Forget Me… Not (in which the Cleaners take a little too much of Chris's memory)

Author's note: Thanks for all the follows! I'm so glad to see there are still people (other than me) reading Charmed fanfiction in 2022. The next one shot might be a little way off - I'm only partway through writing it, and to be honest, I'm struggling a little with the Chris-Leo dynamic in that one. I'm trying to be realistic in terms of how each of the characters would react, based on their relationship with Chris in each episode as well as the way the secret/s are actually revealed. But getting the right amount of animosity/acceptance between Chris and Leo is proving more challenging than I'd expected, especially in certain episodes. But I'm hoping to have worked through all of that in the next week or so, so hopefully I'll have another one shot to post soon.

He can't seriously think this is going to work, Chris thought in disbelief.

He snuck a quick glance back at Leo as the blonde witch in front of him apologised for being late. The Elder looked unbelievably satisfied with himself as he answered her.

"You must be Chris," she smiled at him, "I'm Natalie."

Chris looked back at Leo again, this time catching his eyes, "Maybe just one more."

Leo smirked knowingly. Chris resisted the urge to strike out at him, to wipe that smug, satisfied look off of his face. Although it would make him feel better, it wouldn't do him any favours when it came to winning his trust. Better to let him think he'd won this round, and reject the idea later.

"I'll leave you two to get to know each other a bit better."

Chris turned back to Natalie as the familiar chime of orbing sounded behind him.

"So, Chris-"

"Look," Chris cut her off with a sigh, "I'm really sorry, but I can't be your whitelighter."

Her smile fell, as her expression shifted to a combination of confusion and surprise.

"I don't understand," she said, "You just said…"

"I know. That was just to get Leo off my back. But it's not fair to take you on when I know I can't be a good whitelighter to you," he explained.

"Why not?" Natalie asked.

Well, there's the fact that I can't heal you, Chris thought to himself wryly. Not that he could admit that to Natalie, lest she let it slip to Leo. The Charmed Ones may have fallen for his explanation as to why he couldn't heal, but Leo would know better, and more than likely, start asking the wrong questions. Or the right questions, depending on your perspective.

"I don't know what Leo told you about me, but I'm not from this time. I'm from the future. Yes, really," Chris said automatically, as Natalie's jaw dropped, "I can't go into why I'm here, but it means that I may not be able to come when you call. I don't want to put you in any danger, not when there are plenty of other whitelighters Up There who could do a far better job than I can."

"You- you're serious," Natalie replied, shock colouring her tone.

"Yes. I'm sorry you've gotten caught up in all of this. Leo's- he's got issues with me because I replaced him as the Charmed Ones' whitelighter. I'll get it all straightened out and get you assigned to someone else. But in the meantime, I won't leave you high and dry. Just call me if you need anything and I'll be there."

Natalie still looked a little dazed, but she nodded. Without saying anything else, she turned and headed back up the stairs that led to the street entrance to P3.

"Hey Chris," she said, pausing halfway up the stairs, "Good luck."

Chris nodded once in thanks, giving her a small smile. He watched her leave before he headed into the club's back room, which had served as his living quarters since he'd been assigned to the sisters. It would have to be a research day, he realised, as he sat down on the couch and pulled out the notebook he had just managed to stash in the cushions before Leo had fully reformed. As much as he didn't have time for her, he couldn't exactly leave Natalie unprotected. Not only was it not her fault that Leo was meddling with things he didn't understand, but if she really had been meant to be assigned to a whitelighter in this time, leaving her unprotected could have untold impacts on the future.

Though he was frustrated that Leo's distrust would cost him a valuable day of investigating in the Underworld, there was another feeling creeping over him. Unable to help himself, the corners of Chris's mouth raised into an amused smirk as he thought of the satisfied expression on Leo's face when Chris had accepted Natalie as a charge. Leo had expected him to fawn all over the, admittedly, beautiful blonde witch. He hadn't thought for a second that his plan wouldn't work, though Chris knew for certain it would have. Even if he didn't have a mission that mattered more than his own life, even if he didn't have a fiancée waiting for him in the future, he still wouldn't have been attracted to Natalie. Like his father, Chris preferred brunettes.

Chris was partway through reordering his list of targets for the Charmed Ones, putting an asterisk beside demons he could probably take on himself easily enough, when it happened. Panic coursed through him as the list began to fade, leaving behind a blank page. He didn't have time to look through and see if the rest of the notebook was empty though, because he was immediately swept up in the strangest feeling. The only way he could describe it was as if his head was stuck in the clouds. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before. Sure, he normally got a bit of brain fog when he spent a whole day researching…

Researching what? Chris wondered to himself, suddenly unable to remember what it was he had spent the day doing.

He looked around, taking in his surroundings.

Where am I? he thought, unable to recognise anything in the room, What am I doing here?

Noise pulled Chris from his thoughts, and he opened the single door in the room, hoping to find some clue as to where he had found himself. He stepped out, becoming even more surprised when he realised he was in a busy nightclub. He didn't go to nightclubs. Or there weren't any nightclubs anymore? But that didn't make sense. Why wouldn't there be any clubs?

More puzzled than before, he stepped back into the room he'd woken in… no, that wasn't quite right. He'd been awake, hadn't he? Chris tried to think back again, tried to remember what he had been doing all day, but it was a blank.

His first instinct was to orb himself home and try to work out what was going on. But strangely, home didn't feel like an option. He had this sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that it wasn't a good idea, like maybe something had happened at the Manor. Of course, it hadn't felt the same since the death of his mother and aunts, but he still lived there and he couldn't remember it ever giving him this feeling of dread and… devastation?

Huh, weird. What could possibly have happened at the Manor, or to the Manor, to make him feel that way? It didn't make any sense.

Unable to shake the strange feeling, Chris orbed to the place where he'd felt most safe since his Mom had died. He reformed in the living room of his grandfather's apartment.

Victor jumped up in surprise at the sight of the blue orbs forming in his home. Annoyance flared within him at the thought of facing his ex-son-in-law, who had so callously abandoned his daughter to become an Elder. But what possible reason would Leo have to visit him? He and Piper were separated, and now that he wasn't the sisters' whitelighter anymore, there was nothing left to tie them to one another.

Victor's surprise deepened when it wasn't Leo who reformed in front of him. It wasn't Paige either, who would have been unexpected as well, though certainly more welcome than his daughter's ex.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he asked disgruntledly.

He was even more surprised when the stranger replied, "Grandpa, something really weird is going on! I woke up in the back room of some club and I have no idea what I was doing there and I can't remember anything that happened today."

Victor blinked in surprise, "Grandpa? I have no idea who you are kid, but I am not your grandfather."

"It's me, Grandpa! Chris. Your grandson."

"I don't know anyone called Chris. And I don't have any grandchildren."

"Are you under some kind of spell?" Chris tilted his head, studying Victor carefully.

Something was off about his grandfather, beyond him not recognising his favourite grandson. Only grandson? That didn't quite feel right. There was something strange going on here, stranger than Chris waking up in some random club with holes in his memory.

Chris gasped as it suddenly dawned on him. His grandfather looked young. Much younger than Chris ever remembered seeing him.

"You're not my Grandpa."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you!" Victor insisted, "I'm no one's Grandpa!"

Chris shook his head, "No, I mean you're not my Grandpa, not yet. I think someone's cast a spell on you, one that's made you younger and taken away all your memories of the last twenty-odd years."

"What? That's crazy! Why would anyone cast a spell on me? And why that kind of spell?" Victor replied disbelievingly.

"I don't know. Maybe it's related to whatever weird thing happened to me," Chris said, a puzzled expression falling over his face as he tried to put the pieces together.

But try as he might, none of this made any sense. Why would anyone cast a spell on his Grandpa? And why one that de-aged him and wiped away decades of his memories? What was the point? And what could that possibly have to do with the blanks in Chris's memory?

"You mean the weird thing where you think you're my grandson?" Victor asked challengingly, drawing Chris from his thoughts.

Chris sighed exasperatedly, "I am your grandson."

"Prove it," Victor replied.

"How am I supposed to do that?" Chris asked.

"If I'm your grandfather, you've gotta have a photo or something of us together!"

"Not on me. But, I know you Grandpa! Your birthday's February 16, and you have a sister, Julia, but you guys aren't real close," Chris said quickly, a hint of desperation in his tone.

He could see the suspicion in Victor's eyes fading, but knew his grandfather well enough to know that he hadn't quite convinced him.

"The first demon you ever saw was a Thorn demon, but the first ones you really faced were the shapeshifters who were after the Book. And you saved Aunt Prue from the Nothing. Twice. And your favourite flavour of ice cream is rum and raisin, but whenever we buy a tub we get mint chocolate chip because that's my favourite. And…" Chris wracked his brain for something else he knew about his grandfather that the younger, mind wiped version of him would remember, "And your favourite aunt's name was Sylvia! You stayed with her when you and Grandma Patty first split up."

The suspicion gave way to disbelief.

"I have a grandson," he breathed, "How- how do I not remember you?"

"It's gotta be a spell!" Chris insisted, "We need to get to the Book of Shadows. Only-"

He paused, the dark feelings returning to him at the thought of going back to the Manor.

"Only what?" Victor asked.

"I don't know. Just this feeling, like something really terrible happened. Worse than when-" Chris trailed off again as he realised that if his grandfather had forgotten him, he'd also forgotten what happened to his Mom and Aunt Phoebe. No way did Chris want to have to be the one to break that to him, "Anyway, it might be nothing, but it might be a trap. Maybe whoever did this is waiting for us to come for the Book? Either way, it's probably better we wait until morning. At least then if it is a trap, I can see what we're orbing into."

"Orbing?" Victor's eyes widened, "I don't-"

"Don't worry, Grandpa! You're used to it. We orb all the time," Chris replied reassuringly.

Victor didn't reply, though he shot Chris another disbelieving look. In fact, he almost seemed more disbelieving about the idea of liking orbing than he did about the idea of having a grown grandson and suddenly missing twenty plus years of memory.

His grandfather's dubiousness at the thought of orbing was tomorrow's problem though, Chris realised as another, more pressing matter occurred to him.

"Can I- Would it be alright if I stayed here?" Chris asked, suddenly feeling a little nervous, even though he didn't really have any reason to. Memories, or no memories, it was Grandpa, and he'd stayed over plenty of times before. "I mean, if it is a trap, I can't go home, and I don't really have anywhere else to stay."

Victor blinked, startled by the sudden change in conversation. He stared at the young man in front of him, watching as became fidgety under his gaze. On the one hand, it was his grandson, but on the other hand, he really didn't know Chris at all. It was a strange situation to be in, but regardless, Victor couldn't see him out on the street.

"I'll make up the couch."

Chris was a bundle of nerves when he and Victor orbed into the Manor the next morning. Firstly, because even though they'd waited for daylight, he could still very well be leading his grandfather into a trap. It didn't help that the thought of the Manor still filled him with that strange sense of dread, which he still couldn't explain. To make matters worse, after an agonising, sleepless night trying to put the pieces together, he still didn't understand exactly what had happened to him or Victor. He'd tried to work out how his own memory loss could possibly be linked to his grandfather's, and why on earth anyone would de-age Victor by twenty years (not to mention how they'd get enough power to even pull it off), but every time he came up stumped. It just didn't make a lick of sense. Chris was sure there had to be something he was missing, but try as he might, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

It was frustrating, to say the least.

The first of Chris's fears was alleviated when he and Victor orbed into the empty attic. He stood defensively beside his grandfather, his hands raised and ready to strike out at any potential threats. When nothing jumped out at them, he relaxed and turned back to Victor, who looked green and was swaying on his feet.

"I thought you said I was used to this," Victor muttered, staggering into a nearby chair.

"You are. Maybe the spell-?" Chris trailed off, feeling confused and irritated at the same time.

Stranger and stranger, he thought.

Chris made his way to the Book and started flipping through it, looking for anything related to memory loss. He hadn't been looking long when his ears detected the sound of footsteps, headed their way. He jumped at the sound and stepped around the podium to stand in front of the Book, hands raised defensively again.

Chris had lived alone in the Manor since Aunt Paige's death. The only person who ever visited him was already there. And sure, there was always a chance that his father would call in, but if Leo bothered to visit, if he could drag himself away from- from- From who? Chris puzzled, unable to quite put his finger on why his father always seemed too busy to bother with him. Regardless though, Leo would just orb right to where Chris was. He wouldn't waste time orbing somewhere else and approaching on foot.

The person who appeared in the doorway was the very last person Chris was expecting to see. His eyes widened in complete and utter shock, before rolling into the back of his head. His knees had buckled and he could feel himself falling to the ground.

"Chris?!"

The sound of his mother's shriek was the last thing he heard before it all went black.

Piper really wasn't sure what to think at the sight of her normally closed off, stoic whitelighter fainting in front of her.

"Chris?!" she cried, running towards him.

"Chris!"

Piper looked up sharply at the sound of her father's voice.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" she asked, momentarily forgetting about the prone young man at her feet.

"Chris brought me," Victor explained, "He seems to think that we're under some kind of spell that's effecting our memories."

Piper blinked rapidly, trying to sort through her confusion at her father's words. How does Chris know Dad? And why would anyone cast a spell on either of them? Sure, they had proximity to the Charmed Ones, but what would casting a memory spell on the mortal father of the Charmed Ones, in particular, really achieve? It really didn't make a whole lot of sense.

"What's wrong with your memory?" Piper asked.

"I don't remember him. I don't remember anything from the last twenty years apparently."

"Twenty years?" Piper cried, "No, Dad, that's not possible. I mean, you recognise me, don't you? Surely you should have been expecting a kid if twenty years of your memory was missing."

"Chris was sure that there was something wrong with my memories," Victor's puzzled expression suddenly deepened, "Wait- a kid? Why would I be expecting a kid?"

"Because twenty years ago, I was ten."

"Ten?" Victor repeated, wondering if maybe there was something wrong with Piper's memory too.

Victor's earlier words came back to Piper, "Wait a second. You said you don't remember Chris. Why would you remember him?"

"Because he's my grandson, apparently."

Before Piper could even respond to that, a groaning sound caught their attention. They both turned back to Chris, who was slowly pushing himself up from the ground. He froze when he looked up at Piper, his eyes immediately filling with tears.

"Mom?" he choked out, "Am I- am I dreaming? Am I dead?"

Piper felt frozen, her eyes locked on Chris's. Inside denial raged in her mind, unable to accept his words. She wasn't a mother to anyone. How could she possibly be Chris's? And yet- hadn't she heard a baby cry earlier this morning? And then there was the way that she had plated up Phoebe's breakfast, as if preparing it for a child. And she couldn't ignore the deep sense of rightness she felt at the very thought of having a child. Any of the earlier insecurity that Phoebe had detected was gone, replaced with the absolute certainty that she was a mother.

And this is my son.

Without any conscious thought, Piper knelt down in front of Chris, taking his hands in hers. She felt him stiffen at her touch. He was so obviously in anguish, though he gazed at her hopefully, his green eyes (Leo's eyes, Piper realised) gleaming with unshed tears.

"Why would you be dead?" she asked gently.

"Because you are," he whispered, a few stray tears spilling down his cheeks.

She hadn't thought it was possible to be more shocked than she had been by the revelation that Chris was her son, but this new information threw her. At least for a moment, until her brain caught up and she realised, "How can I be dead? You haven't even been born yet."

"I- What?"

Chris looked at Piper. Really looked at her. Much like his grandfather, she also looked impossibly young. Younger than he ever remembered her being. As suddenly as they started, his tears stopped.

"You- you're younger too," he said, his voice stronger than it had been a moment ago, "Like Grandpa."

Both Chris and Piper looked over at Victor, who looked as confused as they both were.

"Younger? No, Chris, Dad- Grandpa looks exactly the same as he always does."

Piper looked back at Chris, who looked as though he was trying to solve a difficult math problem.

"You remember where you are, right?" she asked, beginning to realise what the problem may be.

Chris blinked, "Of course I do, Mom. I'm home."

"And what year is it?"

Chris's confusion deepened, and he screwed up his nose as he tried to understand why his Mom would be asking him for the year if there wasn't anything wrong with her memory. Shouldn't she know what year it is? Then again, she hadn't even known she was supposed to be dead, so maybe not.

"What year is it?" Piper repeated gently.

"It's 2025. Mom-" Chris trailed off at the worried look on his Mom's face.

"No, sweetie. It's 2003. You came to the past, remember?"

The past? Chris shook his head. It wasn't possible. He couldn't be in the past. What possible reason would he have for time travelling, let alone going to a time where he didn't even exist yet? And why couldn't he remember it?

But he couldn't deny the evidence right in front of him. Both his mother and his grandfather, right in front of him, looking twenty years younger than he'd ever known them to be. His Grandpa didn't know him, and his Mom didn't remember dying. Not to mention the fact that she was… alive.

"Why?" he asked finally, "What am I doing here?"

Piper frowned, "I don't remember."

"This is weird," Chris said, pulling himself to his feet, "Something's screwing with our memories."

"But not mine right?" Victor finally spoke, "I mean, if you haven't been born yet, that means I haven't forgotten anything."

"I guess not," Chris replied, stepping back to look at the Book.

His brow was furrowed as he began flicking through the pages quickly. He was only half-listening when Victor told Piper he'd leave them to work out what had happened, choosing to get a taxi back to his apartment, rather than have Chris orb him home.

"There's nothing in here!" he declared after Victor had left the attic, flicking the Book closed with his telekinesis and running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"You have Prue's power."

"Yeah. You didn't know that?"

Piper shook her head, "I didn't even know you're a witch."

"Huh? How could you not know I'm a witch? I'm your son, of course I'm a witch," Chris said matter-of-factly.

"You never told me who you were, Chris," Piper replied, suddenly wondering why Chris had kept his identity a secret.

"This is getting weirder and weirder. I mean, I know it's time travel 101, but since when has anyone in this family followed the rules. Why wouldn't I tell you?"

"I'm wondering the same thing myself."

A tiny voice in the back of Chris's mind whispered, You didn't want to love her and lose her again. Was that the reason? He was suddenly desperate for answers.

"We need to get our memories back," he said, "Then I'll remember why I'm here and why I didn't tell you."

"Maybe we could write a spell," Piper suggested hesitantly. She could write a spell in a pinch, but it had never been her strong point. She was much more adept at potion brewing.

Chris nodded in agreement, flicking his wrist at a notebook and pen sitting on the table on the other side of the attic. They floated over to him. Piper watched as he opened to a spare page and began making some notes.

"Can I help?" she asked.

"Yeah, you can check it when I'm done," Chris replied, his eyes glued to the page.

It took a while. At least ten minutes passed before Chris looked up and handed Piper the notebook.

With missing memories we do wonder,
Evil plot or magic blunder?
We call upon the Halliwell line,
To fill in the blanks within our minds.

Piper read over it a couple of times, before looking up at Chris with a smile.

"It's good."

Chris grinned, "Thanks."

"You didn't get that from me," she joked, causing Chris to chuckle.

The amusement didn't last long though, quickly giving way to a more serious expression. He took a deep breath, as he came to stand beside Piper. They recited the spell together, looking at one another confusedly as none of their memories changed.

"Do you remember anything?" Chris asked.

Piper shook her head, "No, you?"

"No," Chris replied, his brow furrowing.

It was a good spell. It should've worked. Why didn't it work?

"It's raining," Piper said slowly, looking up at the attic ceiling, where she could hear the sound of raindrops hitting the roof.

Chris frowned. It hadn't been raining a second ago. He studied Piper, realising that she was suddenly wearing different clothes. He looked down at his own clothes, but they had stayed the same.

"The spell didn't return our memories," he said, putting the pieces together, "I think it… rewound time?"

A baby's cry filled the air. Both Piper and Chris jumped. Piper ran out of the attic, Chris following closely behind.

He froze at the threshold of Piper's bedroom, watching her run into her closet. She came out a moment later, a blonde haired, blue eyed baby sitting on her hip. It wasn't baby Chris. It was…

"Wyatt."

And suddenly, Chris remembered. He closed his eyes momentarily, staggering backwards when he opened them and saw both Piper and Wyatt staring at him.

Shit. Not good. This is so not good.

And wasn't that the understatement of the century. His eyes flickered between his baby-big brother, wondering how he could have possibly forgotten him, and Piper, who he had unknowingly confessed his identity to. He couldn't decide which was the bigger problem right now.

Piper was just as shocked. She had no idea what on earth could have made her forget her son. Everything made sense now: the baby crying, the urge to mother her sisters, the feelings of insecurity. Something was trying to remind her of her firstborn.

And then there was Chris. With her memories of Wyatt back, there was some small part of her that wondered if his 'confession' was a trick. But a much larger part of her knew that he had been telling the truth.

He was her son too. Wyatt's little brother.

"I remember now," she said softly, stepping towards him, "You came back to save your brother."

Chris tried uselessly to swallow down the panic at Piper's words. Restoring his memory of Wyatt had also restored his memory of why he had returned to the past in the first place, the mission that he had so carefully kept to himself. He'd also been reminded of the handful of reasons he had for posing as the sisters' whitelighter and keeping his identity a secret.

"I- You- you weren't supposed to-"

Piper felt a pang in her chest at Chris's panicked stuttering. She knew now that he had never intended to tell her who he really was.

"Why not?"

"Because it could ruin the future, if you know too much. I was supposed to keep things on a need-to-know basis."

"And this wasn't need-to-know?" Piper arched an eyebrow.

Chris shook his head, "No! It doesn't change anything. It can't change anything."

"Of course it does, Chris. How can you think it doesn't?" Piper asked incredulously.

"It doesn't matter," Chris insisted, quickly changing the subject, "What I want to know is, what happened yesterday- or today, I guess. Why did we both forget Wyatt?"

Piper shot him a look that said Don't think you're getting off that easy, mister! but allowed him to shift the conversation.

"It wasn't just us," she remembered, "Phoebe and Paige forgot about him too. And so did Leo, I think."

Chris's brow furrowed, as he tried to put the pieces together again. He certainly had more information with his memory restored, but still felt as though there was something missing.

Is this it? Is this what I've been waiting for? Is this the day the demon gets him? he wondered, But who the hell would have the power to erase the memories of a whitelighter-witch, an Elder and the Charmed Ones? Not just erase memories, but erase all evidence that he ever existed.

And then the pieces fell into place. He gasped, focussing back on Piper, who was looking at him expectantly.

"What? What is it?" she asked, her grip on Wyatt tightening.

"The Cleaners," Chris breathed in horror.

"The who?"

"The Cleaners," Chris repeated, "Neutral beings tasked with keeping magic hidden. Whenever magic is exposed, they're the ones who clean it up. They can remove memories, rewrite reality if need be."

Though there were limits to what even they could change. After all, not even the Cleaners had been powerful enough to stop Wyatt once he had revealed magic in Chris's future. Even before Wyatt had declared war against them, and wiped them and the Tribunal out.

"But we've been exposed before. How have we never come across them?"

"You may very well have come across them. You wouldn't necessarily know if you had. They would have changed your memories, like they did with Wyatt."

"Wait, so you're saying they erased Wyatt?! Why would they do that?" Piper cried out in alarm.

"Magic must have been exposed," Chris replied, looking down at baby Wyatt.

Chris had seen firsthand what the older Wyatt had been capable of, but he couldn't imagine baby Wyatt revealing magic on such a scale to warrant being erased from existence by the Cleaners.

Fear gripped Chris's heart at the thought of his big brother not existing. It would certainly save the future, but it would also mean that Chris would lose Wyatt forever. Worse, he'd never even know Wyatt existed. He'd never know what he'd lost, what he was missing.

Determination washed over Chris. He hadn't come all this way to lose his brother.

"What do we do?" Piper asked, holding Wyatt close to her chest, "How do we stop them?"

"You can't stop the Cleaners. But we can make sure magic doesn't get exposed again," Chris replied.

"But we don't even know how it got exposed in the first place. How do we-?"

Piper trailed off at the sound of someone orbing in. Bright blue orbs appeared beside her and Chris, quickly reforming into Leo.

"There you are," Leo said to Chris as soon as he reformed, "I've been looking for you."

Chris's face hardened at the sight of the Elder. He folded his arms across his chest as he asked, "Why?"

"I need to talk to you."

Chris let out an exasperated sigh, "Whatever it is Leo, I'm busy. I don't have time for this."

Leo shot Chris an annoyed look, "Well then you'd better make time Chris, because we're not asking."

We? Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.

Chris opened his mouth to respond and tell Leo exactly where he and the other Elders could shove their demands, but Piper stepped in before he could. She'd been watching the interaction between Leo and Chris (father and son) curiously. She knew that there was no love lost between the two men, but observing the hostile way they interacted with one another felt so different now that she knew who they were to one another. And watching the way Chris's nostrils flared at Leo's demand was enough to launch her into action. Knowing what she knew now, she didn't want to let the situation escalate to the point where either of them said something they might regret later.

"Actually, Leo, we need Chris today."

Leo blinked in surprise, looking over at Piper as if he hadn't even realised she was there. His eyes fell to Wyatt and his face softened for a moment, until he looked back up at Piper and remembered why he was here.

"Piper, Chris has responsibilities as a whitelighter."

"He does," Piper agreed, "To us."

"It's not uncommon for a whitelighter to have multiple charges," Leo argued, "I did."

"You want to give me another charge?" Chris asked in disbelief, "No. No way! I'm not doing it. I didn't come all the way from the future to protect and oversee other charges."

"It's not up to you," Leo pointed out.

"No, it's up to you," Piper replied, "And like I said, we need Chris today. So make this go away."

Leo looked back at Piper, frowning, "Why? What's going on?"

"We think the Cleaners are after Wyatt," Chris explained, still eyeing Leo warily.

"The Cleaners? Why?" Leo asked.

"We don't know. Whatever the reason, it hasn't happened yet," Piper replied.

Before Leo could ask anything else, a jingle sounded. He frowned.

"That's Natalie, the witch I was going to assign to Chris."

"I'm not doing it Leo," Chris insisted, "I'm not taking on other charges."

Leo sighed. He could always force Chris to take her on as a charge, but based on the challenging look in the young whitelighter's eyes, he didn't expect he would be all that successful. And he couldn't exactly split Chris's focus now, not when Wyatt was apparently about to be erased from existence by the Cleaners. Although Leo didn't quite understand how the Cleaners could be after Wyatt if he hadn't actually done anything yet, or how Piper and Chris would even know about something that hadn't happened. Unless Phoebe had had a premonition, but even then they'd have something more to go on.

Whatever it was, Leo had a sneaking suspicion that it was Chris's fault.

"I'll handle it," he said finally, orbing out before either Chris or Piper could say anything else.

Chris breathed a sigh of relief the moment Leo was out of sight.

"Is it always like that between you two?" Piper asked softly.

"You know I can't tell you that," he replied tensely, "And right now we have bigger problems than my relationship with Leo."

"You're right," she agreed reluctantly, filing the interaction away as yet another thing she and Chris needed to talk about when this was all over, "So, how do we stop Wyatt from exposing magic when we don't know how he's going to do it?"

Chris paused to consider that. It was a hell of a problem, though not dissimilar to the mission he'd set himself when he returned to the past. He'd come back blind, with no idea of who get to Wyatt, what they did to him, or when they would strike.

"I guess we have to keep him in our sights all day. That way if he does do anything to expose magic, we can try to clean it up ourselves before the Cleaners get involved," Chris finally said with a sigh.

It wasn't great as far as plans went. He could tell Piper agreed too, from the unhappy expression on her face. But without anything to go on, there really wasn't much else they could do. And Piper knew that too.

"Well then, I guess that means we have time to talk then," she said brightly.

"Piper," Chris groaned, "We really should just focus on Wyatt."

"Somehow, I think we can manage both," Piper replied, her tone leaving very little room for Chris to argue, "But first things first, breakfast. You hungry?"

Chris didn't answer, but followed Piper down the stairs and into the kitchen. He watched as she placed Wyatt into his high chair and busied herself with making toast. Chris kept his eyes fixed on Wyatt, lest his brother somehow manage to expose magic while waiting for his breakfast.

If anyone could manage it, it would be Wyatt.

Awkwardness settled over the kitchen as Piper placed the soft, buttery toast in front of Wyatt, who eagerly grabbed it and shoved it in his mouth. Chris shifted uncomfortably from where he stood in the doorway. He'd done what he could to avoid his baby-big brother since he'd returned to the past, partly because the baby was as suspicious as the rest of the family of him, and all it would take was Wyatt raising his shield to Chris in front of the sisters or Leo to destroy what little trust he had managed to build with them.

But his real reason for avoiding the boy was because it was just too weird. It was beyond weird to see his brother as an innocent, vulnerable baby. To look at baby Wyatt and see both his beloved big brother and the future tormentor of the world all at once.

"Did you want anything?" Piper asked, drawing Chris from his thoughts.

He shook his head, "No, I'm- I'm good, thanks."

Piper nodded once, settling herself into a chair beside Wyatt. She gestured for Chris to sit too, so he did. He kept his gaze fixed on Wyatt, watching his chubby fingers lift slobbery toast to his mouth.

"So, I'm dead in your future," Piper said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Chris looked at her, startled by both the sudden sound of her voice and the actual words she had spoken.

"Yes," he said, sounding as though it took all of his effort to say that single word.

"When?" Piper asked. She asked it so casually, as if she was asking about the timing of an appointment or a holiday rather than her untimely demise.

Chris's eyes widened, "I can't tell you that."

Rather than argue like she usually did when Chris used his 'future consequences' excuse, Piper nodded, almost as if she'd been expecting the answer.

"Is that why you didn't tell me?"

Chris swallowed hard. His mother had always been able to read him far too well. Apparently she still could, in spite of the fact that he hadn't even been conceived yet.

Why does she have to make this so hard? Why does she have to be so much like Mom all of a sudden?

In spite of how well she could read him, even without fourteen years of shared history between them, he still couldn't bring himself to admit it. He still couldn't bring himself to voice his fear that when he returned to the future, she would still be gone.

So instead he said, "I didn't think you'd believe me. I mean, whitelighter from the future is crazy enough. But future yet-to-be-born son? I'm still wrapping my head around that one."

And part of me thought, hoped, feared, that I wouldn't need to. That you would take one look at me and somehow you would know.

"It is pretty unbelievable," Piper flashed him a small smile, "And yet here you are."

"Here I am."

They fell back into silence for a moment, until Piper broke it again.

"2025," she said suddenly, "That's when you came from isn't it?"

Chris looked at her warily, unsure where the line of questioning was going.

"That must mean you're born pretty soon right? I mean you look like you're at least twenty."

Chris chuckled, the wariness leaving him, "Twenty-one, actually. Maybe twenty-two. I don't know, it's kind of hard to keep track with this time travel stuff."

"I guess that means Leo and I get back together soon then," Piper commented, more to herself than Chris.

Chris didn't reply, looking back at Wyatt, who was stuffing soggy chunks of toast into his mouth with slobbery fingers.

"You two don't get along in the future, do you?"

Chris looked back at Piper. She could see the hurt and the anger in his eyes. She wanted to reach out to him, to try to take the pain away, just as she would for Wyatt, but she held back, fearful of scaring him away.

"No, we don't."

"Why?" Piper asked softly, not really expecting Chris to answer though. He didn't disappoint.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"What about Wyatt?" Piper asked, "Are you and your brother close at least?"

Chris swallowed hard. It was an innocent enough question, which meant he couldn't use his go-to excuse about protecting the future. But it wasn't a question he wanted to answer.

Luckily, he didn't have to. Before he could say anything, Leo's voice filled the room.

"Brother?"

Chris turned around to see Leo standing in the doorway, a combination of shock and disbelief on his face. His first instinct was to orb out, but he suppressed it, reminding himself of the task at hand.

Stay. Watch Wyatt. Keep him from exposing magic.

"Leo," Piper stood, stepping towards him.

"Chris is…" Leo trailed off, still too disbelieving to say the words.

"Our son," Piper finished for him, "Wyatt's brother. I only just found out myself."

Chris gripped the table so tight his hands shook, the urge for flight barely held back. He fixed his eyes on Wyatt, hoping the reminder would keep him from fleeing.

"I think I need to sit down," Leo said faintly, sinking into a chair beside Chris.

The simple action was enough to send Chris over the edge. He stood abruptly, so abruptly, in fact, that his chair fell to the floor with a loud bang as he did.

Wyatt began to cry. Chris hardly noticed the sound. He looked apologetically at Piper.

"Watch Wyatt," he said in a strained voice.

And then he orbed away.

It took Chris an hour and a half to pull himself together and another half hour to convince himself to return to the Manor. He could only hope that Piper had followed the plan, and hadn't let Wyatt out of her sight.

Both Piper and Leo were there when Chris reformed in the sun room, leaping to their feet at the sight of his orbs. Chris was relieved to see Wyatt sitting safely in Leo's arms, though the sight made his heart hurt, same as it always did.

"Chris," Piper spoke first, relief in her voice.

"I'm sorry for orbing off like that. I just- this wasn't supposed to happen."

"I'm glad it did," Piper replied, "The one good thing to come out of this Cleaners business."

"Nothing happened while I was gone, right?" Chris asked, "Nothing to expose magic?"

"No, nothing happened," Piper assured him.

"Good," Chris replied.

They fell into awkward silence. No one seemed sure how to break it, until finally Leo spoke.

"I'm sorry."

Chris looked at him, startled. It was just about the last thing he'd been expecting from the Elder.

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry," Leo said again, "For what happened after Valhalla."

Chris nodded once, remembering the way Leo had thrown him around the very room they were standing in, and the way he'd threatened him in Valhalla. It wasn't the first time he'd been attacked by family, though he knew Leo would never have treated him that way if he'd known who he really was. Leo was an absent father, but he'd never been abusive towards either of his sons.

And it was that thought alone that made Chris want to ease his guilt some. Even if the Elder probably didn't deserve it.

"I deserved it," Chris replied, "After all, I'm the one who stuck you there."

He watched Leo carefully as he processed that. He looked surprised first, then a little angry. For a second, Chris wondered if he'd miscalculated because Leo looked like he just might attack him again. But then, the anger was gone from Leo's face, replaced by a sadder, more questioning expression.

"Why?" he asked.

Chris shrugged, "I needed you out of the way. It seemed as good a place as any."

"Why?" Leo asked again, "Why all of the manipulation? Why weren't you honest with us from the start, not just about who you are, but about why you're here?"

Because you never would have believed the real reason. And I didn't want to break your hearts.

But he couldn't say that. It was the last secret he had left and he intended to keep it for as long as he could.

"It just seemed easier, I guess," he said simply.

"But if we'd known… we wouldn't have been so difficult. You could have stayed here with us, instead of P3," Piper replied.

Chris shook his head, "I don't want that."

"Why not?" Piper asked.

Chris closed his eyes, not wanting to see the pain on Piper's face. Mom's face, his mind kept trying to remind him.

"Because I need to keep you separate," he opened his eyes, forcing himself to look at Piper even though it hurt, "I can't- I can't let you in and then have to go back to where you're not."

Neither Piper nor Leo quite knew what to say to that. Piper looked as though she wanted to reach out for Chris, but the pain on his face held her back. She wanted to take the pain away, not make it worse.

"Let's just not talk about it right now," Chris suggested finally, "Let's just focus on getting through the day without anyone being erased."

"Okay," Piper and Leo agreed, though neither looked particularly happy about it.

"Thank you," Chris replied gratefully, feeling the tension leave his body, "I'm gonna get the Book."

"Why? There's nothing about the Cleaners in there," Leo pointed out.

"Research. If I'm gonna spend the whole day here, I may as well spend it wisely."

And spend it wisely he did. He managed to survive the rest of the day in the presence of Piper and Leo, who as promised, had stopped asking him questions he couldn't (or didn't want to) answer. They even helped him with some of his research, helping him work out which demons would require the Power of Three, and which they might be able to take down without Phoebe and Paige.

It was once the sun had gone down, and Wyatt finally went down for the night, that Chris breathed a sigh of relief. He could feel the shadow the threat of the Cleaners had cast over them all easing. It also meant that he could leave the Manor and escape the uncomfortable, awkward dynamic that had formed between himself and his future parents.

With a quick goodbye, he orbed out, reforming in the back room of P3 a moment later. He sank down onto the couch wearily, realising as he did that he was back at the scene where everything had spiralled out of control. Trying to block out the thumping sound of the music in the club, Chris lay down on the couch, hoping for sleep but knowing it would likely allude him.

He was right. His mind was much too active to get a wink of sleep. His secrets had been exposed and there was no going back now. The only solace was that no one knew the real reason he'd come back to the past. No one knew what really happened to Wyatt, what Chris was trying to prevent.

And they never will, he vowed.