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Chapter 9

Chris found a new extent of restlessness. The next few days, he just wandered around like a man on a search. But he couldn't say, what he was searching for. He went with Piper one day, but it was after a few hours quite clear that Chris wasn't a born chef. And couldn't work with or for his mother. At least not in a kitchen.

He read every announcement in every newspaper for a possible job. But you either needed a completed school education or the job was for nothing. Paige puropsed, he could work for a tempt job agency like she had once done. But the agent hadn't called back, yet.

He even went to the college registry but couldn't go in. School really wasn't the right thing. When Chris had ended High School, it was the best day in his whole life. He really hated the school life. The classes were so boring and the teachers showed their dislike towards Chris openly. Chris gave them reason enough, though. He never got involved into the lesson and fought with other pupils. The clubs were the worst. Piper had been really determined, that her sons attend at least one club or work group. Wyatt was interested in journalism since he had been a little boy. Thus, it was clear that he joined the school newspaper team, he played in the football team and gave lessons to other children in maths. Chris was more difficult to inspire. He changed from one club to another every other week, because he didn't even tried to fit in. He found the projects were boring and the teamwork exhausting. Chris always wanted to attend magic school. But his mother was unreasonable. She wanted her sons to get an proper eduation.

Anyway, school was not a topic.

But what else could he do?

Chris put the newspaper down. He looked up as a pink heart revealed before him and turned into Chris' uncle Coop.

"Hey, Chris, is your mother here?" the cupid asked.

"No, she's shopping. Can I tell her something?"

"No, it's okay. I just wanted to talk with her about Phoebe's birthday."

"Aunt Phoebe's birthday is in 4 weeks. Don't you think, you're a bit early."

"You know, if you love…"

"Spare me the cupid-talk, please!" Chris said. He rested his face in his hands.

Coop sat down next to Chris. "What's the matter? Love is all around." Chris frowned. "Bad joke, I'm sorry. You've got problems?"

"Just one. Do you know how many hours the day has?"

"Ehm, 24."

"That's not the point. I don't know what to do. I really don't."

"Haven't that been your problem for weeks now."

"Since I lost my powers, yes."

Coop nooded. "I think about giving up my powers, too."

"What?" Chris asked shooked. "You can't do that, Uncle Coop. I'm serious, you can't."

Coop just smiled. "I haven't decided yet, but given serious thought."

"Why?"

"Because of Phoebe and my children. I do not age, have you noticed that. That is kind of weired. My wife will get old and die, so will my children and I'll stay here. That's not how it is supposed to be. I promised my wife to spend our life together, not that I'll spend just her life with her."

"I never thought about that. At least you have a good reason. Do you want a drink?"

Coop followed Chris into the kitchen and thanked him for the glass of water.

"The best reason," Coop answered smiling.For a cupid it was not usual to find true love for himself, but he had gotten the chance and he'll use it probably. "But you know, your family had good reasons, too. I know what you did. I know, you did well but never loose yourself. Never loose the ones that love you."

Chris didn't know, why his uncle used the word 'love' in every second sentence. Right now, it annoyed Chris. "Uncle Coop…"

"I'm a cupid, love is my business," Coop said kind of apogetically. "I know, that there's no one else in that world – or another world – who loves you as much as we do. And sometimes love makes you do stupid, blindfolded things. But that's just because you don't want anything to happen to the ones you love. It may not be the right way."

Chris nodded. He knew that already. The knowledge didn't help him much, though.

"I need something to do," Chris lamented.

"You will. Believe me. It won't take long."

Chris frowned. "You know something, I don't?"

Coop kept silent and took another sip.

Chris watched his uncle for a while, but he was sure, he wouldn't get an answer.

"Chris?"

Both men turned around by the sound of the voice.

"Mist? What are you doing here?" Chris asked surprised.

"I told you, I'll always come back."

"Sounds like a threat."

The young woman smiled. "Maybe. Is this your Uncle Henry or Uncle Coop?" She looked the cupid straight in the eye. For some reason, Chris could only imagine, his uncle didn't looked surprised at all to see a Valkyrie standing before him.

"Coop," he answered. "The cupid uncle."

"I see. Nice to meet you."

Coop put his glass down on the counter. "I should go now. Tell your mum to give me a call. But not with the phone, Phoebe mustn't know anything."

Chris nodded. "Uncle Coop, you are not going to tell anyone, are you?"

Before the cupid could answer, the three of them were alerted by the sound of crashing glass coming from the living room.

"What was that?"

"I should get you out of here," Coop replied. Usually, strange, sudden noises always meant something bad – demons, to be exact. Not the right surrounding for an defenseless.

"Don't be ridiculous. It's probably nothing," Chris said nonchalantly. Mist frowned. If men play hero, they'll usually end up hurt. The three of them headed to the living room. But there was nothing.

"I told, you it was nothing," Chris said when Mist suddenly shoved him to one side. A fire ball hit the table.

"You call that nothing?" she required, pointing to the four demons, who now approached them.

"Okay, Uncle Coop, maybe we go for your idea." But before he could reach for his uncle to shimmer them away, one of the demons threw the cupid into the nearest wall, knocking him unconscious.

"We should get out," Mist demanded touching her amulet.

"I can't leave my uncle."

"This is not the time to play hero," the blonde said angryly. Valkyries are really good fighters, if not the best. But they normally do not battle against fire ball throwing demons.

"I won't play hero, believe me. WYATT! AUNT PAIGE!"

"Now, I know, why you two asked me to go shopping with you," Wyatt said. His mother and Aunt Phoebe had come to him almost three hours ago, asking him if he had some time to spend with them. Now, Wyatt carried ten or twelve more or less heavy bags towards the parking lot. The two woman were on a search. Wyatt should have known, it was not a good sign, that his mother was smiling so widley, when she promised him, she'd buy him something, too, if he accompanied them. They headed from one store to another to get the right dress for Phoebe to attend the annual barbecue of the newspapter office, she worked for. Why she couldn't wear some jeans, Wyatt didn't know.

"Come on, Mister, I see this one bag with really expensive shoes, I bought for you, even though, you have a paying job," Piper said.

Wyatt sighed. She was right. There was no need to complain. Phoebe opened the car trunk. "You were a great assistance," she praised her nephew smiling.

Wyatt put the bags down when he heard his brother calling for him. A second later, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.

"What is it?" Piper asked worried, recognizing the look on her son's face.

"It's Chris."

"Then what are you waiting for. Orb!"

The two woman each took hold of Wyatt's hands. They appeared in the Manor living room seconds later. Coop laid, still unconscious, on the floor.

"I stay with him," Phoebe announced running over to her husband.

Wyatt and Piper hurried into the conservatory from where they heard the sounds of fighting. Piper stopped in her tracks observing the scene for a second. There were three demons, her youngest son with a bleeding shoulder and a girl… in warrior clothes, Piper knew too well, fighting with two swords.

Wyatt already blasted the demon that was standing over his brother, when Piper finally raised her hands to do the same. It was easy to vanquish the demons for the twice blessed witch and his mother. Too easy. Piper still stayed alarmed, fearing another attack. So did Mist. But the seconds ticked by and right as both women relaxed a darklighter orbed in immediately raising his crossbow.

Wyatt had walked over towards his brother. Chris saw the darklighter, too, and moved quickliy to shield his brother from the attack and got hit himself by the poisened arrow.

Piper reacted at once blasting the darklighter. "What is going on with these demons?" she asked angrily.

"Everything alright?" Phoebe asked. She entered the conservatory with Coop, who had woken up in the meantime behind her.

"More or less," Wyatt answered. He kneed next to Chris. He had already healed his brother's wound on his shoulder but the darklighter's arrow was still inserted in his stomach. "I can't touch it."

Piper moved over to her sons and pulled the arrow out.

"Why did you do that?" Wyatt asked after the healing

"I'm not a whitelighter, anymore. Rather me, than you, was my thinking," Chris said. He got up and searched for Mist. She had taken a few steps away from the scene. Unsure, if she should stay or not. She knew, dealing with Piper Halliwell's temper was not nice, but she couldn't just leave without knowing that Chris was okay. She smiled at him relieved.

"I could heal you, too," Wyatt purposed. "At least, I think so."

"No, that's okay. Thanks. We have our own medicine."

Phoebe now finally noticed the strange woman, too. She looked at her surprised. "Aren't you…?"

"Oh, yes, she is," Piper interupted her sister before she could even start to stammer.

"Mum, this is Mist." Chris moved over to her. This was not, how he had planned the first family meeting with Mist. He hadn't planned a meeting at all, to be honest. But now, he wouldn't get out of the situation without some fighting with his mother.

Piper had no chance to answer as Paige orbed right in the middle of them. "Oh, a family meeting," the witch-whitelighter said. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help with the demons but one of my charges was attacked, too. I was sure Wyatt would help you," she said addressing Chris.

"Paige, do you notice something?" Phoebe asked pointing towards their youngest nephew and the girl at his side.

"No? Is someone missing?"

"No, Paige, we have a guest," Piper replied, disapproval sounding in her voice.

Paige frowned. "Oh, you are a Valkyrie. Hi, I'm Paige! But maybe you know that already. We were once Valkyries ourselfs."

"Paige," Piper scolded her. "Stop being so nice while I'm going to bust."

Paige took a step backwards and bumped into her brother-in-law. It seemed like this was going to be a big argument.

"What do you have to say?" Piper asked.

"Nothing," Chris replied.

"How do you two know each other?"

"Isn't that obvious." Chris shrugged. Mist gave him a punch on his arm. "What? She already knows, she already disaproves. It's like always."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Piper yelled

"That you do not approve anything I will ever do," Chris yelled back.

"That is not true. But what do you expect? I come home here and see Warrior Babe here."

"My name is Mist," Mist said approaching Piper self-confident. "The Valkyries have great respect for the Charmed Ones. I would hate to tell them, that we were misled."

"You should leave now," Piper answered.

Mist turned to Chris. "You should leave, so someone can take care of your wound," he said.

"Maybe, you should come with me. It's safe in Valhalla. Here, it obviously isn't."

"She's right," Wyatt announced receiving an annoyed look from his mother.

"He can't go, anyway," Piper retorted. "He is no witch anymore."

"I'm a Valkyrie, not a magical being. We are mysthical characters. And everyone can come to Valhalla, if we allow them access."

"I'll be fine," Chris replied. Mist frowned, but touched her amulet, nevertheless. She knew there was no way to persuade Chris. One thing he and his mother had in common: stubborness. She kissed Chris and then strode through the portal.

"It's unbelievable," Piper muttered.

"No, it's not," Paige countered. She got quite annoyed with Piper's behaviour. "If I remember correctly, you married a whitelighter, Elder, Avatar, mortal. And Phoebe here, married a cupid. That's unbelievable. Ha!"

Chris shook his head. He was quite sure that this argument won't stop his mother.

"And look what we had to go through!"

"I didn't go through anything," Phoebe answered.

"I have another memory," Piper said.

"What?" Phoebe exclaimed. "I think, I know, what happened between my husband and me."

"Ladies, we all had to go through tough times," Paige tried to calm her sisters.

"What problems did you have with Henry?" Phoebe asked.

"Ehm…do you remember how my wedding day was?"

"You compare, your nervous breakdown with the stuff, I had to go through with Leo."

Chris looked at his brother, who couldn't help but grinning.

"Phoebe, we need to go," Coop tried to get the attention of his wife. But she didn't listen.

"Mum!" Chris tried. "Mum!"

Piper stopped yelling at her sisters.

"Mum, this is not about you. This is not about any of you!" he exclaimed. "This is about me. It's absolutly my business. And I don't need your approval."

"Chris, sweety, I know how you feel," Phoebe said. "I really do."

"Do you? That's great, because I don't."


Next update will be really soon as the next chapters already stand and I'm finally done with this stupid project for university.

Until that, I love to read your reviews!