"Oh, Piper... I married the wrong sister. Both times, actually." Cole mumbled through a mouthful of lasagne.

"HEY!" Paige and Phoebe both took immediate offense.

"Oh, please, like she's ever had eyes for anyone but Leo. Relax, ladies." His eyes twinkled devilishly. "Besides you both had other attributes that counted way more than your ability...or lack thereof, in cooking."

"Oh, my God! COLE! Jesus Christ... I swear to you, if you continue this conversation, especially in front of my daughter, I will magically sew your lips together!" Chris yelled, feeling slightly nauseated himself.

"Chris, relax."

"I'm 24, Cole. Don't think I'm stupid, I know exactly where you were going. Shut it. I'm serious."

"Whoa. Chris...what is with your aura right now? I'm getting some serious vibes, here." Phoebe began to massage her temples.

Chris closed his eyes, forcing his body to relax. "Sorry, Aunt Phoebe."

"Yeah, what I don't get is why. Or how for that matter."

"It's his leadership mentality, Phoebe. Chris becomes really...intense when he's in charge. You just saw a piece of the Resistance leader."

"A piece?"

Cole laughed harshly. "Do you really think that an aura alone would stop Wyatt? Chris has had to be stronger, tougher, harsher and more powerful than anyone else on Earth, just to survive. You guys just really don't understand what the future is like. You know how bad the Source was, right? You know what it took to vanquish him." His mouth quirked upwards. "Both times, actually." His face sobered again. "Life under 'Lord Wyatt' makes life with the Source look like Candy Land. Wyatt is a despot. He tortures, maims and kills on a whim. Even those closest to him aren't exempt from his rages. He'll vanquish a bodyguard for failing to say 'Bless You' when he sneezes. His thirst for power is absolutely unquenchable. He'll hurt anyone, men, women, children...mortals, witches, shapeshifters, demons... He doesn't care who it is. No one is safe from his wrath."

"I get it, God Dammit! My son is the ruler of all evil. He's a horrible person who kills everything he touches." Piper slapped her hands on the table top. "But he's still a person. You talk about him like he's a demon. He's a powerful witch who lost his way. Someone MADE him evil, Cole! Who the HELL are you to talk about power hungry people? You absorbed power for no other reason than to manipulate your wife. You wanted her back...so you took what you could. Stop talking about my son! You don't get that right!" Piper screamed as she got into Cole's face.

"Piper... Piper, STOP. Stop. Sweatheart, you have to stop. This isn't Cole's fault. I know it's hard to hear. It was even worse to see." Leo kissed her forehead as she began to sob into his chest. "We'll fix it. It's not your fault, baby. None of this is your fault."

"I just... how did he turn evil and we didn't see it, Leo? I'm his mother. How did I not see it? How was I so worried about Chris, that I let Wyatt be turned into a magical Hitler? Did you hear me on that memory screen, Leo? I was yelling at Chris for having a demon friend. Not even a month ago, I had a baby Manticore in Wyatt's playpen. Did I forget that somehow? What the HELL is wrong with me, Leo?"

"NOTHING IS WRONG WITH YOU!" The china rattled as Chris leapt from his chair. "Mom... NONE of this is your fault. Look at me!" Chris demanded, as he pulled his mother from Leo's arms. "Mom, you are the best mother there is. Trust me, everything with Wyatt happened so gradually that no one saw it...not even me, and I was with him way more than you. He was always careful to hide who he was becoming." Chris stared into her eyes. "Don't EVER blame yourself. You may have made mistakes, but everyone does. There is no such thing as a perfect person or a perfect parent. But trust me, you are the closest thing to it that exists." He swallowed hard. "I...I love you, Mom. I always have. Being here... it was the hardest thing I've ever done. Seeing you... knowing that you were my mom, but not really. All I wanted to do was tell you the truth, but I couldn't." Piper gasped as tears began streaming down Chris' cheeks. "I couldn't risk this not working. I had to fix it for Phee...for all of us, especially Wyatt."

"Oh, baby...My little hero. You really are my hero, Chris. You've done what no one else would. You have pride, integrity, and honor. I am proud to call you my son."

"We both are." Leo added softly.

"And I'm proud to call you my daddy." Phoenix added with her mouth full of lasagne. "And I really think this will work, because even Uncle Wyatt isn't mean enough to not ever let me have food this yummy again!"

Chris looked down at Phoenix and grinned. "Hey, did you eat my lasagne too?" He noticed his plate was noticably more empty than it had been before.

Phoenix grinned unrepentantly as she dragged her fork through the food on his plate again. "Sorry, daddy, but snooze you lose."

Leo suddenly burst out into laughter. "She really does spend a lot of time with Paige, doesn't she?"

{}

"Zola! Zola, I must speak with you immediately!" Gideon demanded as he walked into the chambers of the head Elder.

"Gideon, why are you interrupting me this way?" Zola angrily demanded.

"I know the identity of the whitelighter who has been going to the Underworld."

Zola perked up immediately. "Who is it, Gideon?"

"I'm sorry to say this. However, it is the Charmed Ones' new whitelighter. The young man from the future. I believe his name is Chris."

Zola's face darkened. "Gideon, stop. I will not hear any more negative things against the Halliwell sisters. Leo Wyatt is not hiding anything. Neither are the Charmed Ones. I am getting tired of this vendetta you seem to have against them. Unless you have firm proof- and I mean video evidence, of this, then I do not want to hear another word. Are we clear?"

"Zola, I do not have a vendetta..."

"ARE WE CLEAR?" Zola's voice boomed throughout the hall.

Gideon grimaced, then turned, his black robes swirling. "I understand, Zola." He orbed out as he was walking, ending up in his office, where he threw a paper weight against the wall. "Apparently, I really do need to do everything myself!"

{}

"He looks so...innocent." Cole commented as he glanced into baby Wyatt's crib.

"He is innocent, at least so far."

"Chris, this must have been so difficult for you. I'm having a hard time separating our Wyatt and this one. His sins against me are nothing compared to yours."

"Cole...I remember him when we were kids. He wasn't always evil. I guess that's why it's easier for me. I know the good stuff too. I mean, when I was six, I fell out of the tree in the backyard. We weren't supposed to be up there, and Wyatt even told me not to. But still, he didn't call dad to heal me or even tell mom. He healed me himself and asked me if it was fun. That's the Wyatt I'm fighting for. It's the one I want back."

Piper backed away from the door and bumped into Leo. He took her in him arms then guided her to their room. "Oh, Leo. He wasn't always bad. Did you hear? He was good at some point."

"I heard, sweetheart. I heard it all. It makes more sense now. I mean, now we know why he couldn't just...vanquish baby Wyatt, or his Wyatt for that matter."

"We gotta fix this, Leo. We have to make sure this doesn't happen again. I don't want to ever have his only good memory be of a healed injury." She snorted. "You know I'm gonna spoil and coddle this baby to death now, right?"

Leo grinned. "Maybe that's what makes him such a neurotic little freak."

Piper gasped and slapped him in the shoulder. "Don't you call our baby neurotic or a freak. He's perfect." She rubbed her flat stomach, and thought of his older version. "He's my perfect little peanut."

A/N: Sorry this one is such filler. I just wanted to get some conversations in before the Zola scene. Hopefully a new chapter will be up in a few days!