Disclaimer: -yawn- I don't –yawns again- own anything. Only Drew and my
–YAAAWN- wedding ring. God, it's like one in the morning or something...-
snores and falls asleep on keyboard-
((()))
"Okay, okay," Piper said impatiently. "Orb me."
With a sigh, Brian grabbed her by the arm and orbed to the attic again, only the scene had changed. Future Piper sat on the floor sobbing with the Book of Shadows on her lap, flipping hopelessly through the pages without really looking at them. She looked weary and tired, and her entire face illuminated with tears that apparently had no end. A slightly pregnant Phoebe stood scrying on the globe, same expression on her face. Paige wasn't in the attic, presumably catering to Mel and Colin and Wyatt.
"It's been two weeks," Piper sobbed. "Two whole weeks. My baby is probably dead! I'm a horrible mother, I let those demons take him!"
"There was nothing you could've done, Piper," Phoebe soothed. "It'll be alright. We'll find him. He'll come home."
"We've tried everything. He's gone, Phoebe." Piper threw the Book of Shadows aside and banged her fist on the floor. "Why do we have to be witches, Phoebe? Why did they have to take him away? He can barely defend himself, he's all alone—"
The faint sound of weak orbs filled the attic. Chris appeared, bleeding and scarred. He looked like he hadn't slept in years and his clothes were torn and seemed to big for him. Everything about him seemed miserable and tormented. "I did it..." he moaned in triumph before collapsing on the floor.
"CHRIS!" Piper shrieked. "PHOEBE, PAIGE! HE'S BACK!" She ran over to him. "Oh my god, what the hell happened to him? My baby, my baby..." She cradled him in her arms, sobbing louder than ever before.
"LEO!" Phoebe screamed. "LEO, GET DOWN HERE! CHRIS IS BACK!"
Leo orbed down. "Thank goodness...Dammit, what happened to him?" he demanded, bending down to heal him. The wounds and scars faded but he didn't wake up. "The poor kid is exhausted. Let him sleep. Oh my god, I'm so glad he's still alive..."
Piper was sobbing so loudly and shaking that Phoebe took the liberty of gently lifting Chris up off the floor and carrying him into the room. Leo and Piper followed, but Leo seemed a bit reluctant.
"Piper, the elders are..."
"You kn-know what, Leo?" Piper snapped. "I d-don't care. Your son needs you more than those s-stupid damn elders do. He just got back home, Leo, and I'm s-sure if there's anyone he'd want to see, it'd be you."
"I'm sorry. I can't stay," Leo said pleadingly.
Piper pushed him out of her way. "Just go. I don't care. Go ahead and let your son down."
"Piper..."
"Just go!"
Leo gave his son one last look of longing before his eyes completely glazed over and he orbed Up There.
"What...?" past Piper gasped.
"It's the spell Wyatt cast. He tried it when he was six and it didn't work fully since he was too young—see, in this time, the spell makes Leo just avoid Chris. He still loves him and wouldn't hurt him. Wyatt fixes the spell when he's older, which brought us to...the other crap you saw." Brian yawned. "After this, you're done. Got it?"
Piper nodded.
"Good. And no offense or anything, but PLEASE don't come back!!"
Piper grinned. "Sure...Just expect us the next time a crazed neurotic half- whitelighter comes to the future with a lot of secrets, okay?" She sniffled, surprising herself. In all the action she was watching, she didn't even realizing that she was crying too.
Future Piper was gazing lovingly and little Chris on the bed, stroking his hair. Phoebe, seeing that Piper wanted to be alone, left the room to go tell Paige and the kids that Chris was back.
Brian sped up the scene. Future Piper stayed by the bedside for eight or so hours, just staring at her son. Eventually Chris groaned and his eyes opened.
"Am I really home?" he asked in a scratchy voice that seemed worn out from screaming.
"You're really home, sweetie," said Piper, relieved. "Oh, I was so worried Chris...I love you so much, I am so sorry those demons got you..."
"It wasn't your fault." Chris tried to sit up but quickly lied back down. "Mommy, I can orb all the way now," he said. "I did it."
"Yes, you did do it, didn't you?" Piper laughed, tears streaming down her face. "I am so proud of you, Chris. You really are a fighter."
"Aw, how lovey-dovey cute," Brian said in a mock-squealing voice. "Can you please go away now?"
"You are so heartless!" Piper protested, stepping on Brian's foot in her heels.
"OW! That's the thanks I get for orbing you all across space and time? Well fine, be that way!"
"Thank-you-very-much, Brian," Piper said between clenched teeth. "Now orb me home."
"It's about time..."
He grabbed her by the hand and they orbed into the sitting room again, where Chris lay now, fast asleep and undisturbed.
"It's weird, seeing him here," said Brian, showing a touch of emotion for once. (COUGH COUGH I'm beginning not to like Brian very much myself, so I decided to make him nice ONCE.) "He looks so...different, I guess. Older, but not in an age kind of way. In a...responsible kind of way."
"I guess I won't step on your foot again. You can leave."
Brian orbed away.
Piper ran a hand through Chris' hair, watching him sleep. He looked so peaceful. She was glad; maybe in his sleep he didn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Maybe in his sleep he was normal and everything was the way he hoped it would turn out after he changed the future.
She sighed and turned off the light, headed back up the stairs for bed.
((()))
Chris woke up in the morning feeling quite refreshed. Nothing had gone wrong within the past...he checked his watch. 8:00. Nothing bad had happened in the past eight hours! Oh boy! He grinned and sat up on the couch.
Footsteps came down the stairs. Phoebe smiled at him, headed into the kitchen. "I'm gonna make breakfast," she offered.
"Noooo, that's really okay," Chris said quickly, bouncing up off of the couch and practically racing her to the stove. "Phoebe, I don't think your allowed to use the cooking utensils. Or has that rule not been created yet in this time?"
She cocked an eyebrow. "A rule forbidding me to cook? My, my, I must be special. Funny, what you'll reveal when you're not keeping all these secrets from us..."
"Hey, I didn't keep that from you to avoid future consequences...I'm only telling you now to avoid future food poisoning."
Phoebe scoffed playfully and smacked him with the spatula.
"Let me take that," said Chris, prying the spatula from her fingers. "I'm Piper's son, I can cook. You, on the other hand..." He shuddered. "We almost missed the biggest test of the year eating your food, Aunt Phoebe."
"Ooo, I like the sound of that!" she squealed. "'Aunt' Phoebe. Cool! I can't wait until you and Wyatt are old enough to call me that. Along with the twins and B—" Her face seemed to light up brighter than the sun. "Hey, if Prue's a whitelighter in your time, then she's a whitelighter in ours, right? Lemme call her—"
"Not quite, actually. She's still in training."
"Oh," she said, slightly put out.
Chris continued making pancakes and Phoebe and Chris sat at the table eating since no one else was up yet.
"Good pancakes, Chris," Phoebe said, a mouthful of them preventing her from speaking normally. "Bery good."
"Thanks...I guess."
She swallowed. "Well, I gotta go to work now, but Chris..." She gave him a serious glance. "I want to talk when I get back. For real this time."
Chris nodded. He hated living with empaths. They thought they knew everything...
((()))
A/N—I'd make a semi-normal length Author's Note but I'm way too tired, so good night...
((()))
"Okay, okay," Piper said impatiently. "Orb me."
With a sigh, Brian grabbed her by the arm and orbed to the attic again, only the scene had changed. Future Piper sat on the floor sobbing with the Book of Shadows on her lap, flipping hopelessly through the pages without really looking at them. She looked weary and tired, and her entire face illuminated with tears that apparently had no end. A slightly pregnant Phoebe stood scrying on the globe, same expression on her face. Paige wasn't in the attic, presumably catering to Mel and Colin and Wyatt.
"It's been two weeks," Piper sobbed. "Two whole weeks. My baby is probably dead! I'm a horrible mother, I let those demons take him!"
"There was nothing you could've done, Piper," Phoebe soothed. "It'll be alright. We'll find him. He'll come home."
"We've tried everything. He's gone, Phoebe." Piper threw the Book of Shadows aside and banged her fist on the floor. "Why do we have to be witches, Phoebe? Why did they have to take him away? He can barely defend himself, he's all alone—"
The faint sound of weak orbs filled the attic. Chris appeared, bleeding and scarred. He looked like he hadn't slept in years and his clothes were torn and seemed to big for him. Everything about him seemed miserable and tormented. "I did it..." he moaned in triumph before collapsing on the floor.
"CHRIS!" Piper shrieked. "PHOEBE, PAIGE! HE'S BACK!" She ran over to him. "Oh my god, what the hell happened to him? My baby, my baby..." She cradled him in her arms, sobbing louder than ever before.
"LEO!" Phoebe screamed. "LEO, GET DOWN HERE! CHRIS IS BACK!"
Leo orbed down. "Thank goodness...Dammit, what happened to him?" he demanded, bending down to heal him. The wounds and scars faded but he didn't wake up. "The poor kid is exhausted. Let him sleep. Oh my god, I'm so glad he's still alive..."
Piper was sobbing so loudly and shaking that Phoebe took the liberty of gently lifting Chris up off the floor and carrying him into the room. Leo and Piper followed, but Leo seemed a bit reluctant.
"Piper, the elders are..."
"You kn-know what, Leo?" Piper snapped. "I d-don't care. Your son needs you more than those s-stupid damn elders do. He just got back home, Leo, and I'm s-sure if there's anyone he'd want to see, it'd be you."
"I'm sorry. I can't stay," Leo said pleadingly.
Piper pushed him out of her way. "Just go. I don't care. Go ahead and let your son down."
"Piper..."
"Just go!"
Leo gave his son one last look of longing before his eyes completely glazed over and he orbed Up There.
"What...?" past Piper gasped.
"It's the spell Wyatt cast. He tried it when he was six and it didn't work fully since he was too young—see, in this time, the spell makes Leo just avoid Chris. He still loves him and wouldn't hurt him. Wyatt fixes the spell when he's older, which brought us to...the other crap you saw." Brian yawned. "After this, you're done. Got it?"
Piper nodded.
"Good. And no offense or anything, but PLEASE don't come back!!"
Piper grinned. "Sure...Just expect us the next time a crazed neurotic half- whitelighter comes to the future with a lot of secrets, okay?" She sniffled, surprising herself. In all the action she was watching, she didn't even realizing that she was crying too.
Future Piper was gazing lovingly and little Chris on the bed, stroking his hair. Phoebe, seeing that Piper wanted to be alone, left the room to go tell Paige and the kids that Chris was back.
Brian sped up the scene. Future Piper stayed by the bedside for eight or so hours, just staring at her son. Eventually Chris groaned and his eyes opened.
"Am I really home?" he asked in a scratchy voice that seemed worn out from screaming.
"You're really home, sweetie," said Piper, relieved. "Oh, I was so worried Chris...I love you so much, I am so sorry those demons got you..."
"It wasn't your fault." Chris tried to sit up but quickly lied back down. "Mommy, I can orb all the way now," he said. "I did it."
"Yes, you did do it, didn't you?" Piper laughed, tears streaming down her face. "I am so proud of you, Chris. You really are a fighter."
"Aw, how lovey-dovey cute," Brian said in a mock-squealing voice. "Can you please go away now?"
"You are so heartless!" Piper protested, stepping on Brian's foot in her heels.
"OW! That's the thanks I get for orbing you all across space and time? Well fine, be that way!"
"Thank-you-very-much, Brian," Piper said between clenched teeth. "Now orb me home."
"It's about time..."
He grabbed her by the hand and they orbed into the sitting room again, where Chris lay now, fast asleep and undisturbed.
"It's weird, seeing him here," said Brian, showing a touch of emotion for once. (COUGH COUGH I'm beginning not to like Brian very much myself, so I decided to make him nice ONCE.) "He looks so...different, I guess. Older, but not in an age kind of way. In a...responsible kind of way."
"I guess I won't step on your foot again. You can leave."
Brian orbed away.
Piper ran a hand through Chris' hair, watching him sleep. He looked so peaceful. She was glad; maybe in his sleep he didn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Maybe in his sleep he was normal and everything was the way he hoped it would turn out after he changed the future.
She sighed and turned off the light, headed back up the stairs for bed.
((()))
Chris woke up in the morning feeling quite refreshed. Nothing had gone wrong within the past...he checked his watch. 8:00. Nothing bad had happened in the past eight hours! Oh boy! He grinned and sat up on the couch.
Footsteps came down the stairs. Phoebe smiled at him, headed into the kitchen. "I'm gonna make breakfast," she offered.
"Noooo, that's really okay," Chris said quickly, bouncing up off of the couch and practically racing her to the stove. "Phoebe, I don't think your allowed to use the cooking utensils. Or has that rule not been created yet in this time?"
She cocked an eyebrow. "A rule forbidding me to cook? My, my, I must be special. Funny, what you'll reveal when you're not keeping all these secrets from us..."
"Hey, I didn't keep that from you to avoid future consequences...I'm only telling you now to avoid future food poisoning."
Phoebe scoffed playfully and smacked him with the spatula.
"Let me take that," said Chris, prying the spatula from her fingers. "I'm Piper's son, I can cook. You, on the other hand..." He shuddered. "We almost missed the biggest test of the year eating your food, Aunt Phoebe."
"Ooo, I like the sound of that!" she squealed. "'Aunt' Phoebe. Cool! I can't wait until you and Wyatt are old enough to call me that. Along with the twins and B—" Her face seemed to light up brighter than the sun. "Hey, if Prue's a whitelighter in your time, then she's a whitelighter in ours, right? Lemme call her—"
"Not quite, actually. She's still in training."
"Oh," she said, slightly put out.
Chris continued making pancakes and Phoebe and Chris sat at the table eating since no one else was up yet.
"Good pancakes, Chris," Phoebe said, a mouthful of them preventing her from speaking normally. "Bery good."
"Thanks...I guess."
She swallowed. "Well, I gotta go to work now, but Chris..." She gave him a serious glance. "I want to talk when I get back. For real this time."
Chris nodded. He hated living with empaths. They thought they knew everything...
((()))
A/N—I'd make a semi-normal length Author's Note but I'm way too tired, so good night...