Disclaimer: I don't own anything Charmed.

A really short chapter. I guess, the shortest I've ever written. It's only a little filler for the next chapers. Still have fun and review

Chapter 19

Wyatt refused to speak to his father. He couldn't get the image of Leo and this Barbara making out on the sofa out of his mind. How could his dad invite her over to the Manor? It was their home. Their mother's home. Leo didn't even seem to worry about his sons interrupting them. Especially Chris who didn't even know anything about Barbara yet.

Even Henry and Paige, who had come over Monday evening to say their goodbyes before they left for the Rocky Mountains, noticed that something was wrong between the brothers and Leo. Which was why Wyatt was now sitting on the stairs watching the twins and Junior playing in the garden.

"Well, Wyatt, are you ready to tell your uncle what's going on? Obviously, it's eating you up," Henry stated.

It was true. The 17 year old longed to tell someone, but he wasn't sure how someone else was going to react. But Uncle Henry…You could trust him.

"It's not that easy," Wyatt began, staring at the tip of his shoes. "You have to promise not to tell anybody what I'm going to tell you now. Not even Aunt Paige. And don't talk to dad about it. You have to promise."

"Of course, I promise." This sounded serious.

"Good. Well, it's dad. He has a new girlfriend."

"What?" Henry's brows furrowed. Leo?

"I met her the first time in a cafè just before I went to Washington. Dad said it was only platonic. She's a witch, too and a shrink. Dad's shrink. And yesterday I came home – with Chris right behind me – and they were making out on the sofa."

Henry coughed. "What? Maybe you misunderstood what you were seeing and they are really only friends."

"I don't know about you, Uncle Henry, but I don't put my hand under a friend's skirt."

Henry ran a hand through his short hair. "I don't know what to say, Wyatt. That seems so unlike your father. I mean, Piper was the love of his life."

"Right, she was," Wyatt emphasized.

"Leo is having a tough time. You all are. And maybe he only needed someone to be close to him. You know to release some stress." Henry blushed. This was not his favourite talk to have right now. Discussing his brother-in-law's sex life with his teenage nephew.

"He told me, he really liked her. I'm afraid it's not a one night stand," Wyatt sighed. "That's not even the worst thing."

Wyatt thought about that. Was it really not that bad, that his father jumped on a new woman when his wife was just a bit over three months dead? Of course it was bad. It was wrong. It was a betrayal. But it was not the worst thing.

"The worst thing is that dad doesn't want Chris to know. Which means I have to lie to my little brother. I've never lied to Chris before. We've never had any secrets. But now there's this. I don't like it at all."

"I understand that. But it's reallly not your job to tell your brother. The only solution is for Leo to tell him as soon as possible."

"I don't know what that will do to Chris."

"That's Leo's job to deal with. He has to justify himself."

Wyatt nodded. The truth was that Chris would never let his father help him. But of course Henry was right. Chris had to learn the truth and Leo would be have to be the one to tell him.

"But don't you think it's too early for dad to get involved with another woman?"

"First, there's still the possibilitiy that their relationship is not as close as you think. Second, that's Leo's business. I know, he's your father but he's still also a person himself. He has to know what's good for him. You three are living together not only as father and sons but also as 'adults' – more or less – that respect each other. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that you don't have a say in that part of your dad's life."

Wyatt just stared ahead. This whole situation was for shit.

"But I also think that it is too early for him to start a new relationship," Henry admitted. "Maybe he'll understand that too. It's not fair to all of the people involved if all he needs is a distraction."

"So I guess nothing will work without me talking to dad."

"No. It won't."

Wyatt nodded. The front door opened. It was Paige. "We need to go now," she said already excited. When it came to journeys the youngest Charmed sister was still a kid. She hugged her oldest nephew. "Don't forget, I'm only an orb away."

"I know, thanks."

Henry hugged his nephew, too. "Don't worry, I won't tell Paige one word. She'd only orb here to kill Leo."

But there was no chance for a father and son talk. The whole day, they avoided each other, only meeting for dinner, which they had in silence. Chris noticed the icy glares his brother sent his father during the meal. It was a really strange situation. Usually, it was him being angry with his father. He hadn't even noticed the reason for their argument. It was not even an argument, as they weren't talking at all.

After dinner, Wyatt hid in the conservatory behind a book.

"Did dad give you trouble because you came home drunk yesterday?" Chris asked.

Wyatt put his book down, frowning. "How could you tell I was drunk?"

"I know what it sounds like when you walk up the stairs. Last night, you stumbled."

"Wow, what are you? Fucking Sherlock Holmes?"

Chris shrugged. Wyatt sighed. "No, I didn't get into any trouble. I'm sure he never noticed."

"Then why are you so angry at him?"

Wyatt scowled. Another lie for his dad. "It's nothing really. Just something he did."

"Oh, I figured that much. Is it because of magic school?"

Magic school! Damn, Wyatt had totally forgotten about that. "No, it's not about magic school. Listen, I can't tell you. And not because I don't want to, but because I promised. But you'll find out soon, okay?"

"Okay," Chris simply agreed.

"That's it? Aren't you going to try to get it out of me?"

"No, why should I? You just told me that I'll know soon and I believe you. That's all. But whenever you want to talk…you know, I may be the younger one but you can come to me with your problems just like I come to you. Maybe I can't really help you but I can keep my mouth shut and listen."

"I know, you can," Wyatt smirked. "Thanks."

Chris shrugged and left his brother again.

Wyatt knew his father was in the garage. No one really knew what he did in there. Leo owned two really old cars. Well, cars that were modern, when he was young. So, really really old. He loved them. He had tried several times to interest Wyatt or Chris in the cars. But for Wyatt cars were only a means of transportation and Chris had never been interested in cars except for the green truck Leo once gave to him for his birthday.

Today, Wyatt was ready to even take up a screwdriver while he was talking to his father.

Leo lay under the car for a change. God knows what he was doing under there.

"Ehm…dad," Wyatt said softly, so his father wouldn't be scared and hit his head. Didn't work. "Damn it!" Leo cursed moving out from under the car.

"Sorry."

"Wyatt? It's okay."

"Can we talk a sec."

"Sure." Leo took a towel and cleaned his hands as much as it was possible without any water.

"I want you to know, I don't like the idea of you being with any other women but mom. But I know that I cannot demand that from you. But I can demand something else. I'm not lying for you about this ... about Barbara. So, I insist that you meet her outside the Manor until you are ready to tell Chris about her." Wyatt thought about that again. "No, I think, it would be best if you never meet her in the Manor again. It's our home, too. To be exact it's more our home than yours."

"You're right. You cannot demand that I never meet with her again me. And I've thought about it, too. I know it was not right of me not to tell you what's going on. But I want you to know that, whatever happened yesterday or was about to happen, was unintentional. Moreover I will tell Chris and I want him to meet Barbara. So, you'll have to live with her coming to the Manor at least one more time. For a dinner. I want you to be home then, too."

Wyatt nodded. God, he could puke. "So this thing is really going to be serious between you and Barbara?"

"I don't know. We are friends. We have been friends since even before your mother died. And we will stay friends. Everything else…Wyatt, it's not easy. For either of us. But I'm also only a man."

"I see." Wyatt tried to stay calm. But couldn't. "How could you start making out with her on our sofa? We played there with mom. She always put us there when we were sick, so she would be close by. I sat there crying because my hamster died. How could you? And how could you not have thought that we would be home and would interrupt you?"

"It was not my intention," Leo answered. He felt bad enough as it was. "I understand, what you are saying. The truth is, I feel the same. I feel like I've betrayed your mother. And it hurts. You have no right to condemn me, though. You don't know what I've been through. You don't know how I feel. I risked everything to be together with her with my family. I risked everything, just to lose her. It's not fair."

"You are right. It's not fair." This seemed to have become the most used sentence in the Halliwell household. "So, what are we going to do now?"

Leo took a deep breath. What were they going to do? It was Piper who always decided how to go on with life. Leo was no good in it. "We go on."

"I mean about Barbara."

"You'll meet her soon."

"Do I meet her as my dad's friend or as my new mom?"

"There won't ever be a new mom. You will get to know her as Barbara. Okay?"

No, it sucked. "Okay."

My lovely beta Margot is still on her vacation. She only managed to get me this chapter because of bad wheather. So, it will take some more time to get to the next chapter. At least I think so, as she surprises me sometimes ;-)