I have no rights to Charmed or the characters associated with the show. This is not for profit and strictly for my own and (hopefully) your amusement.

Please R&R.

Ch. 1

Chris scrutinized the complex pattern on the attic wall. It was a modified version of the pattern he had used to help come to the past in the first place. Ideally, combined with the right incantation, it would prevent Wyatt or any of his minions from following Chris into the past. It was something he'd worried about from the beginning, but after the trauma with Bianca he gained an even healthier appreciation for his brother's spell-crafting abilities. He'd been afraid to try something so powerful and complicated, something unmentioned in the Book of Shadows. But his reluctance and stupidity had cost Bianca her life. He should have known Wyatt would send someone after him. He should have done this a long time ago. Now, in some ways, it was already too late. Bianca was dead, because of him. The sister's were more distrustful than ever now that they knew he wasn't a "real" Whitelighter. His whole mission seemed to be going to hell. Maybe dad had been right about him after all; maybe he really would never be anything more than a screw up.

No, he told himself, he couldn't allow himself those thoughts. He had to focus. What he was doing required all his concentration and he didn't have time for self pity. It had taken ages to puzzle out the wording, the pattern and then what seemed like ages waiting until he was sure none of the sister's would be in the house.

"Okay," he said aloud, "here goes nothing…"

"Power of the witches rise

Course unseen across the skies

Ward the sibling from past malice…"

Piper chose precisely that moment to walk into the room.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked loudly. Chris faltered. She was supposed to be at P3 meeting with an interior decorator. He stopped the chant unfinished.

"Er, um, I was just working on something to help Wyatt," he said.

"By sneaking into the house behind our backs and casting spells?" she asked, incredulous. Her eyes flashed with genuine anger. "I am sick and tired of being lied to Chris. Either tell me what's going on or GET OUT!" Chris tried to keep the hurt off of his face. He couldn't stand to have his mother look at him like he was a potential threat.

Then he noticed the pattern on the wall begin to glow and a vortex open up. Piper was immediately pulled back towards it. Chris instinctively reached out to grab a hold of her. The force was incredible. He realized he couldn't hold against it. He let go of Piper's hand and used his telekinesis to push her out the door to safety. Unfortunately, in doing, he lost his own foothold and went tumbling towards the portal.

The next he knew he lay on the ground and felt like he'd just come off of the mother of all benders. He groaned and got slowly to his knees, then his feet. He blinked the glare out of his eyes and saw with relief that he was still in the attic. Then he remembered unceremoniously hurling his mother out the open doorway.

"Piper," he yelled and ran out the door.

She wasn't there. He ran down stairs and was greeted by a site that made his breath catch. His mother lay unconscious amidst a pile of rubble. I looked like she'd been thrown threw a wall.

"Leo!" Chris shouted. He rushed over, and noticed another dark haired woman also lying in the rubble. He checked his mother first. She was in bad shape, but her pulse and breathing were steady. Then he checked the other woman. She wasn't breathing. Her pulse was thready. She was about to die.

"Leo!" Chris called again. Nothing. Typical.

Chris placed his hands over the wounded woman. He was half-Whitelighter. He had the power to heal her. He would be damned if he let another person die for his inability to master his power. He concentrated every scintilla of will and concentration. His head felt like it was about to explode; it screamed at him to stop. He refused. He reached into the same reservoir he used to orb and demanded more of it than ever before. Then he felt something, something he'd never fully felt before. An energy rushed from him into the fallen woman. He gasped and watched in wonder as her wounds started to close. It was working. It was actually working. The woman gasped a breath and sat up as the last of Chris's healing flowed into her.

She blinked at him in surprise from beautiful bluish grey eyes. Chris sat back in exhaustion.

"Thanks," she said. Then she saw Piper. "Oh my god!" She knelt over her. "Leo! Leo!" she said, a note of panic creeping into her voice. Then she looked back at Chris. "You, you're a whitelighter?"

Chris nodded

"Heal her," she said. He moved to comply. He placed his hands over his mother, but he was exhausted. He just didn't have the energy.

"What's the matter?" the woman asked. "Why aren't you healing her?"

"Can't," Chris grunted through his concentration. Then he relaxed; it was no use. He checked her pulse again.

"I don't think she's in any immediate danger," he said, as much to reassure himself as her. The thought of watching his mother die again was worse than he could contemplate. He shuddered. "I'll get her to the hospital."

"What kind of a Whitelighter are you?" she asked, eyes flashing.

"The kind doing everything I can to save my charge. Who are you anyway?" Chris asked.

"Your charge?" she replied with confusion. "I'm Prue Halliwell. Who the hell are you?"

His jaw dropped. As soon as she said it he remembered her from pictures and home videos. The only reason he hadn't noticed before was the stress of the situation. Then he thought back to the story of how she died. Oh no, what had he done? The future consequences were incalculable.

"This is the day you died," he said and dumbly stared at her. "We have to do something."

Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What do you mean I died?"

Her words snapped him out of his stupor. Then a plan coalesced.

"Listen, I promise Piper will be fine, but we have to get out of here right now. I'll explain everything, but not here," he said.

"If you think I'm going to leave my sister like this then you're as stupid as you are incompetent," she said.

Chris so did not have time for this. He started chanting.

"Let the alteration of objection become but a dream,

as I cause to be seen that which was supposed to be seen,"

Prue lay still, bloody, and obviously dead on the floor. The real Prue gaped at her doppeldanger corpse. "What the…" but she was interrupted by someone orbing in.

That, Chris realized, would be Leo. He grabbed hold of Prue's arm and orbed them out before Leo could reappear.

They reappeared atop the Golden Gate Bridge. Prue angrily shook off his hold on her arm.

"Listen, buddy, I don't know who you think you are and…where the hell are we?" she asked as she noticed her surroundings.

"Atop the Golden gate bridge," Chris answered. "It's one of my favorite places to think. It's also a good place to have a private conversation."

She glared at him and waived her hand. He flew from the top of the bridge and plummeted for a moment until he orbed himself back.

"What was that for?" he asked her.

"To show you I don't like being kidnapped by strange men, even if they did probably save my life." Her voice softened a bit. "Thanks for that by the way."

"No problem," Chris answered warily. "You gonna throw me from the bridge again?"

"Not if you tell me what's going on, starting with who you are and how I'm pretty sure I just watched you cast a spell," she said. She arched her eyebrows expectantly.

"Well, it's kind of a long story. For starters, my name is Chris," he paused, "Chris Halliwell. I need to get back to the future and I need your help…"