***ENJOY! Again, more chapters are coming, but they may be slow to be
posted... thanks for your patience! ~abby
There was a stick figure with the name "Batterak" written above it taped to the punching bag as a foot swiftly kicked it and sent the whole thing swinging. "I wish that was really your face," Chloe commented wiping sweat from her brow. "'I'm going to take pleasure in killing you'," she mocked Batterak's overdone English accent. "Are you really British or are do you think that makes you more intimidating? Because I ain't scared!" she kicked the punching bag more forcefully. Chloe paused and walked up to the punching bag to steady it. Still facing it, she held out her right hand as a sword from the wall flew into it. She twirled around and held the blade at the throat of the person standing behind her in one liquid motion. "I wouldn't try to sneak up on someone who has supernatural powers and is in the middle of taunting a punching bag if I were you. You could end up dead," she lowered the sword.
Cole laughed, "I've been watching you. You're good."
"Learned from the best," Chloe put the sword back in its place on the wall. Cole raised an eyebrow assuming she meant him. "Not you," Chloe playfully corrected, "Phoebe. But I know she learned from you so I'll cut you a little slack."
Cole began to unbutton the collared shirt he was wearing, "Care to spar with me? Show me what you've got? Maybe I can teach you a thing or two myself?" he tossed the shirt aside so that he was now only wearing an undershirt and his khakis.
Chloe gave him a wicked smile—one that only the daughter of the ex- source of all evil could produce, "I don't want to hurt you," she stepped up to her father with her fists ready.
"I'd like to see you try," Cole initiated.
Chris walked into the kitchen to find Piper busying herself with a beef tenderloin and the rest of the meal. "Did you just hear that explosion in the basement?" Chris turned his head quickly to the basement door. Piper didn't even act mildly surprised, "Mom, do you think I should go check it out?"
"Nawh," Piper responded pouring red wine over the top of her roast, "it's just Cole and Chloe bonding."
"Bonding? And explosions are involved?" Chris leaned over and smelled the pot of vegetables that was on the stove.
"There's explosions involved when you and your father talk—on the less literal side," Piper watched Chris as he moved to the spice rack and grabbed a couple of things.
"Not funny," he added some oregano, basil, and olive oil to the pot of mixed vegetables.
Piper watched with pride as Chris instinctively added different ingredients to her vegetables. Her thoughts went back to her Grams who always told her to let her hands wander while she was in the kitchen, and only good things could happen. Piper rinsed her hands in the sink and let Chris continue making the dinner, "At least she is working out her aggressions with her father in a constructive way."
"Nice transition, Mom," Chris smirked as he prepared a skillet for caramelizing some onions for the beef tenderloin's glaze.
"I'm serious, Chris," Piper took an authoritative tone with him, "You need to work things out. You are almost twenty-four years old for crying out loud," she looked down at her nine-month belly, "and it's time to act like it." She got up from her seat and walked over to him, "Listen, I know it's hard to grow up without a father. I didn't either. He didn't come back into our lives until I was older than you are. But he came back and made an effort." Piper paused remembering all the conflict between herself and her sisters when Victor did come back, "Prue had the hardest time accepting dad was back and forgiving. So much so, that I'm not even sure she had forgiven him when she died. I don't want something like that to happen to you and Leo," Piper eyes watered.
"She had," Chris mumbled.
"What?"
"She had forgiven him," he looked up into his mom's eyes.
"You've talked to Prue?" Piper asked wildly.
"A couple of times," Chris responded as though it was nothing out of the ordinary, "Just like you are able to talk to Grandma Patty or Grams."
Piper took a step back. She didn't know that Chris had met Prue...she didn't know it was possible to summon Prue, "Why can't I summon her?"
"You're not ready yet. You'll be able to when you're ready," Chris stirred his onions, "She tells me the same thing you're telling me. That'll I'll regret it if I don't resolve things with Leo."
Piper was still fixated on the fact that her youngest son had been able to talk to her oldest sister—and about things that were going on in his life when she was unable to. "What?"
Chris realized that he had substantially shocked his mother. He stopped what he was doing and walked over to her at the kitchen table. "It's ok, Mom. I'll talk to dad if that makes you happy," he kissed her forehead as he stood, "try not to think too much about the fact you'll get to see and talk to Prue someday. You don't want it to get in the way of what's going on right now. Don't let my onions burn!" he added as he left to find Leo.
Chris stepped out into the foyer and closed his eyes. He didn't sense Leo in the house, so he orbed out. He found Leo—and stepped up to him as he was looking out over San Francisco from Twin Peaks. "What are you doing up here?"
"Decided to try a new place. The other one was getting a little crowded," Leo left his eyes closed.
"And the tourists help with the meditation by?" Chris prodded.
"Going away. It's dinner time," Leo opened his eyes, "Can I help you with something?" Chris shuffled his feet and kicked around some dirt. He mumbled something Leo couldn't quite understand. "Can you repeat that? I couldn't hear you."
"Mom and Chloe have been talking to me," Chris raised his eyes to his fathers, "and they both want me to talk to you. I don't want to, but they do."
"Well, I'm glad to know you are here under coercion," Leo sat on the stone wall going around the parking lot, "have a seat." Chris studied Leo for a moment before approaching him. He stood before sitting about four feet from his dad on the wall. "If it makes you feel any better, they've both talked with me, too. As have Paige and Phoebe. And I'm sure Cole would if I would give him the opportunity."
"He doesn't know about this yet," Chris dryly replied.
"That cuts him out the loop doesn't it?" Leo tried to be funny. Chris didn't even smile. "You are really uptight, do you know that?"
"I don't have to be here, I can say I tried and failed," Chris jumped up.
"No, sorry," Leo stood up and started to put his hand on Chris's shoulder before pulling his hand back. "This is just as difficult for me as it is for you. Please, can we sit back down?" Leo pointed.
Chris joined Leo back on the wall. "Why do you hate me?" Chris rolled his eyes. "Come on, Chris, don't give me that. It is obvious to everyone that you hate me."
"Well, it's obvious to me that you hate me!"
"That is not true," Leo protested.
"Isn't it? You haven't trusted me from the first day I got here. You've petitioned to have me sent back twice. I'm here to save my family!"
"I am your family," Leo raised his voice, "I'm your father! And let's not forget that you are the one who sent me to Valhalla. And you've lied to all of us."
Chris was getting hot with fury. Leo just didn't understand. He would never understand. "You want to know the reason?" Leo nodded. "Because it has always been about Wyatt. You never cared that I was born. Never. You weren't there. Mom was alone," Chris stood up with rage, "You left and became an elder anyway—even before I came back. And when you did, you abandoned us. Mom dies, Phoebe dies, Chloe dies, and Wyatt essentially becomes the source of all evil and the world falls to hell. So, yeah, I have a little resentment for you because who's to say that if you had cared once for your family the way you say you do, that any of that would have happened?" Chris orbed out. Leo put his head in his hands and cried.
Piper pulled the beef tenderloin out of the oven and saw Chris sitting at the table when she looked up. "Honey, I didn't see you there. How did your talk with your dad go?"
"He is officially enlightened. Not that I expect that to change anything," Chris moped, "I'm going to take a quick shower."
Laughter rose from the stairs as Chloe and Cole came up. "You are quick with a blade. I'm glad I'm never going to really have to fight you," Cole patted his daughter on the shoulder, "Go take a shower. Looks like dinner is about to be served." Chloe smiled and gave Piper a small wave of acknowledgement before she, too, went to clean up.
"You two sure sounded like you have successfully bonded," Piper admired.
"I still think she is holding back," Cole stirred the vegetables, "I missed your cooking, Piper."
"Flattery will get you nowhere with me," she joked. Feeling the tension between the two of them added, "It's going to take us all a little time of adjustment here, Cole. You were trying to kill us a lot of the time we knew you before."
Cole nodded his head in solemn agreement, "True, but I would like to put that behind me. For more reason than one," his eyes went to Phoebe who came in the door with Paige.
"We're home!" Paige announced, "the club is all set up for Nelly Furtado playing tonight," she glided over to Piper, "and I've got cheesecake and strawberries," and placed the package on the table.
"I helped her after Cole had a slight panic attack in the middle of Barnes and Noble and shimmered out. Be grateful no one was paying attention to you," she scolded her ex who gave her a guilty smile. "I'm really excited to hear Nelly Furtado tonight, we should all go down there after dinner. You need to see P3, Piper. Paige has done a good job," Phoebe complimented her little sister who beamed with pride.
Piper nodded her head, "We'll do that, I'll get the elf nanny to watch Wyatt. Here, someone set the table for eight," she handed silverware to Phoebe.
"How do I look?" Chloe entered the dining room where her family was getting ready to sit to dinner.
"Whose clothes are those?" Paige laughed.
"Mine!" Chloe smiled big, "I shimmered to the mall, just for fun, and I saw mom—she bought them for me. Am I hot? Because I'm going for hot?" she showed off the hot pink halter top, black leather knee-length skirt and some sexy black strappy heels.
"Sizzling," Paige teased.
Cole looked disapprovingly at his daughter, "I think you need a sweater," and then turning to Phoebe he whispered, "you forget the chastity belt."
"Funny how easy it is to love her, isn't it?" Phoebe winked.
As Piper, Paige, Phoebe, Cole, and Chloe began to sit they suddenly heard, "GO AWAY!" erupt from upstairs as Leo fell through the ceiling and orbed before crashing into the middle of the dining room table. When he collected his orbs, Leo was standing in the kitchen doorway.
"What was that?" Piper laughed. "Misjudge your landing?"
"No," Leo drew out his word and blushed with embarrassment. "I tried to catch Chris as he got out of the shower."
Chloe started laughing, "He made you fall through the floor," she kept laughing as she sat in the chair Cole pulled out for her. "He disassociated it and you fell through. He's done that to me a couple of times," she admitted and then frowned, "I broke my arm once when he did that."
"Oh, honey," Phoebe patted her on the top of the head as she sat in the chair to Chloe's left with Cole on her right.
Chris came down the stairs hotly and into the kitchen. Piper held up her hand to the crowd indicating she would talk to him in the kitchen. Chris was spooning his caramelized onions over the top of the tenderloin. Piper watched him, "You're handy in the kitchen."
"Learned from the best," he managed a small smile.
"So, Phoebe teaches Chloe how to fight and I teach you how to cook. Talk about role reversal," Piper kidded and placed her head on her son's shoulder, "Chris, honey, you really shouldn't make your father fall through the floor. He almost landed in the middle of my meal I've cooked for everybody."
Chris shook his head, "He was trying to talk to me again. I'm not in the mood right now. I've had enough heart-to-hearts for one day."
"Well, on the plus side," Piper grabbed an onion off the top of the beef tenderloin, "these are the best onions I have ever had. And I've had a lot."
"Thanks," Chris gave his mom a genuine grin as he picked up the platter to take it to the family in the dining room.
There was a stick figure with the name "Batterak" written above it taped to the punching bag as a foot swiftly kicked it and sent the whole thing swinging. "I wish that was really your face," Chloe commented wiping sweat from her brow. "'I'm going to take pleasure in killing you'," she mocked Batterak's overdone English accent. "Are you really British or are do you think that makes you more intimidating? Because I ain't scared!" she kicked the punching bag more forcefully. Chloe paused and walked up to the punching bag to steady it. Still facing it, she held out her right hand as a sword from the wall flew into it. She twirled around and held the blade at the throat of the person standing behind her in one liquid motion. "I wouldn't try to sneak up on someone who has supernatural powers and is in the middle of taunting a punching bag if I were you. You could end up dead," she lowered the sword.
Cole laughed, "I've been watching you. You're good."
"Learned from the best," Chloe put the sword back in its place on the wall. Cole raised an eyebrow assuming she meant him. "Not you," Chloe playfully corrected, "Phoebe. But I know she learned from you so I'll cut you a little slack."
Cole began to unbutton the collared shirt he was wearing, "Care to spar with me? Show me what you've got? Maybe I can teach you a thing or two myself?" he tossed the shirt aside so that he was now only wearing an undershirt and his khakis.
Chloe gave him a wicked smile—one that only the daughter of the ex- source of all evil could produce, "I don't want to hurt you," she stepped up to her father with her fists ready.
"I'd like to see you try," Cole initiated.
Chris walked into the kitchen to find Piper busying herself with a beef tenderloin and the rest of the meal. "Did you just hear that explosion in the basement?" Chris turned his head quickly to the basement door. Piper didn't even act mildly surprised, "Mom, do you think I should go check it out?"
"Nawh," Piper responded pouring red wine over the top of her roast, "it's just Cole and Chloe bonding."
"Bonding? And explosions are involved?" Chris leaned over and smelled the pot of vegetables that was on the stove.
"There's explosions involved when you and your father talk—on the less literal side," Piper watched Chris as he moved to the spice rack and grabbed a couple of things.
"Not funny," he added some oregano, basil, and olive oil to the pot of mixed vegetables.
Piper watched with pride as Chris instinctively added different ingredients to her vegetables. Her thoughts went back to her Grams who always told her to let her hands wander while she was in the kitchen, and only good things could happen. Piper rinsed her hands in the sink and let Chris continue making the dinner, "At least she is working out her aggressions with her father in a constructive way."
"Nice transition, Mom," Chris smirked as he prepared a skillet for caramelizing some onions for the beef tenderloin's glaze.
"I'm serious, Chris," Piper took an authoritative tone with him, "You need to work things out. You are almost twenty-four years old for crying out loud," she looked down at her nine-month belly, "and it's time to act like it." She got up from her seat and walked over to him, "Listen, I know it's hard to grow up without a father. I didn't either. He didn't come back into our lives until I was older than you are. But he came back and made an effort." Piper paused remembering all the conflict between herself and her sisters when Victor did come back, "Prue had the hardest time accepting dad was back and forgiving. So much so, that I'm not even sure she had forgiven him when she died. I don't want something like that to happen to you and Leo," Piper eyes watered.
"She had," Chris mumbled.
"What?"
"She had forgiven him," he looked up into his mom's eyes.
"You've talked to Prue?" Piper asked wildly.
"A couple of times," Chris responded as though it was nothing out of the ordinary, "Just like you are able to talk to Grandma Patty or Grams."
Piper took a step back. She didn't know that Chris had met Prue...she didn't know it was possible to summon Prue, "Why can't I summon her?"
"You're not ready yet. You'll be able to when you're ready," Chris stirred his onions, "She tells me the same thing you're telling me. That'll I'll regret it if I don't resolve things with Leo."
Piper was still fixated on the fact that her youngest son had been able to talk to her oldest sister—and about things that were going on in his life when she was unable to. "What?"
Chris realized that he had substantially shocked his mother. He stopped what he was doing and walked over to her at the kitchen table. "It's ok, Mom. I'll talk to dad if that makes you happy," he kissed her forehead as he stood, "try not to think too much about the fact you'll get to see and talk to Prue someday. You don't want it to get in the way of what's going on right now. Don't let my onions burn!" he added as he left to find Leo.
Chris stepped out into the foyer and closed his eyes. He didn't sense Leo in the house, so he orbed out. He found Leo—and stepped up to him as he was looking out over San Francisco from Twin Peaks. "What are you doing up here?"
"Decided to try a new place. The other one was getting a little crowded," Leo left his eyes closed.
"And the tourists help with the meditation by?" Chris prodded.
"Going away. It's dinner time," Leo opened his eyes, "Can I help you with something?" Chris shuffled his feet and kicked around some dirt. He mumbled something Leo couldn't quite understand. "Can you repeat that? I couldn't hear you."
"Mom and Chloe have been talking to me," Chris raised his eyes to his fathers, "and they both want me to talk to you. I don't want to, but they do."
"Well, I'm glad to know you are here under coercion," Leo sat on the stone wall going around the parking lot, "have a seat." Chris studied Leo for a moment before approaching him. He stood before sitting about four feet from his dad on the wall. "If it makes you feel any better, they've both talked with me, too. As have Paige and Phoebe. And I'm sure Cole would if I would give him the opportunity."
"He doesn't know about this yet," Chris dryly replied.
"That cuts him out the loop doesn't it?" Leo tried to be funny. Chris didn't even smile. "You are really uptight, do you know that?"
"I don't have to be here, I can say I tried and failed," Chris jumped up.
"No, sorry," Leo stood up and started to put his hand on Chris's shoulder before pulling his hand back. "This is just as difficult for me as it is for you. Please, can we sit back down?" Leo pointed.
Chris joined Leo back on the wall. "Why do you hate me?" Chris rolled his eyes. "Come on, Chris, don't give me that. It is obvious to everyone that you hate me."
"Well, it's obvious to me that you hate me!"
"That is not true," Leo protested.
"Isn't it? You haven't trusted me from the first day I got here. You've petitioned to have me sent back twice. I'm here to save my family!"
"I am your family," Leo raised his voice, "I'm your father! And let's not forget that you are the one who sent me to Valhalla. And you've lied to all of us."
Chris was getting hot with fury. Leo just didn't understand. He would never understand. "You want to know the reason?" Leo nodded. "Because it has always been about Wyatt. You never cared that I was born. Never. You weren't there. Mom was alone," Chris stood up with rage, "You left and became an elder anyway—even before I came back. And when you did, you abandoned us. Mom dies, Phoebe dies, Chloe dies, and Wyatt essentially becomes the source of all evil and the world falls to hell. So, yeah, I have a little resentment for you because who's to say that if you had cared once for your family the way you say you do, that any of that would have happened?" Chris orbed out. Leo put his head in his hands and cried.
Piper pulled the beef tenderloin out of the oven and saw Chris sitting at the table when she looked up. "Honey, I didn't see you there. How did your talk with your dad go?"
"He is officially enlightened. Not that I expect that to change anything," Chris moped, "I'm going to take a quick shower."
Laughter rose from the stairs as Chloe and Cole came up. "You are quick with a blade. I'm glad I'm never going to really have to fight you," Cole patted his daughter on the shoulder, "Go take a shower. Looks like dinner is about to be served." Chloe smiled and gave Piper a small wave of acknowledgement before she, too, went to clean up.
"You two sure sounded like you have successfully bonded," Piper admired.
"I still think she is holding back," Cole stirred the vegetables, "I missed your cooking, Piper."
"Flattery will get you nowhere with me," she joked. Feeling the tension between the two of them added, "It's going to take us all a little time of adjustment here, Cole. You were trying to kill us a lot of the time we knew you before."
Cole nodded his head in solemn agreement, "True, but I would like to put that behind me. For more reason than one," his eyes went to Phoebe who came in the door with Paige.
"We're home!" Paige announced, "the club is all set up for Nelly Furtado playing tonight," she glided over to Piper, "and I've got cheesecake and strawberries," and placed the package on the table.
"I helped her after Cole had a slight panic attack in the middle of Barnes and Noble and shimmered out. Be grateful no one was paying attention to you," she scolded her ex who gave her a guilty smile. "I'm really excited to hear Nelly Furtado tonight, we should all go down there after dinner. You need to see P3, Piper. Paige has done a good job," Phoebe complimented her little sister who beamed with pride.
Piper nodded her head, "We'll do that, I'll get the elf nanny to watch Wyatt. Here, someone set the table for eight," she handed silverware to Phoebe.
"How do I look?" Chloe entered the dining room where her family was getting ready to sit to dinner.
"Whose clothes are those?" Paige laughed.
"Mine!" Chloe smiled big, "I shimmered to the mall, just for fun, and I saw mom—she bought them for me. Am I hot? Because I'm going for hot?" she showed off the hot pink halter top, black leather knee-length skirt and some sexy black strappy heels.
"Sizzling," Paige teased.
Cole looked disapprovingly at his daughter, "I think you need a sweater," and then turning to Phoebe he whispered, "you forget the chastity belt."
"Funny how easy it is to love her, isn't it?" Phoebe winked.
As Piper, Paige, Phoebe, Cole, and Chloe began to sit they suddenly heard, "GO AWAY!" erupt from upstairs as Leo fell through the ceiling and orbed before crashing into the middle of the dining room table. When he collected his orbs, Leo was standing in the kitchen doorway.
"What was that?" Piper laughed. "Misjudge your landing?"
"No," Leo drew out his word and blushed with embarrassment. "I tried to catch Chris as he got out of the shower."
Chloe started laughing, "He made you fall through the floor," she kept laughing as she sat in the chair Cole pulled out for her. "He disassociated it and you fell through. He's done that to me a couple of times," she admitted and then frowned, "I broke my arm once when he did that."
"Oh, honey," Phoebe patted her on the top of the head as she sat in the chair to Chloe's left with Cole on her right.
Chris came down the stairs hotly and into the kitchen. Piper held up her hand to the crowd indicating she would talk to him in the kitchen. Chris was spooning his caramelized onions over the top of the tenderloin. Piper watched him, "You're handy in the kitchen."
"Learned from the best," he managed a small smile.
"So, Phoebe teaches Chloe how to fight and I teach you how to cook. Talk about role reversal," Piper kidded and placed her head on her son's shoulder, "Chris, honey, you really shouldn't make your father fall through the floor. He almost landed in the middle of my meal I've cooked for everybody."
Chris shook his head, "He was trying to talk to me again. I'm not in the mood right now. I've had enough heart-to-hearts for one day."
"Well, on the plus side," Piper grabbed an onion off the top of the beef tenderloin, "these are the best onions I have ever had. And I've had a lot."
"Thanks," Chris gave his mom a genuine grin as he picked up the platter to take it to the family in the dining room.