AN: THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG STORY, BUT IT IS ALSO GOING TO BE WRITTEN OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, AS I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF EXAMS AND ANY UPDATES FOR ANY OF MY STORIES ARE GOING TO BE MORE THAN SLIGHTLY SPORADIC

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS MENTIONED WITHIN, THEY ALL BELONG TO EITHER J. K. ROWLING OR CONSTANCE M. BURGE. THE PLOTLINE HOWEVER IS ALL MINE

RATING: R

Prologue

Mr and Mrs Dursley of Number 4, Privet Drive, were perfectly normal, thank-you very much. Well, they had been, until Halloween that year. The first day of November that year, Mrs Dursley had opened the door to collect the milk and found her dratted sister's baby wrapped in blankets on her front doorstep. She had screamed and then looked around to see if anyone on the street had noticed anything abnormal.

Petunia had then picked up the milk and brought it into the house, then she had returned to her door, looked up and down the street and then picked up the quiet complacent baby sitting patiently on her front door step. She had gingerly carried the baby into the house and placed it on the kitchen counter before shutting the door and calling for her husband.

Vernon Dursley was a large man, not yet dangerously fat, but obviously well on his way to being so. His dark hair was slicked back on his head with something that looked like petrol and his cheeks bore a startling resemblance to a puffer fish. When Mr Dursley got angry, his entire body seemed to swell up until he resembled a giant purple balloon in a pinstripe suit.

When Vernon Dursley waddled into his own kitchen after having heard his wife's scream, the last thing he had expected to see was a black-haired baby sitting placidly on his kitchen counter. He had then stamped over to his wife's side and found her holding an envelope.

He had taken the envelope from his wife's hands and torn it open with his pudgy fingers. He had unfolded the parchment that was inside and flicked his eyes over the script. As he read the letter, he paled rapidly, the red spots on his cheeks remaining, so he resembled badly mixed yoghurt.

After he had finished reading, he handed the letter to his wife, who also paled as she read the letter. When they had both read the letter, Vernon turned to Petunia,

"What are we supposed to do? We can't keep him here."

But Petunia gestured at the letter,

"They'll know if we get rid of him."

Vernon frowned,

"Well, if we keep him, where's he going to sleep?"

Petunia sniffed,

"He can't have Dudley's second bedroom. Imagine, he might contaminate our ickle-Duddydums."

Vernon scowled,

"Well, he can't go in the spare room, that's where Marge sleeps."

Petunia scowled,

"He could go in the cupboard under the stairs. Lily was always small and her freakish husband was never exactly that tall."

Vernon was just about to agree, when another voice spoke,

"Charming."

The couple whirled around, to see another couple, a younger, far more attractive couple, standing in the doorway.

The woman was one of the women whom Petunia despised. She was one of those women who woke up in the morning looking just as beautiful as they did the night before. She was dressed in black trousers and a strappy red top. The man looked dangerous, he was dark-haired and broad-shouldered. There was something in his eyes that made Petunia more afraid than she could ever remember being.

Vernon managed to find his voice to ask indignantly,

"Who are you, what are you doing in my house?"

The man looked at the woman, who nodded, as if they had been silently communicating,

"Who we are is none of your concern and we're here to collect our son."

The pale Dursleys exchanged a glance,

"Well, you're obviously in the wrong house. The only children here are our son and Petunia's nephew."

Vernon was all bluster under the dark gaze of this dangerous looking man. Petunia stepped up next to her husband, not wanting to protect her nephew, but also not wanting to have to deal with those freaks her sister had associated with. The man rolled his eyes and disappeared.

Petunia shrieked and looked around to try and see where the man had gone. She almost fainted when she saw the man appear behind her at her kitchen counter.

The stranger accorded her a dismissive glance, before picking up the baby that still lay patiently on the counter-top. The man handled the baby with a reverence that was contradictory to his previous brusque, almost harsh attitude.

By calling on hidden reserves of strength that Petunia didn't even know that she had, Mrs Dursley managed not to scream when the man disappeared again. When the man reappeared, it was by the woman, who Petunia presumed was his wife. The man gently made as if to hand the baby to the woman, when the child spoke,

"Dada,"

The words were soft in the typical lilted tones of babies, but the words themselves were obvious. The harsh brooding set of the man's face softened entirely at the soft words, and Petunia almost felt sympathetic for him, remembering fondly her own son's first words; more, with both pride and joy. Then she remembered that this man was obviously another freak like her late sister.

The man handed the child to the woman, almost reluctantly, but as the child rested in the woman's arms and then wrapped one tiny fist around the woman's outstretched pinky, the glow that lit her face was obviously enough of a reward. Still the man seemed reluctant to move far from the side of the woman and the child.

The man placed a hand on his wife's arm, but she shook her head,

"We should probably give these people a more detailed explanation, I mean, so they have something to tell that Dumbledore guy when he turns up to look for Lily and James' son."

The man frowned but nodded,

"Okay, it's just that I've missed you and we have so much time to make up for. And I just want to take our son and go home."

The woman smiled at him,

"I understand that, Cole, I mean, it's not like we've had much time to talk in between all your apologising, getting re-married and then worrying about Will."

The man, Cole, smiled self-deprecatingly,

"Phoebe, you forgot that highly entertaining incident when your sisters tried to kill me. As well as the discussion about my new powers."

The woman, Phoebe, smiled,

"How could I forget?"

Then Phoebe turned to them and spoke,

"As I am sure that that Dumbledore guy will turn up here when he finds out that Will, who you lot all know as Harry, is not here any more, I'll try to give you a brief explanation, as well as the note I'm leaving for the esteemed professor."

Vernon scowled at this comment,

"Listen, girl, we don't want any more of your kind of trash turning up here…"

However, before the fat idiot could finish this comment, Cole was on his feet, anger burning in his eyes,

"You ignorant fool, how dare you call my wife trash."

Vernon paled to an unattractive shade of puce green as he wilted under Cole's gaze. However, before the situation could escalate, Phoebe spoke,

"Cole, calm down, we won't be here long. Then we can go home, take this glamour off of Will using the Power of Three and then you can find some demons to blow up."

Cole frowned but he stopped glaring so heatedly at Vernon, who gradually regained some of his colour. After establishing an environment in which random acts of homicide were less likely to occur, Phoebe turned back to Petunia and continued to speak as if she had never been interrupted,

"Mrs Dursley, I'm not sure how much you had spoken with your sister in the period before her death, but there are some things I need to clarify. I first met your sister just over a year and a half ago, right before the birth of my son. To cut a long story short, both Lily and James were being attacked and I got them out of it. Lily and James stayed in San Francisco afterwards and Lily and I both went into labour at the same time. Lily's baby boy died during a miscarriage, but our baby was born healthy. However, due to circumstances on both sides, we both agreed that it would be better if, for at least some time, Will was to be thought of as Lily and James' son, Harry James Potter. The circumstances at my end have recently been mostly resolved, but, since Lily and James were forced to go into hiding, we have only today been able to come and retrieve our son and take him home."

Petunia nodded dazedly and Cole and Phoebe made to leave, but first Petunia shook herself out of her reverie to ask two questions,

"Who are you? What was the danger?"

Cole frowned but Phoebe answered nonetheless,

"My name's Phoebe Halliwell-Turner and this is my husband Cole Turner. As for the danger, that's personal."

And with that, the three shimmered away, leaving behind only a note and a shell-shocked couple to signal their presence.

To give the wizarding world credit, it was only one hour before Albus Dumbledore turned up on the Dursleys' front doorstep, asking where the saviour of the wizarding world was. The still shocked Dursleys repeated exactly what they had been told and handed Dumbledore the note, which he read before apparating back to Hogsmeade in a state of something resembling shock.

TWO YEARS LATER

Harry James Potter, now better known as William James Halliwell-Turner, was three and a half years old when Gideon tried to kill both of his cousins. Well, Gideon tried to kill his younger cousin Wyatt, 1 year and 9 months old, and Chris, 21 years old and from the future, not currently being born Chris in the hospital.

As everyone else was out trying to find Gideon and Wyatt, restore balance to the world or help Will's aunt give birth, Will was left alone with his aunt Paige, watching over the dying half-witch, half-whitelighter from the future.

At three and a half, Will had already started to manifest many of his powers, as well as the characteristics of his parents. Thus, the brown-haired brown-eyed boy sat quietly observing what was going on around him, already with the brooding attitude of his demonic father.

As Will's aunt Paige was out of the room where his Elder uncle Leo had lain his future son, trying to convince the cops to leave, Will was the only one who saw the portal open by Chris' bed and the watched the tall blonde stranger who emerged from it.

The blonde male was dressed all in black, with a sword strapped to his back. He stared at Will for a moment and the toddler stared calmly back. Then the man turned, dismissing the young boy and turning his attention to the feverish man lying on the bed in front of him.

Future Wyatt laid his hands on the wound on his brother's stomach and concentrated. When no golden light emitted, he swore,

"Damnit."

Will spoke then,

"That doesn't work, Uncle Leo couldn't do it an' he's an elder."

Wyatt quirked an eyebrow,

"Uncle Leo?"

Will nodded,

"Yeah, my mum's Phoebe."

Wyatt frowned slightly,

"Okay, could you go get me an athame?"

Will scowled,

"Mum says I'm no to touch athy-thingy's, but I know daddy has some hidden in the attic."

Wyatt rolled his eyes,

"Then go get one, it's the only way I can help Chris."

The three-year-old frowned slightly, but shimmered up to the attic. Wyatt quirked an eyebrow, before returning his attention to his dying brother,

"You've caused me a lot of trouble Chris and when I felt you being stabbed you caused a whole lot more."

Chris raised a hand at the sound of the voice of the brother he both feared and adored,

"Wyatt, is that you?"

Wyatt nodded,

"Yes, it's me. Save your strength, you're going to be fine, but you shouldn't try to talk."

Chris attempted to frown, but the effort was obviously too much for him in his greatly weakened state and he managed only a slight wrinkling of his brow. Wyatt sighed and pressed a kiss to his brother's forehead. The future Source spoke softly,

"You shouldn't have run, Chris."

Chris winced, though from the pain or the words it was difficult to determine. When the witch-whitelighter spoke again, his words were slurred with pain,

"…had to… couldn't stay… missed you though…"

Wyatt frowned and kissed Chris's sweaty brow again,

"I missed you too. Things are complicated but it'll work out."

Wyatt was about to say something else, when Will shimmered back into the room, holding an athame in his right hand. The young boy silently handed Wyatt the athame, before shimmering back to his vantage-point on top of the cupboard.

With a look of intense concentration on his face, Wyatt turned back to his dying brother. With an uncharacteristic gentleness, Wyatt coaxed Chris upwards slightly, settling the younger man on the pillows before slowly lowering the blankets the covered the magical wound.

When Wyatt saw the dark blood staining Chris's torn shirt, he hissed slightly. Attacking him was one thing, but when Gideon had dared to try and harm Chris, he had crossed a line without knowing it. As far as Wyatt was concerned, no one was allowed to harm Chris. If Wyatt had his way, Chris would be safely kept somewhere that only Wyatt knew about. But Wyatt also recognised that taking away Chris's freedom would take away part of the spirit that made him love the younger man.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Wyatt turned his attention back to his brother's wound. Wyatt raised his left hand and brought athame up with his right. He then slashed the silver blade across his left palm.

As blood gushed to the surface of Wyatt's palm, he lowered his hand to Chris's wound. Ignoring the pain in his hand and the hiss of pain from his brother, he pressed his palm hard onto the wound, feeling the magics in his blood mixing with the magic in the blood of his brother and mate.

Wyatt then lifted his blood stained hand from Chris's torso and raised both hands over his brother, slowly watching the glow of golden light trickling into Chris's wound. He was concentrating so hard that he didn't hear the gasps of surprise from the doorway, nor the familiar sound of orbing from outside.

However, Wyatt did hear the sound of people moving away, then the noises of someone entering the room. He looked up slightly from his task and gazed straight into the eyes of his father.

Wyatt stared up into the stunned eyes of the father he hadn't seen for five years. He was frozen for a moment, then he turned his attention back to the man dying on the bed. Golden light was still trickling into Chris's now pulsing wound, but the magic of the athame was still holding too strong a sway. Wyatt swore,

"Damnit."

Leo frowned and then turned to the boy sitting silently on the dresser,

"Will, your aunt Paige is outside. She's very worried about your cousin, so can you go and tell her everything's going to be okay?"

Will nodded and shimmered out of the room. Then Leo turned to his sons from the future and asked,

"Wyatt, what are you doing here?"

The future ruler of the world scowled,

"I felt Chris being stabbed and came back to heal him."

Leo frowned,

"Why?"

Wyatt rolled his eyes in aggravation,

"Why did I come to heal him or why did I feel him being stabbed?"

Leo shrugged in annoyance,

"Right now, I'll settle for either answer."

Wyatt sighed,

"I felt Chris being stabbed because we're bonded by blood and other ties."

Leo looked confused, but seemed willing to accept this answer.

"How are you healing Chris? I tried to earlier, but Gideon's magic stopped me."

Wyatt frowned slightly,

"I strengthened our bonds by mixing our blood again. Now, will you help me?"

Leo frowned,

"How can I help?"

Wyatt sighed,

"I can stop Chris from dying on my own, but it will take a long time for him to heal. Chris and I need to talk and we can't do that while he's recovering from a stab wound. I can channel your power as an elder into helping counteract Gideon's magic. Once I'm around the enchantments on the athame, then I can heal Chris like usual."

Leo nodded and held his hands out to his future son. Wyatt half-smiled and took his father's hands in his left. Then the twice-blessed child held his left hand out over his brother's wound.

For a second, nothing happened. Then golden light streamed out of Wyatt's extended hand, dancing around the torn edges of Chris's flesh. As the Elder and his future son watched, Chris's ruptured flesh knitted back together beneath their eyes.

After a minute, the flow of light stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Chris lay on the bed, fully healed, his torn and bloodied t-shirt the only indication that he had ever been injured.

Panting slightly, Wyatt released his father's hands and sat for a moment, regaining his strength. Leo watched in astonishment then as Wyatt turned to his brother and gently shook Chris by the shoulders.

Slowly, Chris's eyes flicked open, revealing his confused green eyes, which scanned the room in confusion for a moment, settling first on his father, then on Wyatt.

Chris froze. Then the future whitelighter raised his hand and reached out to touch Wyatt's face, as if he was unsure whether Wyatt was really there. When his fingers brushed against Wyatt's cheek, Chris shrunk back onto the raised pillows,

"Wyatt? You're here? I thought I was dreaming."

Wyatt shook his head, his blonde locks waving slightly as he did so,

"Of course I'm here, you could never hide from me, remember?"

Chris paled even more,

"I'm not going back, Wyatt, you can't make me."

Wyatt frowned,

"Well, actually, I could. But I can't. So, the whole argument is rather pointless."

Chris frowned.

"Wy, that made no sense. What aren't you telling me?"

Wyatt looked somewhat shifty, almost embarrassed. Leo watched in amazement as Wyatt tried to avoid the question and Chris fixed him with a piercing glare. Eventually Wyatt frowned and answered,

"I felt you being stabbed and I, overreacted."

Chris scowled,

"Wyatt, what did you do?"

Wyatt flushed slightly,

"Umm, I accidentallydestroyedtheworld."

Chris paled,

"Wyatt, not even you can accidentally destroy the world."

Wyatt frowned,

"Well, obviously I can."

Chris collapsed,

"Wyatt, what are we supposed to do?"

Wyatt sighed,

"I'm not sure really. I mean, I don't think we're in our past."

Chris rolled his eyes,

"Wyatt, I know the whole evil thing went to your head, but really, I didn't think you'd gone blind. Standing looking like he swallowed a fish is our father. You know, the one who's been dead for five years. And Aunt Paige is outside; Aunt Phoebe is at hospital with mum, who is in labour with me. I think we can safely assume we're in the past."

Wyatt rolled his eyes,

"I never said we weren't in the past, I said we weren't in our past. There's a difference."

Chris looked confused and Wyatt explained,

"You can't change the past, Chris. It doesn't work like that. Because, if you had gone back to our past and changed it, then you would never have had to go back to the past to change it, therefore, you would never have gone back, therefore the past would never have changed, and so on. And also, there's the mystery three year old cousin we never had, as well as many other things that are different here."

Chris frowned.

"I had wondered about Will, but what does this mean, where are we?"

Wyatt sighed,

"We're in the past, just not our past. When you tried to change the past, you came back to a different reality, a reality where things are different. And I'm not sure, but I think this reality has something to do with the kid."

Leo spoke up then,

"That makes sense. Will is a rather unique child."

Wyatt rolled his eyes,

"I'd guessed that. So, if Aunt Phoebe's his mother, who's the dad, who apparently keeps a supply of athames in the attic?"

Leo sighed,

"Will's a bit of a long story really. When he was conceived, his father was the Source, but then the girls vanquished him to the demonic wasteland and he stopped being the Source. Then he picked up loads of powers in the wastelands and came back."

Wyatt looked interested,

"His father was the Source? That's interesting. But a name would be useful now."

Leo sighed again,

"Will's father is Cole Turner. After he came back from the wasteland, Cole and Phoebe remarried and collected Will from friends of Phoebe's in England who were protecting him. But apparently, there was a prophecy about him and he now has a special destiny there as well as being half demon- half which."

Wyatt nodded slightly, then turned to Chris,

"Okay, so we're definitely in a different timeline. So what are we going to do?"

Chris frowned,

"Well, we can't go to the future now, but we could stay here I suppose."

Wyatt nodded,

"Yes. But first we need to talk."

Chris paled and shrunk back against the sheets again.

"Wyatt, please…"

Wyatt scowled,

"You left Chris. You ran away from me without permission and you dared to leave. I've been very lonely and upset without you."

Chris seemed to visibly shrivel up before Leo's eyes,

"Wyatt… I had to leave… I couldn't stay… I was going insane there…"

Wyatt reached out and absently brushed one of Chris's bangs out of his eyes. Chris winced reflexively and Wyatt sighed,

"I'm not going to hurt you, Chris. I'm very angry with you, but I'm prepared to spare you any punishment for leaving."

Chris seemed to collapse in on himself as he lay there.

"Wyatt, I'm sorry, please, don't."

Wyatt sighed and leant forward over his brother,

"I wasn't lying when I said I missed you. You've been away for a long time, Chris, but I'm sure you can make that up to me."

And with that, Wyatt leant forward, pressing his lips gently against Chris's. Chris froze for an instant, then reacted instinctively, melting into the pillows and surrendering to the gentle but insistent swipe of Wyatt's tongue across his dry lips. Chris moaned into Wyatt's mouth at the familiar feeling of this intimate penetration that he hadn't felt for so long.

Reluctantly, Wyatt pulled away, leaving Chris laying dazed on the pillows. When Wyatt spoke, there was a mix of lust and amusement in his tone,

"See, you remember well, Chris."

There was a dazed look in Chris's eyes and he murmured,

"Missed you, Wyatt."

Wyatt's face softened and he leant down and pressed a chaste kiss to Chris's still half-open lips,

"I missed you too, Chris, it's been far too long."

Chris moaned again when Wyatt pulled away, turning a challenging look at his stunned father. Wyatt glared at Leo, as if daring to say anything that might hurt Chris. Fortunately, Leo was incapable of completing full sentences,

"Wyatt… Chris… the two of you… together…"

At his father's voice, Chris shook himself out of his stupor.

"Leo, dad, I'm sorry…"

Fortunately, Leo regained the use of his brain and spoke firmly,

"You don't have to be sorry for anything, Chris. I'm just a bit upset that you didn't trust us enough to tell us."

Chris flushed with guilt and looked down as he muttered,

" 'm sorry. I thought you'd hate me."

Leo looked shocked that Chris would even think that. The Elder crossed over to his sons and, with a glance at Wyatt, wrapped his arms around Chris's trembling shoulders. Speaking softly, Leo gently supported his now rocking son,

"Hush, baby boy, it's okay. I could never hate you. Neither can your mother or anyone else. Your our sons and we love you, both of you, and, especially since we almost just lost you, I couldn't care if you were a cross-dressing, converted rabbit-worshipper with a bloody harem, as long as you're alive, safe and at home."

Chris sniffed and looked up at his father from under long lashes,

"Promise?"

Leo smiled and nodded,

"Promise."

Chris smiled tentatively and wrapped his arms around his father's shoulders. Wyatt smiled slightly as he surveyed the tableau. Then he looked up as the door swung open and Cole Turner strode into the room.

Cole looked around the room he had just entered, closed his eyes, opened them and looked around again. Deciding not to even try to decipher the tableau of Leo rocking a shaking Chris like he was a baby, Cole turned his attention to the blonde stranger. After a moment, the former Source spoke,

"You're the Wyatt from Chris's future?"

Wyatt nodded slowly, trying to work out the identity of the strange man and why he felt so familiar. Then Cole frowned,

"I thought Chris said you were the Source in your time?"

Wyatt scowled in outrage,

"What do you mean by that?"

Cole spoke slowly, carefully, choosing his words deliberately,

"Well, I was the Source for a time. So, I have a certain sensitivity towards evil, particularly the Source. You're not fully good, but you certainly aren't the Source of all evil."

Chris looked up from where he was nestled in his father's arms,

"What's he mean Wyatt, what's happened?"

Wyatt whirled on his brother,

"I don't know, I'm still evil, aren't I? What's happening to me?"

Chris shook slightly under the force of Wyatt's glare and the older man leant forward absently to comfort him. Cole gasped suddenly and Wyatt immediately whirled on the older man,

"What do you know, what's happening? I feel like I'm going insane."

Cole sighed and spoke,

"If you don't finish what you've started today, you will do."

Wyatt growled,

"Tell me what you mean."

Cole seated himself and began to speak,

"I read once, that there was a theoretical possibility that could cast the Source out of its host body. If the host had a bond to a mortal of great power and the bond was strong enough; the Source would be forced out of the body. The power this would require of course would be nearly infinite. It appears that the bond of love between you and Chris is strong enough to cast the Source out. However, the bond has not recently been renewed and you've sort of gotten stuck half way. If you stay as you are now, you will go insane and eventually go into a vegetative state for eternity. If you kill Chris, the bond will be broken and the Source will return, but the shock of breaking the bond will kill you. Renewing the bond will drive the Source from your body and free you from its control."

Wyatt didn't even stop to consider, he simply gestured with one hand and Chris was orbed into his arms, where the younger man was content to trustingly snuggle. Then Wyatt turned back to Cole,

"So, physical renewal of the bond?"

Cole nodded,

"Yes, but you must also open your minds completely to each other. But, once this is over and the Source is cast from you, it will return to the ether. However, the guilt you will feel will be terrible, you must let those who you love and love you help you, otherwise you will be driven insane."

Wyatt nodded and looked as if he were attempting to shimmer out. After a moment, he turned back to his uncle, who smiled slightly,

"You won't be able to use your powers as the Source, but I know you have plenty of your own."

Wyatt frowned and then orbed out. Cole then turned to Leo,

"Look, I've found where Barbas and Gideon are, but you need to stay here."

Leo frowned,

"Not when Wyatt needs me."

Cole sighed,

"When the Source is gone from Wyatt, he's going to need you to be there, as well as Chris, and Chris has his own problems for which he'll need his father. If I go, I can kill Gideon and Barbas, whom I've wanted dead for decades, could you do that, live with the life of an Elder on your conscience and be there for your children who will need you the most in the next few days. I already have enough lives on my conscience that one more won't hurt. Also, killing Gideon should set the world back to normal. And I promise you that I will die before I allow Gideon to even attempt to harm Wyatt again."

Leo scowled and muttered,

"You can't die, you're invulnerable."

Cole smiled slightly,

"All the more reason that I go, Gideon can't harm me and both of our wives, and Paige, would kill me if I let you get hurt. Also, Wyatt is my nephew and part of the first real family I've ever had. I will not let anyone hurt him."

Leo nodded slowly,

"Okay, you go. Just be back soon and don't get yourself killed, your wife would take it rather hard and as she's my wife's sister, my wife would get quite upset as well."

Cole nodded,

"I won't, but you might want to explain the situation to the rest of the family while I'm gone."

Even as Leo was about to protest, Cole shimmered out before he could say anything.

Wyatt and Chris did not reappear until about lunchtime the following day. Cole had restored the balance by killing Gideon, and had rescued baby Wyatt, after blowing Barbas into lots of tiny fear-demon pieces, of course. Then he had returned to the manor and collected his son, after delivering his nephew into the hands of his other aunt.

Then Cole and Paige had orbed/shimmered to the hospital, where they had found a worry-fraught Leo pacing up and down while Phoebe talked to a doctor. When Leo had seen his son, the Elder had ran down the hall and grabbed the boy out of his aunt's arms.

Leo had hugged baby-Wyatt to him like he had never wanted to let go, which was probably the case. Cole had then rushed over to his wife's side and held her as she collapsed into him, fraught with worry and the day's events.

After what seemed like hours, a doctor came and told them that they could go and see Piper and the baby. Leo had handed Wyatt to Paige, while Will clung firmly to Cole's leg.

Then Leo had entered the ward and approached his wife, and caught the first sight of his second son. After a time, though, Leo's expression had turned serious and the Elder told Piper exactly what had happened.

Piper had discharged herself from hospital the next morning, ignoring medical advice and the pleas of her obstetrician, as she had taken her new-born child and left hospital, merely hours after having given birth.

They had returned to the manor in haste, Leo orbing Piper, Chris and Wyatt; Cole shimmering back with Phoebe and Will; and Paige orbing herself home. They had entered the manor apprehensively, looking around for Wyatt and Chris. When neither of the future Halliwells appeared, Piper had gone and started to prepare a late breakfast.

After breakfast, the newly extended family had returned to the lounge, where Piper was now pacing up and down. Leo was just about to risk suggesting that, given her delicate state, she might want to sit down, when shimmering blue orbs of light indicated the return of future Wyatt and Chris.

When the blue orbs faded away, they revealed that Chris was now carrying his older brother, Wyatt seeming to be unconscious. Leo rose from his seat immediately at the sight of his sons and ran to Chris's side.

The younger man was struggling with the weight of his lover and reluctantly handed him over to his father. Leo carefully carried Wyatt's body to the sofa he had vacated and laid him there, Chris immediately sat by the blonde's side.

Leo observed the terrified look on Chris's face and asked cautiously,

"Chris, what happened?"

Chris turned to him, a look of abject terror on his face,

"I don't know. He passed out when we renewed the bond and he's been like this since."

Leo saw the fear on his son's face and knelt by him. He wrapped his arms around Chris's shoulders and held the man-child gently. Chris sat frozen for a moment before collapsing in his father's strong embrace. Leo held his son as Chris finally released all the pain he had been holding in for such a long time in pure grief.

After a time, Chris sniffed slightly and raised his head from where it had rested against his father's broad and now rather damp shirt. Leo gently stroked Chris's head and loosened his hold on the boy, allowing Chris the freedom to pull out of the loose embrace if he so desired. Chris showed no signs of wanting to let go.

Chris turned slightly in his father's embrace and shyly looked at his mother. Piper almost wept at the fear of rejection that she saw on Chris's face. She spoke,

"Oh, baby, I was so worried. I thought Gideon had killed you."

Chris sniffed and spoke softly,

"He would have, if Wyatt hadn't healed me."

Piper sighed and crossed to her son's side. Kneeling by her son and her husband she asked,

"You love him, yes? And he loves you?"

Chris nodded and Piper smiled,

"Then nothing else matters."

Chris looked up at his mother in surprise and asked,

"You don't hate me?"

Piper shook her head,

"Of course not, baby. We love you and if you're happy and you love each other, then nothing else matters."

Chris smiled shakily,

"You mean that?"

Phoebe spoke then,

"Please, Chris. This family practically coined the phrase unconventional relationships."

Chris looked around and saw that the others seemed to be in agreement and smiled shakily, pulling himself free of his father's loose hug and wiping his face on his sleeve. He got to his feet and then turned back immediately as he heard a groan from where Wyatt was lying on the sofa.

In less than a second Chris was kneeling by Wyatt's side, watching as the former-Source's eyes flickered open in slight confusion. When Wyatt saw Chris's face above him, realisation entered his eyes and he screamed. It was a scream of pure animalistic pain, one that pierced the hearts of everyone that heard it.

Wyatt then collapsed onto the sofa and started to sob, great gulping sobs of pure grief and regret. Chris stroked Wyatt's blonde hair off his forehead and pressed a kiss against the pale skin. Then the younger man turned to his family and spoke quietly,

"Do you mind if I ask you to leave us alone for a bit?"

Leo shook his head and spoke,

"No, that's fine, if that's what you want. But will you be okay?"

Chris smiled a pained half-smile,

"I'll be fine. Wyatt needs some time to learn that I still love him, that nothing he did was his fault."

Leo nodded and gestured for the others to follow him out of the room. Chris then turned back to Wyatt and spoke softly,

"It's okay Wy, it's okay. Nothing that happened was your fault."

Wyatt gulped out more sobs and then spoke quietly,

"I hurt so many people Chris, I hurt you and I swore I'd never do that."

Chris sighed and bent down to kiss Wyatt again,

"It's okay Wyatt. It was the Source that did those things, not you. As for me, you could never hurt me, Wyatt. I love you and, as a very wise person told me, nothing else matters."

Wyatt raised a hand and pressed it gently against Chris's cheek. Chris lifted his hand and held Wyatt's in it. Then he pressed gentle kisses to each fingertip, ending with a kiss to the palm. Wyatt sighed in something resembling contentment,

"You still love me?"

Chris smiled and nodded,

"Forever, that's the whole point." 1

Wyatt sighed and stroked Chris's cheek,

"I still love you, if you'll have me."

Chris smiled,

"Of course. Everything's going to be all right. I promise."

TBC.

AN: END OF THE PROLOGUE. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK, AS THIS IS MY FIRST CHARMED STORY. HOWEVER, CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ONLY, FLAMING IS OFFENSIVE AND POINTLESS.

1 THIS IS A QUOTE FROM BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER AND THEREFORE DOES NOT BELONG TO ME.