A/N: I promised I'd update quick, and here it is! Thank you all for your reviews!

Charrmed - I gotta make Leo suffer a little... :) and yeah, poor Chris now that his mom knows

Peanut-4ever - that's what I was going for! I was trying to make it as sweet as in Hyde School Reunion, so I'm glad it reminded you of that scene. as for how I do it...I guess I'm just really good with being able to put myself in other people's shoes, probably why I wanna study psychology... lol. but seriously, when I'm writing I see it all in my head like I'm watching an episode, it has to feel right, like it could really happen before I'll actually put it in a story.

Everyone else, thank you so much for reviewing, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 6 – The Theory

"What if we're looking at this all wrong?" Melinda asked suddenly, pausing in her pacing to look at Chris.

Chris looked up from the Book. "What do you mean?" he questioned in curiosity.

"What I mean is, what if it's not a demon who turns Wyatt?" she suggested pensively.

Crossing his arms, with a concentrated expression on his face, "It's a theory," he started slowly. "But, other than demons, who would want to turn Wyatt evil?"

Melinda shrugged. "Like you said, it's a theory," she pointed out. "I just brought it up because we've been looking at every possible demon, but it hasn't gotten us anywhere yet. Maybe it's time to start looking at other possibilities." Chris nodded.

"What are you guys talking about?" Piper asked when she came up to the attic.

"Mel brought up a good point," Chris started.

"What if it's not a demon that turns Wyatt?" Melinda informed Piper.

"We've gone after a lot of demons, but none of them have panned out," Chris explained.

"Maybe it's time to look at another angle," Melinda finished.

Taking a deep breath, Piper nodded. "Okay…" she agreed quietly. It was one thing when it was a demon turning Wyatt, it's another to think about it being someone else, possibly someone they know. "It's worth a shot."

Chris and Melinda looked at each other and started brainstorming.

"Okay, so demons aside, let's start with the other magical beings we know," Chris began.

"Ones that may have a motive or some other reason for wanting to turn Wyatt," Melinda added.

"You know," Piper started, getting her future children's attention. "Leo may be able to help you guys out with that," she suggested cautiously, knowing they weren't exactly fans of their father.

The dark expressions that crossed Chris and Melinda's faces concerned Piper, especially since she didn't understand why it was there.

"No. We don't need him," Chris decided firmly.

"We can handle this without him," Melinda agreed in the same tone.

Piper let out a frustrated sigh. "You two are going to have to talk to him at some point," she pointed out with just as much determination as they had. "He's your father!" she added bluntly.

Chris looked away. Melinda averted her eyes and mumbled something under her breath, but Piper didn't catch it.

Sighing heavily, Piper finally said, "Fine, you don't want to talk to him, I get it. But will you at least try to work with him. To save Wyatt?" Chris and Melinda shared a look. "For me?" Piper added softly.

000

"There are a lot of magical beings, though I don't know why someone other than demons would want to turn Wyatt evil," Leo said thoughtfully after Chris and Melinda had explained their new theory.

Chris sighed, and Melinda retorted, "Their goal may not necessarily be to turn him evil. What if they're just after him for his power?" She couldn't keep the bite out of her tone.

"She's right," Chris agreed. "There are a lot of people out there that would love to get their hands on Wyatt's power," he pointed out. "And not just demons."

Leo let out a deep breath. It had been bad enough trying to talk things through with Chris before he'd found out he was his son. Now not only did Leo know Chris was his son, and hated him, but Leo felt double teamed by Chris and Melinda both seeming to be against him.

"I'm not saying I don't agree with you," Leo denied forcefully. "It's a good theory," he said honestly, but then added objectively, "I'm just trying to be realistic about who would want to come after Wyatt, and who would be brave enough to go up against the Charmed Ones to get to him."

"The Cleaners already tried to get rid of him once!" Chris argued.

"But they're neutral," Leo stated calmly, trying not to let Chris cause him to lose his temper. "They don't need the power, and they wouldn't be neutral if they turned Wyatt." Chris rolled his eyes, but couldn't argue with that.

"What about the Elders?" Melinda suggested simply. Leo looked over at her quickly, trying not to assume anything but wondering whether she'd just said it to get a rise from him. Knowing what Leo was thinking, and seeing Chris's questioning glance, Melinda elaborated, "Not all of them thought you should've married a witch. Which means there are probably at least a few who don't think you should've had a kid, let alone one as powerful as Wyatt." Chris nodded his agreement, and though Leo knew she was right, he couldn't believe that an Elder would hurt his son. Then Melinda added, "Besides, Wyatt could destroy them easily, and they know it."

Leo sighed heavily.

000

"Hey buddy," Leo whispered with a smile as he came into the nursery when Piper was putting Wyatt down.

Piper smiled as Wyatt giggled when Leo tickled him before pulling the cover over him. "He loves his dad," Piper said.

Leo smiled faintly. "At least someone does," he mumbled sadly.

"I take it your talk with Chris and Melinda didn't go well?" Piper guessed with a sigh.

Leo looked over at her and shook his head. "I tried Piper," he started, sounding a little desperate. "But I just don't know what to say that doesn't end up making things worse."

"You just have to keep trying," she told him firmly. Then with a smirk added, "They're nothing if not stubborn."

That got a smile and a half-laugh out of Leo. "Yeah," he agreed lightly. "Wonder where they get that from?" he said, giving Piper a pointed look.

Piper gave him a small smile. "From their dad," she answered easily. Leo smiled back.

Sighing, Leo started, "Do you know who their current lead is?"

"After everything we've been through, do you really believe the Elders aren't capable of something like this?" Piper retorted, trying to keep the resentment out of her voice but not entirely succeeding.

Leo gave her a pointed look. "And you wonder where our kids get it from." Piper shot him a warning look. "Look, I'm an Elder too Piper. I can't believe one of us would ever want to hurt Wyatt."

Piper rolled her eyes and asked seriously, "Not even if they thought Wyatt was a threat to their very existence?"

"Piper…" Leo started softly, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder, but she pushed him away.

"No Leo, I'm serious," she said sharply, tears starting to form in her eyes. "What if Chris and Melinda are right?"

000

Leo took a deep breath as he and Piper walked into the attic. Chris and Melinda looked up from the Book and a notebook, respectively, when they heard their parents come in. The two from the future shot Piper a curious glance, but it was Leo who spoke first.

"Okay," he started earnestly. "What can I do to help?"

Chris and Melinda shared an unreadable look before turning back to Leo.

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! Tomorrow should be a long day at work, so I should have plenty of time to work on the next chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to update tomorrow, if not it'll be the day after. As always reviews are greatly appreciated!