Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Charmed. Can't say I'm extremely upset about that though. Can't say I'd really want to be known for owning this piece of… well, you can fill in that blank.

Chapter 4

Chris jumped up expectantly as Leo orbed in. Leo had been unprepared to come face to face with Chris so immediately and quickly tried to school his expression, but the damage had been done. "It's bad, isn't it?" Chris asked as he unceremoniously fell back into his chair. He started moving what was left of his French toast around with his fork and refused to meet Leo's eye.

"Well, it's complicated." Leo started, obviously trying to put a more positive spin on whatever it was he was about to tell them. "Chris's situation is unique, and…"

Piper cut him off. "Yes, Leo, we're all well aware of that. Just spit it out already! How bad is it? What have I done to our son's spirit?" Her voice was filled with impatience, but her eyes told Leo that she really didn't want to know because she could tell it wasn't going to be good. Leo took her by the shoulders and slowly guided her into a chair. Visibly comforted by his touch, she sat down and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Ok." She said. "I'm ready."

"The Elders are extremely unhappy with us, and they didn't want to tell me anything. It took no small amount of persuasion, and I'm sure they didn't tell me everything. They said that for a situation like this, in theory, both spirits will exist simultaneously in the same body; however the body will be formed and controlled by the dominating spirit until one can be removed and that's why he has his adult body. Kind of like Chris is possessed by himself. Obviously, the older Chris is the dominant of the two."

"So, all we need to do is find a way to separate the spirits and the baby's spirit will become dominant again? Are we supposed to perform an exorcism on our own nephew? What would happen to adult Chris's spirit?" Paige asked.

"Well, it should just go back to wherever it was before." Phoebe said. "It's your classic textbook possession."

Leo looked at them nervously, "There was a problem though. The Elders as a group should still be able to sense the baby's spirit in his body, but they can't." Leo didn't meet Piper's eye as he said this.

Everyone looked at him, shocked and confused. Chris just continued to stare miserably at his plate. He had guessed that would be the case. After all, if there was another spirit sharing his body, wouldn't he have been the first to know?

"What does that mean?" Piper said quietly. "They can't sense the baby in Chris's body? Where is he then?"

Leo looked at her, defeated. "That's just it. They can't sense him anywhere. They're not sure what that means. There's never been a case of a spirit possessing it's own past self. They think that either the two versions of Chris's spirit have merged, or when Chris's spirit came rushing in, it knocked the baby out and he's… gone."

"Gone?" Piper squeaked. She started shaking her head, first slowly and then more and more vigorously. "No, that's not true. You said they didn't know where Chris's spirit was after he died, yet it was obviously still somewhere. The baby's in the same place. We've just got to find him. I'll go do the spell again!" and she jumped up from the table.

Chris followed, saying hopefully, "I don't remember where I was after I died, it must have been some kind of in between, nowhere realm. No wonder it was off the radar. That's got to be where he is, or I am, you know what I mean."

Leo grabbed her arm. "Piper, I don't think that will work. I never said that the Elders didn't know where Chris was after he died. I said if they knew, they weren't telling me." But she wasn't listening; her mind was already in the attic.

Piper relit the last candle, stood back, and said the familiar spell for the second time in the last 24 hours. They all held their breath as they watched and waited. Nothing happened. Chris's breath caught in his throat and he leaned against the doorframe for some support. This couldn't be happening. His past self couldn't be gone. "I erased myself." he whispered. He didn't think anyone had heard him.

Piper was quietly crying on the couch as Paige and Phoebe tried to comfort her. "Honey, it's ok." Phoebe was saying. "You didn't lose him, he's right here. Just try to look at this positively; you got to fast forward past diapers and the terrible twos!" Paige shot Phoebe a dirty look as Piper cried "But I wanted to watch him grow up this time. I wanted to make sure he had a happier life this time around."

Chris was listening to this whole exchange. He understood Piper's reaction; any mother would want their baby back. But he couldn't help feeling a little bit hurt that everyone seemed to want the baby to be there more than him. He shook his head. "Snap out of it!" he said to himself. "You've spent most of your life being envious of Wyatt, thinking he was more loved than you. Now you're jealous of yourself as a baby? Get a grip!" He turned to leave and noticed Leo watching him. Unable to meet his fathers' eyes, he hurried downstairs.