FOUR
Paige and Buffy orbed back into the living room of the manor. Piper was just coming out of the kitchen as they finished materializing.
"Hi, Buffy," said Piper.
"Hi, Piper," said Buffy. "Paige said there was a problem you needed my help with."
"Something like that," said Piper. "Actually, we needed you here so we can better protect you. And don't give me all that Slayer crap about how you can protect yourself and everything. Believe me, in this situation you're going to need our help."
"Okay, no crap," said Buffy. "Besides, there's something you might be able to help me with, too. This must be little Wyatt." She walked over to the playpen where Wyatt sat. "He's adorable. Paige has been writing me about him but she never told me he was such a cutie."
"Thanks," said Piper. "Sit down and let's have a chat. Oh, before we get started, I think you should know that Angel might be joining us. This involves him, too. I just thought you would want to prepare yourself."
"Thanks, I appreciate that," said Buffy. "Angel's not the same person I knew a few years ago. He's changed. I'm not sure I completely trust him any more. He's gotten himself involved in some kind of demonic law firm or something in Los Angeles."
"Chris and Phoebe aren't back yet?" asked Paige.
"No, not yet," said Piper. "I expect it will take a bit more talking than it did with Buffy. He doesn't know us. It might take some convincing to make him believe he needs our protection."
"Good luck," said Buffy sarcastically. "He can be really bull headed. The whole vampire macho thing. Who's Chris?"
"Part of the reason we asked you to come here," said Piper. "If he's telling the truth, he's my son."
"I thought your son was named Wyatt?" Buffy asked.
"He is," said Paige. "This would be her other son."
"Other son?" Buffy asked. "Okay, now I'm confused. I didn't know you had two sons."
"I don't," said Piper. "He says he's from the future. So technically he hasn't been born yet."
"Okay," said Buffy, "so you have your son staying here. A son who hasn't been born yet. Who came back from the future to...."
"Long story," said Paige. "Just get comfortable. This is going to take a while. Hopefully, Chris and Phoebe will be back by then."
* * *
"And I thought my family was dysfunctional," said Buffy. "So what about this Chris character? Do you believe him?"
"I don't know," said Piper. "He hasn't been exactly truthful with us in the past. But if he was after us he's had more than enough opportunity to do something. Despite everything he's done he has been a big help. I just can't believe that Wyatt would grow up to become this horrible evil that attacked us."
"People can change," said Buffy.
"And Wyatt is still only a baby," said Paige. "There's really no telling what he'll be like when he's grown. I think we have to at least consider that Chris is telling the truth."
"I can't," said Piper. "Wyatt is my son. I can't believe he'd turn evil."
"I guess I can understand that," said Buffy. "Okay, so if he's telling the truth, why would Wyatt be after Angel and me? What do we have to do with any of this?"
"We don't know," said Paige. "And Chris said he doesn't know either. Only that Wyatt killed you and Angel before he came after us. He didn't know why."
"Forewarned is forearmed," said Buffy. "Now that we know he's after us we can be ready for him."
"Come on," said Piper. "We have a potion you should take. It should protect you against the Wyatt's freezing ability. Unfortunately it won't do anything for his other powers."
"Any help will do," said Buffy. "If this guy is as strong as you say he is we're going to need all the help we can get."
"He is," said Piper. "He's just about the strongest thing we've ever come up against. And if this is my son he may know things about us that he can use against us. According to Chris, he killed us. If he did it once he won't have a problem doing it again."
"So why didn't he?" Buffy asked.
"What do you mean?" asked Paige.
"When he was here yesterday," said Buffy. "Why didn't he just kill you then? You said you were frozen. It should have been easy for him to just kill you. But he didn't. He seemed more interested in Leo and Chris than you. So that begs the question. Why didn't he just kill you while he had the chance?"
"That's a good question," said Paige. "He did say he had come back to kill Chris. Or rather, to make sure he was never born. If you're his mother, why did he just sit and wait for Leo to die from the Dark Lighter's bolt? Why didn't he kill you while you were frozen? That would have prevented Chris from being born."
"I can't answer that," said Piper. "When Chris and Phoebe get back we have a few more questions for Chris. If he is telling the truth we'll need all the information we can get. If we're going to prevent Wyatt from being infected by this demons' essence."
Paige and Buffy orbed back into the living room of the manor. Piper was just coming out of the kitchen as they finished materializing.
"Hi, Buffy," said Piper.
"Hi, Piper," said Buffy. "Paige said there was a problem you needed my help with."
"Something like that," said Piper. "Actually, we needed you here so we can better protect you. And don't give me all that Slayer crap about how you can protect yourself and everything. Believe me, in this situation you're going to need our help."
"Okay, no crap," said Buffy. "Besides, there's something you might be able to help me with, too. This must be little Wyatt." She walked over to the playpen where Wyatt sat. "He's adorable. Paige has been writing me about him but she never told me he was such a cutie."
"Thanks," said Piper. "Sit down and let's have a chat. Oh, before we get started, I think you should know that Angel might be joining us. This involves him, too. I just thought you would want to prepare yourself."
"Thanks, I appreciate that," said Buffy. "Angel's not the same person I knew a few years ago. He's changed. I'm not sure I completely trust him any more. He's gotten himself involved in some kind of demonic law firm or something in Los Angeles."
"Chris and Phoebe aren't back yet?" asked Paige.
"No, not yet," said Piper. "I expect it will take a bit more talking than it did with Buffy. He doesn't know us. It might take some convincing to make him believe he needs our protection."
"Good luck," said Buffy sarcastically. "He can be really bull headed. The whole vampire macho thing. Who's Chris?"
"Part of the reason we asked you to come here," said Piper. "If he's telling the truth, he's my son."
"I thought your son was named Wyatt?" Buffy asked.
"He is," said Paige. "This would be her other son."
"Other son?" Buffy asked. "Okay, now I'm confused. I didn't know you had two sons."
"I don't," said Piper. "He says he's from the future. So technically he hasn't been born yet."
"Okay," said Buffy, "so you have your son staying here. A son who hasn't been born yet. Who came back from the future to...."
"Long story," said Paige. "Just get comfortable. This is going to take a while. Hopefully, Chris and Phoebe will be back by then."
* * *
"And I thought my family was dysfunctional," said Buffy. "So what about this Chris character? Do you believe him?"
"I don't know," said Piper. "He hasn't been exactly truthful with us in the past. But if he was after us he's had more than enough opportunity to do something. Despite everything he's done he has been a big help. I just can't believe that Wyatt would grow up to become this horrible evil that attacked us."
"People can change," said Buffy.
"And Wyatt is still only a baby," said Paige. "There's really no telling what he'll be like when he's grown. I think we have to at least consider that Chris is telling the truth."
"I can't," said Piper. "Wyatt is my son. I can't believe he'd turn evil."
"I guess I can understand that," said Buffy. "Okay, so if he's telling the truth, why would Wyatt be after Angel and me? What do we have to do with any of this?"
"We don't know," said Paige. "And Chris said he doesn't know either. Only that Wyatt killed you and Angel before he came after us. He didn't know why."
"Forewarned is forearmed," said Buffy. "Now that we know he's after us we can be ready for him."
"Come on," said Piper. "We have a potion you should take. It should protect you against the Wyatt's freezing ability. Unfortunately it won't do anything for his other powers."
"Any help will do," said Buffy. "If this guy is as strong as you say he is we're going to need all the help we can get."
"He is," said Piper. "He's just about the strongest thing we've ever come up against. And if this is my son he may know things about us that he can use against us. According to Chris, he killed us. If he did it once he won't have a problem doing it again."
"So why didn't he?" Buffy asked.
"What do you mean?" asked Paige.
"When he was here yesterday," said Buffy. "Why didn't he just kill you then? You said you were frozen. It should have been easy for him to just kill you. But he didn't. He seemed more interested in Leo and Chris than you. So that begs the question. Why didn't he just kill you while he had the chance?"
"That's a good question," said Paige. "He did say he had come back to kill Chris. Or rather, to make sure he was never born. If you're his mother, why did he just sit and wait for Leo to die from the Dark Lighter's bolt? Why didn't he kill you while you were frozen? That would have prevented Chris from being born."
"I can't answer that," said Piper. "When Chris and Phoebe get back we have a few more questions for Chris. If he is telling the truth we'll need all the information we can get. If we're going to prevent Wyatt from being infected by this demons' essence."