I hope this chapter is alright - I'm a bit worried about it myself.

I'd like to thank everyone for their fantastic reviews and I'd also like to apoligise for keeping you hanging - but as I've said to a lot of readers, writing comes quite low on my list of priorities in my life at this moment in time and I rarely have enough time to sit down and write.

Please let me know what you think of the story - I guess the bad news is that theere are only about another 2 chapters to go after this. But...the good news is that I'm thinking of writing a sequel - thus making 'Gemstones', 'Painful Memories' and '?' a Trilogy.

Also, sorry in advance for any errors - I didn't get this beta read.

Part 9

"Help, someone help!" he cried, tears streaming down his pale face. He hesitated and looked down at Future Piper, seeing her lying there he swallowed and made a decision.

"Dad! Dad please, for once answer me!" he cried and then with one deep breath he let out a huge shout.

"MOM NEEDS YOU!"

"Mmmmmmm Mom!" Piper staggered backwards, bumping into a very rigid and shocked Leo. "Chris is my my my…"

"Your son!" Phoebe blurted out, a mixture of relief, at being able to finally say it out loud, and shock at the scene they had just witnessed.

Paige nodded, "Wyatt's little brother" she added, feeling impelled to point that little fact out.

Piper's face went deathly pale and tears began to fill her eyes as she stared at the brown-haired boy leaning helplessly over his mother's…her dying form.

From somewhere behind her, she heard the whispered words that came from her ex-husband's mouth.

"I can't be"

"Dad? … Please…" How anyone so young could get so much emotion into two such small words was unbelievable. They held a mixture of desperation, confusion, longing but most apparent and heart-wrenching was the tone of betrayal that those words carried.

"Honey – it's too late" The future version of Piper uttered weakly, running a hand gently through the unruly mass that was her son's – Chris, Piper reminded herself – hair.

The boy shook his head violently, tears flowing freely down his face, as he unconsciously leant into the touch. "No – it's not! DAD!"

Piper put her hands to her face still shell-shocked by the revelation. She blinked several times, feeling the tears brimming but not yet falling.

Beside her Phoebe and Paige were crying and shooting glances at their Piper. And Leo – well Leo was just standing there, rooted to the spot, as if Piper had frozen him.

Future Piper sighed, letting her hand slip to cup the boy's face. "Chris please…I'm so sorry this happened" she gasped in an attempt to draw more breath from her weakened body, "sorry you had to witness this…"

"You can't die!" Chris cried with utter desperation, "you just can't"

Future Piper smiled softly and looked into his eyes, she drew in one last breath and said softly, "I love you honey…" Her breath hitched at the last word and her eyes glazed over before closely slowly as he whole body went limp – Piper Halliwell died.

"No…." Chris cried, moving to place his hands upon his mother's chest. "Come one, please just this once – let me heal"

"Oh god" Piper uttered, closing her eyes tightly the tears gliding down her face as she took in the image of the small boy trying in vain to heal his mother.

"Why isn't Leo coming?" Phoebe asked in a hushed voice. Their Leo had paled considerably at seeing the death of his wife and the realisation that Chris Perry was in fact his own son.

"Why doesn't it work?" Chris cried, blood now covering his small hands.

Just then a familiar sound filled the Attic and small blue and white lights appeared and swirled together to form one Leo Wyatt.

"This better be important Chris" The sisters and Leo were shocked to hear unconcerned and slightly annoyed tone in the future Elder's voice.

"This can't be happening" Leo breathed out, at the same time as Piper was muttering "second son….Chris is our son!"

"Dad!" Chris cried in relief and anguish, as he ran towards his father, "Mom, needs you" he added, indicating Future Piper's still form.

"Piper?" Future Leo asked, his eyes widening as he saw her, "Oh my god!" The future Elder ran to his wife's side and placed his hands over the wound. Everyone saw the familiar golden glow that came from his hands as he attempted to heal her.

"What the hell is that?" Paige gasped, pointing at something behind Chris. Her sisters and Leo turned around to see, not only that Chris was no longer a 14 year old, but a large black shadow looming over his shoulder and it was growing with every second.

"I don't know" Phoebe said, she was relieved however that Chris was an adult once again.

"Leo?" Piper asked hesitantly, noticing the scared expression on the Elder's face.

"We've got to snap Chris out of this – now!" Leo said urgently.

"I can't heal her" They all turned round at the defeated future Elder. "Shes…she's gone"

"No!" Came the voice of Chris from behind them, "she can't be."

"Why….why didn't you call me more urgently?" Future Leo said, looking at his son with betrayal and anger.

Taken aback by the harshness of the question, Chris took a step backward before sending an astonished expression his father's way.

"What? What part of 'Dad, Mom needs you', didn't you understand!" he said, his voice catching on the word 'Mom'.

"Well…you could've healed her!" Future Leo shouted back, trying to not think of this being his fault.

"I tried!" Chris cried with anguish, "I can't heal – you know I can't"

"Can't…or won't!"

At that the sisters gasped and sent shocked and appalled expressions their Leo's way - who looked just as shocked and disgusted at the words his future self had just uttered.

"Hey! I'm not the son that killed them!" Chris shouted back, anger colouring his voice as he indicated the other body in the room.

Future Leo glanced at Future Phoebe's body, only just noticing it, he frowned sadly and then cast a bewildered expression Chris's way. "Wyatt? No Wyatt would never hurt family!"

Oh but I would? Chris thought to himself. He's evil!" he said outloud, "Both Mom and Aunt Phoebe knew a few weeks after he killed Aunt Paige!"

"You're lying!" Future Leo shouted angrily, moving so his face was mere inches from Chris's.

"Leo I can't believe you're saying these things" Paige breathed out.

"Or will say them" Phoebe added.

A look of hurt and disgust flittered across Chris's face before anger took over.

"Go to hell – LEO!"

Now it was Future Leo's turn to be taken aback and he spluttered a bit obviously too angry to form a sentence.

"That's Dad to you!"

"You're not my father" Chris shot back, disgust evident in his voice, "not anymore!"

"And what is that suppose to mean!"

Behind the young witch-whitelighter the shadow was growing dramatically in size and on closer inspection, they (the sisters and Leo) could see that Chris had grown incredibly pale – not pale as in pale-faced but his whole body was pale, as if his very life force was being drained.

"We've got to get through to him" Leo cried out, looking panic-stricken at the girls and after realising that they didn't understand like he did, he added, "he's letting himself be consumed!"

"Oh no" Piper gasped, holding her head in her hands.

Phoebe moved closer to the witch-whitelighter. "Chris honey, you've gotta ignore him" she said, looking directly into his eyes.

However Chris ignored her. In fact he didn't even seem like he acknowledged her presence – it was as if she wasn't visible.

The Empath tried again, this time standing between him and Future Leo.

"Chris. Listen to me. He is not your father – this isn't real"

In front of her Chris frowned slightly and his eyes flicked around the room in confusion, as if searching for something.

"Are you listening to me?" Future Leo snapped, earning Chris's attention again.

"He can't see us?" Piper asked in a concerned voice, while shooting an angry glare at the future version of Leo.

"Chris" Paige stepped forward, standing next to Chris, "remember this is a spell, it isn't real!"

"Spell?" Chris questioned softly, squinting at the space where Paige stood.

"What has a spell got to do with anything?" Future Leo growled out.

"Chris listen to me" Leo spoke up, hoping that Chris would focus on his voice because he was hearing his father's voice. "You came to the future to save your brother – to save Wyatt!"

Chris's eyes widened at that and he looked even more confused.

"You recently were trapped in a gemstone" Piper offered.

"Gemstone?" A small smile made its way onto the young man's face, "Phoebe?"

"Remember?" Phoebe said excitedly, "I got to have really cool active powers"

A small laugh escaped him and he nodded, glancing at the ghost-like shapes around him as the sisters and Leo become clearer to him.

"This isn't real"

"That's right" Piper said softly, "just a spell."

Around them the scene of the Attic dissipated and they found themselves once again surrounded by white but they could still see the black shadow hovering over Chris and the young man was extremely pale – although it had certainly shrunk in size.

"Mom?" Chris whispered.

"I'm here Chris" Piper responded, gently touching him, "so are Phoebe, Paige and Leo"

Phoebe placed a comforting hand on the young man and gave it a small squeeze. "Everything's going to be alright Chris"

Behind them the dark shadow began fading away until it had completely disappeared.

Chris looked confused and raised an eyebrow at Piper. Suddenly his eyes widened and he pulled away from her with a panicked expression upon his face.

"Oh god" he gasped out, slowly backing away from the others. "You know!"

"Chris, calm down" Paige said, moving towards him.

"No, no. You're not supposed to know" Chris said, staring at Piper and then turning to met Paige's eyes. "I didn't want them to find out like this Paige!"

"Wait a minute" Piper's voice rang out loudly, earning everyone's attention. "You knew who he was!"

"Ermm Yes" her youngest sister replied sheepishly.

"For how long?"

"Since the gemstones incident"

Phoebe moved to calm her elder sister down. "Honey, I know it's a shock but…"

"Wait! You knew too!"

"Well yeah"

"Since the gemstones incident too?" Leo asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"No…" Phoebe responded meekly, "I found out during my vision quest"

"And you kept this from us!" Piper snapped. "And you!" she said turning abruptly on Chris, "what did we say about keeping secrets?"

"But…this was different"

"How?"

Chris sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Would you have believed me?"

"Of course!"

He raised a sceptical eyebrow at that. "Really? If I had said – 'Hi, I'm Chris Halliwell, your second son that hasn't been born yet and I've come back to stop my big brother from taking over the world'" he said in a mocking tone. "You would have believed me?"

"Well no…not if you had said it like that" Piper replied, rolling her eyes, "but eventually."

"It would've been better than finding out like this" Leo added.

Chris scowled at the Elder. "You think I wanted you to find out like this?" he shouted and then turned to Piper, "you think I wanted you to see how you die!"

"Chris…" Piper breathed out.

"I wanted to tell you – I really did. But it was easier not to. It was easier to…"

"Not get close?" Piper finished for him.

Chris lowered his head and uttered a soft "yes".

Just then the white around them began to dissolve and the familiar sight of the Living Room greeted them.

"Are we back? Is it over?" Paige asked.

"I think so – the spell reached it's end" Leo said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Alright" Piper cried, "Now – let's go vanquish a demoness!"

To Be Continued...