Chris orbed into the kitchen, stretching and yawning, "Good morning,"
and startles when Chloe smiles, "Good morning, sunshine." He collects
himself and answers, "Still not expecting to see you. But it's a nice
surprise."
Chloe looks up from the newspaper, "Saturday April 3, 2004. Wow... I don't even think I'm a thought in my parents' minds."
Chris avoids her eye contact, "Where are the sisters?"
"I don't know, they're not keeping me in the loop. Actually, I think they are purposefully keeping me out of the loop," Chloe answers taking a sip of her coffee. "Ick, Paige made this. Entirely too strong."
"You never did like strong coffee. Good to see some things never change," Chris stares pensively at his own cup, leaning over the counter, swirling the grounds. "You were dead. When I left, you were dead."
"What?" Chloe almost drops her cup.
"You were killed in an attack on a mission that he sent you on. I saw you. I picked up your body and brought it back to San Francisco. I thought you deserved a proper burial, blessing, funeral, everything. Wyatt even came," Chris couldn't make eye contact with Chloe. It was still out of his imagination that she was sitting at the table in front of him, drinking coffee, reading the paper... twenty two years before he saw her dead and buried.
"I'm not dead. It was April 2, 2027 when I left. And my heart was beating, there was oxygen in my lungs. Granted, San Francisco looked absolutely nothing like this, but by all accounts, I was alive and living there," Chloe responded, her eyes locked on Chris as he averted his own eyes. "Chris, how long have you been gone? Because from where I was standing... it's been a year since you were missing. And Wyatt said YOU were dead."
"It has been a year since I left. And you were dead, and Bianca was alive," Chris's hands began to shake. Chloe got up from her chair and went over to him, placed her hand on his cheek, 'Look.' Chris closed his eyes, saw the day he left, saw Bianca bring him back, thought he saw her die... then Chloe shimmered in. She picked up Bianca and took her to the hospital, where she still was. 'See.' Chloe took her hand off Chris's cheek. Tears filled his eyes. "You saved her."
"I was returning a favor," she winked returning to her coffee cup. Chris wiped his eyes. "So, tell me what's going on here. Based on today's date and Piper's current condition, I'd say you are the bun in the oven," Chloe mocked holding up her muffin pointing to Chris.
Chris collected his thoughts and added a muffin that Piper had left for him to his own plate, "Yeah..."
"How weird is that?" Chloe said taking a bite.
"Tell me about it," Chris answered pulling the paper towards him.
"Good morning, did you two sleep well?" Piper asked coming into the kitchen walking over to her son and kissing him on the top of the head. "I see you found the banana nut muffins, I know they are Chris's favorites," she added putting Wyatt in his high chair as he quickly orbed himself a muffin, "Wyatt, wait for mommy to break that up for you."
Chloe started choking out of shock, Chris whacked her on the back. "Thanks."
"Returning the favor," Chris smiled.
"Not used to eating, Chloe, right?" Piper asks as she busied herself in the kitchen.
"Um, yes ma'am, I am. I mean, I eat. I sleep, too. Breathe on occasion if there's not a piece of banana nut muffin lodged in my throat," She couldn't look at Piper.
"And she has a tendency to ramble when she's nervous," Chris added.
"Sounds like a couple of sisters I know," Piper mentions under her breath.
Chris and Chloe laugh nervously. "Well, that was a good breakfast, I better go," Chloe adds rising to take her plate to the sink.
"That brings a good question to mind," Piper begins, "A few actually... where are you going? And why are you here? Are you here to save Wyatt, too?"
"Good point, Mom," Chris agrees, "Why are you here, Chloe?"
Chloe gently places the plate in the sink, thinking. 'How do I answer this?'
'You can start by trying,' Chris raises an eyebrow at her.
'Oh, shut up and butt out.' "Well, I don't know where I am going, but here was getting crowded. I'm here on some personal business, that no, doesn't directly include Wyatt. I didn't know what year I was coming to when I left. Kinda just found out last night. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to time travel. I'm not trying to be evasive in my answers, I swear, I'm trying to figure it all out myself," Chloe attempts to explain. She was met by blank looks. "Ok, I'll be... going somewhere now," she turns to leave the room.
"No, wait," Piper asks. Chloe stopped in the doorway, not turning around. "Maybe we can help each other out here. You're from the future, and left more recently than Chris, so maybe you can fill us in—if anything has changed. And we can help you figure out who is after you."
Chloe turned to look at Piper on this, "After me?"
"You were attacked last night," Chris pointedly reminds her.
"I don't think they were after me. No one knows I'm here," Chloe corrects. Piper and Chris exchange looks, "At least I don't think anyone knows I'm here."
Phoebe was listening outside the kitchen door and turned to go back upstairs, running into Paige on the way. "Good morning!" Paige smiled.
"Morning," Phoebe greeted not looking at Paige and continuing upstairs.
"Aren't you in a happy mood this morning," Paige retorts turning to follow Phoebe upstairs. "What's getting to you?"
"Nothing, and I mean that literally, nothing. I can't get any read off this new future girl," Phoebe paces the hall.
"Well, Pheebs, were your powers back?" Paige questions timidly.
Phoebe shoots her a look, "No, but I was pretty perceptive before all this. And there's nothing there. Not good, not evil. Like I said last night, she looks lost. And even though she knows Chris, I don't think she's found. It just makes me uncomfortable that's all. I mean, a demonic- witch?"
"Very true, but you know what the elders said with the birth of Wyatt... it's an era of twice blessed kiddos. Maybe in the future, all magical creatures are making mixed and matched magical babies?" Paige suggests.
"Yeah, maybe..." Phoebe ponders leaning over the top of the railing, listening to the conversation below.
Chloe looks up from the newspaper, "Saturday April 3, 2004. Wow... I don't even think I'm a thought in my parents' minds."
Chris avoids her eye contact, "Where are the sisters?"
"I don't know, they're not keeping me in the loop. Actually, I think they are purposefully keeping me out of the loop," Chloe answers taking a sip of her coffee. "Ick, Paige made this. Entirely too strong."
"You never did like strong coffee. Good to see some things never change," Chris stares pensively at his own cup, leaning over the counter, swirling the grounds. "You were dead. When I left, you were dead."
"What?" Chloe almost drops her cup.
"You were killed in an attack on a mission that he sent you on. I saw you. I picked up your body and brought it back to San Francisco. I thought you deserved a proper burial, blessing, funeral, everything. Wyatt even came," Chris couldn't make eye contact with Chloe. It was still out of his imagination that she was sitting at the table in front of him, drinking coffee, reading the paper... twenty two years before he saw her dead and buried.
"I'm not dead. It was April 2, 2027 when I left. And my heart was beating, there was oxygen in my lungs. Granted, San Francisco looked absolutely nothing like this, but by all accounts, I was alive and living there," Chloe responded, her eyes locked on Chris as he averted his own eyes. "Chris, how long have you been gone? Because from where I was standing... it's been a year since you were missing. And Wyatt said YOU were dead."
"It has been a year since I left. And you were dead, and Bianca was alive," Chris's hands began to shake. Chloe got up from her chair and went over to him, placed her hand on his cheek, 'Look.' Chris closed his eyes, saw the day he left, saw Bianca bring him back, thought he saw her die... then Chloe shimmered in. She picked up Bianca and took her to the hospital, where she still was. 'See.' Chloe took her hand off Chris's cheek. Tears filled his eyes. "You saved her."
"I was returning a favor," she winked returning to her coffee cup. Chris wiped his eyes. "So, tell me what's going on here. Based on today's date and Piper's current condition, I'd say you are the bun in the oven," Chloe mocked holding up her muffin pointing to Chris.
Chris collected his thoughts and added a muffin that Piper had left for him to his own plate, "Yeah..."
"How weird is that?" Chloe said taking a bite.
"Tell me about it," Chris answered pulling the paper towards him.
"Good morning, did you two sleep well?" Piper asked coming into the kitchen walking over to her son and kissing him on the top of the head. "I see you found the banana nut muffins, I know they are Chris's favorites," she added putting Wyatt in his high chair as he quickly orbed himself a muffin, "Wyatt, wait for mommy to break that up for you."
Chloe started choking out of shock, Chris whacked her on the back. "Thanks."
"Returning the favor," Chris smiled.
"Not used to eating, Chloe, right?" Piper asks as she busied herself in the kitchen.
"Um, yes ma'am, I am. I mean, I eat. I sleep, too. Breathe on occasion if there's not a piece of banana nut muffin lodged in my throat," She couldn't look at Piper.
"And she has a tendency to ramble when she's nervous," Chris added.
"Sounds like a couple of sisters I know," Piper mentions under her breath.
Chris and Chloe laugh nervously. "Well, that was a good breakfast, I better go," Chloe adds rising to take her plate to the sink.
"That brings a good question to mind," Piper begins, "A few actually... where are you going? And why are you here? Are you here to save Wyatt, too?"
"Good point, Mom," Chris agrees, "Why are you here, Chloe?"
Chloe gently places the plate in the sink, thinking. 'How do I answer this?'
'You can start by trying,' Chris raises an eyebrow at her.
'Oh, shut up and butt out.' "Well, I don't know where I am going, but here was getting crowded. I'm here on some personal business, that no, doesn't directly include Wyatt. I didn't know what year I was coming to when I left. Kinda just found out last night. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to time travel. I'm not trying to be evasive in my answers, I swear, I'm trying to figure it all out myself," Chloe attempts to explain. She was met by blank looks. "Ok, I'll be... going somewhere now," she turns to leave the room.
"No, wait," Piper asks. Chloe stopped in the doorway, not turning around. "Maybe we can help each other out here. You're from the future, and left more recently than Chris, so maybe you can fill us in—if anything has changed. And we can help you figure out who is after you."
Chloe turned to look at Piper on this, "After me?"
"You were attacked last night," Chris pointedly reminds her.
"I don't think they were after me. No one knows I'm here," Chloe corrects. Piper and Chris exchange looks, "At least I don't think anyone knows I'm here."
Phoebe was listening outside the kitchen door and turned to go back upstairs, running into Paige on the way. "Good morning!" Paige smiled.
"Morning," Phoebe greeted not looking at Paige and continuing upstairs.
"Aren't you in a happy mood this morning," Paige retorts turning to follow Phoebe upstairs. "What's getting to you?"
"Nothing, and I mean that literally, nothing. I can't get any read off this new future girl," Phoebe paces the hall.
"Well, Pheebs, were your powers back?" Paige questions timidly.
Phoebe shoots her a look, "No, but I was pretty perceptive before all this. And there's nothing there. Not good, not evil. Like I said last night, she looks lost. And even though she knows Chris, I don't think she's found. It just makes me uncomfortable that's all. I mean, a demonic- witch?"
"Very true, but you know what the elders said with the birth of Wyatt... it's an era of twice blessed kiddos. Maybe in the future, all magical creatures are making mixed and matched magical babies?" Paige suggests.
"Yeah, maybe..." Phoebe ponders leaning over the top of the railing, listening to the conversation below.