baby, it's you, a charmed fanfic

CHARMED

"Baby, it's You"

by shel

disclaimer:

the charmed ones, cole, leo, chris, and the rest of the cast of characters we've come to know and love, belong to spelling television, inc. and possible other copyright holders. i intended no true infringement on their copyrights; i only wanted to borrow these marvelous characters for a short time in my own scenarios and hopefully return them no worse for wear; the only things i've gained from this story are the satisfaction and pleasure of having written it and in knowing that others may have enjoyed it too...

rating:

pg-13

summary:

one night, wyatt is subject to several heart-to-heart talks...

timeline:

nearly a week after events from season 6's sword and the city' - november 15, 2003

archive:

please don't without expressed permission...

notes:

this vignette also takes into account events from season 3's all halliwell's eve,' season 4's black as cole,' season 5's oh my goddess,' and season 6's valhalley of the dolls'...please let me know if you enjoyed my tale and why and, if not, why not...and, please, don't bother wasting your time or mine by sending any flames...

"Honest," Phoebe sighed for the third time in ten minutes, "I don't mind." She then pushed her older sister toward the bedroom door and insisted, "Wyatt will be fine with his Auntie Phoebe. Go."

"But you've been working so hard lately," Piper considered when she stopped in the doorway, "and you've been down all week, stressing about something. No, it's too last minute. I can still try a few other sitters."

"Don't be silly," Phoebe waved off her sister's concern and lifted her nephew from his playpen. "I'm fine and I certainly don't mind spending the evening alone with Wyatt. Like you said, work's been a little crazier than usual and he's just what I need to relax."

"Relax with Wyatt?" Piper shot her sister a skeptical look, "You're talking about my Wyatt?" Phoebe merely bounced Wyatt who happily giggled. Piper shook her head and returned to her point, "It's not work. Something's up with you, I can tell."

"Hey," Phoebe narrowed her eyes, "who's the one with the empathic power anyway?"

"I don't need any special power," Piper told her, "because I'm your sister and I know when something's bothering you. C'mon, Pheebs, talk to me. You might feel better."

But Phoebe ignored her and waved Wyatt's hand at Piper, "Good-bye, Mommy, have fun." Piper wasn't amused and Phoebe sighed once again, "Let it go, PiperPlease."

Piper accepted that she needed to back off and nodded. "I'll go. Happy?"

"It's not for me to be happy," Phoebe shook her head, "it's you. Piper, this's the first time you've gotten to a third date even if it's only dinner. You must like him at least a little." Piper shrugged and Phoebe continued encouragingly, "I'm here with Wyatt and Paige's helping at the club. You don't have a thing to worry about. Have a good time."

Piper anxiously glanced at her son, "I don't know"

"I know how scary this is," Phoebe quietly told her, "but you can do it. You need to do it."

"Isn't it too soon?" Piper whispered. "Maybe I need more time before I jump into any new relationship."

"A third date hardly qualifies as a relationship," Phoebe teased. "Sorry, I don't mean to make light of this."

Piper shrugged, "It's just thatit's like I've loved him forever and we've been through so much together. How do I let it all go just like that? Hell, we have a son together."

"And there are times, late at night, when you're afraid you've made the worst mistake of your life in letting Leo go," Phoebe quietly said while she placed Wyatt back in his playpen. He watched her with wide eyes and she smiled sadly at him. "Times when you're terrified you'll never be all right again." She faced her sister and apologized, "Sweetie, I wish I could tell you that you've made the right choice. But I can't. And I can't take away your pain while you move on. But I can tell you it gets easier. And I can tell you, no, I can promise you, that you won't be alone. I will support you, comfort you, counsel you, or be as silent as you want me to be. But I will not let you go through this alone. And if that means a last-minute babysitting job instead of a long soak in the tub after a hard day at the office, then so be it."

Touched by her sister's solemnity, Piper rushed back into the room and hugged her younger sister. "I don't want you reliving any painful memories because of me."

"It's okay," Phoebe whispered, "everything happens for a reason." She took a deep breath and suggested, "Maybe I was meant to go through it all just to be able to help you now."

"I never would've wanted that." Piper stroked her sister's hair while they embraced. "But I also don't know how I'd get through any of this without you. I love you, Pheebs, and I'm so grateful you're my sister."

"Love you, too," Phoebe replied in a choked voice. She squeezed her sister tightly before she nudged Piper back. "Now," she added as she brushed away a few of Piper's tears, "fix your face and make yourself even more gorgeous than you already are."

"Only if you promise that we'll talk," Piper offered. "I want to be here for you too."

"You are," Phoebe managed a slight smile, "I know you are. But I'm okay." Piper didn't seem to believe her so she confessed, "I'm not ready to talk about it. Is that okay?" She quickly turned away and went to the playpen.

Piper regretted having pushed Phoebe and assured her, "Of course it is. But I still want some sister time with you, okay? We've been so busy trying to make things better with Paige that we haven't had much alone time and I miss it."

"Me too," Phoebe agreed while she lifted Wyatt again. "Now," she ordered her sister, "go." To her nephew she said, "Tell Mommy to have a good time."

Her son gave her a drooling grin and a few words of baby talk and Piper chuckled before she kissed his forehead. She ran her fingers through his soft hair and promised, "Mommy loves you very much." To them both, she added, "Be good."

Phoebe snorted, "Please, like we'd be anything but"

"Phoebe."

Phoebe giggled, "Don't worry, we'll leave the house standing."

"Phoebe"

*********** ********** ************

Phoebe leaned against the crib and watched Wyatt. "And Mommy was so worried," she snorted while she tickled his tummy. "We had a lot of fun tonight, didn't we?" He gurgled happily in response and she smiled, "That's right, we did. We played with Mr. Bushy-Tail and we read some stories and we had a yummy dinner and you even helped your Auntie Phoebe with her column after you had your bath."

Wyatt kicked his feet in the air and she chided him, "Well if you hadn't've turned your bowl of applesauce all over yourself, you wouldn't've needed a bath."

He waved his hands in the air and chattered happily so she turned on the mobile and smiled when he reached for the rotating figures. "Such a good boy," she murmured. "You really are an angel, future king even, unlike my"

Wyatt stopped waving at the mobile, stared at Phoebe, and babbled a few unintelligible words.

Phoebe shook her head free of the memories and smiled sadly at her nephew, "I'm just tired and when I'm tired, I remember and when I remember"

Wyatt gurgled and she couldn't resist lifting him into her arms. "I believed the apple, you know," she quietly said as she carried him to the sofa where she sat and gently rocked him.

He gazed back at her when she paused. "My true love's name begins with a " She bit her lip as the memory of that autumn day flooded back and she couldn't speak while he babbled on, oblivious to her distress. "Oh Wyatt, what if"

He squirmed in her arms and she loosened her grip on him. She sat him on her lap and lowered her voice to a whisper, "What if I was wrong? What if it wasn't him?"

Wyatt suddenly focused on her and questioned her with babble. He waved his hand at her and Phoebe lightly grabbed his fingers. She brought them to her mouth and kissed them soundly. He reacted happily but she sniffled. "A c' could've been for anyone," she reasoned. "Like Clay, you remember what I told you about him. I loved him so maybe the peel meant he'll come back into my life again." Wyatt gurgled and she wondered, "Or what about Cupid? I fell for him, didn't I? Maybe he's the only one I'll ever truly love. He is a god of love, isn't he?"

He babbled some more and she gave up with a sigh, "Maybe that was too far fetchedThere's always Chris"

Wyatt suddenly reacted negatively and she held him against her shoulder and rubbed his back. "Don't worry," she murmured, "one Halliwell involved with her Whitelighter is more than enough."

Wyatt continued to fidget and she balanced him in her lap again. "So what does this mean for Jason? I like him. I really like him. There's a definite connection there. But is it love?"

Wyatt fell back against her she wrapped her arm around his tummy. "What if the peel was right? What if I've already lost my only chance at true happiness? Sometimes, Wyatt, sometimes I wish" She lightly pressed Wyatt's nose and couldn't help but smile when he grabbed her finger. "Be careful when it comes to love," she suddenly warned him. "Love can be the most rewarding and fulfilling feeling in the world but it can also hurt you to the point of you never wanting to feel it ever again."

Wyatt stared at her with wide eyes and, for a moment, she could've sworn he'd understood everything she'd said. She quickly dismissed the notion and raised him in the air. "Never mind," she apologized to the happy baby, "you just stay as adorable as you are and when you grow up --"

"He won't grow up to be anything if you don't get to the Book of Shadows," Chris interrupted when he suddenly orbed into Piper's bedroom.

"What the?" Phoebe gasped and protectively held Wyatt. "Chris! You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry," he apologized, unconvincingly. "Where is everyone, this'll probably be a Power of Three vanquish."

"Piper's on a date and Paige's at the club," she informed him as she tried to settle Wyatt.

"And you're babysitting?" He looked around, "Why isn't Leo here?"

"We don't call Leo every time we need a sitter," she sighed. "It's not good."

"For who?" he pressed. "Leo? Wyatt?"

"Piper," she glared at him, "and don't start. You've no idea what she's going through."

"And you do?" he taunted.

"Yes, I do," she snapped, "and I'm not in the mood to discuss it with you tonight. What're you doing here anyway? I thought Leo pulled you off our case."

"Wyatt's safety overrides Leo's orders," he calmly stated. "Go get the Book and find the vanquish for a Maggorn."

She wrinkled her nose, "Doesn't sound good. What is it?"

"Big, slimy, and smelly," he warned. "Go. We don't have much time."

"Stay with Wyatt," she ordered while she placed the baby in his arms. "I'll be right back." In the hallway, she called out, "You'd better be right about this. Piper's not gonna be happy."

"Yeah, yeah," Chris muttered to the glowering child. He held the baby out at arm's length and acknowledged, "I'm not happy about this either. And I'm getting real tired of being the bad guy." He carried the baby over to the crib and placed the baby down seconds before the baby's protective shield went up. Chris shook his head, "Why don't you get it? I'm here to help you."

Wyatt babbled noisily and Chris insisted, "I've never hurt any of them. I promised I wouldn't, didn't I?" The baby continued to fuss and he asked, "Is this about your father and what I did? Don't you understand? I had no choice. I had to get him out of the way for my plan to work."

Wyatt suddenly stopped waving his arms and legs and stared at Chris.

"Oh, now you're listening, are you?" Chris jeered. "Fine. I admit it. I knew what would happen to him the longer he stayed on that island but, even if I'd known about the spell he put on your mother, it was the only way. See, your father's a good guy. A really good guy, an angel who's never taken a stand. Sure, he had to fight for your mom and a future with her and maybe he even fought on the Charmed Ones' behalf on more than a few occasions. But it's not the same thing. He's a pacifist, a healer. Even in war, he was a healer but Leo can't be a healer for what's to come."

Wyatt gurgled more softly and Chris paused. He leaned over the crib and explained, "Leo needed to learn to be a fighter. Not just in words and not just for defense but to really take the initiative and go on the attack. He needed blood on his hands." He lowered his voice and confided, "He's been instilled with a new inner drive even if, right now, it's only to find evidence against me. But it's a step in the right direction. He's got the fire now." He resisted the urge to reach for the baby's hand and continued, "I told them, right from the start, I came from the near future and I never actually lied to them. Families didn't really exist in the world where I grew up and everything I'm doing is to protect you. And maybe I am a bit vague about that future, maybe it won't come true in this world and maybe all this is for nothing but I won't take that risk." He glanced down and barely whispered, "Once upon a time, I made a promise to protect another baby and I lost himI won't lose you too."

Wyatt rolled over onto his side and eventually pulled himself up and stood unsteadily against the crib's railing. The protective shield vanished and he reached out for Chris.

"What," Chris questioned suspiciously, "so now we're friends?"

"Okay," Phoebe's voice called out, "I've got it."

"I know what's bothering her," he quietly confided. Wyatt stared back at him and he shrugged, "I've been keeping my eye on all of you during my free time. Leo can't control that." He stood up straight and faced the doorway, "Two years ago today. That's what she's been remembering. That's when he proposed. Cole." He turned back to the baby, "If we only knew"

"Only knew what?" Phoebe questioned when she entered the room carrying a piece of paper.

Flustered by her sudden appearance, Chris stammered, "Only knew what the vanquish involved."

She shrugged, "It's just a spell. You think it should include something else?"

He quickly shook his head, "You've gotta call your sisters."

"Already did," she told him. "Piper's explaining that we've got an emergency here and Paige'll be here as soon as she finishes introducing the band."

"What about him?" Chris indicated to Wyatt. "I have to show you where the Maggorn is."

She nodded and glanced up at the ceiling, "Leo! Leo!"

After a few moments, Leo orbed into the room. "Is everything okay?" he asked before he stared warily at Chris.

Chris immediately held up his hands in surrender, "I was between charges and heard about a Maggorn attack."

"A Maggorn?" Leo questioned. "They haven't attacked in decades. You're sure?"

"He wouldn't've come if he wasn't," Phoebe assured him as she stepped between the two men. "Chris, why don't you wait for us all downstairs?" He shrugged, orbed out of the room, and Phoebe turned to Leo. "I don't need to sense all these resentful feelings to know how you feel about Chris."

"I don't resent him," Leo insisted. "It made sense that you should have a new Whitelighter and I thought, given his situation, it would be the perfect solution."

"But now you're not so sure it was the right thing to do," Phoebe concluded. "There seems to be a lot of that going around."

He glanced quizzically at her but, instead, warned, "I know that he's helped. But he's not all he appears to be. And I know, for a fact, he was the one who exiled me to that island."

"Why would he do that?" Phoebe quietly wondered.

"I don't know," Leo growled before he spun to face his son.

"If he was after Wyatt," she suggested, "he'd've made his move already."

"I know," he admitted as he lifted his son from the crib. He kissed the baby's forehead and added, "But he's hiding something and I will find out what it is." She nodded and he asked, "You want to talk?"

"About what?"

"About whatever's bothering you," he offered while he walked to the sofa.

"Hey," Chris shouted from the floor below, "your sisters are here!"

"That was fast," she murmured. "Paige must've orbed to Piper."

"She was out on a date," Leo quietly realized.

"I'm sorry," she awkwardly apologized as she brushed the baby's hair back. "If it's any consolation, she's not having an easy time. This is hard on her. Moving on."

"It's hard on everyone," he replied simply. "Call when you're done and I'll bring him back."

"It hurts loving someone so much, doesn't it," she quietly commented and stretched out her hand to her nephew. "It doesn't seem fai--" she gasped when an apple suddenly appeared in her hand.

Leo stared at his son who babbled insistently. "An apple?"

"That's one smart son you have," was all Phoebe managed to whisper while she stared at the apple.

"Well, apples are the fruit of knowledge," Leo teased and kissed his son. "You, young man, are to stick to applesauce until you get all your teeth." He glanced at Phoebe and was surprised by her stricken look. "What's wrong?"

"Why'd you say that?" she requested. "About apples? I never told you that. I never told anyone about it. Not Prue and not Piper."

"Told them about what?" he asked in confusion. "It's not necessarily a magical fact but something it seems only the magical world acknowledges."

"So you know about the apple peel?" she hesitantly questioned.

Leo smiled and bounced his son in his arms. "You mean about it telling you your true love's name?" He laughed, "Old wives' tale. You can't believe everything you hear."

"But it could be true," she argued.

"Phoebe!" Chris's shout revealed his impatience.

"I have to go," she told him and headed to the door.

"Don't let an apple peel guide your destiny," he cautioned.

"Did you and Piper ever try it?" she asked when she stopped in the doorway. She turned back to him, "Did you?"

"No," he quietly admitted, "but even if we did, I don't think it would've changed anything that's happened."

"But maybe it would have," she sadly decided as she turned away again, "if you'd always remembered it."

"What's keeping you?" Chris interrupted when he orbed into the room.

"Just be careful," Leo warned him. He threw the apple to Chris who caught it in surprise and he told Phoebe, "If you want to talk, just call. Any time."

She smiled gratefully and quietly thanked him, "I will. Leo?" He waited and she shyly added again, "Thanks."

Chris stared at the apple and turned to her in confusion when Leo orbed away with Wyatt. He held it up, "What the hell's this all about?"

"The letter c' and a lot of memories," she answered before she walked out the door. "C'mon, we've got a demon to vanquish."

"One day, Phoebe," he promised in the empty room, "you'll know the truth. And then the true test of forgiveness will begin."

the end...