One day something happened. Neither of them meant for it to, but it just...happened.

Joy and Chris were talking at the manor, about nothing in particular. Suddenly, Joy felt that she could hold in no longer. She leaned forward and gently kissed Chris. A sure sign of feeling. He didn't protest, but kissed her back.

Once she realized what she had done, Joy broke the kiss.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't be sorry for that," Chris replied.

"You have no idea what problems we've just created. They're gonna figure it out now. Something horrible will happen. I have to go, before they get more suspicious than they already are."

"Don't go," he said, "Please. Stay."

"I'm sorry," she said again, then she turned to go.

Chris grabbed her arm as she tried to walk away. She wheeled around to face him. He grabbed her face in his hands.

"Chris, please," she whispered, tears in her eyes, "Let me go."

"Why don't you love me?" he asked, his voice trembling, "Why am I wrong?" Joy's tears fell from her eyes and slid down Chris' fingers.

"You're not wrong, Chris. You're perfect. I was so lucky to have found you."

"Tell me you love me," he demanded, his voice a little stronger now. "I need to know."

She shook her head. "I can't," she said, "You know what'll happen if they find out. We can't—"

"Then we don't let them find out."

"That's what we've been doing. Trying to keep all of this really quiet. But, we can't keep pretending forever that they won't find out."

"Joy, do you love me? I don't care what happens to me; I need to know. Please...tell me."

Joy leaned forward, her lips almost touching his, and in the smallest of whispers, she told him that she loved him. Then, she backed away and said in her normal voice, "But I'm not allowed to. If the Mazging find out, they will force me to watch you die. Chris, I—I can't...I couldn't bear to watch you die. It would kill me."

When Chris didn't respond, she continued. "Please let me leave. I'll come back, I promise. If you ever need me, you know how to find me."

She held Chris' hand and started to back away. When they were at arm's length apart, she let go. Chris watched as she vanished in a cloud of sparkling dust.

Just then, Piper walked in. "Hey, Chris, where'd Joy go?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. She just said she had to leave."

Piper looked at him. Something wasn't right. Chris wouldn't meet her face. "Chris, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Uh, did you need something?"

She shook her head no.

"Okay." With out another word, he orbed.

Piper walked back into the kitchen, where she found Paige and Phoebe.

"Guys, is anything wrong with Chris?"

"Not that I know of." Phoebe answered.

"Oh, come on, Phoebe. You're the empath. You haven't sensed anything that could be wrong with him?"

"Well, I have sensed how much love Joy and Chris have for each other. But I also sense that they're both tense around each other, sort of like they're not allowed to love each other."

"Why do you ask, Piper?" asked Paige.

"Oh, I don't know. I just asked him where Joy went and he got kind of...distant."

"Well, that's our Chris," smiled Phoebe, "I wouldn't worry about it, Piper. Everything's probably fine."