Alrighty then! I think I've left y'all hanging long enough! I hope you enjoy, and thank you to ALL the reviews!

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"Hey…grandpa…is Chris home?"

Was it not for the circumstances, Victor would have laughed at the situation. Here, his long-estranged grandson and son-in-law showing up on his doorstep out of the blue, asking if Chris was home! For God's sake, did it GET any more random?

"Um…grandpa?" Wyatt cautioned, a bit hesitantly.

"I, uh…" Victor stammered, unable to put a cognitive thought together. But he really needn't worry about that…

"Grandpa? Who is it?" Chris startled the older man, having snuck up behind him. He looked from his tense, somewhat pale grandfather to the two men standing in the doorway.

"Um, hello? Can I help you?" he asked politely, thinking they were probably collecting for some charity.

Both the men seemed rather crestfallen at Chris's formal response though, because the older one sighed and ran his hand through his hair, while the taller one let his broad shoulder sag.

"You were right, Dad. He doesn't remember!" he wailed, obviously distressed.

"Um…remember what?" Chris asked, confused. "Do I know you?"

The blonde shifted uncomfortably, choosing his words slowly.

"Yes…and no. You know us, sorta, but not really…"

Chris raised one eyebrow, a dull pain forming in his temple; he wasn't sure if it was from his brain trying to process that nonsense or just a leftover from the cold he had.

"Er…what?" he asked, raising his fingers to his temple and rubbing tenderly.

The blonde stole a sidelong glance at the older man beside him, apparently his father. Finally, he sighed exasperated and turned to Victor, "Grandpa, you wanna help us out here?"

While Victor stammered, opening and closing his mouth like a fish, at a loss for words, Chris began to slowly process those words in his fever-muddled brain. Did he…did he just call him 'grandpa?'

There was something familiar about these two, something that struck a cord buried deep into Chris's memory, like trying to dredge up a dream he'd had as a child.

"Just…just hold on a sec!" he finally interrupted the awkward silence. "Who ARE you two?" he demanded, impatient with curiosity and frustration.

They glanced at each other for the briefest moment, before the tall blonde man, who looked only a few years older than himself, came forward, extended his hand, and introduced himself.

"I'm Wyatt…Wyatt Halliwell." He said slowly. "I'm, uh…I'm your brother…"

Chris was quiet for a minute, intently studying the man before him, his hand frozen mid-shake. "M-My brother," he repeated slowly, as though testing the taste of the words in his mouth. "Of course you are…" he said faintly, the little color left in his face draining. Victor noticed immediately and quickly took Chris's arms and guided him over to a chair in the nearby dining room.

He leaned one elbow clumsily on the table, his head resting against his fist, and Victor could almost see the gears turning in Chris's head, trying to get this all figured out.

"But…but that's not….it can't…Grandpa?" he finally pleaded, his eyes begging his grandfather to give him a little enlightenment here.

Victor, who hated being in the hot seat, shifted nervously. "I, um…now, Chris, I know this is…this has to be…um…"

And Chris knew. His grandpa wouldn't be stuttering and getting all flustered if he didn't know those people; he'd have simply said it was a lie, that that man wasn't his…

And that's when it hit him; if that man, Wyatt…if he was his brother, then that meant…

His eyes widened to the size of silver dollars and his head shot up at his epiphany. He locked his gaze on the older man, standing awkwardly just inside the doorway. "Then…you'd be…" he started, barely mouthing the words.

The man smiled a bit nervously at first, but his grin broadened quickly and he came forward a bit hesitantly, not knowing if he was going to be yelled at, accused of lying…

"…my dad…" Chris finished, his lips barely moving, as thought announcing his findings would automatically render them invalid. This was so surreal; he was this close to getting up to look for the hidden camera's, but then he noticed; the man claiming to be…to be his father was close enough now for Chris to notice; he had green eyes, a light, jade green, just like his. Only the man's was currently filling with tears, causing the color to shine and waver.

"Oh god, Chris," he finally let go, coming forward and wrapping his arms around his son, holding him tight.

Chris sat there a moment, trying to get his head wrapped around all this. He thought…he would have expected it to be awkward and uncomfortable, being held by a complete stranger who you just learned was the father you never met. Yet, something…something about it felt right. Felt perfectly normal.

"God, Chris, you have no idea how much we've missed you." Leo breathed, barely holding it together. For a bit, he'd thought he'd lost his son for the second time in his life…

But Chris's mind was on something else…a thought that was nudging at his mind, unable to let him keep his mouth shut.

"Where…where's Mom?" he asked, the words feeling odd in his throat.

Wyatt and Leo both held still, perfectly still and tense. Leo pulled back, glancing from one son to the other, finally settling on Chris.

"That's, um…a long story…"

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"But…but I don't get it! Why…why would she…" Chris asked again, his voice small and distant. His grandpa sat on one side, his father on the other, with Wyatt close by in a chair he'd pulled up right beside the couch.

It had been hard to follow the conversation, with Wyatt and Leo constantly interrupting each other, trying to explain everything to Chris. And everything he'd learned was making Chris's head spin…a dream…his mother, having tea…him and his brother…his father…a potion…his cold…and now, them showing up at his door.

Wyatt shook his head slowly. "We…we don't know, Chris," he said gently. "I have no idea why Mom would do something like this…like we said, we thought…we thought you'd died! But apparently, she-"

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions," Chris said firmly, deeper in denial than he'd ever admit. "Maybe…maybe she just got confused, or…or…she was under a spell of something-"

"Chris, stop," Victor said quietly, resting a hand on Chris's back. "Chris, you know what happened when you were a baby; she just left you here, and never looked back. I don't know why, but I can guarantee you; it was no spell, and she knew exactly what she was doing." It killed Victor to have to tell that to Chris, but he had to; the truth was staring his plain in the face, and Chris couldn't keep lying to himself like this.

Chris shook his head slowly, keeping his eyes downcast so he wouldn't have to "hear" anymore of this. It…it just hurt too god damn much to think…he didn't even realize he was crying until he felt his father's arms around him, smoothing back his hair. He tried to stop, ashamed of breaking apart like this, but he couldn't. It was just too much to try to process.

He sensed Wyatt getting up and leaving the room for a moment; when he returned, he had a box of Kleenex in his hands, which he'd obviously found in the bathroom. Wordlessly, he handed it over to Chris, who took it gratefully.

"Thanks," he said softly, wiping quickly at his eyes. "I just…I just don't know what to say…"

Wyatt nodded. "Chris, I can't even imagine what this has to be like for you," he said understandingly.

"And I can't understand exactly what's going on here," Leo continued, referring of course to the situation between his wife and son. "But we're going to get this all figured out, I swear."

Chris nodded absently, still lost in thought.

"What I don't understand," Wyatt thought out loud, "Is why Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe seemed so much better at hiding it? Didn't you say they were there….that day…grandpa?"

Victor nodded, mulling around the same thought, but all Chris could think was, Aunts? He had Aunts?!

"I don't think they knew," Leo said finally. "Phoebe's the worst liar in the world, as she never acted around Chris like Piper did. She was always doting on you."

"So, what? She had them under her spell?" Wyatt retorted, not being able to help the slight laugh at how ridiculous that sounded. Yet, the more he thought about it, his aunts DID act differently about Chris's disappearance than his mother did; small children are good at picking up what adults often look over.

"Where is Piper?" Victor asked, having wondered all evening.

Leo shrugged. "I told her Wyatt and I were going out to a movie, spend some time together."

"And we'll probably have to head home soon," Wyatt said reluctantly, checking his watch.

"Do-do you have to?" Chris asked, knowing he had to have sounded pretty pathetic.

Leo wrapped his arm over his shoulder, "Yeah, I'm afraid so; she'll get suspicious if we're not back soon. But don't you think we're not coming back," he assured him. "How bout you, me and Wyatt go out to dinner tomorrow?"

Chris smiled a bit shyly, his usual bashful demeanor taking dominance again. "Yeah, it sounds great!" he said, already looking forward to it.

When they orbed out after both nearly squeezed Chris to death, he sat in silence for a moment,, with Victor beside him, before finally asking, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Victor sighed quietly, knowing this wasn't going to be easy. "Tell you what, exactly, Chris?"

"That it wasn't a spell, or magic or anything like that?" Chris clarified, his voice shaking slightly. "That she just up and left me?"

"Chris, I told you everything I knew," Victor said gently, choosing his words carefully. "I told you that she asked me to watch you for a while, and that she…she didn't come back."

Chris nodded slowly; he couldn't be angry with his grandpa; he didn't know what was going on in his mother's head.

"I…I think I'm going to go to bed," Chris said after a moment, then excused himself, locking his bedroom door behind him.

Victor had about as many thoughts running wild through his head, but he knew Chris needed some time alone, to try and sort things out.

He just prayed to God Piper didn't get involved again…

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Victor let Chris stay home from school again the next day, which he was grateful for. He felt better than he did yesterday, much better in fact, but he doubted he'd have been able to concentrate on his lessons at all. His mind was too busy drifting back to last night, and flash forwarding to this evening. Despite his father's promise, he couldn't help but worry that he and Wyatt wouldn't show up tonight.

When he voiced his worries to his grandfather, he simply took a long gulp of coffee. "When your parents first got married, I absolutely hated your father," he began slowly.

"You did?" Chris cocked one eyebrow. "Why?"

Victor shook his head, smiling reminiscently. "Oh, Chris; I hated White lighters. I was so happy for your mother, her marrying a "nice, normal" guy, that when I found out what he was? I was livid. But…through the next couple years, I had to admit, no matter what he was; he was a damned good father. He had his moments, of course, but…I wouldn't worry about tonight, Chris."

But Chris was a born worrier, and by noon he'd bitten his fingernails down to the quick and was continuously twirling his hair around his fingers, a thousand possibilities running through his head…

What if they don't show up?

What if they up and leave him?

What if he made a fool of himself at dinner?

But what was nagging at the back of his mind the most was what always worried him; no matter where he was going or who he was meeting; What happened?

He was good at hiding his problem; he had it fine-tuned to an art. But he had a feeling that he couldn't keep it secret from his father and brother. That is, if they didn't know already…he still couldn't remember a thing from his little expedition the other day.

By that evening, he'd actually calmed down; he'd worried everything he could possibly worry so much that he was actually starting to annoy himself. His Dad (and it still felt so weird to think that) and his brother had said they'd be here at 8- it was just before 7 now, and he was already ready. His grandpa laughed, saying he was more stressed out than a feminist at a strip club, but had let him be.

He had just started to wonder whether they would come to the door first or simply orb in when he saw Victor put down his paper and walk across the living room to open the door. He spoke for a moment to the guest, before stepping aside to let Leo and Wyatt inside.

I\It was hard for Chris to wrap his head around the fact that he and Wyatt were brothers. They didn't look anything alike; he was a head shorter than Wyatt, with dark hair and pale skin. Wyatt looked like a true California boy; sandy blonde curls flying every which way, sea blue eyes and tan skin. And he probably out weighed Chris by 30 pounds, at least.

"Hey little bro!" he greeted warmly, as though they hadn't been separated for 16 years. His father was more direct, immediately pulling him into a tight hug. He was sure he said something, but with his head pressed against his fathers shoulder, he had no idea what it was.

They made small talk for a few minutes, with Victor having the only question worth interest;

"How did you get away from Piper this evening?" he wanted to know.

Leo knew what he meant; 'Did she know where they were?'

"She, Phoebe and Paige are having some kind of girls night out," he explained. "They left the girls with a sitter across town."

Victor nodded, and Chris's mind jumped on the words 'girls'. "Girls meant his aunts kids; which meant cousins…God, his new found family just kept getting bigger…

"You ready?" he asked after finally pulling away. Chris smiled and nodded, said goodnight to Victor and the three left.

Chris might have been deaf in both ears, but he knew an awkward silence when he was in one, and boy was he in one. As the three walked down the hallway of the apartment complex, no one said a word. Wyatt pretended to be very interested in the random anonymous prints hanging in cheap frames on the walls, and Leo seemed rather busy looking for something in his coat pocket.

"So, um, where are we going?" Chris finally asked to break the ice.

"it's called 'Yellow". Yeah, I know' weird name!" he laughed, agreeing with Chris's face. "But it's got great food."

Chris nodded, again at a loss for what to say. There was so much he wanted to ask, so much he had to know, but his shy personality was keeping his tongue held still.

Once they got outside, Chris started walking towards the parking lot, but was redirected by Wyatt's hands, leading him behind a large row of Bridal Wreath bushes.

"What, you think we drove here?" he laughed good-naturedly. "Chris, we orbed. You, uh…you can orb, right?"

Chris felt his cheeks coloring. "Um, kinda sorta. My aim really sucks though…"

Wyatt nodded, understanding. "When I was nine I was orbing long distance for the first time and ended up in Fiji instead of Fresno."

Chris shook his head in sympathy. "I ended up in the girls locker room."

"And that was a bad thing?" Wyatt chuckled, to which Chris said solemnly;

"The only one in there was the PE coach."

"Ugh, yeah, ouch!" Wyatt agreed, and he spent several seconds trying to shake that mental image.

"Well, we'd better hurry!" Leo prompted. "Chris, you can side-along with me," he offered, taking Chris's hand.

It felt so much different, orbing along side someone rather than on his own accord. He felt himself dissolving from the outside rather than inside.

And just a split second later they were outside a large, classy-looking stone building with wrought-iron fencing and tinted lights.

Chris felt something twist in his stomach; this was a nice place, real nice, and 'real nice' usually meant expensive…

His musings were confirmed once they were seated inside; it was a very classy place, with gold-framed oils hanging on the scarlet colored walls and ivy vines crawling and snaking their way through the short wall dividers. Chris felt strangely underdressed in jeans and a green button-up, despite Wyatt not being much more formally dressed.

His sinking feeling only got worse when the waiter handed them each a menu; he didn't recognize anything, even the stuff that was in English, and…Holy crap, one item cost about as much as a week's worth of lunch.

It didn't take long for Wyatt to pick up on his little brother's worry; his empathy was fine tuned like symphony violin. Leaning over, he offered a few whispered words of advice;

"If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it," he suggested. "And don't get anything with the word "delicacy" in it." He paused, trying to gauge his brother's emotions without probing. "And don't worry about how much it costs, Chris' we wouldn't have came here if we were hurting for money"

Which, in Chris's eyes, was a nice way of saying, 'We can afford it'. And that caused his stomach to take another odd twist; he knew that his mother owned a chain of restaurants, from what his family had told him, so it made sense that they'd have a comfortable lifestyle…but it brought about more queer feelings…

Ever since yesterday, when his dad and brother had explained what his mother had done, how she'd reacted, it was like someone was ripping apart a perfectly painted piece of art, color by color. And to think that Piper Halliwell and the family she chose to keep could regularly afford to dine out at classy café's, while he and his grandpa had had to eat Ramen for days on end when he was younger caused something to jar uncomfortably in him…

"If it says "biftek" in it, it's some kind of steak," Wyatt offered, and Chris nodded gratefully.

After giving their orders to the waitress, the odd silence seemed to envelope their table once again. Chris didn't know where to begin, Leo wasn't sure he'd be able to shut up, and Wyatt couldn't decide how to word anything without sounding rude.

Chris ended up letting his mind drift as he studied one of the abstract paintings on the wall; smears of red and copper and tan accented with blots and dots of scarlet and vivid purple. He didn't care much for abstract, but it was fun sometimes to try and make corporeal pictures from it. It wasn't until he felt Leo shaking him to get his attention did he snap back to the table.

"Um, sorry," he mumbled. "I was just…distracted…"

Leo studied him for a moment, but nodded.

"So, um, Chris. You're a junior, right?" Chris nodded, hoping they'd get off the small talk soon. "Do you play any sports?"

Chris shook his head and snorted. "No! Uh, let's just say I'm not exactly very coordinated! Besides, I'm not allowed-" he immediately bit his tongue; he did NOT want to go there.

Wyatt cocked his head slightly. "Not allowed? You mean, Grandpa won't let you play?"

Chris shook his head slowly, intently studying the red vines on his place mat. "No, uh…the school won't let me play…'cause of my hearing…"

Judging by the lack of confusion in Wyatt's expression, Chris could only guess that he already knew. But Leo looked puzzled.

So Chris explained, in the Cliff's Notes version, about his 'issue', as quickly as he could, hoping the whole conversation could be dropped quickly. He hated talking about it.

Wyatt nodded silently, and Leo seemed to be chewing the inside of his cheek. Just as he opened his mouth to say something (most likely sympathetic, from the look in his eyes) their waitress arrived at their table carrying 3 plates and a basket of dinner rolls.

'Food's not all its cracked up to be,' Chris thought lamely, trying to discretely scrape a foul orange sauce off of his "biftek."

Once the awkward silences passed, Chris found himself relaxing in the company of his father and brother. After a while, the whole weirdness of the situation melted away, and the three were talking animatedly.

"I've got an idea," said Wyatt thickly around a mouthful of cake he'd ordered for desert. "Chris, why don't you come back to the manor with us for a while? There are some things we want to show you."

Chris's spoon stopped halfway to his mouth, threatening to spill chocolate mousse back into his bowl. "b-but….what if…"

"We already told you; Piper isn't home tonight," Leo said quietly, knowing Chris was reluctant to meet up with his mother, which twisted something painfully in his chest. From what Victor had said, he'd wanted nothing more than to meet his mother. And now, to learn that she intentionally abandoned him?

"Um, then…alright." He ventured, a hint of apprehension still persisting. But curiosity and excitement were more dominant…what did they want to show him?

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The Halliwell family home was beautiful; large, spacious with gleaming hardwood and sparkling stained glass and intricate carvings on the trim and doorways. Portraits, some dating farther back than a century, adorned the walls; presumably their ancestors. HIS ancestors. Their were also several new photographs; of Wyatt, of a gaggle of girls whom he guessed to be cousins, of his father, mother, of 2 other beautiful woman and their husbands…such a large, extended family, when all his life it had been just him and Grandpa…

"Come on, it's upstairs in the attic," Wyatt urged, eager to show Chris something. Even his father seemed to have an expectant gleam in his eyes.

The stairs up to the attic were narrow, so they had to go up in a line. As Chris stepped through the creaky door after his elder brother, he felt something odd, like Goosebumps, but not from cold or fright…but from something else…

It was obvious right away what Wyatt wanted to show him; though the attic was abound with clutter, from dressmakers dummies to rocking horses to anonymous cardboard boxes, it was all pushed aside, out of the way. The only things left inn the actual working part of the room was a long table with what looked like a cauldron and an assortment of bottles, and a podium by the window.

Wyatt went straight for the podium and lifted an enormous book from the metal platform. It was hundreds of pages thick with a handsome green cover and several pieces of paper and ribbon book marking it.

"C'mere!" he invited, setting himself down on a worn red couch. Chris sat down beside him, while Leo perched on the edge of the armrest. Chris carefully tucked his long hair behind his ears, taking a closer look. The book was old, extremely old, judging by the yellowed parchment pages and slightly scuffed corners. And emblazoned on the front was a symbol in red; 3 interlocking almond shapes, with a loop threading through them.

"What IS it?" Chris wanted to know.

"This is our entire family history, Chris," Speaking with a voice uncommon for the excitable man; his tone held a hint of awe, of reverence, and Chris knew this was a little more than an overgrown family tree.

"It's called the Book of Shadows, and it's been in our line for centuries," he went on, and opened the book, flipping fondly through their pages. "It has everything from the family tree to spells and potions to how to get your kids to mind you. Here," and he handed the book over into Chris's lap.

Chris felt almost like he was intruding as he carefully turned each page, like snooping through someone else's diary. He had to keep reminding himself that it was his too; he was a part of this family now.

He passed through pages on demons, far more extensive than the books n demonology he loved to read, though he noted with a bit of pride that the spells didn't look any more advanced than what he was already practicing. There were entries on ghosts, herbs and Wicca. He found ancient prophesies, notes…

"What happened here?" he asked, pointing to a page with a large X written in Sharpie through the face of a particularly gruesome demon.

"Oh, that's Aunt Phoebe's ex," Wyatt said casually, and Chris blanched, looking from Wyatt to his father.

Leo smiled warmly, "It's a long story, Chris!"

Smiling, he eagerly returned to the volume. Once he got over his initial nervousness, he felt almost a connection with the book, as though it were a link to all the family he'd never known…it was a comfort, almost.

"Oh, there's the family tree!" Wyatt pointed out, indicating a page much longer than the rest, which had been folded upon itself to fit.

Chris looked through it eagerly; it dated back to the witch trials, with a woman named Charlotte Warren. Down past Helena, Laura, Grace, Patricia…

"They're all women…" Chris noticed, cocking his head to one side.

"Yeah, you and Wyatt are the first men to be born a Halliwell in over 400 years," Leo told him. "And the only one's since."

"It's a woman's world in this family, little bro!" announced Wyatt wearily, and Chris chuckled, his eyes scanning the bottom of the tree.

"…I'm not on here…" he said, trying to keep his voice casual, though in truth, it dug at something deep within him…

Wyatt and Leo each looked closer at the tiny print under "Piper Halliwell- Leo Wyatt. Wyatt's name was listed clearly, as were all of their cousins, but…Chris was right. His name had been left off the tree.

"But I added it myself…" Leo said quietly, more to himself than to his sons.

"Mom must have erased it." Chris said, trying to sound uncaring and nonchalant, as though this sort of thing happened everyday. But his dad could see the hurt in his eyes.

"Chris, I, um," Leo started, unsure of what to say. "Listen, just be because your name isn't on here doesn't mean you aren't family."

Chris nodded silently, chewing on one of his nails. Then Wyatt suddenly snapped his head up, smiling and leapt from the couch.

"What're you doing?" Leo inquired suspiciously.

"Looking for a pen," came Wyatt's muffled voice as he rooted through a junk drawer. "I know we have a fountain pen around here- ah! There it is!" he exclaimed and rushed back to the couch, plopping down with a jubilant bounce. He took the book from Chris and set it in his lap, sucking on the tip of the pen before letting it hover over the page.

"When's your birthday, Chris? November 20th, right?" he checked, and had barely written out "C-h-r-" before a loud, carrying voice could be heard from across the attic;

"Wyatt Halliwell, you write one more letter and your name will be the next scratched off the family tree."

All three men, who just seconds before had begun to smile broadly at Wyatt's contagious effervescence, all snapped their heads around to the attic door.

And there, wearing evening-out clothes and a look to kill, was the one woman Chris never thought he'd hate to see…

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Ah! I know, it's been too long! I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter as much as I did!

Coming up next chapter? Chris finally gives Piper what-for; be sure to tune in and REVIEW!!!

Lottsa love,

LLC