Author's note: Well, you guys seemed to like the first story, so here's another one. Since mental illness isn't an easy fix, I doubt Chris' issues would be. Unlike the last fic, which looked at Chris' relationship with several of his family members, this is going to be more of a father-son story. Enjoy.

The cavern was similar to the underworld, but with less ambiance. Leo leaned against the cold stone and tried to ignore the pain in his side from being thrown to the ground. A couple feet away a depowered Chris hugged his knees and watched the ground intensely.

Leo knew in theory that the fact that Rick and Nathan were somehow back thanks to some deal with an evil witch should concern him more. But the Charmed Ones could handle it. What he needed to focus on right now was Chris.

Two weeks ago. Chris had gotten an A on his math test. Leo knew he studied at least an hour every day for the past week, missing time with friends on the weekend. And all that hard work paid off. He stuck the paper on the fridge for everyone to see.

Chris sat at the table as Piper was flipping pancakes. He blushed.

"You don't have to put it up like that."

"We're proud of you, Chris," Piper said as she set the pancakes on the table.

"We are," Leo added.

Chris' grin turned into a yawn.

"Have you been getting enough sleep," Piper asked.

"I must have stayed up to study."

"Well make sure you go to bed early tonight."

"Yes Mom."

As Leo sat down with the paper, he noticed bags under his son's eyes. Before he could say anything, Wyatt tripped on the stairs and Leo rushed over to help. It was just studying. Chris was seeing a therapist. He was getting better. Everything was fine.

How stupid was he?

Hours later Piper had gotten a call from the school. Chris had fainted on the way to lunch. It was only for a few seconds, but the school nurse said he appeared to be suffering from fatigue.

When Leo picked Chris up from school his son ducked his head down and got in the car as fast as he could without saying anything. On the way home he evaded questions, saying he was just tired. As soon as they got into the house Leo grabbed his son's arms before he could orb off. It had been warmer over the past week and Chris had been wearing short sleeve shirts more often than not. Now his arms were hidden under sleeves that Leo pushed up. No scars, no cuts, no sign of anything.

He must be a pretty terrible father if the fact that his son wasn't cutting himself could be considered an improvement.

Chris shot him a look of pure indignation. As soon as Leo let go he orbed upstairs. The slam of his bedroom door rang through the house.

That afternoon Dr. Johnson suggested medication.

It had been that afternoon when Rick and Nathan showed up. Leo had been in the living room trying to talk to his son-and not getting any response, naturally, when the two ghosts materialized out of nowhere. Next to them was an old woman wearing a black dress. She tossed a potion at Chris' feet. It burst into smoke. Chris tried to throw something with his telekinesis. Nothing. He tried orbing. Nothing.

The ghosts grabbed father and son and the next thing they knew they were in a cave somewhere. Not the underworld, but a regular cave. Probably the lair of the old witch.

No matter how much Leo called for Paige, nothing happened. Something was blocking the Charmed Ones from finding them. Probably the evil witch Rick and Nathan teamed up with had the place cloaked. From Leo gathered while the ghosts were arguing, she wanted a distraction while she attacked the sisters. Leo wasn't worried about that. If she wasn't vanquished yet she soon would be. All he had to do was wait.

"Chris? Hey, Buddy," he said softly.

Chris looked up finally. Leo examined his now healed face.

Three days ago Leo came home from work to his sister in law yelling. That didn't concern him. It could have been a column deadline, a demon attack or a guy cutting her off on the high way. The fear kicked in when he got to the living room and realized what she was yelling about.

"When will you realize you need to come to us when you have a problem?"

"I'm not a child Phoebe!"

"That's Aunt Phoebe to you!"

Leo could see Phoebe trembling from the bottom of the staircase. As she stepped to the side he saw his son sporting a swollen, black eye.

"Dear God!" He ran over as Phoebe wiped tears from her eyes.

"Chris, what happened?" Chris looked away. Leo grasped his shoulders. "Chris?"

"He won't tell me!" Phoebe threw her hands outward as though she would summon the power to knock some sense in her nephew. Leo winced. She wasn't helping the situation. Chris needed to calm down.

"Phoebe, go get Paige." He cupped his son's chin in his hand and forced his head up gently. "Hey, buddy, look at me."

"No," Phoebe said, "I'm not getting Paige until he tells us what happened."

One freak out at a time. "Phoebe-"

"I've been to too many funerals in my life and I'm not going to my own nephew's!" She wretched Chris out of his hands and shook his body like a rag doll. "Is that what you want Chris? Is that what you want? First you fainted and now look. What's next?!"

"Paige!"

Paige orbed beside him. She took one look at the situation and held out her hands to Chris' face. Then without a word she took the sobbing Phoebe from the room.

Leo searched for words to say.

"I didn't do this to myself, God. Some kid at school punched me. I'm fine."

He must be a pretty terrible father if the fact that his son wasn't cutting himself could be considered an improvement.

"How did you get hurt?"

"Some kids were playing ball and it hit me in the face?" It scared Leo that Chris was on his way to becoming as good a liar as his alternate time line self. But even so, he wasn't good enough to fool his father. Yet.

"When was this? If it was during gym class the school would have called."

"It was after school. I was at chess club."

"Chess club meets in doors Chris."

Chris wouldn't say anything. It was Wyatt who asked around school and came home yesterday with the answer.

"Why didn't you tell us you were being bullied Chris?"

Chris tensed under his hand. "I don't know."

Dr. Johnson said sleep problems were often caused by times of stress. If Chris was having nightmares and insomnia because of bullying when demon attacks and alternate time lines left him sleeping like a baby, then those kids must be doing some serious damage.

"Chris, remember when I said you needed to talk to me when something was bothering you? Well I need you to talk to me now.

"I can't."

"Hey," Leo said softly. He took his son's face in his hands. "Chris, you need to talk to us. You need to trust us. Your Aunt Phoebe was wrong to scare you, but she was right to be scared. If something happens and you don't tell us, we can't help you and you may get hurt." His son's eyes were red with unshed tears. "I'm your father, Chris. I love you."

"That's why I can't tell you, that's why I try so hard to get good grades and chores. Because I want you to love me!"

A nauseous feeling settled in his stomach. Chris yanked his head away and Leo grabbed his shoulders. He understood now why Phoebe shook him. He wanted to shake some understanding into Chris himself.

"Chris, listen to me. Listen to me. You don't need to earn my love or anyone else's."

"But I'm not supposed to be here."

That was so unexpected that all Leo could say was "what?"

"I was born to save Wyatt, and I did that. So why do I exist?" He must have seen the horror on his father's face, because he shook his head. "It's not that I don't want to exist, but I feel like, like I have to earn my existence or something. I don't know."

"No no, no you don't have to earn anything. Chris most people aren't born with a set destiny for their lives. Not having one, or fulfilling one, a specific one doesn't mean your life is over." He hugged his son to his chest so Chris wouldn't see the tears in his eyes. "You have as much right to exist as me or your mom or Wyatt or Mel or anyone else. And you will always be enough." He felt a dampness through his shirt and heard muffled sobs. "And I'm going to tell you that every day for as long as I have to until you understand."

"But Dad," Chris pulled back slowly, "there's something else."

"Whatever it is, I'll-"

"I kissed Jason Miller."

Now that was unexpected. Never in either timeline did his son give any indication of liking boys. Then again he was secretive, and still is.

"I kissed him in the woods after school, or really he kissed me because we wanted to see how kissing was, and now these boys in my science class saw me and they're throwing things at me and calling me faggot and one of them said he would beat me and Jason up in a dark alley and I don't even know if I'm gay because it felt weird but not weird too but now I don't know what to do and I was scared Wyatt would find out and then you would find out and I stayed up studying because I didn't want you to be mad!" He gasped for breath. Figures now that he was talking he would talk a mile a minute.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Chris gave him a look. "Because you're so old!"

He said it so obviously that it took a second for Leo to be offended. And technically it was true. And a small part of Leo, despite living through the entire gay rights movement, did revert back to his Depression era upbringing. A part of him was uncomfortable at the thought of his son being gay. But that was his problem, Chris'. God knows he screwed up the other timeline enough. He wasn't going to get it wrong this time. Leo pulled his son back into a hug.

"It's okay Chris. I love you. It's okay." He could feel his son's tears seeping through his shirt.

"Aw, how sweet."

The two turned around to see Rick and Nathan appear out of the cave wall. Rick sauntered over to them with a dagger and a smirk.

"It'd make a better family moment if it wasn't built on our graves."

"Listen Rick, let my son go." Leo stood up between his son and the ghosts. "Your grudge is with me. You can do whatever you want to me, but leave Chris out of this."

"You're right. I can do whatever I want you. That old witch said you're mortal now."

Rick jabbed the blade into Leo's chest. He could feel his organs ripping apart.

"Dad!"

He fell to his knees, one hand holding in the blood. His last death was instantaneous. But this, this would hurt. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rick move towards Chris.

"no. . .

"Now let's see kid, what about-"

A flash of light shot over Leo's head. The righteous lightning of an elder.

"Get. Away. From him."

"You said the kid lost his powers," Nathan said. Both ghosts backed away. Chris stepped forward in front of his father now.

"How dare you blame my dad for your choices. You chose to enlist, you chose to fight in the war. And now you chose to not pass on because you are petty, selfish, narcissists who think that your lives are worth more than every life my dad has ever saved."

Another blast shot from his hand. Leo couldn't see his face but he heard Chris' fury. It was something raw, yet focused. Like he was channeling all his anguish into his words and powers.

The pain from the wound was too much. Leo fell forward and rolled over. Clutching his stomach.

"If you're so important, why weren't you chosen to be whitelighters?! Because while you may have died in the war, but you're no heroes."

"Your father betrayed us," Nathan said. But he didn't sound as certain as before.

"No, you betrayed yourselves." Chris lifted both his arms. "And I'm not letting you betray my dad."

For a second the cave was awash in white light. Leo shut his eyes. When he opened them again, Rick and Nathan were gone.

Chris knelt down in front of him.

"Chris, you have to, to. . ." He was losing a lot of blood.

Chris held out his hands over the wound like there was no room for doubt. Leo felt it before he saw the glow. That warmth, that feeling of being made whole, made well.

"I love you too, Dad."

Words failed Leo. It would take him a couple of minutes to form a complete sentence. For now all he did was gather his son in his arms. Only this time his son hugged him back.

Chris healed. He could finally heal.

He healed him. He loved him.

He was becoming a Whitelighter. He was growing up.

And the last thought he had before Piper and Paige appeared:

He wasn't a bad father. He was doing it right this time.

Dr. Johnson told him that this would take some time. Chris was feeling insecure in his relationships with his family, and that was detrimental to his development as a person and as a witch. Not only were witch powers linked to emotions, if Chris ever became a Charmed One, or even if he didn't, he would have to trust and talk to his siblings and cousins. He needed to develop trust and love now. But after talking with Leo and Piper, she agreed to table the idea of medication for now. If he had another serious relapse in the next few months she would recommend a psychiatrist who would probably put him on something mild.

Three days after the cave incident, Leo watched his children stand around the living room couch watching the newest arrival to the manor.

"How about Whiskers," Mel suggested. The black cat licked her paw without giving the little girl in front of her so much as a look.

"That's dumb," Wyatt said.

"You're dumb."

"She's my cat, so I get to name her." Chris stood in between them crossing his arms.

Chris was definitely responsible enough for a pet. And a pet/familiar/anxiety cat seemed like the perfect idea to help Chris understand unconditional love. Leo thought a dog would teach him about that quicker, but hey, witches and cats.

"Jade," Chris said at last.

"Because she has green eyes," Leo said.

"No, because Jade Cook is Cheshire Cat's civilian name. From Young Justice."

One of Chris' favorite cartoons. His son would never cease to surprise him. Not that he'd have it any other way.

"Dinner's ready," Piper called out from the kitchen.

The kids headed to the kitchen. Leo ruffled Chris's hair. Dr. Johnson said that little gestures made a huge difference. Chris ducked his head and blushed. He was almost a teenager.

"Hey Dad, can I have a pet too," Wyatt asked as Piper served up chicken.

"You want a cat too?"

"No, a dragon."

"Of course you do." He and Piper exchanged a smile. "Unfortunately, I don't think we have room."

"Can I have a squirrel," Mel asked.

Before Leo could say anything, the door rang.

"I'll get it," he said.

Darryl was standing at the door in his cop uniform.

"Hey Leo, can I come in?"

"Uh, sure." The men went back into the kitchen. Piper paused in the middle of dishing out salad. She raised an eyebrow.

"Hi Uncle Darryl," the kids said.

"Sorry to interrupt your dinner," but I just wanted to all to know that no one's going to be bothering Chris at school anymore."

"Really?" Chris almost knocked over his milk as he scrambled out of his chair. He ran over to his godfather. "How'd you do that?"

"Through the magic of this." He held up his police bag. "You'd be surprised how scared people are of jail. The school administrators promised to punish the boys. And the boys are gonna leave you alone for sure now."

Chris gasped. He quivered up and down like a jumping bean. "So they're not going to beat me up?"

"Nope."

"Wow!" He threw his arms around Darryl. "You're like a superhero!"

Leo couldn't agree more. Vanquishing demons was one thing, but vanquishing bureaucratic BS was almost impossible. When Leo and Piper went to the school yesterday the principal said "boys would be boys." After Darryl left and the family sat down to dinner, Chris couldn't stop smiling.

That night Leo tucked Chris into bed. He hated it, of course, just like he hated how Wyatt and Mel and several of his cousins had all taken turns sleeping in his room with his to make sure he slept. Now that he had Jade curled up by his side Leo hoped Chris would be able to sleep better.

"Good night buddy." He ruffled his son's hair. Chris moved his head away as Leo tried to kiss his forehead.

"Dad, I'm 13. Oh my god."

Leo laughed. "Doesn't matter. You'll always be my little boy."

Knock knock. Piper leaned against the door frame. She came over to straighten the covers, which wasn't easy since the cat was sitting on them. Then she sat on the edge of the bed opposite Leo. Chris looked up at both of his parents. His shoulders slacked under the blankets.

"Now if you wake up during the night and can't go back to sleep," Piper said, "just come to our room, okay? You can sleep in our bed. Don't worry about waking us up sweetie."

Chris yawned. "Okay."

He closed his eyes. Leo took the opportunity to plant a kiss on his forehead. Chris made a little sound of protest. Piper laughed and kissed his hair.

"Good night Chris."

"Good night Mom. Good night Dad," he mumbled. Jade meowed softly before resting her head next to Chris' arm.

Leo paused for a moment at the door before turning off the lights. Then, with a quick request to whoever was up there listening (preferably the ones who owed him favors) he flipped off the lights and shut the door.

Leo also knew all of this wasn't over. Chris' issues wouldn't be solved in a day. It would take months, even years. But they would do whatever it took.

They weren't going to lose him again.

Ta da. Hope you liked it. As fun as it is writing about Leo and Chris, I think for my next story I'll look at some of the other characters. With all the family members and family issues, there's never a shortage of ideas with this show. ;)