Disclaimer:

"Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

Author's Note:

So this was initially a one-shot. Then as I got reviews in I had some request to continue… So, I'm going to try it and see if it takes wings. Piper makes a point to tell Paige that Chris has been avoiding her for weeks in the opening of Hyde School Reunion, which I believe gives me some time to play the puppeteer in their lives on paper. If you take the time to read and enjoy it please review it for me. If you take the time and don't enjoy it please tell me why, writers only improve with constructive feedback.

Hello Mother

Epilogue to Courtship of Wyatt's Father, III

Phoebe sits at her desk at the Bay Mirror. She is supposedly going through potential letters to answer for her column, but the only thing she can think about is Chris and what she'll say to him if he answers her call..

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Phoebe couldn't believe even a nephew of hers could be this stubborn. He was lucky she had that meeting with legal regarding some comments in an upcoming column. She hadn't been able to scry for him or call him for that matter since before leaving for the office. Her real problem was getting around him "putting her on mute". She found it highly irritating that she could do that at all.

Finally, she had five minutes of peace. Her assistant was holding all of her calls and after closing the blinds she pulled out the scrying crystal and map from her purse. Normally she wouldn't do this at the office, but Paige was at a temp job and couldn't be orbing her all over San Francisco, so she would just have to do things on her own.

Clearing a space on her desk she spread the map out and tried to focus her mind.

"Last chance little buddy. Chris! Fine, have it your way." Just as she was about to drop the crystal her office filled with orbs.

"What now?" Chris slammed his hands on her desk with a lot more force than he intended. She got a sense of de ja vu. They had just been here a few weeks before having a very different argument.

"Don't you give me attitude mister!" Her tone implied all the finger wagging she was refraining from doing. She had no plans on being distracted with all of his posturing. He was hurting and she didn't need her empathy powers to sense that. It was just that Chris' emotions ran from hot to cold so quickly that she couldn't tell what had him wound so tight.

"Phoebe what do you want?"

She came from around her desk and attempted to make some sort of connection with her newly acquired nephew. Sliding next to him she rested her backside on the edge of the desk so that she would be face to face with him. He looked down at her and then backed up and perched himself on the edge of her couch.

"I think you know exactly what I want and I think that's why you didn't show back up at the Manor earlier when I called."

"I'm not going to talk about Piper with you. Now vanquishing demons I could talk about that for hours." He ran his hands through his hair and endeavored to show no affect what so ever.

"You can be glib all you want, but I know what you went through to get your parents back together. And I know you must have some feelings about all of this. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt and the chance to not act like a jackass."

"Nice… You plan on raising kids with that mouth?"

"I just need to understand why you're treating your mother, more importantly my sister, so lousy. The woman is already suffering morning sickness. Your attitude is turning it into all day sickness." Phoebe went to kneel in front of him. Closing her hands over his she prayed she would sense something. She had only gotten a read off of him once before and that was under extreme duress.

"What the hell? Are you trying to get read off of me? Way to build trust, Aunt Phoebe." Chris leapt up from the couch and backed into the corner opposite his crouching aunt.

"I'm telling you whatever is going on with you shutting your mother out isn't the solution. She just wants to get to know you and help you. For God's sake Chris you're her son. I thought that meant something to you."

"You have no idea what any of this means to me. I am so sick of everyone's demands. I came here to do a job. With or without your help I'll get it accomplished and then everyone can go back to their lives and stop worrying about mine!"

He orbed out of there giving her no opportunity to get off a rebuttal.

"Mark my words this attitude is going to come back and bite you in the

ass." She walked behind her desk and flopped into her chair. Yeah, she

thought, that went real swell. Paige would be waiting with her I told you

so.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Piper was surrounded by boxes. Both Dennis and Jerry were in helping out. Leo was always so supportive with this stuff. She was starting to feel the loss she was left with by his exit more and more. But she had to focus because she had a baby on the way and a legacy of bankruptcy was not what she wanted for it… she had a business to run.

She headed into the back room that served as an office for her and a make-shift bedroom for Chris. Every time she thought about asking him to move into the Manor the timing just didn't seem right. Who was she kidding, she couldn't get him to stay for a dinner, she suspected moving in would involve a cold-day-in-hell. Evidently with all of his neurosis he did not pick up her panache for housekeeping. Grabbing her clipboard off the desk Piper backed her swollen ankles out of the pigsty she used to call her office.

"What are you doing in there?" Chris' accusation almost toppled his mother. Swinging around she steadied herself on the frame of the door and sidled pass her hostile off-spring.

"If you hung around more then ten seconds a day you would know that I'm here," she waved her clipboard at him, "doing inventory all day."

"There's no since snooping. I don't keep much and even if I did I wouldn't just leave it hanging around. And can we not send your sisters after me to get me to play touchy feely emotional volleyball please. I have enough demons to dodge I don't want to add them to the list."

"Relax tough guy. I didn't send anyone after you and it's my club I can snoop just about anywhere I please, but I wasn't. I would think you knew me well enough to trust me on that at least. All of our prying before was because we had no idea who you were… that particular mystery has obviously been solved." Rubbing her belly Piper walked to the bar and went around it to grab a bottle of water. She figured they were being as civil to one another as they'd been in days so why not plunge in with that dinner invite.

"I'm cooking tonight; for once everyone's going to be home. Why don't you come by? I can't remember the last meal I saw you eat."

"And you won't see me eat one tonight either. I'm busy." Chris desperately wanted out of this room and this conversation.

"Busy with what. There have been no attacks and I bet if you don't provoke any between now and say seven o'clock we could stay demon free through desert."

Piper's words were light, but Chris could see her soul through her chocolate brown eyes. They were muddy pools of heartache and he knew he was partly to blame for their sadness. Staying steady on his feet was becoming more and more difficult and he had to take a moment to look away because the more he gazed into those eyes the weaker his resolve became.

He took a silent deep breath sucking in all the air he could get and held firm, "yeah, I don't see me at dinner happening, so you better make that chicken for three not four." He stepped into his room and shut the door resolutely behind him. The next sound he heard was his mother's proclamation of "damn it!" and something go flying across the room and landing on the floor with a thud.

Chris could hardly catch his breath when he closed the door. He wanted to scream or punch a wall. Instead he just leaned back and sobbed. His whole body was shaking. Grabbing his legs he bent over and attempted to fill his lungs back up with air. His emotions were coming in waves. How he kept from vomiting was miracle.

Standing up straight again he rubbed hard at his face to remove any sign he'd been crying. As a matter of fact he didn't even want to pass his reflection and see remnants of this pathetic display. If he didn't get a grip he'd never make it to his birthday.

When he sat behind the desk in his crude room he leaned back in the chair and took a couple of gulps of air. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his mother. The mother he knew from his time, not Piper who was sitting a hundred feet from him on the other side of the door. But that was indeed the problem he couldn't separate them anymore, not after all this time. They had melded into one in his head and heart. Chris had to keep Piper at arms distance, but he didn't want to anymore. He wanted to run up to her, wrap himself in her arms and never let go. It wasn't an option though so it was time for him to 'man-up'.

Finally getting up he snatched his sweatshirt and braved the other side of the door. He saw her doubled over and holding on to one of the bar stools. Without thinking he took three quick steps and was at her side.

"Piper, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"So is that what it takes to glean a response from you? I'm fine." She did her best to stand up to her full 5'2" tall stature."

"Why were you so… you looked hurt."

"No just a little winded. I forgot how much energy it takes to be pregnant and do inventory. All this bending is a bit much. Your dad usually gets most of this done for me." If she wasn't mistaken she thought she saw him cringe at the mention of Leo.

Immediately the walls went up and Chris backed off and headed toward the stairs calling over his shoulder, "well take it easy."

A weary mother watched as her preoccupied son departed, massaging her back all the while thinking, 'he's not going to make this easy!"