture to watch. But Chris, Chris still thinks there was no way Bianca would have been able to get him out if Wyatt hadn’t wanted her to. Not just after losing us. That that proves there is still good in him. That he only tortured his brother because if he didn’t he would lose the respect of his demons.”

Piper nodded not knowing what to think, horrified at what she was hearing. All this time trying to force Chris to talk and now all she wanted was to go back to not knowing. Chris wasn’t trying to deceive them he was trying to protect them, to protect them from all this hurt, and who protected him? Did Wyatt kill his family too? He said he was here to save his family. Did Wyatt kill them too? How could he still want to save him if he did?

“I’m not telling you this to make you suffer and I know Chris has done his best to shield you all of this but you have to understand, you need to. You haven’t been taking this seriously. The only reason that the demons we had thought were a threat were dealt with was because Chris went after most of them and the ones he needed the power of three to finish off he did most of the work for you, but he wasn’t supposed to. He was supposed to guide you to them and use as little of his powers as possible. So he wouldn’t risk unbalancing the timeline. But he did, so you three could go on with your lives and that has to stop. He can’t do this alone, especially not if we are up against an Elder.”

“He’s not fighting alone,” Piper defended herself halfheartedly.

“No? Remember I have my memories, and I have eyes, Chris looks awful, worst then when he left a place where he did not have shelter and three meals a day guaranteed.”

That made Piper feel awful, she never did wonder what Chris was doing when he wasn’t there or if he had food to eat. She never even invited him to stay and eat. Today was the first time that he had been around when the subject food came up and he didn’t even blink when she couldn’t cook he just started cooking for her, just like he’d been doing her job for her this past year. And all she had done was complain and throw him out.

“You’re right, I am sorry.”

“I’m not the one you have to apologize too.”

“I don’t think he would welcome my apology.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. He is very much his mother’s son,” Paige smirked.

“Do we know her?” Then she shook her head “Of course we do, he said that I save her, that’s why he was disappearing when I was stuck in the ghostly plane.”

And there was that smirk again

xx

“I like when you put more salt,” Prue said leaning on the counter.

“You mean you like when you ruin my food by adding salt,” Chris remarked dryly.

“He sounds just like Piper,” Paige snorted from the table where she Phoebe and Leo where making lists.

Prue snorted and the looked at Phoebe and Paige, “You two going to ignore me much longer? I see Piper has fled.”

“We’re not ignoring you,” Phoebe said.

“I am,” Paige stated.

“Don’t worry, I know how to deal with you, been there done that. Know how to deal with the other two too but I was just thinking we could make this easier.”

“I think you’ll find this time’s Piper a little easier,” Chris said.

“Yeah,” Prue chuckled.

“Why is that?” Leo asked and Prue looked straight at Chris.

“NO!” was slammed into her mind like a door.

“Spoilsport,” she sent back.

“Can’t tell you, future consequences and all,”  She sighed, Chris could be stubborn when he wanted to. Just as he had proved when she and her Paige had been arguing with him telepathically about him telling them who he was. There was no more reason for secrecy now that he had been conceived. Before that he risked Piper conceiving to early out of nerves and therefore conceiving someone else, or too late. He had to be conceived at the right time or he wouldn’t be him and so the best strategy was to Leo and Piper would work this out just like the last time. But now Chris was just being stubborn. Like his mother. And she let him know that through their link.

Chris was putting the final touches in the food when older Paige and Piper entered the kitchen.

“Told you,” older Paige said as she got one of the finished plates and went to the table.

“How did you know?” Piper asked astounded.

“What?” Chris asked.

“That the food was ready.”

“Oh,” Chris said. “Like this.”

Young Paige gave a startled yelp and looked around.

“What’s wrong?” Phoebe asked worried.

“He just yelled to me to move my lazy ass and help set the table inside my head! How did you do that?”

“Whitelighter blood,” Prue said calmly as she took some plates.

“See, I told my Paige the food was ready,” he said matter of factly.

“You can talk telepathically?” Leo asked. “Whitelighters can’t.”

“No but witches with whitelighter blood can,” Prue said.

Leo nodded, “Makes sense.”

“Uh, no,” Piper said.

“Witches can send messages to their whitelighters telepathically, like when you call for me. You don’t actually have to call me out loud, you just do. The message is telepathic. I hear wherever I am. But that is prompted by your magic. A whitelighter can’t call me that way. And the elders can only jingle, not actually send words like you can. But since he has whitelighter blood and witch blood he can send and receive.”

“We thought that was what happened, not sure how he can hear Prue though. We thought that might be because she’s f- er- a Halliwell, former Charmed one you know” older Paige finished with a glare to Chris and Prue could imagine the yell she just got.

“You where talking like that before, when you came into the living room right?” Phoebe asked, “and that’s how you knew Chris didn’t want you to tell us about Wyatt, he tried to stop you. Just like now, when you where about to say something else.”

“Yes, well, can’t say more about that,” older Paige huffed. “Let’s eat we have work to do before I leave tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Chris asked as he sat next to her with a desperate plea to his voice.

“Can’t stay more than that,” she smiled sadly.

“But Wyatt will be waiting. He’ll know you opened a portal, and how did you? I took the spell with me?”

“Leo over there,” Prue smiled. And Leo blushed.

“I might have memorized the spell in case you took this page too, Sorry I-”

“Don’t trust me,” Chris said tightly. “Fair enough. Guess that means I did my job. But you can’t go back-”

“I have to,” older Paige said taking his hand.

“That’s suicide,” he said taking her hands with both of his and fidgeting nervously as if he could keep her here by his actions. His eyes where shiny, his jaw set and his voice tight and Prue knew he was holding back tears. She already had this conversation but she also was not happy with the outcome.

“There was no other way. Prue couldn’t come alone. She wouldn’t have gotten past the guards without active powers and there was a better chance of them believing us if I was here then just someone that is dead. You need this information. The risk is worth- Chris! Listen!” she said firmly as he shook his head.

“I’m not hungry anymore,” and he dropped her hands and orbed out just like that, just like Prue knew he would. She was about to orb after him but Phoebe stopped her with a hand in her arm.

“Leave him,” she said. “If I understood this right and to me this all still feels unreal, your chances of surviving are slim to none right?” she finished with her voice trembling to older Paige and she nodded. “He knows this and he knows this had to be done from that little I know of Chris. But he needs to come to terms with this.”

They all sat silently, dinner completely forgotten.

xx

A/N: Wyatt using Paige and Prue as leverage to control Chris was inspired by “A Company man” by monroeslittle, which is a great Chris revelation fic where the CO go looking into Chris’s memories and find more than they bargained for.

Chapter 4- Speculations

It was past one in the morning and everyone was asleep or so she thought. Prue and older Paige had taken Phoebe’s bed and Phoebe and her Paige were supposed to be sleeping in Paige’s. Victor had brought Wyatt back from their little play date and had almost dropped him when Prue answered the door very chirpy with a:

“Hello dad!”

Victor’s reaction seemed to be more appropriate than his daughter’s and Paige’s since as soon as the shock and explanations were made he engulfed her in a hug and had been very reluctant to let her go hours later to go back home.

She still hadn’t managed to do that, she still wanted to yell but most of all she did not want to go through the pain of losing her again.

As she entered the kitchen for a midnight snack, she was pregnant after all she found she was not the only one who had that idea and Phoebe and Paige where already delighting themselves with the previously uneaten dinner.

“This is so good! Don’t let Piper hear me but this is even better then-“

“Phoebe!”

“What?”

“Behind you.”

Phoebe turned a guilty face and stammered, “Oh, Piper er-“

“You were saying?” Piper asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Er- nothing,” Phoebe tried lamely.

Piper huffed and took a plate putting some cold chicken in her plate, “Let’s see if you are right,” she put a fork full of chicken in her mouth and had to bite her tong not to humm in pleasure. This was delicious, and when cold food is still delicious you just know that the cook is good, but she wasn’t about to say that, “Passable.”

“Do you think he’s mine?” Paige asked.

“What?” she asked.

“Chris, I mean. Did you see his reaction to my possible death and we were so close and you know, he’s part whitelighter.”

“You said Wyatt killed your kids,” Phoebe sadly pointed out.

“Yeah, but maybe one survived,” she shrugged.

“That would explain why he is so familiar with this house,” Piper said but somehow she didn’t see him as being Paige’s son. Sure he had her little sarcasm streak but he was Prue’s charge, he must have been raised around Paige and her. Maybe that’s why he cooks so well, maybe that’s why he was so familiar, maybe she taught him. “But older Paige said he was best friends with Wyatt and any son of yours has to be a few years younger than him. I don’t see kids being best friends with little brats,” she smirked.

“Unless you are planning on getting pregnant now then the difference would be only two years and the bratinness can be overcome by the cousin factor,” Phoebe said. “But in my vision you didn’t have kids yet.”

“Just a thought,” Paige shrugged.

“Maybe he is just close,” Phoebe said. “He did say he lost his family. Maybe he came to live with us.”

“Yes, that did make more sense, after all if he were a Halliwell he would have said so when he got here right? Yes, they would know if he was family they would just feel it. They would never treat family like they did Chris- would they? She swallowed another mouth full of chicken and somehow this one didn’t taste as good.

xx

He was cold. He hugged himself as the wind bit against his skin. Cold was good, cold left him numb, not enough to forget he was about to lose yet another member of his family though.

Maybe she would be able to get out of the manor. Who was he kidding? They must have had to break in to be able to open a portal. Wyatt would have been alerted and posted guards just to be there when they came back. He wasn’t stupid and just like Chris had known when he saw them, Wyatt would know Paige couldn’t stay. Chris had known, but knowing and accepting are way different.

And now, his aunt would die, why couldn’t someone else’s aunt die for the greater good just for once? Why did he have to keep outliving everyone, his mum, his cousins, his uncles, his Aunt Phoebe. He closed his eyes painfully, he would never get away the image of their horrible deaths from his head.

He had begged Wyatt not to. But Wyatt had said Chris needed to see what would happen to believe him. Chris yelled that he did believe him, that he would be good, please no. But Wyatt had anyway. He had felt pleasure at killing a Charmed One. Right in front of Chris, right in front of her husband and children.

And then he killed the children, said he couldn’t let them grow up to defy him. His Uncles, according to Wyatt were just useless. And he left Prue and Paige, so that Chris would learn; learn to rule by his side.

Chris didn’t want to rule, he just wanted to live, go to school maybe have a girlfriend. He told Wyatt this and Wyatt just laughed and said he would learn. That was when he was sixteen, four years later and Chris hadn’t learned yet. He still didn’t want to rule.

He heard and felt orbs behind him but didn’t move from his lying position on the cold metal.

“Freezing yourself to death won’t change the outcome.”

“What do you know?” he snapped. “You’re cozy and safe barking orders while others risk their lives.”

“I’m an elder, I couldn’t come, that would unb-“

“Fuck the balance!” he cried getting up hastily and almost lost his balance. Leo lunged forward and held him before he fell. “This is all screwed up because someone was so worried about the balance!”

“We’re going to change this Chris. None of that will happen they won’t die, she won’t die.’

“Yes she will,” he hissed through tears. “They’re all going to be still dead when I go back. They won’t be mine.”

And Leo didn’t try to placate him he just stared at Chris as if for the first time he understood, that when Chris went back, no one would be the same, no one would remember but he would.

“You’ll still have Prue, and everyone else may be different but in essence they are the same,” Leo said quietly and before Chris could answer he felt himself being orbed away, just like when he was little. He couldn’t remember the last time someone orbed him, he was in command, on his own for so long.

xx

Okay, he cheated, but honestly. The kid needed the rest.

He had already realized for a while now that Chris wasn’t evil and whatever he did was to save Wyatt, but somehow Prue’s and Paige’s arrival opened a whole knew Chris to them. For the first time Leo saw he was just a boy struggling to save his friend, and that he had been too harsh with him.

Yes, Valhalla was cruel but needed. He saw that now.

“What happened?” he heard Piper ask as he settled Chris on the living room couch.

“Oh you know, he fell asleep,” he tried to lie vaguely. “I used some of my powers to get him to sleep,” he finished lamely.

Piper shrugged, “Yeah, well, he needed to. But you’ll deal with the aftermath,” and Leo winced.

“Let’s go to bed,” she held a hand out to him, “We need the rest too. We have a full day of planning tomorrow before Paige has to- a full day of planning.” He saw her swallow and he nodded feeling a lump in his throat. They would change this. Paige wouldn’t die and she would never become the Paige they met.

Chapter 5- Farewells

He felt a hand brush through his hair as he groggily woke up. As his green eyes opened he met concerned brown ones. He tried to smile but he couldn’t.

“You understand why I did this don’t you honey?”

He nodded afraid to speak as his voice would certainly crack. She had been there for him, always. Before his mom died she was always there to spoil him rotten and when Piper died and Leo would forget him she never did. He would wait and wait after he had reminded his father of the parent teacher’s meeting a hundred times but he would never come, and she would squeeze his hand and continue asking the teachers about him. She had arrived, in time, without him even having to tell her about the meeting. He knew Prue or Wyatt had mentioned. Wyatt would always get angry at their father later on. He would always berate him for missing the meeting.

“I’ll be there next time Wyatt,” Leo would say. “Don’t we have one next week?”

“That’s mine, and I know you’ll be there. I’m talking about Chris!”

He’d defend him. Be the best big brother Chris could ask for and Chris couldn’t understand what went wrong. Why would the brother who took care of him kill the ones he loved?

“These last four years, after I lost Henry and my girls you were all I was living for, Chris. Because I love you and because I knew that if the situation had been reversed Piper would have done all she could for my girls,” her voice was thick but she was still composed as she had been ever since he woke up in pain right after Bianca rescued him. He was eighteen. He had taken two years to figure out how to get them out and another year of fighting for their lives, for everyone’s, before he managed to convince them his plan was their best chance.

“I love you too Aunt Paige,” he said thickly as he got up and hugged her fiercely as if he could keep her with him.

After a while she let go and looked straight at him, “You should tell them. You have the right to have their support.”

“But what if when I go back she’s still dead?” he asked quietly, his eyes wet with unshed tears.

“You don’t know that. You’ve already changed some. Your dad’s here instead of up there.”

“Was she al-“

“No, she wasn’t,” she shook her head sadly, “that happened the same way but maybe, maybe you just have to show him that you both need him not just Wyatt.”

“I tried, all my life,” he said in a whisper.

“Yes, but he can be quite thick when he wants to. Maybe he needs help.” She smiled sadly. “But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love just as much.”

Chris shook his head, “He does Chris. Believe me.”

Chris didn’t answer, he just hugged her more.

xx

“You know, I’m not going anywhere soon and in less then seven years, voilá, me again!”

Piper looked at her older sister, was she older still? Piper was already older than Prue had been when she died.

“Yeah, well you died. And no one had authorized that,” she said briskly as she changed Wyatt.

“You mean; you didn’t. You know back in my timeline, seven years from now, you pointedly ignored for a month before shouting at me. I thought we could skip that this time, even though I had fun watching you ignore me when I was standing right next to you.”

“Well watch me again,” she said picking up Wyatt and walking out of the nursery.

“Like mother like son,” Prue muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she smiled and Piper narrowed her eyes. She turned around and walked purposely towards downstairs and the kitchen. She passed older Paige and Chris. She noticed they both had bloodshot eyes but said nothing. Chris looked like he had just woken up. He was frowning at the blanket that was on him.

“How did I get here?” he asked.

“Ask Leo,” she answered. She was not going near that boiling kettle.

“He magically doped me didn’t he?” he asked annoyed.

She smirked at him as he huffed and stalked towards the kitchen. Phoebe and Leo where already there.

“Breakfast anyone?” Leo asked.

“You made me sleep!” Chris accused Leo poking him with his index finger. Leo was quite unfazed.

“Better than let you freeze,” he shrugged.

“That’s, that’s, that’s- cheating!” Chris spluttered.

“Yeah,” Leo agreed with a smile.

“Let’s have breakfast people. We need to get all our intel together and see what’s the best way for you to proceed,” older Paige said, well kind of ordered.

Everyone did sit down and young Paige said, “What will we do? We can’t very well just confront and blow all the elders and cleaners up!”

“That’s a good-“ Piper started saying but shut up as she glanced at Leo.

“She’s right. If this is an Elder he is either a loner or has too few supporters. If not he wouldn’t go through all this trouble. He would have all the Elders backup to act and they would just order Wyatt removed like when the Cleaners tried,” Chris said.

“This could be a Cleaner that wasn’t satisfied when they didn’t manage to remove Wyatt,” Leo pointed out and Piper did sympathize with him but she was not going to overlook the Elders.

“But an Elder is more probable since they are the ones that train the Whitelighters and have easier access,” older Paige stated. “But Chris is right, and the Elders do serve their purpose, we can’t just wipe them off. We need to find out which one or ones is behind this and deal with them, preferably in a way that will have the other Elders on our sides not his.”

“Yes, but the clock is ticking,” Phoebe said.

“Yet we still have six months before they make their move, especially if we don’t alert them that we are on to them,” Prue said.

“How do we do that?” young Paige asked and the three future members of their group traded smirks.

“Feed them false intel,” Chris said simply. “Let the Elders think we’re looking somewhere else. Let them comfortable.”

Piper couldn’t help but wonder how many of strategy meetings Chris and her sisters had to have had in the future to talk like that so easy. “Feed them false intel”. Was that a common practice? Paige had mentioned Bianca was supposed to spy for them. She couldn’t even imagine living in a world where you needed spies and to gather “intel”.

“We can’t rush this and risk them acting sooner because we alerted them. We have six months, then let’s use them to do this thoroughly,” Phoebe agreed with the future members. The others nodded and after they ate breakfast they gathered together to finish Paige’s list of potential enemies and to make a list of demons they could use as false leads. As twelve o’ clock approached Piper saw Chris excuse himself but she didn’t see him come back and the clock was ticking. In less then an hour Paige would leave. Where was he?

xx

Chris tried his best to be inconspicuous and when the lunch break came he approached the little six year old girl without the teacher seeing.

“Hey Bianca,” he asked gently. “Can you do me a favor?”

The girl looked up at him and narrowed her eyes suspiciously, “How do you know my name?”

He crouched down and smiled, “I know the future, and I know you’ll be a heroin.”

“Really?” she asked bright eyed.

“Humhum, but right now I need a favor,” and he took a little coin. “I need you to take this and close your eyes and try to shimmer.”

“How do you know that? We’re not supposed to do that in public!” she said her eyes going round.

“No one is around,” he said smiling. And he was right the corridor was deserted. Luckily for him Bianca had strayed behind.

“Will you do me this favor? I need this very much.”

The little girl took the coin and pondered. She then resolutely nodded, “To where?”

“To here, I just need you to try and shimmer.”

She closed her eyes and Chris started chanting. The shimmering energy started to involve her and went straight to the coin witch went hot then cold again. The little girl gasped and dropped the coin.

“What happened? Did you steal my shimmering?” she asked suspiciously.

He smiled picking the coin up, “Just borrowed a bit. Try again. You’re good.”

And she did and shimmered away and back and smiled relieved.

“Good, mummy would be so angry.”

“Thank you,” he smiled, kissed her cheek and orbed out.

xx

They were getting the portal ready and still no Chris. She thought of calling him but he wouldn’t deliberately miss Paige’s departure, would he? Piper asked herself. She was about to yell when he orbed in.

“Where were you?” she snapped.

“Getting something,” he answered vaguely.

“Better have been something important.”

“It was.”

“All ready,” older Paige said as she finished drawing the triquetra.

“I guess this is goodbye,” she tried to smile.

Piper nodded and came forward to hug her. She didn’t know why. They hadn’t talked or bonded much, but this was her little sister after all. “Good luck and take care.”

Phoebe came next, “We’ll change this all.”

Leo agreed as he too gave her a hug, “Tell my future self I’ll kick his ass if he doesn’t make sure you’re fine.”

Older Paige turned to her younger self and young Paige said, “This is weird.”

“Yes,” older Paige chuckled she hugged her younger self, “Hopefully you’ll never become me.”

She turned to Prue, “Hey big sister, don’t cry.”

“M’not crying,” Prue said through tears. “I know you. You’re too annoying to die,” she said as she hugged Paige fiercely. “I love you, you were never a replacement you know that?”

“Took me some time but eventually I figured that one out. I love you too.”

They drew apart but still held each other loosely and Paige planted a kiss on Prue’s forehead.

She then turned to Chris and pulled him in the same loose embrace.

“You take care, and think about what I said. Make sure Prue doesn’t cause too much trouble.”

“Hey!”

“You get out of there as fast as you can, okay? Don’t linger, and blast your way out if you have too,” he said his voice thick and his hands convulsively tightening on Paige’s arms, and Piper had the feeling Paige knew all that but let him talk to feel better. “I got you this,” and he handed her a coin and Paige smiled.

“He’ll probably have thought of that you know?”

“Doesn’t hurt to try,” Chris shrugged.

“Bianca?”

“Yah, I went to her school but that will work.”

Piper wondered what that was and then remembered Paige’s word, “found a way to put shimmering into objects”. The Manor would be warded against orbing not shimmering. Chris was trying his best to give her an escape route.

Paige hugged Chris again and Piper was startled by his words, “You were the best second mum I could have asked for.”

Second mum, did Paige raise him after he lost his family? That would explain the closeness.

“You were always my favorite you know?” she smiled at him. As he reluctantly released her she walked back and the girls started chanting. The portal opened and Paige stepped in with a last look back. Chris’s face was set. Piper knew he was trying his best to hold his emotions together as he held a crying Prue. Be strong for her.

As the portal closed a part of Piper went cold at the thought of what her baby sister would face at her baby’s hand.

xx

A/N- Thanks for reviewing!

Chapter 6- Family

“So apparently he’s not mine,” Paige said as she, Prue and Phoebe were cleaning up the attic. With all the fuss about the new comers the mess of the previous day had never been cleared.

Their copping mechanism had been to hope older Paige had managed to escape and after Prue had gone and locked herself in her old room for hours, Chris had orbed out for the same hours, Piper had vigorously scrubbed the kitchen, Phoebe written a heart wrenching column and Paige brewed a potion after the other, they had all decided to go on with life as normal.

“In a way he is,” Phoebe said.

“Who is what?” Prue asked.

Phoebe looked at her and Prue sighed, “This is easy you know? You two just start talking to me again and we pretend you never ignored me.”

“I don’t know you,” Paige said defensively.

“No,” Prue smiled, “but you’ll get to. And I kind of know you but at the same time don’t. After all we’re trying to change that all.”

Paige shrugged, “Why not?”

“Phoebe?”

Phoebe looked sad and about to cry, “I missed you and you weren’t there and Piper had to start bossing around.”

“She always bossed around,” Prue said dryly.

“Yeah, but now I actually had to listen! And I missed you.”

Prue dropped the piece of furniture she was lifting and walked to her sister and hugged her, “I missed you too you know? These last four years. Seeing you alive again wasn’t easy. I know what you’re feeling but do you know what I learned these four years?”

Phoebe shook her head, “Never take the time you have with the people you love for granted because you never know what will happen. We saw death every day, friends and family. People that became family, brothers in arms. I don’t even know how Paige and Leo are now because a day away is all that takes to everything be different were I come from. But I will give you your time if you need.”

Phoebe shook her head and hugged Prue tighter.

After a while they separated and Prue asked, “So who isn’t Paige’s?”

“Chris?” Paige answered and at Prue’s chuckle she cried defensively, “We were speculating!”

“Well, Phoebe is right in a way he is.”

“Because of the whole second mum?” Phoebe asked.

“That too, you Paige, took him under your wing after his mom died. His dad, well,” and Prue looked like she wasn’t very happy with Chris’ dad, “His dad often forgot he had more than one son and Chris was left by himself.”

“So he’s a jerk,” Paige said.

“No,” Prue said cautiously, “He just- he needs to straighten out his priorities. He had time for the whole world and for his firstborn but he never made time for Chris, and when he realized what he missed there was no going back. Too much history, too much disappointment. Especially regarding his mom’s death.”

“What do you mean?” Phoebe asked.

“She died in Chris’s arms while he made himself hoarse calling for his father who had a habit of not answering Chris,” Prue answered.

“Why didn’t he call for you or Wyatt?” Leo asked from the door.

“I was being punished for not adhering to Whitelighter rule crap. I had been Up There and not aloud contact for a month. Wyatt was Up There in the same meeting Chris’s dad was and well he wasn’t aloud to answer by Chris’s dad,” Prue huffed clearly angry. “His father on the other hand just couldn’t be bothered. He finally decided to show after Chris didn’t stop after hours and before he even finished orbing in he was already lecturing him. Took him a while to realize his fourteen-year-old son was crying and holding his ex-wife’s dead body. There was evidence everywhere that Chris had tried desperately to save her. No one knows how long he stayed there with her dead.”

“How could he?” Leo asked disgusted. “How could he ignore his son’s calling?”

“I don’t know. I hope he doesn’t this time,” she said straight to Leo and Paige had the feeling that she meant a lot more then just story telling by that remark.

xx

“I think Gideon might be our best source of information. After all he is down here and probably the most approachable Elder,” Chris said as he studied the lists with Piper.

“I don’t know,” she said. “He is always on Leo’s case about going back Up There.”

“But he was one of the ones that supported you marriage. I don’t think someone that supported your marriage can be against any kids you have.”

“Yeah, still. I get a funny feeling from him,” Piper said and Chris shrugged.

“Did you know him in the future?” she asked.

 “Yeah, I went to magic school too. My mom wanted me to have a normal life so I went to regular school, but I was also magic so I went there part time, after school,” Chris explained and Piper could sympathize with his mother. She was in the same dilemma after all.

“He was always good to me. Took an interest. He was always preaching about the importance of my destiny, that was annoying but he was a sight better then most of the teachers who fawned over Wyatt and had not time for the others.”

“You sound jealous,” Piper remarked.

“Annoyed mostly,” he shrugged. “I don’t want what Wyatt had; I just wanted the minimum I had the right to, you know? I know he wasn’t at fault but I was annoyed by the people who kind of got dumb-fied because of a title. “Twice-Blessed”” he sneered. “I blame them too for what he became you know? They let him think he was better than everyone else, above everyone. They aren’t innocent in this.”

“Me too I guess then,” she asked quietly. She always worried about that. About all the talk about Wyatt’s power and how that could go to his head.

He looked sadly at her, “No, you where one of the few people that treated him normally, praised him when he deserved and called him on his faults. You treated both your both your boys equally. The rest of the world didn’t and when Wyatt didn’t get a Whitelighter and his brother did, they assumed that was because he was weaker, and let everyone, Wyatt include think that. And because of that Wyatt thought he could control him.”

“But he couldn’t?” she asked.

“No,” Chris shook his head. “He managed to build the resistance right under Wyatt’s watchful eyes.”

Piper couldn’t help the proud feeling she got. Everything she heard of Wyatt made her shudder and be ashamed but at least her second boy had come out right. At least he had fought for what was right.

“What do you propose we question Gideon about?”

“I don’t think we can question him out right he might comment to the wrong person. But maybe feel him out. Leo is too new at being an Elder. He is kind of a Junior and therefore not privy to all the information. There may have been discussion about the threat Wyatt might pose and we need to know who argued against Wyatt.”

Piper nodded. That did make sense. But she still wasn’t a hundred percent sure about Gideon. But as Chris said they weren’t going to be outright with him, maybe he was a good bet. Besides he was the one they were going to feed the false intel to anyway, since he was the closer link.

“The Darklighter is a good lead too. Whoever hired him had to have left some trace. Maybe I could go undercover and try to get some information.”

“Undercover? How?” she didn’t like the sound of that. Somehow in the last few months since accepting that Chris had Wyatt’s best interest at heart and after seeing him with her sisters she had started getting attached to him. And whereas before she never questioned the danger he put himself in, now she wasn’t all that comfortable with the idea.

“You know, black clothes, bow, a little spell to change the color of my orbs.”

“Must I remind you that their arrows have poisons?”

“Must I remind you they are our best lead?” he asked her raising an eyebrow.

She sighed, he was right, “Fine, but at the first sign of trouble orb out!”

“Yes mam!”

He muttered bossy and she was about to slap his head when she heard a crash from the living room where Wyatt was. They both got up and ran towards the living room. Wyatt’s shield was up and a demon had been thrown back. Chris swiped his hand in the air and had a second demon, that was going straight at Piper, fly away. Orbs formed and Prue, Phoebe, Leo and Paige joined the fight. They weren’t that much of a threat. A few blows here and there and they had the little group under control. Chris took care of the last one by blowing him up but not before being grazed by a fireball that lit up his shirt.

“Shirt!” Paige yelled and Chris shirt was orbed out of him and into a vase full of water. Prue ran to heal Chris and that is when Piper had a clear view of Chris’s naked torso. His back and front were littered with scars and Piper just knew, in that horrifying moment, how he got them. Everything suddenly clicked together. All the scattered pieces made sense.

“He pried his brother out of bed and tortured him for weeks”.

His familiar way in the kitchen. Her way.

“Like mother like son” Prue muttered.

“He cooks better than Piper.”

“I’m not the one you have to apologize too.”

“I don’t think he would welcome my apology.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. He is very much his mother’s son.”

Why Prue could talk to him through the link, she’s family

“His brother will protect him!”

“But Chris, Chris still thinks there was no way Bianca would have been able to get him out if Wyatt hadn’t wanted her to. That that proves there is still good in him.”

He still thinks that after being tortured, Piper thought and said her next thought out loud.

“You are my son.”

The whole room froze.

xx

A/N-Thanks for reviewing!

Chapter 7-Christopher Victor Halliwell

Leo’s blood froze, the whole room had frozen. No Piper was wrong, because if what she said was right then he was the father that would let his son beg for his mother’s life. She had to be wrong. But the desperate look Chris had, the horrified look Chris had told him everything. He looked as someone who had been caught, someone who was trapped, and Prue had just gotten up and cried.

“Finally!”

“You’re my son?” Piper repeated. “You’re Wyatt’s brother. The one he tortured. He did this to you.” She came closer and touched one of his scars and Chris backed away as if scorched.

“He had to. I defied him,” he said desperately.

“Don’t defend his actions Chris!” Prue said angrily and everything suddenly made sense. Chris was the only one who still believed in Wyatt, not because he was his friend but because he was his brother. He was desperately trying to save his brother.

And himself from having to kill Wyatt.

Chris had just blown up the demon, just like his mother would have. In the middle of the fight he must have forgotten himself and used a power he wasn’t supposed to and still Leo hadn’t realized. All the clues had been there. His favoritism to Piper. His aversion to the idea of a crush on her. His bossiness, just like his mother. His stubbornness, well that came from both.

But he couldn’t, he couldn’t be a father that ignored one son but he was, wasn’t he? Hadn’t he thought Wyatt was more important? That Wyatt needed him more even before he knew of Chris? When Piper told him she was pregnant again?

He had. He might not have gone away as Chris alluded he did the first time, but he still ignored one son.

No wonder Chris always treated him so coldly.

He lifted his head and saw that Chris was desperately trying to look for an escape route. He had his arms folded over his chest trying fruitlessly to cover the view. Sticking one of his hands out he orbed his drenched shirt to him and hastily put it on.

“Chris, that’s soaked!” Phoebe cried.

“It’s fine, I have to go. The Dark-“ and Leo could see the desperate attempt to pretend nothing happened.

“Oh, you’re most definitely not going! Especially not now!” Piper cried.

“Five seconds ago you agreed with the plan!” he cried and the frustration in voice was palpable.

“Five seconds ago you weren’t my son!”

“Actually, I always was!” he yelled back.

“Well then why didn’t you say so?”

“Because when I go back you’ll still be dead!” he yelled and then looked as if all he wanted was to take that back. His eyes widened as Piper took a sharp intake of breath.

Before anyone could react Chris orbed out and Prue muttered, “Told you, like mother like son!”

“You have some explaining to do,” Phoebe pointed a finger at Prue and Prue sighed deeply.

xx

“Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shitshitshitshitshitshit!”

Chris muttered as he paced the length of the bridge. He knew he shouldn’t be here, or at least put on a dry shirt before coming here, the wind was cold and biting. But he was desperate. They were not supposed to know, they were not supposed to know! He had freedom, he came and went and no one asked. Ten seconds being his mother and she was already bossing him around.

Yes, that was his reason, very solid, very rational, logic, he had a job to do. He couldn’t be mothered no matter how much he missed her.

What he yelled. Well, that, that was not the reason. At all, no,no,no. Oh, who was he kidding? That was the reason, just like he told Aunt Paige. He couldn’t lose her twice. He couldn’t. He gripped his hair desperately.

xx

“So he’s Chris Perry Halliwell?” Paige asked from the couch.

“Er, no, he’s Christopher Victor Halliwell, you know one for each grandfather,” Prue said.

“My dad’s name was Christopher,” Leo said quietly.

“Yeah, Perry’s a joke.”

“A joke?” Phoebe asked.

“Perry White? From Superman? Wyatt used to say Perry Wyatt when he was little and because Wyatt thinks he is indestructible.”

“Superman wasn’t. He had kryptonite,” Piper said quietly, “Maybe Chris is his Kryptonite,” she smiled sadly.

“Maybe, Chris thinks that because Wyatt never killed him and had orders for his demons not to hurt him but I’m not so sure he just didn’t want Chris for his powers,” Prue said eyeing her sister with pity in her eyes.

“Chris doesn’t seem all that powerful?” Paige offered.

Prue smirked, “A Whitelighter isn’t supposed to have any power other than healing.”

“He held back,” Leo stated and Prue nodded.

“What most people forget is that Chris is Wyatt’s brother. He came from the same parents, and you were already an Elder when you conceived him. Wyatt is twice blessed and all but you being an elder pretty much balanced that out. But most people don’t realize that and unfortunately what people keep telling you is a very strong weapon,” Prue said bitterly.

“What do you mean?” Phoebe asked.

“Imagine growing up where everybody except your mother tells you you are weak and that you’re so lucky your brother is so strong to protect you. You end up believing them. Chris held back here yes. But he has always held back. The few times he’s let loose were accidents that were brought up by extreme circumstances. He usually never reaches his full potential,” Prue said.

“So how do you know he has this potential?” Phoebe asked.

“She’s his whitelighter; she can sense his powers even if he himself doesn’t believe in them,” Leo explained and his eyes widened as he realized something, “That’s also why I had to be suspicious,” he smiled self depreciatively. “So I wouldn’t sense him and realize he is my son.”

“Yes.”

“Uh, explanation please?” Piper asked.

“To sense someone, really sense them and put them on our radar I kind of have to bring a piece of him into me, so I’ll always be able to follow that piece. But I didn’t know if he was good or evil and I didn’t want to risk tainting myself. So I never did. If I had I would have recognized him because his magic is a mix of mine and Piper’s,” Leo explained.

“Exactly. Chris had to be conceived at the right time. To early or too late and the baby wouldn’t be him. This had to happen naturally. The first time around Leo became an Elder the same way as this time. All Chris did was tell you what to do from what you had already done. The first time you stuck around because the girls had no whitelighter but this time we had to make you stick around since Chris would be their whitelighter.”

“But if Leo would get tainted by Chris wouldn’t he have been tainted by Wyatt?” Paige asked never having tried her sensing powers.

“No,” Prue shook her head, “Leo sensed Wyatt for the first time when he was first born. That’s when he put a piece of Wyatt inside him. When Wyatt hadn’t been turned yet. So the piece of Wyatt in Leo isn’t tainted. That’s another argument Chris used to convince us. If Wyatt had been born evil Leo should have been turned slowly through time by the piece of Wyatt in him.”

“There’s a chance I could overcome that piece,” Leo said sadly.

“We told him that but he wouldn’t listen. And I’m glad he didn’t.”

Leo nodded. That all made sense.

“And what Paige said, about Chris killing Wyatt?” Piper asked almost in a whisper and a haunted look came over Prue.

“He will if he has no other choice. He won’t doom the world to what Wyatt has been doing to us. He’ll go back and he’ll win, because Wyatt is doing this for greed and Chris, Chris has nothing more to loose but-“ she bit her lip-“he’ll make sure he dies with Wyatt. He loves his brother, more than anyone else. More than himself. Even after everything Wyatt has done, even after Wyatt killed Bianca. He won’t survive having to kill him.”

Leo could see she was saying the truth and somehow he wasn’t shocked by the news, he already knew. He already knew Wyatt was all Chris was living for. He had to save them both or loose them both. He buried his head in his hands and grabbed his hair, just as Chris had done yesterday. And Prue noted that as much as Chris took after Piper he had a lot of Leo.

xx

“Atchoo!” he sneezed as he orbed into the kitchen.

“Serves you right for going out on a soaked shirt,” Piper said calmly and Chris narrowed his eyes. This was not what he was expecting.

“Where’s my stuff? I stopped by P3 to change-“

“The guestroom.” She said simply and not stopping her cooking.

“Since when do we have a guestroom?”

“Oh fine,” she huffed. “The nursery. We moved Wyatt’s crib and put a bed in the nursery for you and Paige and Phoebe will share so Prue can stay in her old room.”

“Why? I was fine.”

“Because I am your mother and I say so.”

Chris gawked at her disbelievingly. “What?” he spluttered. “Until a few hours ago you didn’t even know!”

“Don’t care,” she said matter of factly. As if nothing was bothering her. She decided she would treat him this way. Prue had said: Like mother like son. She had been avoiding Prue because she was afraid of losing her again and in that one sentence she understood why her son was so intent in avoiding any relation with her.

Well she wouldn’t have that and she as sure as hell would not die. Especially not the way Phoebe confided in her she did. She still couldn’t picture her Leo ignoring his son’s pleas like that.

She, the adult here, decided to lead by example so when Prue ended her explanations she set the tasks. Paige went to P3 to gather Chris’s stuff and Leo and Phoebe went to get the rooms ready and she cornered Prue.

“If you dare die again; I’m going to resurrect you just so I can kill you, do I make myself clear?” she said angrily at Prue. Prue had the nerve to smile.

“Crystal.”

“What are you smirking at?”

“This was easier.”

“Well I have other priorities I have to take care of my sons.” Piper said angrily.

“Oh, you had the same priorities back then. And you used to keep Chris very close to you. He almost died at birth and for a long time he got sick easily. So even when he was already getting healthy you had a hard time letting him roam free. I had to try and guide him with you breathing down my neck and pretending I wasn’t there at the same time. That was quite amusing,.” Prue said fondly.

“But eventually you wore me off?” Piper asked.

“No eventually you burst. Except then the whole dying was a secondary worry. You didn’t like Chris having a whitelighter. You thought he was too young. That we couldn’t possibly want him to fight. I explained I was there to guide him to get him ready for when he was older and ready to fight, not then. In the end the fight came to him when he was still a child,” Prue finished sadly.

Piper smiled sadly, “He had to grow up faster didn’t he? I would have never thought he was just twenty, he acts so much older.”

“And in others ways he never did get to grow up,” Prue answered. “Emotionally he is still a child. He was sixteen when all this started. His first and only girlfriend ever was the Phoenix Wyatt hired to keep him in line. Wyatt didn’t see that coming,” she smirked.

Piper smirked, “I bet he didn’t.”

“He got comfortable in his certainty that Bianca was bringing Chris to his side and started giving Chris more liberties. More time he was allowed outside the House. Fewer demons trailing him. At one time he had only Bianca with him and Chris was free to give orders to the Resistance as needed. Some very good friends he had from Magic school and outside where forming a group and Chris brought in all the intel he could. They were the ones waiting for me and Paige when we escaped.”

“And the Elders?”

“The few that survived locked themselves away to weather the storm out,” she snorted. “Leo stayed down here and he lost contact with them. A few whitelighters, I included, stayed too.”

“One of them makes this mess and then they are the first to bail out,” Piper snorted.

“Did you figure out what those demons wanted?” Chris went all business like and Piper sighed.

“Prue and Phoebe are on that. They are lower level ones but we don’t know why they attacked. Quite stupid if you ask me.”

“Well, I’ll go get ready to scout some Darklighter,” he said.

“Tomorrow.”

“Excuse me?”

“Look, I am not going to mother you. I know you have to go. I thought about this. But today you are exhausted and can make a stupid mistake. Go tomorrow, please.”

He sighed but nodded nonetheless.

Piper took her victories as they came.

xx

A/N-Thanks for reviewing!

Chapter 8- Feelings

Chris couldn’t sleep. This was so messed up. He didn’t know how to act. Piper had been so, so, just like his mom. She went about business as usual, pilled his plate with food. Reminded him to brush his teeth before bed, as if she’d never stopped, or in this case, always done so.

Leo on the other hand, hadn’t known how to act. Dinner had been a tense affair. No one talked except for Wyatt’s babble. Leo kept shooting covert looks as if he wanted to start some bonding.

Bonding, as if they’d ever bonded. Chris closed his eyes as he remembered the last time he saw his father.

He had just hugged both his aunts goodbye. He knew he’d never see them again. They’d be different. Someone else, but that was worth the sacrifice, for Wyatt.

Bianca was waiting and Leo approached, “Good luck son and be careful.” Chris looked at him and nodded. “I know you won’t believe me Chris, but I love you.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” Chris said with a stony face. A year of fighting along side didn’t erase 18 of being alone. And Leo had just waltzed in barking orders as if he was allowed to.

“I do. And I hope this time I can do right by you.”

“I’m not going back for me, I’m going for Wyatt.’

“That’s what worries me,” Leo whispered and before Chris had a chance to react he pulled him into a hug. Chris didn’t know what to do and his arms just dangled by his side.

“We have to go,” Bianca said and Leo released him.

Chris left and didn’t look back.

He fell asleep thinking of that scene and more came, disjointed.

“I don’t want to hurt you little brother, but you make me,” Wyatt hissed in his ear while grabbing his hair and pulling up his head. Chris couldn’t move. He hurt everywhere; he didn’t remember the last time he ate.

“Mum, I’m home, mum? Mum, NO! DAD! Please dad, mum needs you! Please come!”

“You’re not family!” Leo’s voice was harsh.

“Get out of this house,” Piper’s voice was cold.

One after another memories of war and pain came and he couldn’t get himself out of this trap.

xx

“Chris, wake up. Come on sweetie! Wake up,” Phoebe shook Chris as best as he could but the boy kept thrashing and begging and calling for different people. Begging Wyatt not to. Begging Leo to come.

She could feel his despair, his pain. She had surmised he had taken the same potions her sisters had and maybe the potion was wearing off too, or maybe he’s pain was just too big.

She wanted to cry and scream and rip herself apart with what she was feeling and she couldn’t imagine that Chris had been feeling this way all along. But there was love and determination too, determination to save Wyatt and Phoebe had a feeling that was all that was keeping him going, and she was scared of what would happen once he succeeded. Once he didn’t have a purpose anymore.

He finally shot up and his eyes were wild as if he didn’t know where he was.

“Chris,” she said softly to her nephew. How hadn’t they seen who he was? He looked and acted so much like Piper. And she couldn’t shake off how they treated him. She knew they had already been treating him a little better since Prue and Paige came and they realized how much he cared for them. But still. How many times had he said he was here to save Wyatt? How desperate had he seemed? They should have trusted him regardless of who he was.

And she felt horrible that she hadn’t figured out who he was when that was what that vision quest was supposed to tell her. She understood now. The vision wasn’t about her or her future children, like she had been obsessed about. The vision was there to show Chris, and what he was fighting for, his family.

And she and her children where part of his family, but even with him saying the exact same words as her nephew she hadn’t figured that out. They were so certain on their belief that Chris had an agenda that they didn’t see what was right in front of their noses, literally.

“Chris,” she called again and this time he looked a little more awake. “Are you okay?”

“What happened?”

“You were thrashing, I could feel you from my room.”

“You’re not supposed to,” he said, eyes growing wide with alarm. “I took the potion. You weren’t supposed too.”

“Doesn’t matter anymore honey,” she tried to soothe him. “We already know who you are. I understand why you had to block before but you don’t need to anymore- Chris don’t do that!” she cried as she felt his emotions dim and disappear as he shook his head. “Chris.”

“No, no. I can’t. Can’t have anyone inside my head!” he said desperately. “You weren’t to know, you weren’t. You never needed to know and everyone would be fine, everyone would be happy!”

“Chris, Chris, stop!” she tried to calm him down. “You don’t have to do this alone. You’re not alone.”

He looked at her and there was so much pain in his eyes and voice, “Yes I was. For two years I was. I couldn’t tell Aunt Prue and Aunt Paige anything when I saw them. There was always someone listening. And dad never came. I knew he was around. I felt him but he never came. He kept his distance. And Wyatt, that wasn’t Wyatt, my brother wasn’t like that. My brother was good. Sometimes he went overboard but that was always to protect me, but he wasn’t him anymore. Ever since he turned eighteen, ever since he reached his magical maturity. And I was alone, I was alone until Bianca came and now-“ he shook his head. “And I was here, and you were alive again but I was alone and you hated me. You hated me and that hurt so damn much!”

Phoebe wanted to cry, she wanted to tell him to cry. She could hear the tears in his voice, she could see them in his eyes but he wasn’t letting them drop. He was struggling furiously to keep them locked and Phoebe thought that he was afraid of what would happen if the damn broke. She acted on instinct and brought him close to her and he acted on instinct and folding himself he hugged her waist and buried his head in her lap. She kept rubbing circles in his back and she felt his body shake but not one sound came out. She didn’t know how long they stood there. She owed him this, for all the hurt they had caused him.

“We don’t hate you,” she whispered in his ear. “We never did. We were just scared.”

xx

“How does he block me out?” Phoebe asked Prue and Prue looked confused. “His emotions.”

“Ah, he had to learn to block himself out to Wyatt or Wyatt would have found him. Found us all. But the link between Wyatt and Chris is the strongest. As I said they are the ones that figured the whole mind speaking, because they do that naturally. With me, or Paige we have to actively try to do that, we have to concentrate but between them, that was accidental. Growing up they learned to block the other out. I guess teenage boys don’t want their brothers privy to all their thoughts and Wyatt obviously had other reasons. Emotions were part of the package between them. Neither is an empath but both could feel what the other was feeling. So he does the same with you. But that he has to do consciously with you because you are an empath, so if he forgets-“

“Or is asleep I can feel him,” Phoebe finished for her. “That’s why he took the potion. A safer option.”

“Yeah, we kind of screwed up there, neither Leo nor Paige could remember exactly when you developed those powers and we got the dates wrong. He was caught by surprise,” Prue grimaced.

“What’s magical maturity? He mentioned last night that that’s when Wyatt changed.”

“Well, you know how our powers were developing since they got unbound?” Phoebe nodded. “A magical child develops power as they grow into their body and if there isn’t any external influence, like in our case, they reach full potential at eighteen. And that’s when Wyatt chose to show his true colors. Once he had reached his full potential. He had obviously been preparing before that, but we didn’t notice and he was a teenager who had recently lost his mother so-“

“Any acting out was explained by that,” Phoebe nodded.

“We weren’t prepared for when he attacked. He caught as all by surprise. A family lunch. He was acting normal, and suddenly we were surrounded by demons and found out we were powerless.”

“Binding potion?”

“In the juice,” Prue nodded. “Once Chris broke us out we broke the bind easily since there was just the potion, no spell. And Chris had already broken his way before, with his friends help. But there,” she looked sad, “We were easy prey.”

“Leo?”

“Hadn’t been there. A charge somewhere or a meeting. Who knows? Wyatt’s next move was attack the Elders and the few who managed to escape warned Leo and closed themselves up so that Wyatt couldn’t enter again.”

“What I felt from him last night I- how can he go around feeling like that?” Phoebe asked in a thick voice.

Prue smiled sadly, “He lost everyone and to someone he loves. He feels responsible, for not saving Piper, for not seeing what was happening to Wyatt and he thinks he is the reason Wyatt killed you and the girls and his Uncles, but he’s not. Wyatt just thought they were on his way. He is actually the reason Wyatt kept me and Paige alive. If Wyatt hadn’t wanted to control Chris then we’d all be dead now. But Chris can’t see that.”

“Why? He’s just a kid. He couldn’t have saved Piper-“

“But he knows that if anyone else had found her, Leo would have come- and he doesn’t realize that he being there isn’t the reason she died. That at least she didn’t die alone.”

“How can I have been such a bastard?” Leo asked from the kitchen door and Prue looked at him sadly.

“Honestly? And I’m not defending your actions, I just want you to understand you do love him,” she inhaled deeply. “Defense mechanism.”

“What?”

“You were supposed to leave for good. To go Up There and stay there but you didn’t manage too. You came back to see Wyatt and found out Piper was pregnant, every time you came you convinced yourself that was going to be the last one. And leaving one son behind was hard, so you never got close. Except you never did leave Wyatt, or Piper or anyone else, you always found an excuse, and Wyatt grew up and the Elders wanted him participating in meetings so you always had time for him.”

“But since I was always about to leave…” Leo said sadly and Prue nodded. He shook his head in disgust, “That’s the worst excuse ever. I won’t let that happen. How can you say I loved him?”

“Because I saw your desperation when Bianca broke him out of Wyatt’s grasp. He almost died, he was touch and go for so long and there was nothing you could do. You never left his side while he was unconscious but when he woke up, he didn’t know how to be your son and you didn’t know how to be his father. You have a second chance Leo. Use it well. Just don’t buy him more beers,” she joked.

And Leo nodded determinedly and Phoebe knew he would. She looked at her older sister and asked, “And you? How do you feel?”

“I hurt yes,” she said shrugging. “But I was older. Knew how to handle myself. And I’m a whitelighter. I have access. Once this was all over. Once the war was finished I knew I’d see you all. Just as I had been able to see Piper. But Chris doesn’t. He’ll have to wait until he crosses over. And I kind of have this embedded knowledge that as bad as the situation might get eventually the pain will end.”

“Oh, so that’s why Leo is always annoyingly peaceful?”

“Hey.”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

xx

A/N- Thanks for reviewing! I know Paige and Phoebe had boys too but I like the idea of Chris and  Wyatt being the only boys. On the other hand you’ll notice that Piper never did get to have the traditional Halliwell girl. That’s my way of compensating.

Chapter 9- Progress

“Paige! Phoebe!” Piper yelled from the attic and Chris winced.

“You do realize that with Paige’s whitelighter blood you can just call her in your mind, there’s no need for yelling.” He rubbed his ears.

“How do I do that?” she asked curiously.

“You just concentrate on Paige and on what you want to tell her. You picture her in your mind. That’s actually what you’re doing when you’re yelling for Leo or me for instance. I guess yelling helps you,” he said nonchalantly as he continued studying the book of Shadows.

“That can come in handy,” Piper nodded thoughtfully.

“Yeah,” Chris smirked and Piper had a feeling he was recalling something.

“Did you and Wyatt talk like that?” she asked cautiously and prepared herself for the customary “Future consequences response” but was surprised when he nodded.

“That came naturally to us. With Aunt Prue, Aunt Paige and our cousins we had to actively be opening a link, wanting to tell them something. But with Wy, he’d just know what I was feeling or thinking and vice versa. We used the link a lot for mischief. As we grew up there were thoughts and feeling I definitely didn’t want him to know so we kind of learned to block the other. Maybe if we hadn’t, maybe if we’d made a point of leaving the link always open I’d have noticed-“ he shook his head. “He left the link closed more and more often and I just thought he was angry at me, because I couldn’t save you. I was so stupid, so selfish-“

“Chris,” she stopped his frantic turning of pages with a hand on his, “You couldn’t have known. You were grieving too and he was a teenager. Teenagers are known to be moody, and you were just a boy.”

Chris didn’t really meet her eyes but he didn’t move his hand and that gave Piper hope. Her hope was short lived though as he withdrew his hands when they heard voices approaching.

“What’s up?” Paige asked as she entered followed by Phoebe, Prue and Leo.

“Right,” Piper tried to compose herself. “We need to make a spell to change the color of Chris’s orbs and we need to figure out what those demons wanted.” She said matter of factly.

“Why change the color of Chris’s orbs?” Leo asked.

“Because I am going undercover to see if I can find out who ordered the attack on you,” Chris answered with his chin held high and his eyes held Leo’s in a defying way as if asking him to object and sure enough he did.

“That’s dangerous,” Leo cried “If you’re caught-“

“I’ve been in many dangerous situations before Leo and you haven’t cared. I recall you attacking me with a sword and not caring what would happen.”

“That’s,” Leo looked flushed and Piper could read guilt in his eyes, “I didn’t know who you where and I didn’t know what you wanted.”

“I never lied on that aspect. I came to save Wyatt and I always told you that.”

Piper could hear the hurt in his voice and she wanted to defend herself but he was right. He always said he was here to save Wyatt and maybe they should have trusted him more even if he was secretive.

“Chris!” Prue scolded. “You know Leo being suspicious was part of the plan.”

“There’s suspicious and suspicious,” Chris muttered but said nothing more so Piper decided to intervene before tempers got heated.

“Look, that’s not the issue here. Chris had a good point. The Darklighters are our best bet in finding out who is after Wyatt and he knows his way in the underworld. Besides, he promised to orb out at the first, the FIRST sign of trouble,” she fixed Chris with a hard and pointed stare, “and we have an Elder and a whitelighter at our disposal if anything goes wrong. You two,” Piper told Leo and Prue,  “will stay here with Wyatt and ready if you’re called. The three of us,” she finished pointing at Phoebe and Paige,” are going to find out about those demons that attacked yesterday.”

“Piper, you’re pregnant and the baby doesn’t have a shield. What if you fall or get hurt?” Paige asked.

“All covered,” Chris said finishing copying what he was studying in the book. “This is a potion to protect Piper from most harm. Can’t be against everything but this should at least prevent her from losing the child because of bumps.”

Phoebe came to read the potion’s recipe and asked, “Isn’t that personal gain?”

“No, because this is a potion to protect an innocent,” Chris said. “This is not to protect Piper but the baby. This won’t make a shield,” he said firmly to his mother. “This will protect only the womb so don’t get cocky.

“Yes sir,” she mock saluted and he groaned.

xx

“So, let’s ask you again, why did your clan think they could attack us?” Phoebe asked one more time the bloodied demon. They had found the clan and vanquished most of them. There was just this one left and they still had no answer.

His arm blew up with a very good chunk of rock peppering them with dust. “Oops,” Piper said, “I meant to blow the wall beside him,” she shrugged as the demon howled in pain. Paige glared at her.

“So?”

“He paid us too. He wanted to know how protected the baby was?” he cried.

“Who?” Piper asked icily and brought her hands up.

“I don’t know, he never showed his face,” she lifted her hands, “HE ORBED! He orbed! Didn’t shimmer!”

“An Elder then,” Phoebe nodded grimly. “Do we let him go?” she asked the other two and Piper just blew the demon up.

“Can’t let him let the Elder know,” Piper said stonily and she understood Chris better now. Sometimes you just had to do what you had to do, no matter if you don’t like to.

xx

“Any luck?” Prue asked as her nephew orbed back. She had been startled at first at the black orbs but as soon as she saw him she relaxed.

He scowled and shook his head. He dropped on the couch next to her. “Would be too much luck to find out on your first outing. At least the girls got somewhere.”

“What?” he asked curiously.

“They were hired by an Elder to test our protection on Wyatt.”

“Elder then,” he nodded grimly. “Thought so. The cleaners wouldn’t insist after they failed once.”

Prue grimaced with him. He took her hand and asked, “You okay Aunt Prue?”

She shrugged, and nodded and they both leaned on each other touching their heads. His Aunt Prue was always the calm that kept them going. At times she acted as the baby of the sisters, and in a way she was. Her sisters all got married, became mothers, grew up. And as wise as whitelighters might be she never did get to experience growing past 30. She was more like a friend than an Aunt and Chris liked that

“She’s fine you know. She knows how to get out of there. She’s back at HQ with dad,” he finished huskily.

“I hope so.”

xx

Leo walked into the room and saw who he was looking for. He grimaced bitterly but quickly changed his expression into a warm smile.

“Gideon,” he called. “May we talk?”

“Leo,” Gideon looked surprised. “Still around I see,” he finished disapprovingly.

“And I will stay as long as my family needs,” he said firmly trying to gauge Gideon’s reaction. Was he the traitor? Was he one of the supposedly most pure beings around who would try to kill an innocent child? But Gideon was his mentor and even Chris trusted Gideon. And Chris didn’t trust many or easily. Only Piper didn’t like him but Piper had a dislike of Elders in general. Leo didn’t want to believe that but he didn’t want to fool himself. Not after what the girls said. That one of his own would try to kill his boys.

“Do you have any leads as to who will get to Wyatt?” Gideon asked interested and Leo couldn’t decide if that was concern for Wyatt or for himself.

“Yes,” he answered and tried to make a relieved face. “Chris thinks that a Clan of demons may be behind this. He said that in the future they were Wyatt’s primary source for his army’s and high on the hierarchy list. We think they might have wanted to make their own source and be the power behind the power.”

“Good,” Gideon said and Leo heard the relief in his voice but again couldn’t point out why he was relieved, for preventing Wyatt from turning or from escaping being caught.

“We were joined by someone else from the future lately,” Leo said, they couldn’t keep Prue a secret so they had  decided to let them know and of Piper’s pregnancy, since that would be obvious soon.

“Oh, really,” Gideon asked with a curious tone to his voice.

“Yes,” Leo smiled. “She came to let us know that so far nothing has changed. Apparently she was to come all along but for strategic reasons she had to wait for Piper to be pregnant so Chris’s identity wouldn’t be known before.”

“Piper is pregnant?” and Leo could swear there was shock in his voice.

“Yes,” Leo said firmly. “With Chris.”

“Chris is-“

“My son, yes. Wyatt’s brother.”

Leo could swear Gideon was shocked but to be honest these were shocking news.

“Yes, that does make more sense than a stranger coming to alert you,” Gideon said walking a little away but Leo had no intention of not being able to see his face so he just walked too. “And the visitor?”

“His whitelighter,” Leo said. “An old acquaintance.”

Gideon’s mouth was open like a fish but he quickly regained his composure, “He has a whitelighter then?”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

“Well, the concern is understandable, after all his brother is evil-“

“He was turned,” Leo said firmly.

“There might be a chance-“

“We have that covered. Don’t worry Gideon,” and here was the clincher, where he wanted to see Gideon’s reaction. “If no one turned Wyatt by the deadline Chris told us, we will strip his powers so he can’t do what he did.”

Gideon was shocked to say the least but he was very good at masking his emotions if he was the one after Wyatt. Leo had expected to see at least a little triumph but that could also be because now he was thinking that even if Wyatt was powerless they still had Chris to deal with.

“That’s a wise choice,” Gideon said firmly. “I’m glad to hear that you can at least think of the greater good.” Leo wanted to snort, that was their last resort and hopefully that would not happen. “You never told me who the old acquaintance was.

“Prue Halliwell.”

xx

A/N- Thanks for reviewing!

Chapter 10- Grandpa

Gideon banged the door behind him and went straight to a curtain in his office. He ripped the curtain open and stared at his reflection but the reflection was different, more sinister.

“I gather you’ve heard,” his reflection said.

“Yes, this complicates matters. The child will be even more protected by his family,” Gideon said grimacing as he sat down on an armchair.

“And what of the brother?” his reflection asked sitting back in a similar chair as the one Gideon had just sat on. Except where Gideon was stiff his reflection was relaxed, almost as if this was all a game to him.

Gideon raised his eyebrow, “Another threat of course. Has to be dealt with.”

“I like how you think,” his reflection smirked. “Though if they do strip Wyatt’s powers our problem is half solved. If we convince him that the brother needs to have his powers striped as well…” the reflection made a motion with his hand as if explaining what was left unsaid.

“They can regain their power somehow, we can’t risk that. No they need to be eliminated. Both,” Gideon said firmly. “Besides, getting rid of the baby, we get rid of Chris and he has become quite an annoyance.”

“He has no inkling at what we are up to though,” the reflection said calmly. “Maybe having him have the Charmed Ones going around on a wild and wrong chase might benefit us and-“ he added slowly. “Now that they know who he is he might start using his powers and we can gauge how much of a threat he is.”

“Leo is an Elder, if the baby he conceived as a whitelighter is the most powerful being around what do you think the baby he conceived as an Elder will be?”

“Exactly my point,” the reflection told Gideon. “Piper was indestructible when carrying Wyatt we need to know what powers Christopher may be lending his mother before we act or else all might be lost.”

Gideon nodded silently and lay back on the chair.

xx

Piper was putting Wyatt down for a nap and she gazed at his sleeping little body. She brushed his soft cheek and couldn’t believe this little angel would do what he did to his family, to his brother. She closed her eyes and she couldn’t shake away the image of the scars that littered Chris’s body.

She opened them, tucked Wyatt in tighter and turned and almost screamed as she was faced with Leo who had been leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed.

“How long have you been spying?”

“Not long enough,” he said with a cheeky smile and came forward wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned forward and let herself rest on his chest.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“How could I be? Chris is right, this is all messed up. My baby will become an evil dictator and my other baby doesn’t acknowledge I’m his mother.”

“He’s just scared to loose you again,” Leo said. “He talks to you. With me, he doesn’t even make eye contact. And from what Prue said,” Leo snorted bitterly. “He has every right to hate me.”

“And yet he fought in Valhalla just so you wouldn’t,” she reminded him smiling at him. “Just because you weren’t there for him doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you. Just that he’s angry. I know from experience.”

Leo looked at her with hope in his eyes and then she leaned forward, “Ask dad how to reach Chris. He’d know.” Leo nodded. “And don’t forget, he might have had to grow up faster but he is just twenty. When he arrived he was still a teenager.” She hugged him and they stayed silent for a while.

“So, what did Gideon have to say?” she asked business like.

He looked at her and sighed, “Honestly? I don’t know. I couldn’t tell from his reaction. I went Up There afterwards to tell the others and again. No one stood out. I honestly have no idea which one of them is plotting against us.”

“Maybe Chris will have more luck next time he goes underground,” Piper said. “I don’t like the idea of him going but he is right. Right now, that’s our best lead.”

“I understand him better now. Why he had to lie and manipulate us. That’s exactly what I did to Gideon, even though he’s my friend. Because I had to,” Leo said in a low voice pressing his cheek to her hair.

xx

Chris ran a hand through his wet hair as he came down the stairs. He had a long bath to try to shake of the stink of Darklighter but he still felt dirty just from being around them. He had only stolen the bow from a Darklighter he vanquished, not before questioning him of course. But still, that was one dark item too many.

He hadn’t gotten anywhere. He had tried to integrate in some Darklighter group to see if they said something but so far none of the conversation was useful just plain disturbing. He opened the kitchen door and his mouth split into a smile, he didn’t even notice Piper’s surprised gaping.

“Grandpa!”

Victor turned towards him, surprised at being received with such warmth, especially after hearing the whole story from Piper and sized his grandson out.

“So you’re Victor?” he asked.

“Chris dad,” Piper corrected.

“I heard you say his name was Christopher Victor,” he said cockily and let a humph out when Chris hugged him.

“I missed you so much Grandpa!” Chris said and Victor didn’t know very well how to react. But this was his grandson, a grandson that apparently had problems relating with everyone else in the family, and he wasn’t about to begrudge him any kind of affection, so he just hugged the young man back.

“Dad helped Paige a lot after you died,” he heard Prue tell Piper. “And while you where alive every time you needed a man-to-man kind of talk with Chris dad would help.” He felt warmed at that, he might have been a poor father but apparently he made that up by being a good grandfather.

Chris suddenly let him go and Victor saw that he was flushing with embarrassment.

“Sorry, I -er- got carried away. Just-“

“That apparently I’m the greatest grandfather ever!” Victor announced a little cockily and glared at Prue when she rolled her eyes.

“Yeah,” Chris said smiling. “We all loved you and the girls had you wrapped around their little finger. Especially Paige’s youngest.”

“Let’s face it,” Prue said dryly. “She had everyone wrapped around her little finger.”

Chris let out a smile but Victor felt warmed at that. Paige might be the result of Patty’s love affair but since the girl had joined the family he felt as if he had four daughters and to know her daughter viewed him as her grandfather made him very happy.

Victor met Piper’s eyes and saw her looking longingly at Chris. He hoped the young boy gave her a chance soon because Victor knew how much Piper longed for that reception.

xx

“So, what can I help you with?” Victor asked his son in law as they both sat on the garden benches.

Leo shrugged uneasily and Victor decided to help, “You find yourself in the same situation I was a few years ago?”

“Yes, except, I haven’t done anything yet. And hopefully will never do,” Leo sighed and let his head drop on his hands rubbing his eyes. “He hates me.”

“That’s how it feels. That’s what I thought Prue felt,” Victor said. “But she didn’t you know. She was angry but she still loved me. That’s how you know he still loves you. If he didn’t he wouldn’t care enough to be angry.”

“What do I do?” Leo asked him desperately.

“Be there for him, and wait,” Victor said. “This has to be done on his time not yours. Show him you are there if he needs you and when he’s ready he’ll let you in. Not before.”

Leo nodded and vowed to let Chris know that he could count on him even if the boy never returned the affection.

xx

A/N- I know, short but this was such a great breaking point. Thanks for reviewing.

Chapter 11- Our Baby

Weeks went by and they were nowhere closer to finding who turned Wyatt then they had been the day older Paige left. Piper was starting to show and Chris found it extremely odd to know that he was inside her. He was starting to get more comfortable at being around her but he still couldn’t shake the feeling of her dead body in his arms. Wyatt hadn’t killed her. Her death had nothing to do with Wyatt turning evil.

Sure now that they knew Wyatt was evil from whatever trauma he faced Chris knew her death must have been one more brick into building his rage, his need for power. But she hadn’t died because he was evil, and saving Wyatt wouldn’t save her. He knew he was being irrational, that he should just enjoy the time he had with her. But the pain of losing her had been so hard to overcome. He wouldn’t know how to heal twice.

Then there was his father. He had stopped trying to force Chris to bond, but he had been there, working side by side with him. Trying his best to figure out which Elder turned Wyatt. Chris didn’t understand this Leo. In the future there had been too much history and hurt between them and Leo had never even tried to make up for his mistakes. They had been fighters that worked together, but there had been no attempt at heart felt talks. This Leo on the other hand would one minute discuss the next best course of action and the second try to give him advice on how to deal with Piper. Try to convince him to open up to her but on the other hand he did not force the issue of him onto Chris, and Chris was somewhat thankful for that.

He wasn’t sure he would be able to remember that this Leo hadn’t been the one to ignore him all his life. And would end up blaming him for what he’d not yet done, though this Leo had hurt him plenty. He knew rationally that making him suspicious was part of the plan, but the extents to which Leo had taken his suspicion hurt him enormously. He had tried to have Chris recycled, had attacked him physically. Leo who was a pacifist had tried his best to attack Chris.

Chris groaned and decided to go downstairs for breakfast, pondering on his father’s behavior would get him nowhere.

“They are in need of a teacher lately and maybe being around Gideon I’ll get to hear more of what goes on in Elderland,” he heard Paige’s voice from the kitchen say.

“And if Gideon is the one you’ll have a better chance at finding the proof we need to go to the other Elders with,” Piper’s voice stated.

“Chris and Leo both like Gideon,” Phoebe’s voice sounded doubtful. “And they don’t agree very often.”

“That’s no reason to discard him,” Chris said opening the door and going to sit on the table. “We could be mistaken.”

“You said he always took an interest in you?” Paige asked.

Chris nodded, “Gideon always viewed every magical child as special. Not just the very powerful ones.”

“But, did he take a special interest?” she insisted.

“How so?” he frowned.

“Well, I’ve been thinking. I find it weird that the Elder that tried to get rid of you and Wyatt would try once and then do nothing else except clean his track,” she said. “I think they would try a different route like molding you.”

“That makes sense,” Piper said shaking her finger at Paige while dumping an enormous content of scrambled eggs into Chris’s plates that made him want to groan.

“Except,” Chris said slowly. “That Gideon didn’t give Wyatt more attention then he did the others. And he didn’t know the extent of my powers. Mum always was very insistent with me that the less people knew of my powers the safer I’d be.”

“But Wyatt had the attention of all the Elders didn’t he?” Phoebe asked and Chris nodded. “So Gideon would have had him there. What if he had wanted to mold you too, what if he hadn’t been fooled by Piper?”

Chris thought on that. Gideon did give him more attention then he did the others but he always thought that was to compensate for everyone else pushing Chris aside for Wyatt. His mum did that often, when his dad came and took Wyatt with him and left Chris behind his mum would have special outings for just the two of them.

“I guess you could be right, doesn’t hurt to keep an open mind and our options open.”

xx

“Chris,” Piper called him as he was getting ready. “Could you do me a favor?”

Chris looked up as he finished tying his boots, “What do you need?”

“Leo is Up There and he’s going to meet me at the doctor’s but I’m late and I still have to drop Wyatt off at Sheila’s…”

“I can drop him off if you want to,” he said putting the long coat on. Piper looked uncomfortable.

“Er, I’m very late; like I’m supposed to be across town in five minutes I was wondering if you could go with me after we drop Wyatt…”

“You want me,” Chris said slowly pointing at himself, “to go with you to the doctor’s appointment where you’ll be discussing muffin me?”

“Muffin?”

“You know? Because I’m still in the oven,” he smiled cheekily.

Piper raised an eyebrow, “Yes.” She said dryly.

“Call Leo!”

“He’s feeling the Elder’s out and he promised he’d be there for the ultrasound! He did Chris! Don’t snort!”

“I was going underground,” he said crossing his arms.

“You can go after the appointment, please!” she begged and made puppy eyes and Chris huffed and conceded.

“Fine!”

Piper smiled happily. “Lose the coat,” she said and he rolled his eyes.

xx

“Well, Piper. You are in very good health, all that is left is to check the baby’s ultrasound,” the doctor told her and went to get the ultrasound machine ready.

“Oh,” Piper looked at the doctor and at Chris and bit her lip. “Can we wait? My husband promised he’d be here.”

“I’ll see where he is,” Chris said and Piper hoped Leo had remembered. She really didn’t want for Chris to know he missed his doctor’s appointment.

Chris was opening the door when Leo came barreling in.

“Sorry,” he said bumping into Chris. “I was afraid I was late. I’m not late right?”

“No sir,” the doctor said and Leo sighed relieved coming to Piper’s side. Piper smiled especially as she saw the smile in Chris’s lips. Piper laid down and the doctor smeared the gel on her stomach.

“Well here you are,” the doctor said pointing at the monitor. Here is your baby and here is his heart beat.” Piper and Leo looked amazed and Chris just said.

“This is so weird.”

xx

“Oh, he’s going to be a cutie!” Phoebe gushed over the ultrasound photo.

“Hey! Will you stop that? That’s personal! I don’t go around showing naked pictures of you!”

Paige looked at him over the table where they were all bended to see the photo and smirked, “That’s just because you don’t have them.”

“Can you see the sex?” Prue asked.

“Not yet,” Leo answered holding the ultrasound fondly, “But here you can see the hand and-“

“Oi!” Chris cried bending over and grabbing the offending picture. “Stop that! This is so embarrassing!” he mumbled taking a peak at the ultrasound  and trying to put it in his pocket. Piper was faster and took the ultrasound from his hands.

“This is going into your baby album,” she smiled and Chris could only gawk outraged at her.

“Weren’t you supposed to go undercover?” she asked innocently.

“I was deterred by having to protect my dignity!” he cried outraged and orbed out. As soon as he disappeared everyone started laughing.

xx

Chris stumbled through the hall. His hands groped for the wall in search of support but he found none as his knees buckled making him fall forward. He coughed but couldn’t utter a word because of the blood in his throat, he didn’t know why, but he thought of his dad as he fell forward.

xx

Leo had been putting Wyatt to sleep. He smiled at his boy; he had showed him the ultrasound and tried to explain that was his brother Chris. That he was going to be a big brother. He was sure the boy didn’t understand but hey, he could try. His head shot up as he heard Chris voice in his mind.

“Dad.”

The voice had been faint, weak and Leo’s blood froze. He closed his eyes and tried to sense for Chris. He called him in his mind hoping the father son bond was enough to make Chris hear but there was no answer. He could feel him, faintly. He was in the hall and there was only one explanation for his presence to be so faint. Leo ran and his heart stopped when he saw his son sprawled on the floor with a pool of blood forming.

“CHRIS!”

He cried and ran to him. He turned him over and saw the arrow sticking out of him. He was about to pull the arrow out when he heard Phoebe’s cry.

“Wait Leo.”

“I need to heal him.”

“I’ll pull the arrow out! Poison remember?”

No he didn’t. All he could think was of Chris, dying. He heard Piper gasp behind him. Phoebe pulled out the arrow and he hovered his hand over the chest wound, he closed his eyes and felt for the wound, for the poison, willing his son to get better. He could feel the poison had taken most of his son’s body and he willed harder. He didn’t know how long he took but he only stopped when he could feel no more poison. No more hurt. He heard Chris taking a shuddering gasp and he pulled Chris up in a hug.

“Don’t do that again,” he said pressing his mouth to Chris’s hair and Chris didn’t move. He knew this was due to exhaustion but he was not comfortable letting go right now.

“Sorry.” Chris said in a tired voice.

“What happened?” Piper asked rushing forward and checking Chris over.

“They started fighting with each other. I got caught in the crossfire. Good news is I saved one’s life so he might open up for me,” Chris said tiredly. “I’m tired, why?” he seemed to notice his position and tried to get out of Leo’s grip but had no strength to fight Leo.

“The poison spread a lot. You used too much energy. You best rest.” Leo said helping him up and to his room.

xx

Leo smiled at her as she got in bed.

“What?” she asked.

“He called me dad.” He said simply.

“Uh.”

“Granted, he was dying and probably delirious with pain but he called me dad.” He said shrugging and still smiling

“Oh, he did…that’s good,” she said vaguely and got into bed fluffing the covers a little too forcefully.

“Are you jealous?” he asked cheekily.

“No.” she said with a straight face.

“You are!” he said leaning forward and wrapped her waist with his arms. He put his head on her stomach and looked at her face with the same cheeky smile.

“No.”

“He was delirious,” he offered. “I doubt he realized.”

“Well he called me mum too,” she said crossing her arms with a scowl.

“He did?” he asked happily. Maybe they were making progress. She shrugged. “He was talking about the future and he referred to me as mum.”

Leo kissed her, he knew that this may not look as progress but this was a little step.

xx

A/N- Thanks for reviewing.

The next chapter might take a while because I will be starting with what leads to a big issue in my story and I need the chapter to fit with the other chapters so I at least have to have them outlined.

Chapter 12- Talks

Victor was washing his dishes when he heard the sound of orbing. He looked up and saw his grown yet to be born grandson looking sick.

“Chris, are you okay?” he asked worried.

“Can I hide here?”  the boy asked with his eyes wide.

“From whom?” Victor asked worried. What kind of trouble had the boy gotten into?

“Your daughter.”

Victor blanched, looked at Chris and then had to resist the urge to chuckled, “Would this be your mother?”

“She wanted to give me a sex talk,” the boy whispered then shuddered and Victor laughed. “This isn’t funny! I don’t know how she went from Darklighter, to Bianca and me being too young to be engaged to safe sex!”

“She was just worried,” Victor said putting an arm around his frazzled grandson. “You are a little young to be engaged though.”

Chris shrugged and looked ahead as if seeing the distant future, “Maybe if I had a normal life. But where I come from you never knew how long you’d be alive. So waiting wasn’t an option. I got engaged, but she died anyway didn’t she?” he smiled bitterly and Victor saw tears glistening his eyes.

He brought Chris’s head to his lips and said, “That won’t happen and this time waiting will be an option.”

xx

Prue entered the room and did a back take. “Has that dough offended you somehow?” she asked her sister who was violently beating on some dough.

Piper looked at her with narrowed eyes, “Chris orbed away in the middle of a serious conversation,” she huffed.

Prue came forward and leaned on the counter, “About going back to the Darklighters- I know you’re worried but if he has an entrance he can’t waste-“

“I know that!” Piper cried. “That doesn’t mean I can’t worry. But no, I was talking about Bianca!”

“Oh,” Prue said. “Sensitive subject,” she whispered. She herself had avoided the subject because knowing her nephew she knew he hadn’t given himself a chance to mourn her, just went on with the mission.

“He is too young to be engaged. He was nineteen when he asked her for crying out loud!”

“You’re thinking as someone with a normal life where at nineteen he’d be in College partying away,” Prue said and then she chuckled. “No, that probably would be Wyatt; Chris would be in College studying away like the nerd he always was.”

“I know that,” Piper said. “I realize that,” then she looked up, “He was a nerd?”

“Yup,” Prue said happily. “At fourteen he already had all his career planned out. He was going to go to a good college, pre-med and then he already had the list of potential medical schools.”

“A doctor? He wanted to be a doctor?”

“Ironic uh?” Prue smirked. “Wanting to follow the career of the father who ignored him. At first I thought he was trying to please Leo, but no. Or maybe there was a little of that but that wasn’t the main reason. Chris really wanted to heal others. That you all got hurt and he couldn’t do more then call for help grated him enormously. I don’t think he ever envied Wyatt’s position or attention but he did envy that power. Wyatt on the other hand envied the firepower Chris got from his father that he didn’t.”

“Firepower?”

“Yes, remember, Leo was already an Elder when you had Chris but not when you had Wyatt.” Prue said. “But tell me, you brought Bianca up.”

“Yes, and then I did think about the fact that he has been in a war since he was sixteen. And that I was dead since his fourteenth and well, I thought that maybe no one had talked to him- I mean- I realize that dating someone six years older he probably isn’t a virgin anymore but I thought maybe no one talked to him- STOP LAUGHING PRUE!”

“Oh, this is precious,” Prue said holding her side. “What did he do?”

“He yelled he knew and orbed out! What?” Piper asked indignantly.

“You tried to the same when he was young, I think twelve or thirteen. The reaction you got was the same. Then you asked dad to talk to him and he got a better reaction.”

“Good, so I did cover that,” Piper answered huffing but Prue, aside from her laughter, decided that maybe her nephew needed to start mourning his dead fiancé.

xx

“In a way I had already mourned her even before she died. We made promises and all but I knew that we were brought together because of the war. In an ideal world our paths wouldn’t have ever crossed,” Chris told his grandfather over hot chocolate. They were sitting on the dining room table and had been talking for a long time. Talking to his grandfather had always been easy and somehow he just stepped into that old familiarity with him. “When she died, I hurt so much because I couldn’t prevent that, but my Bianca had been already dead for months. I had already made peace with the fact that we might never be together again. But she’d be alive and well, and happy in her own way and that was enough for me.”

Victor nodded knowingly, “You’d rather have her safe but away from you than with you in danger.”

“Yes, but when Wyatt killed her…I failed you know? I failed at keeping my loved ones safe again. And…” Chris bit his lip as if he didn’t know how to phrase this. “I understand that she came because she wanted to keep me safe. That she was afraid of Wyatt would do to me but I thought she understood that this mission was more important, bigger than us, than our love. Yes, I want t save Wyatt, that is my biggest goal. But our world,” he had a pained expression. “Mom used to say sometimes when she was teaching me to cook and I burnt something that scraping the burnt wasn’t enough. That the food was too ruined to save, there was nothing left to save. And that is how our world is. Even if I take Wyatt down, do you think the demons will just go back to the underworld? And magic has been exposed. Wyatt rules mortals by fear, what do you think they will do once this is over?”

“Burn you all at the stake,” Victor said.

“She betrayed the cause and me,” Chris said sadly.

xx

Paige was piling up the essays she had asked the students to write when Gideon entered the classroom. “I’m happy you decided to accept my offer Paige. You can’t imagine the honor of having a Charmed One teach in my school.”

Paige looked up and smiled, “I’m glad I can help and be around so much magic at the same time”

“If you ever need any help, just come to me. No matter what the subject,” Gideon said and Paige knew he was talking about Wyatt. She nodded hoping to come out as grateful. Gideon walked forward slowly and seemed to be looking at one of the essays on the desk. “How are your sisters and nephews? I hope progress has been made.”

“We’re having a little difficulty locating the clan of demons we’re looking for but Chris is on to that and I have faith in him.”

“If you gave me more details I could help,” Gideon said pleasantly.

“Don’t worry, we’re managing and Chris doesn’t want us talking about details outside our protections lest they find out,” Paige answered. They had decided they’d be as vague as possible so they wouldn’t get caught in a lie.

“Young Christopher’s caution is laudable but unnecessary after all I’m on your side,” Gideon said smiling.

“Yeah, we know,” Paige shrugged. “But you know him and from the little we know of his world his caution is understandable. I mean he didn’t even trust his own family with his secrets, did he?”

“Yes, of course,” Gideon said. “But I worry for him all alone with no active powers,” and Paige caught on to what Gideon was fishing for. And Chris being fond of Gideon or not, her chips where on him.

“Don’t you worry about that Gideon. Chris does have one active power, the same as Prue,” and many others I’m not telling you, she thought. “And from what I heard you taught him well.”

“Me?”

“Oh, yes. He is very fond of you.”

Gideon smiled, “That’s nice to know.”

Yeah, I bet, Paige thought.

xx

Gideon entered his office and went straight to the mirror.

“If we taught them, then we know how they think,” his reflection said.

“Chris thinks like I would,” Gideon agreed and smiled “And if he likes me I might be able to manipulate him as I do his father.”

“Yes, quite handy piece of information,” his reflection mirrored his smile.

xx

“So, how was magic school?” Chris’s voice asked as soon as Paige orbed home. She almost let out a scream and dropped her books putting a hand on her chest.

“I’ve decided, you are evil! Do you want to kill me from a heart attack?” she cried.

Chris shrugged. “Just wondering how your snooping went.”

“I haven’t had the opportunity to do much snooping yet,” she glared at him. “But I did manage to do something useful,” she smirked. “I let Gideon know how fond of him you are.” Chris frowned not following. “Made him think you’d do anything he told you,” and Chris smirked.

“And never in a million years suspect my mentor. I think it is high time I start talking to him more.”

xx

A/N- Thanks for reviewing.

Chapter 13- Mentoring

“Ooh, if you weren’t already dead Piper would kill you,” Paige said as she entered the kitchen, did a little back-flip, checked that no one was coming and ran to join Prue on the kitchen counter grabbing a spoon and scraping some chocolate sauce.

“She can’t honestly need all this sauce for one lousy cake, I’m doing her a favor or else she’d had to waste food,” Prue said and Paige looked at her seriously.

“You’re right; this is our duty as concerned citizens. Wasting food is a horrible sin.”

Prue laughed at that, oh how she missed her baby sister’s humor. Her Paige had hardly laughed or cracked a joke for the last four years and Prue couldn’t blame her.

“So how was your first teaching day?”

“Horrible, I’m sure demons are nicer than teenagers,” Paige sighed. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Can’t help you there. When I came back you were already a teacher. Established one at that,” Prue smiled.

“How come you’re not as tight lipped as Chris?”

“Well,” Prue said. “I’m not about to tell you your husband’s name or when you have your kids, as I said, that has to be natural or else we risk erasing someone. But believe me both you and Phoebe met your soul mates. You were meant for each other. I don’t think that will change. But at the same time we want to change so much that not telling seems silly. Chris is just afraid to get hurt again, but mostly he is afraid to hurt you with the knowledge of what happened, especially Piper.”

“Mama’s boy?”

“Absolutely.”

“So much that he let mama know where his aunts would probably be before he left,” an angry voice came from the door and both Paige and Prue jumped as if scorched dropping their chocolate covered spoons.

“Piper, uh, hi,” Prue stammered.

“That cake,” Piper pointed at the oven where the cake was baking “is for Wyatt and Chris. And shall have all, all the chocolate sauce, I want, do I make myself clear?”

“Was just a little spoonful,” Paige defended herself. “There’s plenty left.”

“Humph,” Piper huffed as she went to grab the chocolate sauce pan and store it away. “And speaking of Chris, where did he run off to?”

“Magic school,” Paige smirked. “Went to get some mentoring.”

xx

There was a knock on the door and Gideon looked up.

“Come in,” he called. The door opened slowly, almost hesitantly and in came the object of his headaches: Christopher Halliwell.” Chris, what a surprise.”

“Sorry to bother you Gideon but- er- I don’t know how to start. I’m feeling a little lost and back in my time you were a lot of help.”

Gideon smiled benevolently and rose making a motion for Chris to seat. “Of course, your aunt mentioned. I hope you know you can count on me on the same manner.”

Chris smiled gratefully and Gideon smirked inside. Oh, this would be easier than he thought. With Chris relaying all their steps and Gideon guiding them away from himself.

“So, what can I help you with?” he asked sitting down. Chris bit his lips nervously and Gideon could see all the signs of guilt. He leaned forward and put his elbows on the desk his hands clasped together.

“I’m starting to think Wyatt wasn’t turned, that he was born this way. We’ve vanquished every threat and still the future hasn’t changed. I’m not so sure that clan we’re pursuing is really the one to turn him. What if…what if that’s who he is?” he finished in a pained whisper.

“Have you told your parents?”

“They’d think I’m just jealous because of the power Wyatt has. I am not powerful. I only have Telekinesis and orbing. And even so, my powers only started showing when I was a teenager,” Gideon wanted to dance in glee. Piper would be vulnerable. “Is there an echo here?” Chris frowned.

“Bad acoustic.” Gideon said dismissively.  “I think that you mustn’t give up Chris,” Gideon said wisely, better not to let the kid know he wanted him to give up from the start. He’d convince Chris of that slowly, maybe even convince him to help Gideon, that there was no other way.

Chris nodded, “You’re right. I’m just getting desperate,” he whispered and he looked so heartbroken that Gideon almost felt bad for him.

xx

Chris orbed in and smiled as he saw his brother playing with blocks in the living room. He sat on the floor and started helping Wyatt.

“He won’t get to you Wy. I promise.”

“Kwiss,” Wyatt said holding a block to him.

”Thank you.”

That’s the scene Leo walked in to. His two boys playing of building blocks and then kicking the towers down. Or more like Chris building so Wyatt could kick the tower down and giggle.

“Paige said you went to talk to Gideon?” he asked Chris joining on the floor.

Chris looked at him and smirked, “Oh yes, poor Chris, he is so desperate. Thinks Wyatt can’t be saved.”

“Do you think he is the one?”

“I don’t know. But if he isn’t he’ll probably comment with who is and maybe they’ll try to recruit my help.”

Leo looked at his son worriedly. This could be dangerous. Chris might be powerful but the Elders where no pussycats. But at the same time he didn’t want to be overbearing, especially since Chris would become defensive. He decided to keep a close eye on the situation instead.

Chris on the other hand watched his father’s reaction and oddly enough he felt like he could read the concern in his eyes. He knew his father would not just sit idly and let him take all the risks. He was amazed, a month ago he would have never seen concern in his father’s eyes and in the future he wouldn’t trust the concern was for him or just because Leo had lost Wyatt and didn’t want to loose the leftover. Chris smiled looking at his brother, wouldn’t do for Leo to realize what he was smiling about.

xx

“What do you think?”

“He could be useful.”

Gideon nodded pensively as he sat back in his armchair. “Do you believe he is so powerless?” he asked.

The reflection looked at him, “A son of a Charmed One and an Elder having only one power? No,” then the reflection smirked. “But I don’t doubt that Wyatt is more powerful and he is jealous. And that can come in handy.”

A/N- Thanks for reviewing.

Chapter 14- Gideon

Chris licked the spoon managing to smear chocolate sauce in his face and to her immense disgust Wyatt decided to imitate his brother but his more limited movements made him smear his body too.

Piper cringed but didn’t stop them. They were enjoying the cake so much and she couldn’t be more overjoyed.

Chris promptly cut another piece of cake for himself and seeing this Wyatt offered his opinion to his brother.

“Kwiss.”

Chris was about to cut another piece when Piper shook her head, “Unless you plan on being the one up all night long with a hyper Wyatt that’s more than enough cake for him.”

“Sorry about that kiddo, but the boss has spoken.” Wyatt pouted and to please his brother Chris refrained from taking his second helping. Piper smiled and started cleaning Wyatt’s face, she was going to do the same for Chris but he had already cleaned himself up and Piper felt a little pang. She was used to being mother of a baby that needed her. This independent adult made her long for when he was a baby. She looked at Wyatt while cleaning him and wondered how he could have killed his own family and at the same time not tried to kill his brother or father. She voiced the question and Chris frowned.

“Wyatt never did get close to the rest of the family. He was always so busy with his destiny that even though the aunts, uncles and cousins were over a lot that wasn’t when Wyatt was at home. And he never went to them. He was always up there with dad and the Elders. You also have to remember that my oldest cousin was still four years younger than him so even if they both went to magic school they weren’t in the same groups. So his family was the immediate one, you, dad and me.”

“I never thought my children wouldn’t be close to my sisters.”

“I was, because I was allowed to be a normal child. Wyatt was always treated like a God in training not a child. You have to change that.” He smiled at her. “But there were good moments. He was close to me. He was a good brother. He’d always defend me.”

“He did?” she smiled.

“Yeah,” Chris said. “I started understanding him more now. I think the signs were there but I didn’t see. We were close and Wyatt was always good to me but if someone hurt me he lost control. He would use his magic. He got scolded at magic school because of that and more than once dad had to come use some memory dust on the mortal kids from our school. At the time I only thought he was trying to protect me and in a way he was but maybe this has to do with him feeling helpless because of what the Elder did and with every threat we faced that feeling got worse, until he decided to take control of everything”

“So he wouldn’t be hurt,” Piper said. “But he hurt you.”

“He did,” Chris said simply. “But not in the beginning. By when he hurt me I think he was so far gone that he didn’t see anything wrong in what he was doing. He thought he was right. But I know my Wyatt is there somewhere, or else I’d be dead. I just need to get him back.”

Piper nodded and vowed she would make sure her son not only was close to her family but understood right from wrong. Chris winked at her and quick as a flash he dipped his spoon on the cake taking a chunk with a lot of sauce and giving it to Wyatt. Yes, and teach her sons not to steal more cake! She shook her head smiling.

xx

The next few weeks passed on relatively uneventfully. Chris started spending more time at Magic School talking to Gideon asking about one demon after the other and Gideon kept sending Chris after them. Chris couldn’t tell yet if Gideon was misleading him purposely or if he was genuinely trying to help but since the less demons the best he and the girls just vanquished them.

In most cases Chris took over his mother so she wouldn’t risk herself but he was careful not to use any power other than his telekinesis or at least not leave witnesses.

Paige was adapting to her teacher role quite well and was a little fonder of the teenagers now, though she was seen from time to time telling Wyatt and Piper’s stomach that they’d better be nice teenagers.

Phoebe had been working hard and had tried to feel Gideon out a few times by popping in Magic School under the guise of talking to her sister but she had no reading from him whatsoever.

Prue was getting a little bored, after all, besides waiting to heal her sisters and nephew after one of their escapades she had nothing much to do. Not being in her time she didn’t get called Up There for anything like Leo was, so she had decided to help an increasingly pregnant Piper at P3 and was glad there had been enough change in staff for her not to be recognized.

Finally when Piper was over five months along they caught a break.

xx

“I really don’t know what else to do,” Chris paced Gideon’s office. “I mean, not even the ideas you have are working.”

“Are you sure?” Gideon asked. “Maybe the future is already changed.”

Chris looked at him and shook his head lifting his shirt and showing some of his scars.

“My memories will only change when I reenter the timeline but the physical changes should happen instantly and I wouldn’t have these.”

Gideon looked at them interestedly and seemed to make a split second decision, “Maybe you’re right. Maybe Wyatt can’t be saved.”

“I know,” Chris sat down dejectedly on his chair and was about to give Gideon some more incentive when the man himself added.

“And if that is true a power such as Wyatt’s can’t be allowed to continue.”

Chris’s blood ran cold but he kept firm, “That’s why we thought of striping him of his powers.”

“Do you think that enough?” Gideon asked.

“I don’t know,” Chris answered hoping Gideon would say more but had no luck. Gideon put a hand on his chin and looked pensive.

“Maybe we are getting ahead of ourselves. I’ll look into more demons,” he finished smiling.

xx

“But did he say anything more?” Leo insisted. They were all seated in the kitchen table and Chris had just recounted his encounter with Gideon.

“I think he said enough. He’s our guy.” Piper said firmly.

“I don’t know Piper,” Leo said frowning. “He’s my mentor. He wouldn’t- he might have just been influenced by Chris.”

“Leo, look, I understand you,” Chris said. “I feel betrayed to. He was my mentor too, but you didn’t see him. His face, his eyes. That sent chills over my blood. I know he’s our guy.”

“We need more confirmation,” Leo insisted and the others groaned.

xx

Chris rubbed his eyes tiredly as he studied the books he had borrowed from Magic School. He was looking for a spell, something that would work on an Elder to show his intentions.

Piper smiled as she approached the dinner table and put down the cookies and milk she brought to him.

“I thought you’d like a break.”

“Cookies and milk?” he asked her raising one eyebrow.

She shrugged, “I enjoy them,” she sighed. “You have to understand this is hard for him. He is not like you or even your Leo. He didn’t live in a world were he was betrayed by those he trusted. Maybe your Leo was quick to accept this but he can’t.”

“I know mom,” Chris sighed and Piper’s heart fluttered. He continued as if he didn’t notice how he called her. “I’m hurt too and maybe you’re right. I’m used to not trusting but we can’t afford to be sentimental.”

“I know, and he does too,” she smiled and then she bit her lip. She wanted to ask if he noticed but she didn’t have to.

“I know what I called you,” he said looking at his books. “I’m sorry I didn’t before.”

She couldn’t help herself she got up quickly and barreled into him hugging him tight. “I love you baby.”

“I know mom. I love you too.” He hugged her back tightly. “But I’m scared of losing you.”

“You won’t,” she said pulling back her eyes moist.

“I never saw the demon that attacked you. I can’t stop-“

“But we will.” She said firmly and she would. “And for the record. I’m sorry for all we did to you-“

“That wasn’t your fau-“

“No Chris,” she stopped his shaking head with her hand on his cheek. “We should have trusted you. We should have helped you.”

He smiled at her and she could see in his eyes how much this apology meant for him.

xx

As Chris finished getting dressed he heard a knock on the door.

“Come in,” he called and was surprised to find his father in his golden Elder robes.

“Are you going to the underworld now?” Leo asked.

“Yeah, I’m going to meet, the Darklighter I talked about.”

“I had an idea,” Leo said calmly and continued by exposing his idea. Chris started shaking his head at the first word and did not stop until Leo finished.

“That’s insane!” Chris cried.” And dangerous.”

“Not more than what you are doing.”

“If we get caught we’ll loose our best lead.”

“We haven’t had any luck so far and we’ve been at this for months. We need something different. We’re doing this Chris, I don’t care if you agree or not. You’re not the only one that had to take the risks. Parents protect their children not the other way around.” Leo said with a finality tone.

xx

A/N- Thanks for reviewing.

Chapter 15- Confirmation

The cave was dark and dreary like most of the underworld and Chris leaned on the wall. Looking at him you’d think he was relaxed, with his bow hanging loosely from his hand.

There was a noise but Chris did not change his posture. A figure clad in black approached and as he took the scene he smiled, “What do you have here?”

Chris looked at his capture, that was bound and gagged on the floor and looked furious, with a nonchalant air, “Oh, thought we’d have a little fun,” he said walking over and putting a foot on top of his bounty to stop the trashing man. “The ropes have and anti-orbing ward on them.”

The other man smiled evilly, “An Elder, oh, my, oh my.”

“Not just any old Elder. The Charmed ones Elder,” Chris grinned at the man. “Heard someone else tried. Well, I succeeded. Do you know if there’s a bounty?” he asked curiously giving Leo a shove with his foot.

“Unfortunately no,” the other man said sighing sadly. “I heard that we were supposed just to try and get him. Scare him off about something. The client didn’t want him dead. Just to teach him a lesson.”

“Pity,” Chris said. “Well at least we’ll have fun. Unless the Client changed his mind…” he finished hopefully.

“Hardly,” the other man snorted. “I heard that the client was one of his colleagues. A British guy, in teaching robes. How much lamer can you get?”

“Not much,” Chris sighed and with a sudden move he turned the bow towards the Darklighter and Leo orbed out of his ropes appearing at the other side of Chris effectively cornering the Darklighter.

“What’s this?” the man growled.

“A trap,” Chris said calmly. “Now, about that Elder. You wouldn’t happen to have a name to go with the description?”

“You little traitor, selling yourself to those witches-“

“Name!” Leo said furiously and let a lighting bolt scorch the Darklighter.

“NO! I never heard the name!” the Darklighter cried. Leo and Chris traded a look and without blinking Chris set his own set of lightning bolts on the Darklighter vanquishing him.

He looked at the spot were the Darklighter had been and said simply, “This way they’ll think Gideon killed him. You do know Gideon is our man?” he asked Leo firmly. The betrayed look Leo had mirrored Chris’s.

“Yes,” he nodded. “And we need to know exactly what he is planning so we can have him recycled.”

xx

“Well,” Prue said grimly. “At least now we know “the who” and “the why”. What now?”

“We get proof and find out “the how” that Gideon was planning so we can go to the other Elders and have him recycled.” Leo said simply. They were all in the living room, seated at the couch and chairs.

“I think he may want my help,” Chris said. “If I can get him to be explicit and record what he’s saying maybe that will be proof enough.”

Leo nodded, “But be careful. Don’t let him on that we know. Remember he is planning on getting rid of you too.”

Chris nodded firmly and looked at Wyatt playing in his playpen with determined eyes. Eyes that went huge when he saw his brother put up his shield.

“Watch out!” Phoebe cried and Chris ducked as Piper made a motion with her hands blowing up a Darklighter that had showed up behind them. He looked around and they were surrounded.

“Hi there,” he said vaguely to one of them. “What brings you here?”

“We are down one of our own and there was Elder magic were he was vanquished,” one of the Darklighters looked at Leo maliciously. “And there’s only one Elder that likes to butt in where he doesn’t belong.”

“Oh, and attacking the Charmed Ones was your great way for revenge?” Paige asked sarcastically. “Don’t you ever learn?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Leo said vaguely and quickly sent a bolt of lightening to a Darklighter that was aiming at Prue. “But I will defend my family if attacked.”

The leader smirked and fired at Paige but his arrow missed as Chris flung his arms sending the arrow at another Darklighter. Piper blew up another one and soon there was a mess of blows and explosions.

One of the Darklighters that was fighting with Chris hissed, “You look familiar-“ but had no time to continue as Paige orbed another flying arrow at him. Soon the only Darklighter left was the leader but unfortunately he had managed to get close to Leo unnoticed and was about to pull the trigger of his bow when Chris leaped up enraged and blew him up while crying:

“Don’t touch my father!”

The room fell silent.

xx

“Why do you think they killed a Darklighter?” Gideon’s reflection asked.

“I don’t know,” Gideon said slowly. “But I’m glad I was able to convince them I had nothing to do with that.”

“Do you think they suspect?”

“No, Chris is exactly where I want him,” Gideon said. “This was just a coincidence.”

xx

A/N- Thanks for the reviews.

Chapter 16- Dad

“Okay, hum- er- we got work to do- planning,” Chris said awkwardly. Leo rose slowly and didn’t see the looks being traded by the sisters.

“Yes,” Phoebe cried. “Planning. The book is a great help on planning. Let’s go take a look,” she said dragging Paige with her.

“Wyatt needs a nap, a little help Prue,” Piper said picking Wyatt up and disappearing with Prue.

Chris looked uncomfortable and Leo had a grin that could split his face in two. He came closer to Chris who had taken a keen interest on his shoes.

He put a hand on Chris’s shoulder and with the other lifted Chris’s chin. “Thank you son.”

Chris shrugged uncomfortable. Leo decided not to push and made to go away but Chris halted him, “You’re welcome…” he bit his lips nervously, “dad.”

Leo just smiled wider and pulled Chris into a hug, “Thank you,” he whispered into his son’s head. Chris said nothing; he hugged Leo desperately and hid his face on Leo’s broad chest as if he was afraid he’d disappear. He didn’t need to ask anymore why Chris fought for him in Valhalla. He knew his son loved him.

xx

“Hey,” Chris entered Prue’s room cautiously and glared at his Aunt knowing smirk. “Where’s everyone?” he asked joining her on the bed.

“Wyatt is napping, Phoebe had to go to work and Paige and Piper decided to snoop in Gideon’s office. Paige never got an opportunity so Piper went to distract Gideon and let her know if he gets near the office.”

“How?”

“Oh, they’ve been practicing.” She said smirking, “Leo?”

“Had to go Up There,” Chris said vaguely and Prue nudged him on the shoulder with hers. “I wasn’t planning on calling him that,” Chris said. “I mean when I called mom, mom I was being deliberate. I had thought it through but this time I – that was an accident.”

“But a good one?” she asked.

“Don’t know,” he shrugged like a little boy. “He’s different. He’s like I always wanted him to be.”

“Then let him be and enjoy.” She said simply and Chris flopped backwards and stared at the ceiling. Could he just let go? Yes he could. He smiled.

xx

Paige was almost giving up on her search of Gideon’s office. She had found absolutely nothing. But curiosity got the better of her and she decided to see what was behind that curtain on the wall. She knew there was no window there. She opened the curtain.

“Hum, that’s interesting,” both Paige’s said.

“I gather you’re here for the same reason I am?” evil Paige asked.

“Probably.” Paige answered.

xx

“So, what happens with regular curriculum? How do they learn that?” Piper asked Gideon. She’d been grilling him in the pretense of being a concerned parent to give Paige time.

“Regular curriculum?” Gideon asked bewildered.

“Yes, so they can have a career, an income?”

“Uh, we don’t deal with mortal curriculum here,” he said flustered. “Piper, I understand your concerns but your sons are witches. They have a destiny to embrace.”

“They also need to buy food and pay for their roof,” she said flatly.

“Look, why don’t you look around. Watch some of the classes. I really need to go,” he said with a kind tone but Piper could detect the annoyance now that she knew to look for it.

She saw that she couldn’t stall him anymore so she smiled. “Of course.”

“Get out!” she thought frantically to Paige.

xx

“Gotta go.” Paige said snapping up startled..

“Me too,” her reflection replied.

xx

“They might be doing all the planning together,” Chris said as they read in the Book of Shadows all about the parallel world. “But why? What would they achieve?”

“Maybe they planned on having one of us cross to the other world and while we’re busy trying to get them back he’d attack. Doesn’t matter anyway because he won’t get to do that,” Paige said flatly. “Right now the evil Charmed Ones are planning the same we are and dealing with their Gideon we need to focus on our. We need that proof and then we need to corner Gideon.”

They all nodded.

 “I’ll go right now buy some recording device. Has to be one of those small-“ Chris started saying but was interrupted by Phoebe.

“I know which,” she said and took a piece of paper from her pocket. “What?” she asked at the looks she got. “I asked one of my coworkers.”

“Okay, Phoebe and I will go,” Chris said. “She can pay”, he smirked.

Phoebe scowled at him, “What? I don’t have money!” he said innocently.

xx

“Ouch!” Paige cried as she cut herself with a knife. She started jumping on the same spot and shaking her hand. Chris seeing this as he entered the kitchen decided to be more practical and orbed the first aid kit to himself. He put his bags down and went to her. “Here let me see?”

“No, chance you can just heal me,” she asked.

“No, sorry. What are you brewing?”

“Piper’s protection potion. She has to renew it every month.”

He nodded as he finished dressing her wound.

“If I could heal I could have just dealt with that in a second,” she huffed.

“No you couldn’t,” he smiled. “You can’t heal yourself remember. Besides. Unlike me healing is one of your powers.”

“Like I can control it,” she huffed.

 “You’ll get the hang of healing eventually. Don’t worry,” Chris told Paige.

“Yeah, but when,” she huffed annoyed.

“In my time that happened after mum died. I guess the grief motivated you. You had always been shoddy at healing until then. Only having used your abilities twice or three times in your life. There was always dad or Aunt Prue or even Wyatt available so you never did have an incentive to develop your abilities. I guess when mum died you got angry because you thought that I would have thought of calling you if I’d been used to you healing. So you made Aunt Prue teach you and didn’t stop until you mastered the feeling and how to heal.”

“So I got complacent.” She nodded. “Well, I won’t again. Where’s that sister of mine?” she said firmly and Chris smiled. Future consequences be damned.

xx

The next day Chris was getting frustrated. He had tried tapping the microphone wire three times already but every time he went to put the recorder on his pocket the wire stretched and unattached the tape.

“Great,” he huffed again peeling away the tape from his naked torso. He was in his room and all he had on were his jeans.

“Want a hand?” Piper asked from the hall.

“Please,” he begged.

She came close and looked at the recording device and the microphone.

“Where do you want the microphone?”

“I thought my wrist would be best, this way I can get it near Gideon. But every time I move the cord stretches.”

“Why didn’t you buy a cordless one?”

“We didn’t know if the magic around Magic school would interfere with the signal.”

“Here,” she said attaching the cord to the device. Maybe we should start putting the device in your back pocket and then see if we can keep the cord loose enough for your movements but not loose enough to show. I’ll tape first to your back and then follow your arm from your shoulder.” She started taping the cord to his back and couldn’t help herself. She traced one of his scars. He looked backwards.

“Mom, no, they’re ugly”

“They’re not. They’re a symbol of the love you have for your family,” She turned him around and started weaving the cord around his arm, “They show you never give up on any of us. And I’m immensely proud of that.” she finished looking into his eyes and he smiled blushing.

xx

“Okay,” Leo told Chris as he was finishing getting ready. They had tested the equipment. Made sure nothing was showing and went through what Chris had to say to push Gideon into recruiting him.

“Be careful, if you feel he is on to you try to get away. If you think you can’t without arousing suspicion orb out immediately and call for us. We’ll meet here.”

Chris nodded but he had no intention of jeopardizing the mission. “I’m serious Chris. I’m not choosing between my sons,” he said firmly and made Chris look at him. Chris couldn’t help it. He was touched, very touched.

“Okay dad.”

Leo nodded. “Paige is already there in class. She’ll know where you are and will keep her ears open in case you need her.”

Chris nodded and orbed away.

xx

“Gideon,” Chris called. “I need to talk to you.”

Gideon looked at Chris, the boy looked flustered. He quickly shut his office door and gestured for Chris to take a seat. Gideon sat on his chair and Chris leaned forward resting his arms completely on the desk.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said and I don’t think striping Wyatt’s powers is enough. He’ll be raised around power and he’ll want power. He might find a way to recover his powers,” he said worriedly.

Gideon smiled inwardly. Yes, Chris would help him. “What do you suggest?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Chris said lost. “Do you?”

“I might,” Gideon said. “I agree. A power so big should not be allowed.”

“What should we do?” Chris asked eagerly.

“I’ll tell you when the time is right,” Gideon said and Chris nodded.

xx

Chris sent the chair flying away with a raged scream. Phoebe ran into the living room and asked worriedly what was going on.

“He won’t say anything until it’s too late!” Chris cried. Piper who had been in the kitchen with Leo came as soon as she heard the crash.

“We’ll have to fend off an attack by then!” Chris cried frustrated.

“Then we go to the Elders with what we have now and we set a trap,” Piper said firmly. “This has to be on our terms.”

xx

A/N- Thanks for reviewing.

Chapter 17- Trap

Piper was wringing her hands. This had to work. Other than their suspicions they had no hard proof so either they managed to make Gideon confess or they were screwed because he would know they were on to them. The Elders hadn’t thought that what Gideon said on the tape was enough to prove he was the one after Wyatt.

But they couldn’t risk this anymore. What Paige found about the parallel world and with the Darklighter’s description on who had hired the one that attacked Leo was more than enough to them. So they set a trap. She vaguely wondered how the evil Charmed Ones were doing but promptly stopped. They had to focus here.

Paige nodded as she entered the living room, “Everything is in place. We’ll trap him inside the house at least with the crystals. The other Elders?”

Piper looked at a piece of wall behind her and nodded, “In place.”

Phoebe and Chris soon orbed in.

“Dad and Wyatt are in a safe place. And Prue is with them so if anything goes wrong one of us lets her know and she’ll disappear with them. I still think you shouldn’t be here Piper,” Phoebe said worriedly.

“We may need the power of three to stop Gideon.” Piper answered.

“We’ll have the power of three with the two of us and Chris. Three Halliwells,” Paige said calmly.

“No,” Piper shook her head. “I want Chris free to work his powers if needed. He and Leo are the ones that can match Gideon’s. I don’t know if our spell to contain him if necessary will work. I’ll be careful and I took my potion,” she said looking at Chris. “No one is touching either of my boys.”

“I know mum,” Chris smiled and Piper felt warmed up at the name.

Orbs formed in the middle of the room and they promptly assumed their positions. Piper, Phoebe and Paige where in the passage way that led to the foyer and Chris was positioned across them blocking the windows.

Leo and Gideon formed in the middle of the room and Leo swiftly blocked the other window. Not realizing anything amiss or the hostile reception Gideon smiled, “Leo says you need my help.”

“Yes,” Piper smiled dangerously, “We found interesting information Gideon and we’d like some explanation.”

“Information?” Gideon asked turning around and noticing his hosts’ posture. “And what information might that be?”

“I’ve been scouting the Darklighters,” Chris said with a dangerous smile that mirrored his mother’s “And guess what I found out?”

“I couldn’t even begin to imagine,” Gideon told him placidly. “Where’s Wyatt?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Paige sneered.

“The Darklighter informed us that an Elder hired them to attack my dad,” Chris said, “An Elder with an English accent and teaching robes. Sound familiar?”

Gideon laughed, “And you believed them? They were lying of course. Christopher, you might be young but I thought you more savvy than that.”

“Oh, that’s not our only evidence,” Phoebe said. “We’ve known that an Elder was after Wyatt since Prue’s arrival. That’s the information she brought. We just didn’t know which Elder. And the Paige here found your little mirror.”

Gideon’s face turned from mirth to stone. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Yes, you do,” Leo said betrayed. “How could you? I trusted you. You were my mentor.”

“You have forgotten your purpose Leo. We serve the greater good not just one family,” Gideon said firmly. “Wyatt is too powerful. He’ll tip the scale. There has to be balance between good and evil. And he is not the only one,” his eyes looked at Chris and Piper’s blood boiled.

“You tipped the scale Gideon,” Chris snapped. “Had you left well enough alone Wyatt would have been good and followed the rules. I never abused my powers. Wyatt wouldn’t have either.”

“You have no way of knowing that,” Gideon stated.

“I know my brother,” Chris said through gritted teeth.

“You and your brother shouldn’t have ever been born,” Gideon said with a disgusted tone. “I wanted to do this peacefully without anyone else being hurt. The Charmed Ones have their purpose, but the world can do without them and getting rid of you and your brother is more important than any of us will ever be,” Gideon said and he opened his palm and threw a lighting bolt at Chris who barely managed to dodge. The wall that Piper had looked at shimmered and disappeared from view.

“That’s enough Gideon,” Zola, another Elder, thundered. “You are out of your mind!”

“What is this?” Gideon looked around wildly.

“A trap,” Paige stated. “And you just confessed.” Turning to the other Elders she asked. “What will you do to him?”

“He’ll be recycled. He’ll cross over for good,” Zola said.

“No! You can’t we have to stop Wyatt!” Gideon roared and tried to orb but was promptly dumped back on the ground as the girls chanted a spell.

“Going somewhere?” Piper smirked.

“You have to understand,” he begged the other Elder. “These boys are dangerous.”

Zola looked at him sadly, “One of these boys risked everything to right your wrongs Gideon.” He shook his head sadly, “You already lost this argument once, when you brought this up with the Council. You should have accepted our ruling.”

“I can’t let this happen,” Gideon hissed and before anyone could act he thrust his hands towards Piper launching lightening bolts at her.

She felt herself being pushed and felt a heavy body fall over her shaking and then go unmoving.

She heard a cry of rage and when she looked to see what was happening she saw Gideon being struck by bolts of lightening coming from Leo and saw that the body on top of hers was Chris’s.

She moved and pulled him to her trying to wake him.

“Chris, baby, wake up,”  she begged him caressing his hair. She never saw Gideon try to strike her once again but did see Zola help Leo and Gideon, fall to the ground unmoving and charred.

“Chris, please,” she cried over him and was joined by Leo’s hovering hand. His hand glowed but still Chris didn’t move. His hand glowed more fiercely.

“Come on son,” Leo growled and he was joined by Zola’s healing hand.

“He is a mortal,” Zola explained. “He is very close to dying. We need all the help we can get.”

Understanding him Paige raced to them and hoped she could do this.

“Prue, we need you here!” Phoebe called and in seconds orbs formed with Prue Victor and Wyatt.

“Please, join them!” Phoebe said and Prue didn’t waste time.

“We’re losing him,” Zola said sadly.

Piper shook her head. “No”, she sobbed.

Victor had put Wyatt on the ground and no one had noticed the little boy inch closer. They did notice though when his small hand touched Chris’s and started glowing.

“Kwis,” he said. “Pay.”

Leo smiled sadly at his son as he felt Chris’s life coming back to him, “Chris is hurt buddy. We need to make him better first. Can you help us?”

Wyatt nodded and furrowed his little head in concentration.

Soon they heard Chris gasping for air. He opened his eyes with difficulty and looked at his parents. “What happened?” he asked his voice low and tired.

“You saved the future Christopher,” Zola said calmly and pointed at the patch of skin that was showing because of the shirt coming up with Pipers grasp. Piper slowly raised Chris’s shirt more and Leo helped him sit up to be able to look better. They all smiled at seeing his perfect stomach with smooth skin. Not a scar in sight. Chris smiled and closed his eyes resting against his mother. He soon fell asleep.

“He needs rest, lots of rest.” Zola said smiling at the family that was huddled together around Chris.

xx

 A/N- Thanks for reviewing.

Chapter 18- Goodbyes

Chris slept through the next day, waking up only to groggily use the bathroom. Piper was starting to get worried but Leo explained that Chris’s own innate magic had to be used to help heal him from Gideon’s attack. An Elder power was no laughing matter.

They couldn’t deny that after the threat of Gideon had left a weight had been lifted from the house and al the moods seemed to be better. Even Leo and Chris who were morning the loss of their mentor were happier. Leo had decided to separate Gideon the mentor from Gideon the traitor. Gideon the traitor had to die, he tried to kill Piper and Chris and Wyatt. Leo wasn’t sorry for what he did but Gideon the mentor would be missed. Chris was a little more confused after all Gideon the mentor for him had already been a traitor and he felt cheated. So he coped by accepting that he never knew Gideon at all.

The next few days at the manor had been filled with idle talk with laughs and with relaxing. And though the threat was gone no one wanted to touch the next dreaded subject: that now that they saved the future Chris and Prue had to leave. Now when they ha just started becoming close to Chris, when he had just started opening up to them. But as much as she didn’t want to bring the subject up and especially not say that word that Gideon put so much stock into Phoebe decided that she would have to talk to her sister and brother in law. Because she definitely didn’t want to bring the subject up with Chris who was acting as if being in the past was perfectly natural. Someone had to. For the sake of Balance.

So she slowly approached Piper’s and Leo’s bedroom and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” she heard and found Piper putting Wyatt down for the night on the crib that had been put next to their bed.

“Hey guys- er- we need to talk.”

“About?” Leo asked.

“You know, about how people should be in the time they belong,” Phoebe said vaguely.

Piper froze on the process of folding a quilt and looked icily at her sister, “I don’t know what you are talking about,” she hissed.

“About how Prue and Chris have to go back to their time. Enjoy the fruits of their labor. Have a normal life,” Phoebe said firmly and Leo sat down on the bed slowly, looking at Wyatt sadly. He shook his head and looked at Pipers belly. He brushed his hand fondly on her belly and looked at her, “She’s right,” he said sadly. “He shouldn’t be here when he is born.”

“Why not?” Piper said her voice thick with tears. “Older Paige said there shouldn’t be any problem until he is eighteen.”

“Shouldn’t isn’t a certainty,” Leo smiled sadly. “And he should be able to be happy in his own time. We don’t have the right to deprive him of a normal life just because we will miss him.”

“He won’t really be gone you know,” Prue said from next to Phoebe and Phoebe gave a scared start. “Neither will I. I’ll be back when he turns six. Hopefully with Andy, and he’ll be here in a few months,” she said pointing at Piper’s belly.

Piper shrugged and Phoebe knew she knew they were right but she didn’t want to let go.

“I’ll miss him, he won’t be the same,” she said sitting down next to Leo and resting her head on his shoulder.

“We’ll have him back in twenty years. And then we’ll have both Chrises and hopefully the memories of a happy life will help him cope with the memories of his hard past.”

Prue nodded satisfied and smiled at Phoebe nudging her to say the rest.

“Why me?”

“Because you’re the empath.”

Phoebe huffed, “Well, now one of you has to convince Chris.”

Leo and Piper looked at Phoebe weirdly, “I don’t see him running to draw a portal,” she added.

“I’ll talk to him,” Leo said.

xx

Chris was lounging on the yard watching the stars. Leo smiled. In all his time here Leo never saw Chris just lay around lazily and relaxed as he was now. He hoped he would see lots of that in the future. He sat on the recliner next to Chris turned to his son. Chris looked at him and smiled.

“What’s up dad?”

“That’s what I’m here to ask you son,” Leo said calmly. “We’ve saved the future over two weeks ago and you haven’t yet mentioned going back. I’d love to keep you here forever son but your Aunt Phoebe is right. You don’t belong in this time. Don’t you want to see the changed future for yourself? Don’t you want to see Wyatt, your cousins, maybe even Bianca?”

Chris bit his lips and rose slowly. He mimicked his father’s posture by turning to face him, resting his elbows on his knees and entwining his hands. He looked at them as he said quietly, “I’m scared of what I’ll find. Of who I’ll leave behind.” He looked up and met his fathers matching eyes. Green met green and they both reflected the same pain.

“You don’t know she won’t be there son?” Leo said. “And I don’t think she would want you to through your life away, your happiness for her. I know your mom, she might be avoiding having to let you go but deep down she knows that’s the best and she’ll end up shoving you through that portal herself if she has too.”

Chris smiled at his father, he was so right. That’s exactly what Piper would do.

“I don’t think the portal will work since Aunt Prue and I won’t have ever left for the past. We’d have to find a spell or something that will send us back and make us merge with our new selves.”

“We’ll find a way,” Leo assured him squeezing his shoulder. “And this way we’ll have you and Prue for a little while longer.”

xx

“I never knew people wrote so much about time travel,” Paige huffed as she perused yet another tome on the subject at magic school. They were all there trying to find a spell to send Prue and Chris back and Piper had left Wyatt in the nursery. Even Victor had come to help and was quite awed at all the magic around.

Phoebe looked at Chris as she closed another book, “You know. You never did tell us how you came into the manor unnoticed the first time.”

Chris smiled at the thought,” That was a big gamble. We had to use the first opportunity we had to enter the Manor so we couldn’t be sure of the date. And at the same time I had to be here before the Titans. We finally had an opportunity and Bianca and I went. We posed as tourists and hid until the Museum close. Wyatt transformed the manor into a Museum to remind people of the power he came from,” he clarified. “When I got here I was very lucky the attic was empty. I don’t know what I’d do if someone was there. I had a little memory dust with me but I really didn’t want to have to use it. I heard your voices downstairs and was so tempted to see you but I had to orb away. I couldn’t let you see me. Since you had never felt the power shift the portal makes I don’t think you recognized it. But you did feel something because I orbed just in time to here you come into the attic because something was wrong.”

“I remember that,” Piper said. “We found nothing so we just left again.”

“I think I found what you need,” Victor said bewildered handing the book to Leo.

“You did?” Phoebe asked. “Dad found the spell, oh come on! Dad? The mortal while all the witches here found squat. That is so unfair!”

“I’m afraid Aunt Phoebe that he did,” Chris nodded at her reading the spell. “Congratulations grandpa. He patted his grandfather who looked very pleased with himself.

“Don’t get so cocky dad,” Piper huffed.

The preparations for the ritual and spell that would take Prue and Chris back took another five days in which Piper thrived to shove all the food and the hugs she could into Chris. Finally for the dread of all of them the day came and the whole family was together in the attic to once again say goodbye.

Chris first hugged his baby brother who wasn’t all that sure what was happening but knew he wasn’t liking it. “You be good for mommy and daddy and the whole world okay buddy. I love you very much.,” he kissed him and Wyatt gave him a slobbery kiss back. Prue seemed to be following Chris’s lead because she was next for Wyatt as Chris pulled Victor into a hug, “Thanks for the talk grandpa.”

“Whenever you feel like talking Victor, you come see me,” Victor told him and Piper sighed.

“Chris dad! Chris!”

Chris just smiled at his grandfather and went to his youngest Aunt, “I hope this tie around you only get to spoil me,” he pulled her in a hug.

“Count on that,” she told him with a sad smile.

“I love you dad,” he heard Prue saying as she hugged Victor.

“I missed you so much.” Victor said. “I can’t wait to see you again.”

Phoebe nudged Chris and pulled him into her hug and said, “I hope you’ll stop with that annoying habit of blocking me out.”

“Fat chance,” he laughed.

Next was his mother and he couldn’t help his eyes from watering he hugged her tight and whispered, “I love you so much mom.”

“Me too honey, I’ll be there. You’ll see.” He pulled back but she didn’t let him go immediately. She took his face in her hands and pulled him for a kiss in the forehead. “I love you,” she whispered.

His father pulled his dazed body from her and hugged him fiercely.

“I’ll be there for you this time, I promise.”

“I know dad,” Chris nodded into Leo’s chest. “I love you. Always have.

“I love you too son.”

Chris smiled at Leo and when looked at the others he saw he had missed Prue saying goodbye to her sisters but that didn’t matter. They’d see each other again. Prue hugged Leo and took Chris by the hand. They entered the triquetra that had been drawn on the floor and the girls started chanting. White lights formed around them and blinded the place. As they faded Chris and Prue were gone.

Chapter 19- What the future holds

Leo looked at the mirror as he straightened his shirt. He never was one for vanity but he did have to admit that he did look good for a man of over a hundred years. He didn’t look a day over fifty. He chuckled amazed at how the fact that he did look fifty pleased him. Leaving the Elders and becoming mortal again was the best decision he ever made.

The day Chris was born he had taken Wyatt to Piper’s room so he could meet his brother and with Wyatt on his lap he had gently lifted Chris. And there holding his two boys he had just known that being an Elder and a father was impossible, that he had to choose and he was amazed at how simple the choice was to make. He chose his family.

That is not to say magic wasn’t a part of his life anymore, no, he had been a happy teacher at magic school for the last twenty years, he had the pleasure of teaching his sons and nieces.

He smiled as he thought of his sons. They were both in College now, Wyatt would be in law school next year, and he wanted to be a district attorney.

“We save innocents from demons every day, but saving them from criminals is just as important,” Wyatt had said. His Wyatt was good; they had always made sure that he knew that not abusing his powers wasn’t a question of weakness of being afraid of seizing power as Chris had told them evil Wyatt thought, but of respect for those gifts that were given to him to protect not harm. That those powers didn’t make him better then others just responsible for the protection of good.

They taught both their boys this and they had both learned their lesson. They used their powers but didn’t abuse them. And they both used their powers to their fullest potential. Chris had been taught to believe in himself something future Chris hadn’t known how to.

Chris was in a pre-med student and just like his brother lived on Campus. Piper and Leo felt the need to let them have this experience at the fullest even though both went to College in San Francisco because they knew that the boys wouldn’t be ever able to move out completely. Paige and Phoebe had only been able to move out because Wyatt and Chris’s powers coupled with Piper’s when they were small was enough to protect the Manor and more importantly what the manor stood on. The fact that Chris and Wyatt were the most powerful Halliwell’s around made it their duty to protect the Manor. Even now being at College they came back and slept home often enough so the magic protecting the manor was always strong.

That Piper and Leo enjoyed the fact that their boys would always be around had nothing to do with it. Not at all. Yeah, right!

xx

Chris came down for breakfast with all his books. Piper eyed them wearily and as her son sat down she asked gently. “Muffin, won’t you stay home today?”

Chris looked at her and then at his father who had the same weird expression and for the first time noticed that all his aunts were there too. “Uh, I love you all but you do realize you people have been acting weirder by the minute. First you beg me to stay at home this week instead of going back to my dorm now you’re asking me to ditch school? Me? You do know me right?”

“We have our reasons, can’t you just- Chris!” Leo cried as his son’s eyes rolled and he started dropping in his chair. He ran to him and tried his best to hold him off the floor as Chris’s body shook in a seizure. Piper ran to his side and from the corner of his eyes Leo saw Paige and Phoebe gently setting Prue on the floor. She had fainted too but was not seizing as Chris was. Leo held his son and lost the track of time while he willed whatever was happening not to hurt his boy.

xx

The blond was getting ready for class when suddenly he felt agony as never before. There was so much pain and confusion that he gasped and fell to the floor. He raised his head, “Chris,” and orbed away to where his brother was suffering.

He appeared in his house’s kitchen and the sight that he found made his blood run cold; His father was holding his brother from the ground and his brother was convulsively shaking.

He ran to them and quickly put his hands on his brother but the warm glow of healing didn’t start. He could feel there was something wrong but could not get his powers to work. A hand on his arm made him look back into his mother’s worried eyes.

“There’s nothing you can do honey, you just have to let this happen.”

“Who attacked? How can you be so calm?” he asked her urgently. He saw his aunt Prue unconscious nearby and could not fathom what could have knocked out a whitelighter.

“No one attacked honey, we have a lot to tell you. Come with me,” she told him leading him to the living room and trusting Leo to take care of Chris.

xx

“My Head,” Chris moaned from the floor.

“Steady,” Leo said calmly as he helped him sit up.

“Well, that should hurt, I had the mother of all headaches when I got my memories back and they were just memories,” Paige said.

Prue had awakened a little while ago, not more ruffled than if she’d been asleep in her bed to Paige’s annoyance and they had sat besides Leo waiting for Chris to stop shaking. He had quieted down after a while but, still took a few minutes to wake up.

“What?” Prue asked Paige.

“Really, to think Wyatt fell for the same trick twice,” Paige smirked at her sister. “He did try to catch me but I just shimmered away.”

“How are you feeling son?” Leo asked Chris worriedly. Chris looked pale and about to drop again any time.

“Confused. I don’t know what’s what?” Chris rubbed his head.

“That will take a while, don’t worry,” Leo said and pulled Chris into a hug kissing his hair. He was so relieved that Chris didn’t seem worse for wear.

“I’m not confused,” Prue said simply. “I know what I lived here and the other seams like a story I know.”

“That’s because you’re a full whitelighter. You’re wired to get great loads of information at one time when you need. Chris being human is going to take some time being able to process both lives.”

“So I get the dying with Darklighter poison but not the processing, peachy.” Chris snorted sarcastically in a tired voice.

“I think you better go back to bed,” Leo said helping him up.

xx

“I was evil?” Wyatt asked with his jaw set angrily and his eyes full of unshed tears. “I hurt my brother? My best friend? I’d never hurt Chris,” he whispered the last part.

“We know that peanut,” Piper said taking Wyatt’s hand. “And in the other future, as twisted as you may have been you were trying to protect your loved ones. You just went about that the wrong way.”

“So I could be evil?” Wyatt asked disgusted.

“All of us could.”

“Chris wasn’t.”

“Chris did a lot of questionable things to save you Wyatt and so did we,” Piper smiled. “This wasn’t your fault, and as much as I want to place the blame all on Gideon this wasn’t only his fault. Everything in the other timeline contributed  to what happened. You were a victim of circumstances. Of Gideon’s actions. Of your father and I not raising you properly. Of letting your destiny be more important than your life. This time we let you be as normal a child as we could and we worked hard to show you your powers were gifts to protect others, but you still were just a common person. Special to me,” she smiled. “But not better then anyone else. We grounded you we hadn’t grounded him.”

Wyatt shook his head letting the tears fall. He could feel the pain and confusion his brother was going through and he couldn’t believe he had done that to the most important person in his life. Wyatt and Chris were more than brothers, they were best friends. They knew each other as they knew themselves. Chris was always a part of Wyatt, always a presence inside him. Wyatt knew that their closeness was aided by their bond. As close as his mother and sisters where they weren’t as close as Chris and Wyatt. And hurting his brother was the worst Wyatt could ever do.

The kitchen door opened and Wyatt saw his father helping Chris walk. He got up abruptly and ran to his brother.

“I’m sorry, Chris, I’m so sorry.”

Chris only smiled at him, “I’m a little jumbled up now Wy but I know for a fact this is not your fault.”

“Yes this is. I hurt-“

“He hurt me Wy,” Chris said firmly. “You’re my brother Wy, the one I went back to save. He wasn’t anymore.”

Wyatt shook his head and Chris shakily left his father’s helping arm and hugged Wyatt, “I’d go back in time a million times for you Wy.”

“You won’t have too,” Wyatt hugged him back. From over his brother’s shoulders Chris looked at his mother. His breathing, healthy happy mother and he smiled at her and from her watery smile he knew she knew what he was thinking and how happy he was to see her.

xx

Chris sighed happily as he lunged on the very same recliner he had in the past. He watched the clouds and thought on his new life. He had been back for a week and his memories were more organized. The new life was predominant and as Prue had said the other one seemed like a story he knew. Sometimes he still got confused but his family was there to help him, especially his father. He was quite shocked to find out that the idea of a spell to keep their old memories had been Leo’s.

“I didn’t want you going through this alone,” Leo had told him. “With me it’s different then with you. One day I woke up and I remembered everything from my past life. But they were unattached to anything. They were as if the other Leo had come and let me see his life not live his life. I still can’t rationalize his actions towards you but I know he loved you.”

Somehow he had already realized that and that action helped him make peace with his other father.

This time he had always been the baby of the family in a way. He was the youngest man even though Paige’s Helen was the youngest child. He was Wyatt’s little brother. Piper and Leo’s youngest and had been babied. He liked that. He remembered a life where he didn’t get to be babied because his mother was always running around trying to make up for his father’s absence, and sensing her stress he did his best not to worry her. He’d stay where she told him too. He tried to help her, be good for her. And then, all of a sudden, he had to grow up to protect what was left of his family.

Here he was part of a family, a big family that protected each other. Bianca wasn’t part of his life and maybe she never would be, maybe he’d find someone else or maybe she’d come. He didn’t care. He’d wait and see. Life was good.

The doorbell rang and Chris could hear the rest of his family laughing at a joke Andy was telling. Andy and Prue had been together since Whitelighter training.

Chris opened the door and came face to face with what was obviously a school jock. How he hated athletes and their small brains. The guy in front of him must have been around eighteen and was all muscles.

“Yes?” Chris asked condescendingly.

“I’m here to pick up Patty. She said we’d go out after her family lunch.”

“Oh, she did,” Chris said sarcastically and turned around. “Hey Wy!” he called.

Wyatt soon joined his brother on the door and though Wyatt had played some sports at school he never had been the school jersey kind of jock. He gave the boy the same disdain as Chris.

“He thinks he’s going out with Patty,” Chris informed him.

“Oh, he does? How naïve,” Wyatt chuckled.

The boy visibly bristled and flexing his muscles he said, “Oh, yeah, and who’s going to stop me? You two frail sticks?”

Now Wyatt and Chris weren’t exactly muscular but they were the two most powerful witches in the world so calling them sticks was probably not the smartest move.

“No,” Wyatt smirked and turning around yelled. “Oi, Uncle Henry. You’re needed.”

Henry, who was getting ready to get back to the precinct came putting his jacket on and followed by Leo, Victor, Andy and Coop. The boy’s eyes went wide at the gun he was carrying and Wyatt said nonchalantly.

“This boy seems to be under the impression that he’s taking your daughter out,” he informed him.

“Yes,” Henry said scowling, “I was informed. Tenth grade, bad grades, and stopped for underage drinking once.”

“How do you know that?” the boy squeaked.

“Background check, obviously,” Chris snorted. “What are you? A moron? Want us to take care of him?” he turned to his Uncle.

“Unfortunately I was told not to stop this outing,” Henry growled and then smirked. “But no one said anything about keeping a close eye on him.”

Seven identical evil smirks were formed and the boy gulped.

Yes, family was good.

The end

xx

A/N- Nothing against athletes. Don’t kill me. Chris just always struck me as the nerdy type of guy that generally dislikes athletes.

I hope you had fun and thanks for reading!