Title: Magical Guidance

Author: snuffybaby

Disclaimer: Spelling owns the Charmed Universe.

Pairing: Cole/Prue

Summary: Starts 523 "Oh My Goddess! Part 1" Rewrite of Season 6. What if someone was helping Chris when he came back from the future?

Author's Note: Finally decided to post some of the Charmed fic I've written. Didn't turn out the way I expected. May attempt to rewrite in the future.

"Don't look into her eye!" Chris orbed on to the scene just in time to save Paige from Meta. Acting quickly, he whipped vial after vial of potion at the female titan, forcing her to retreat, but not before she turned Paige into stone. He removed his sunglasses as soon as the titan was gone. "You all right?"

Phoebe finally notices her sister. "Oh, my god. Paige!"

"Don't worry. She's all right. Well, I mean she's not completely all right, obviously, but she's not dead."

"Are you sure she's not?"

"Frankly, you see this a lot. Museums, universities, town centers – most of those statues aren't really statues. They're people like your sister here who've been turned into stone."

Phoebe turned her attention to the stranger that was in her attic. "Who are you?"

"Chris. Chris Perry. I'm... from the future."

The ordeal with the titans over, Chris found a quiet place and called into thin air, "Aunt Prue! Uncle Cole!"

"Chris, you know better than to change the timeline," Prue's voice faded in as she appeared in front of him.

Cole smirked at his nephew. "Good job, kid."

Chris studied his aunt and uncle. "So, you know who I am?"

Prue rolled her eyes. "How many times do we have to explain to you that we are beyond time?"

"Apparently once more." Chris hugged his aunt. "I'm so glad I have at least one person to confide in."

"What am I?" Cole crossed his arms in affront. "Chopped liver?"

He returned his smirk. "You're a wild card."

Prue pinched Chris's side to get his attention. "You shouldn't be in this time. You need to go back."

"To the hell that Wyatt created? No way. I'm going to fix this. Fix him. My brother was not meant to be the Source of all Evil."

"Are you sure he wasn't?" Cole asked. "Need I remind you, that your favorite uncle was the Source for awhile."

"That was before you had sense knocked into you." He offered Prue a smile before shaking his head, "We never could imagine what you and Aunt Phoebe were like when you were together. She's too... lovey-dovey for you."

"What can I say? I was naive back then." Cole kissed the back of Prue's hand. "And I hadn't realized how much more suited for me my darling Prue is."

"Well, it didn't help that I was anti-demon back then." Prue smiled at him. "But let's get back on track. Chris, you need to go back. You don't belong here."

"You would do anything for your sisters," Chris reminded, "you even stayed out of their lives because you don't want to bring them pain." All his life, he'd known his Aunt Prue and Uncle Cole. He'd learned to keep their existence a secret from his mom and dad, and his other aunts. Aunt Prue didn't want to complicate their lives. Not after what she'd become after dying. Especially not after she and Uncle Cole had gotten together as a couple. "You should understand why I have to do this. I have to save Wyatt."

Prue and Cole exchanged glances.

"Prue, you know the kid has a point." Cole supported his nephew in his endeavor. "You and your sisters weren't above changing time either."

She pouted. "But the timeline hasn't changed before. Maybe it's destiny."

"You know, as well as I do, that we can't stop Chris from doing this. Free will and all that."

"Alright," she relented. "But don't expect us to do any of your work for you," she admonished Chris. "We're strictly hands off."

"Thanks, Aunt Prue."

"By the way, what were you thinking when you knocked your father's orbs off track? You better fix that. And fast."

Leo's stint in Valhalla was short.

Chris spent the next months trying to discover what had turned Wyatt evil; gaining the sisters' trust; and trying to forgive his father for the things he was going to do.

Cole snuggled with his lover. "So, how does it look? Do you think he'll be able to successfully change history?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure. I can't see it."

"You don't think he'll discover Gideon's manipulations?"

"You're a master manipulator. Did you see through Gideon?"

Cole thought about it honestly. "Not at first, but I caught on pretty quick."

"I have faith that with all of Chris's efforts to save his brother; together with my sisters and Leo, they'll figure it out. But I'm not sure it'll be soon enough."

The Manor was quiet and Prue sparkled into existence beside Wyatt's crib. She gently lifted him into her arms, as she sat back in the rocking chair. Rocking slowly back and forth, she spoke softly to him, "You're such a good little boy. It's hard to imagine that you'll be turned by evil someday. I guess it's to be expected. So many people want you for their own purposes. I suppose that's the burden of being so powerful."

Wyatt stirred. His eyes fluttered open to land on the familiar face of his aunt. He leaned his head on her shoulder, enjoying the comfort of being in her arms.

"I knew you'd be here." Cole faded in beside her, crouching. He smooth a hand down Wyatt's back. "How you doing, little man? Sleepy, huh?"

Wyatt reached out and grabbed Cole's hand, smiling.

"I wonder if it's your influence that affects him the most," she smiled softly.

"He is quite taken with me," Cole said smugly. "But I'd never advise anyone to take on the position of the Source." At her raised eyebrow, he shrugged, "I was Belthazor for a hundred years. Demons and witches alike feared me. The instant I became the Source, I was targeted by everyone. I didn't last a year as the Source. Much better to remain in the background." He added, "Besides, who wants to constantly be dealing with the politics?"

Prue let out a soft laugh before leaning over to kiss him. "I love you."

He gladly returned her affection. "I love you too." He closed his eyes and basked in her love. "Who knows? Maybe if I had fallen in love with you to start, we'd both still be alive and living in the real world."

"Perhaps." She gave him another light peck. "But we'll never know. I'd rather not anyway. I'm quite happy with the way things are."

"You don't miss your sisters?"

"Sometimes," she admitted. "But I wouldn't risk you just to be able to spend time with them. We've got eternity together. It's hard for a girl to give that up."

Cole frowned at Chris. "What do you mean you screwed up?"

"I've been so busy trying to figure out what turned Wyatt evil that I screwed up my life. Mom has to get pregnant – and soon – or I won't ever be born."

"This is on the same level as me changing history and getting myself killed," Cole muttered to himself. "Alright, we'll fix this."

Chris's eyebrow quirked. "You'll help?"

"Of course. I can't very well have my favorite nephew cease to exist."

"What's Aunt Prue going to say? You know how she is about interfering. You've got an unfair advantage."

"How about we keep this our little secret?"

Prue glared at Cole. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"I couldn't not help him. And it's not like I did much. I just had the muse give Piper and Leo a little nudge while they were in the ghostly plane. They probably would have done it anyway. It was a life or death situation and you know how much they love each other."

"Then why did you stick your nose in it?"

"I wasn't going to risk it. Chris is my favorite nephew."

"The son you never had." Her anger suddenly deflated and sadness overtook her.

"Hey," Cole was at her side in an instant, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

He brushed her long black locks from her face. "You're disappointed that we can't have kids."

"A little." She sighed and leaned into him when his arms pulled her against his chest. "It's just... we've got so much power between us...and yet we can't do something as simple as have a baby. It's frustrating sometimes."

"You know, we could go back and change things."

Prue shook her head. "We've discussed this."

"That doesn't mean we can't discuss it further."

"No, nothing's changed." She cupped his face. "I wouldn't trade you for anything."

"If we went back-"

"There are no guarantees. Even if we went back and saved ourselves, there's no guarantee that we can have children."

"There's no guarantee that we can't either."

"I'm not going to risk it." She kissed his lips softly, her hands sliding down, across his shoulders to link behind his neck. "I can't lose you."

Cole wrapped his arms around her waist. "Do you think one day, we might possibly get bored of eternity and go back?"

"We'd change history... the universe as we know it. There's no telling how our presence would change the world. We know too much."

"But do you think it's possible?"

Prue thought for a moment, before her arms shifted to wrap around his shoulders, bringing her body closer to his. "If it meant making you happy? Anything's possible."

Chris spent the next months working his tail off trying to eliminate any potential threats to Wyatt. The task was long and arduous, but above all frustrating. Although his aunt and uncle never quite told him that he was wrong, Chris knew them well enough to know that he wasn't making any headway in discovering the reason Wyatt had turned evil.

But he was running out of time.

His birthday was approaching and he needed to go back to his time, before something worse happened.

"Little help here?" Chris demanded, surrounded by mounds and mounds of books.

Prue sparkled into existence. "Kid, we told you that we can't intervene."

"Not even to set the timeline right again?" he asked charmingly.

"What are you trying to do now?"

Chris turned to his uncle as he faded into existence beside him. "We're trying to create a portal, a spell, something to send me back to my time."

"So you've finally given up your quest," Cole remarked, a little skeptical.

The young man shook his head in frustration. "My birthday is in a week. I can't risk being in this time when I'm about to be born."

Prue and Cole exchanged looks, wondering where on earth Chris had gotten his information on time travel.

"He's right," Cole commented. "We should send him back."

"That would change things." Prue gave her nephew a sad look. "You know we can't send you back. You have to figure this out on your own."

"But Aunt Prue-"

"No," she shook her head, "we can't intervene. Not even for you."

"Prue-"

"No," she said firmly. "Chris, there's no easy way out. Not for this. We warned you when you first came that you risked changing the timeline."

"And I made my choice," he sighed in resignation. He orbed out.

"You're really going to gamble your nephew's existence because of the rules?" Cole studied her impish expression. "Of course not. What do you know that I don't?"

Chris looked up as his aunt sparkled into existence. "This is what you meant," he panted through the pain.

Prue sat down gently beside him. "You did it, Chris. You saved the world. You saved your brother."

"And I got myself killed in the process."

She kissed his forehead gently. "You're being born as we speak. None of this," she waved her hand over his wound, "will mean anything."

"I know," he whispered, "but it still hurts."

"I'm here with you."

Surveying the familiar surroundings of the Underworld, Cole spotted Wyatt quickly. "Come to Uncle Cole," he held his arms out to the his nephew. "I'll keep you safe until your daddy gets here."

Wyatt orbed into his uncle's arms.

"How are you doing?" He studied the child, making sure he wasn't hurt or traumatized. "A little scared, huh? Well, don't worry, your daddy will make all the bad men go away." Not wishing to traumatize Wyatt any further, Cole created a replica-Wyatt that was real enough to fool Gideon for the short time it would take for Leo to take care of the Elder. He watched with his inner eye to see the confrontation and destruction of one Elder by another, waiting for the moment that Wyatt could be safely placed back into Leo's care. He winced as Leo took his anger out in full force on Gideon. "Your Aunt Prue will not be happy to see that."

When it was finally over, Cole swapped replica-Wyatt for the real one and watched over him for the few seconds it took for Leo to return. "Stay safe, little man."

Cole slid his hands around Prue's waist from behind. "He did it."

"He did," she solemnly.

"The world looks a lot brighter now. The Halliwell line will prosper on the side of good for generations to come."

She leaned back against him. "I just wish Chris didn't have to suffer for it to come about."

"We've both suffered worse for the sake of our family." Cole kissed the top of her head, "Chris knew what the stakes were. You should be proud of what he did."

"I am. I'm so proud."

"Then we should go check on him. Make sure he's not planning on causing anymore trouble."

Chris shot awake in bed. He glanced around and a sigh of relief escaped as his eyes landed on his Aunt Prue and Uncle Cole. His hand brushed over his stomach, remembering the pain from being stabbed. "I'm alive."

Cole patted his shoulder gently. "Congratulations, kid. You got your wish. The world is a wonderful good place."

"You changed history," Prue smiled at him. "You saved Wyatt. I'm so proud of you."

"We're so proud of you," Cole corrected. "Now you have to promise never to speak of it again. Only your parents and aunts know what happened – that there was any future to change."

"Right," Chris nodded, "of course. Time travel and timelines. Not a word," he promised.

Prue kissed his cheek. "Now you better get up and enjoy this new world of yours." She watched indulgently as her nephew scrambled out of bed to check on his family. She smiled up at her lover. "How long before one or all of our nieces and nephews decides to dabble in time travel again?"

Cole took her hand, drawing her up into the circle of his arms. "Not long at all," he whispered as he faded them out.

The door to Chris's room gently closed on its own.

The End