Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the following fanfic (except Paris and various extras who did not appear on the Charmed series). They are the property of Spelling Entertainment and the writers and creators of the television show Charmed.

Author's Thanks: Thank you to those that reviewed my previous Charmed fic "Rescue Me". I apologise for throwing it all into one chapter, and for the disclaimer not being there (that really was a super-hurried posting job cause I was sick of it sitting on my computer for so long). I promise to do better this time around! As for your comments, thank you for the praise … I'm glad all those sleepless nights I spent in a mad writing frenzy after Chris' death provided some enjoyment for others. And although I had never planned a sequel, those of you that requested and suggested ideas certainly got my brain working overtime, and so I have tried incredibly hard to fulfil that wish.

Author's Notes: Just in case you feel a little lost, Chris is Piper Leo's second son who, in season 6, came back from the future to save his older brother Wyatt from turning evil. The future settings in this story are developed from Phoebe's vision in "The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell" and the future that has developed from Chris going back to the past. My last fanfic was based on Chris being stuck in a continual time loop, therefore the cycle of him travelling back to the past was not broken until he returned to the future (my theory for time travel being that they are missing or jump into their own bodies and don't replicate themselves with the whole travelling back and forth through time thing). And for those who completely skipped over the last story, and have just come straight to this one, Paris is Phoebe's daughter (who she was pregnant with in that vision from the "Sleepy Halliwell" episode) and I refuse to reveal the identity of the father because I, in fact, do not know as it's yet to be revealed on the show. Thanks again everyone, and enjoy!

Lessons Learned

It was the middle of the afternoon on a bright, sunny day in San Francisco. A popular club named P3 was preparing to open its doors for another night. Inside, Piper Halliwell was lifting another bar stool off the table and placing it right-side up on the floor. There was a man behind the bar, his sleeves turned up, who was stacking clean glasses within easy reach for the bartenders to use later that night. Piper upended the last bar stool, then came and sat on the other side of the bar from her employee. She glanced around the dimly lit club, smiling a satisfied smile, as she placed her hands together on the bar's polished surface.

"Must be good to have Chris back around," Brett said.

Piper looked back to him and smiled warmly. "You better know it is."

Brett picked up another glass and wiped out the inside with a tea towel, then threw the cloth over his shoulder. "Definitely a big weight off your shoulders."

She nodded. "I'm just so relieved that he came back in one piece."

Brett clasped the counter's edge and leant forward. "If you don't mind me asking, where was he all that time?"

"Nowhere," Piper said, straightening in defence. Brett drew back.

"I just find it odd that a kid, and not that I'm targeting your kid, but the fact that he took off without so much as a word, putting you through all this anguish, could come back after all this time without any stories to tell."

"He's just a very private person, Brett. I'm sure he'll speak with me, or Leo, when he's ready. You have to realise that he's just been through a traumatic time as well, being separated from his family for so long."

"So you're keeping an eye on him?"

"Helping him reconnect," Piper returned. "Besides, I appreciate his help. Someone has to look after this place when I'm not around." Brett pouted playfully. "Hey, don't be like that. It's not like I'm relinquishing command to him. Just giving him something to do."

Brett smirked, taking the tea towel from his shoulder and turning to clean the rest of the glasses. Piper pulled herself up from her seat and made her way towards the back room. Opening the door, she discovered that the office was still, for the most part, in shambles. Boxes of stock which they had not been able to fit on the shelves had been packed all about the floor of the room. Chris was seated behind the desk, a few sheets of paper spread in front of him in what looked to be the cleanest section of the room. The computer was on, but he was not facing it. Instead he was on the phone, pen in hand, making a few notes and completely oblivious to Piper's entrance into the room.

"No, that should be fine. Of course, yes, that's not a problem. Great. Yes, I've got your number if I need you. Thanks, Candy, I'll see you Friday. Bye." He placed the receiver down and glanced up to see Piper standing in the doorway. "Oh, hi mom."

Piper crossed her arms, giving him a curious little smile. "Who was that?"

"That?" he replied. He smiled, his gaze dropping as he began to shuffle the papers in front of him together. "That was the entertainment for Friday night."

"The entertainment?" Piper questioned. He nodded. "You booked entertainment for Friday with someone named Candy?"

"Uh huh."

Piper moved towards him. "Chris, you do realise we're not running a strip club here, right?" He sat back in his chair and laughed. She looked at him obstinately. "I'm serious!"

"No, mom, it's okay. I've got it all under control."

"Well I hope so, for your sake. I'm trusting you, Chris."

He lent on his hand, smirking as he glanced back down to what was in front of him. He hoped that he was doing his mother proud, and was grateful that he was getting a second chance with her now that the cause and effect of him travelling to the past had allowed her to live longer than she originally had.

Paris sat in the armchair of her living room, leafing through old photo albums. She tilted her head, her long brown hair falling over her shoulders, as she browsed through pictures of past family gatherings. It was taking her a while to adjust to the fact that Wyatt was good now; that she had parallel memories of two different lives – the one she'd left, and the one she was now living. She'd now formed an unbreakable bond with her cousin, Chris, over what had happened to them, and she knew that he was struggling ten times worse than she was with putting everything into perspective. Paris' life had barely changed at all. Sure her mom was home a lot more, but she hadn't had anything detrimental happen like what had happened to Chris. He'd lost a fiancé, but gained a mother, and an attentive father, and a brother whose personality appeared to be the complete opposite of what it had once been.

"Want some popcorn?" Phoebe asked, standing in front of her. Paris looked up at her mother. She held a bowl of popcorn in one hand, and a video in the other. Paris smiled back at her beaming mother, and took a handful of popcorn from the bowl.

"Video night, huh?" Paris said. "What did you get?" Phoebe flipped the cover around and Paris groaned. "Not again!"

"What's wrong with it?" Phoebe asked, looking from her daughter to the video case.

"It's the worst horror movie I've ever seen."

"What are you talking about? 'Kill it before it dies' is a classic."

"No, it's not a classic. Only you would call it a classic, mom."

Phoebe walked over to the VCR and popped the tape in, then plopped herself down on the couch and pressed play. "Well I'm going to watch it. You can join me if you like."

"Thanks but I think the first three hundred times were enough."

Phoebe ignored her, pulling the bowl of popcorn onto her lap and placing a piece into her mouth. Paris looked back down at the album, at the photographs of her mom, and smiled to herself. She really did look like her mom when she was younger.