Yay! Two updates in the same month! Actually in the same week. Crazy, isn't it?

So this one actually has Wyatt in it. Yay.

Thanks so much to the people that followed, faved, and reviewed! You're awesome!

Disclaimer - Charmed doesn't belong to me

He woke up to the sound of a child laughing.

There was a pounding in his head that felt worse than if a demon had smashed it into the wall a few dozen times, and he was sure that he hadn't actually swallowed any sand recently, even if his throat ached like he had.

Why was everything so loud? The seemingly innocent giggles from the baby seemed to echo and bounce around his cranium a million times before settling into the throbbing headache growing there. An old-fashioned clock ticked somewhere nearby, each tick a stabbing pain behind his eyes.

Had he accidentally drunken a senses enhancing potion again? Had some demon infected him, broadening his hearing in some way? Or – more impossibly – had someone gotten him drunk?

Someone's footsteps, stopping near his bed, felt like kicks to his skull. From underneath soft covers, he let out a groan. Why couldn't he just go back to sleep, away from all the clamor and... Wait, footsteps?

Before his very exhausted, pain-filled head could stop him or protest, his instincts had him stumbling to his feet and trying – very poorly – to run away from the person.

The world went tilty and up and down like a roller coaster inside his brain, and suddenly his stomach ached along with everything else. Fighting – or fleeing – just wasn't going to happen right now. Neither was walking, really.

"Chris! Chris, honey, it's okay! It's just Mo..er, Piper. You're at the manor." Her voice, while anxious, was hushed as though she knew the condition he seemed to be in. Oh well. He was just thankful she wasn't shouting at him.

Wait..

"Manor?" He croaked, blinking stupidly. The room was spinning still, so he shakingly plopped himself on the bed again.

Chris slowly took in the sight of Wyatt bouncing excitedly in his playpen a foot away, discovered the bed he'd just been sleeping in was Piper's, and saw that there was a basket of folded laundry by her feet.

"I'm in the Manor." He repeated. The evidence was very compelling.

Fighting back a yawn, he asked, "What am I doing in the Manor?"

His mother propped a fist on her hip and glared down at him, and it occurred to him that his headache was the least of his problems.

"Do you remember what you did last night, Christopher Perry?"

Even though her tone was considerately soft, the venom in it – and his middle name – made him wince. With a sigh, he rubbed at aching temples and attempted to push back some of the pain.

"I-I don't...I'm not..." He breathed in deeply and winced a second time. "Oh, God, Piper, please tell me you have aspirin somewhere?

While that wasn't an answer at all, he really couldn't think straight, couldn't think at all with the pounding in his ears and the ache sending tremors throughout his body. Things like what happened the previous night, what he was doing sleeping in the Manor, and even Piper's anger came second to his terrible hangover.

At least, in that moment they did.

To his infinite relief, she pointed angrily to the nightstand next to the bed – on it, there were a couple of white pills and a glass of water.

He downed both quickly, ignoring the uncomfortable rolling of his stomach, and laid back against the messed up covers.

Luckily for him, that helped his head a bit. He shut his eyes and breathed, knowing that in a second, he would have to face another challenge in the form of his mother.

"I guess... I drank too much?"

Chris couldn't see her, but he could've sworn he heard the woman roll her eyes above him.

"You think?"

The sarcasm twinged at his headache. By now images were starting to return to him, beginning to flow past the block of aches and pains and suddenly he saw blurry memories of beer and Piper and maybe even Paige.

With a groan, he told himself, okay, okay, just...move past this, alright? It's not like you let anything slip...did you?

But he hadn't needed to. The sight of him crying and drinking like there was no tomorrow was like a failure in itself – he'd let Piper know just how broken he was.

A lump of nervousness and maybe fear in his throat, he swallowed only with great difficulty.

"So...why did you bring me back to the House?" He asked, hoping to shift the conversation in a different direction.

"Well I wasn't going to just leave you there!" She said, her tone bewildered but somehow still ticked. "And while we're on the subject, why did you feel the need to drink yourself into oblivion last night?"

He fell silent, swallowing back nausea and maybe something else. He remembered...working. He recalled reading book after book and following lead after lead, and he had been so so tired that day.

No sleep for a couple days, the nightmares had come back. And maybe he'd forgotten to eat, he realized, his far too-empty stomach still lurching.

But what else was new? So he put saving the future of the whole freaking world above taking care of himself sometimes – wasn't it worth it?

Yet that didn't explain why he'd done what he had last night.

Chris wasn't below drinking a few when things got too weird living in the past, or when he had a particularly frustrating day (those had been happening more and more lately), but he didn't like getting hammered like that. It left him stupid, defenseless, and worse, talkative. He couldn't risk that here – so why had he?

He squeezed his eyes shut harder, fighting back more tears as he recalled what yesterday had been, and clenched his fists on the bedspread.

"I'm sorry, Piper. It was just...a bad day." He said quietly. The man so normally against admitting weakness or apologizing was doing both, and it twisted a terribly tricky emotion up in his chest.

"...Whatever it was, Chris, you didn't have to be alone."

Chris opened his eyes and blinked a couple hard times, trying not to meet Piper's caring gaze. That hurt too much, reminded him too much of a person he didn't, couldn't have anymore.

This was Piper Halliwell, but she wasn't his mother. Not yet. Sometimes he hated that she tried to be.

"I'm always alone." He muttered to himself, not realizing he spoke aloud.

Suddenly a warm hand landed on his arm and he jerked his gaze to find her looking down on him fiercely.

"You're not alone anymore, Chris. Never again, do you understand me?"

There was such an insistent current to her voice that it was all he could do to nod.

He was rewarded with a bright, if watery, smile, and Piper releasing his arm. The place where she'd touched it felt like fire. Definitely not comfort, or anything.

"Good." She beamed. "I hope you know that you can talk to me if you need to. Always. About...anything."

He wanted to mention 'future consequences' or maybe sneer something unpleasant about Bianca, so as to add some comfortable distance between them, but the words got caught in his sandpaper dry throat.

Instead, he coughed, swallowed, and scooted away to face the baby Wyatt.

"So..um... how's Wyatt doing?" He asked desperately.

Piper seemed to know that anything more would be pushing an already bent Chris, and thankfully let that topic die to talk about her other child.

"Oh, he's fine." She flapped a hand, swiping the other underneath her eyes and bending down to retrieve her laundry basket. "Still Twice Blessed, and all. He's learning a new word, I think." She added proudly.

Chris's eyes were fixed on the child, but he attempted what was supposed to be a smile. It looked more like a grimace – though Wyatt didn't mind.

The boy continued to giggle and fiddle with his rather fluffy stuffed animals. Whenever he bent to kiss one, it's fluff tickled his nose and he only laughed harder. It was adorable.

That brought a real smile to the time traveler's hard features.

"Oh, yeah. He's been doing that all morning." Piper said. "I'm surprised he hasn't gotten bored by now."

Chris nodded absently, a redness still lurking underneath his dark, tired eyes.

Piper bit her lip to stop herself from commenting on his obvious exhaustion. She'd already learned from experience that repetition nor hounding worked on her stubborn future son, so she knew any more of her words would be lost.

But maybe she could try a different tactic.

"You know, with Paige and Phoebe moved out of the Manor, there are lots of empty rooms around here." She said pointedly.

Frowning a bit at the swift topic change, Chris didn't glance away from his brother even though Piper suspected he didn't really see the boy.

"Mmm." Was all he said.

"What with all the research and potion making, you're here most of the time anyway."

"Hmm."

"It's good to stay close to Wyatt, too. Keep him safe and you know...good."

Finally, his emotionless green orbs twisted from his little big brother to face her, and Piper almost missed seeing the pain there – any emotion was better than nothing, right?

"What are you trying to say, Piper?"

She winced slightly at her name. She tried out a kind, persuasive smile and – dang it she was better at the glaring thing.

"Would you like to move into the House, Chris?"

Instantly, he stood up from the bed and despite pausing slightly to regain balance, he walked swiftly to the door. His mother's spirits fell, recognizing a certain dark look overtaking his features.

"Piper I did not come here to play family." He all but spat. "I came here to stop him from turning evil and –"

"But can't you do that better right here? Shouldn't you be as close to Wyatt as you possibly can be?" She interrupted.

He stared at her for a long moment, like he knew she was right but didn't want to admit it.

"I...I...I just can't." Was all he would say. Without another word, he stumbled to the hall and filled the hallway with a thousand tiny white orbs.

Piper bit her lip and pretended her heart wasn't in tiny pieces in her chest. With a sigh, she strode over to her other son, who was still playing with his stuffed animals.

"Hi, baby." She said softly, her eyes wet. "Can mommy have a kiss real quick?"

She bent and pressed her lips against his blond curls, closing her eyes against the misery inside.

"I love you, sweetie." She whispered. "I love you both so, so much. Why can't he see that?"

"Eh?" Wyatt glanced up from his toys and blinked up at his mother, confused by the tears dripping down her face.

"Ma? Ma...mama?" A tiny, pudgy hand reached upwards and touched her wet cheek. The boy marveled at the new feel and sight, but his nose wrinkled up too – he didn't like his mother not smiling at him.

Seeing him squirm at her unhappiness, she sniffed, wiping at the rest of her tears. She reached down and petted a stuffed dog, showing it to Wyatt again as a distraction.

"Look, Wyatt. Mr. Puppy wants another kiss." She tested out a smile for him. Predictably, he bent to kiss Mr. Puppy's black nose and giggled at the fluff brushing his nose. Within seconds he was lost to his game for the second time that day.

Piper sighed, sitting back. She wished she could solve her other son's problems that easily.

Maybe someday, she thought, her hands resting on her belly. Maybe someday.

A/N: Soo...I'm not sure how to feel about this one. Good? Bad? Tell me what you think? If I let you down or not?

Cha'90: Aw, at least one person liked it. ^^ That made me happy. And I hope this helped your heart not be broken...maybe a little? Or...maybe I just made it worse. Either way, I hope you keep reading!

Dealo: Well, thank you! Hope you like the update. I guess you're seeing me sooner than you think ;) Please keep reading!

Please review! Thanks for reading!