***Y'all rock! As always, thanks for all the reviews! ~abs
Chris had been sleeping on his back when he felt the sun tickle his face. He felt like there was something heavy sitting on his chest and slowly opened his eyes to see Wyatt's smiling face, "Boo!" he clapped.
"Ah! You scared me," Chris faked propping himself up, "Does mom know you're up here?" Wyatt shook his head no, "That's not good, let's go find her," he set Wyatt on the floor before throwing his legs over the side, "Come on," he took Wyatt's little hand.
"Paige," Piper rushed into Paige's room as fast as her pregnant body would allow her, "Wake up. Wyatt's missing,"
Paige's head popped up from her pillows in shock as she pulled her blindfold off her eyes, "On it," she bolted out of bed to join Piper.
"Mom," Chris walked down the hall towards Paige's room, "Mom," he came in the room.
"Chris, I'm glad you're awake, Wyatt's" Piper paused and noticed that Wyatt was standing hand in hand with Chris, "with you, thank God," she swept Wyatt up into her arms.
"In that case, I'm going back to bed," Paige fell backwards onto her bed.
Chris took Piper's arm as they walked out of her room, "You might want to put a bell on his neck."
"That's not funny," Piper smothered Wyatt with kisses, "Where did you find him?"
"He found me. I woke up and he was sitting on my stomach," Chris yawned, "He said 'boo!'" he leaned over and tickled Wyatt who giggled and hid his head in Piper's shoulder.
"Wyatt, don't orb up to your brother without telling me first, ok? You're going to cause mommy to go into labor," she mock scolded, "I was just going to go downstairs for breakfast. Do you want to join me?" Chris stuck his head in Phoebe's door and noticed that neither she nor Cole was there; then he looked in the bathroom. "Chris? Breakfast?" Piper repeated.
"Oh yeah, sorry," he kissed his mom on the cheek, "breakfast sounds good."
"Uh-huh, orb me down?" Piper requested as Chris took her arm and orbed them to the kitchen, "You are going to smother her," she added putting Wyatt in his high chair.
Chris had his ear to the basement door, "She's down there with Phoebe and Cole?"
"Yes," Piper agreed buckling Wyatt in, "she's fine."
"Good," Chris pulled flour out of the cabinet, "pancakes?" he offered getting the sugar, milk, eggs, and cinnamon.
"Sure, if you're cooking," Piper pulled up a barstool and watched her baby begin to mix his ingredients, "Want to tell me why you're so worried about her all of a sudden? It seems to me that Chloe is a lot like her mom and is quite capable of taking care of herself."
Chris poured some flour into a bowl, then sugar, a couple of eggs, some milk—he didn't measure anything, "It's nothing big. I'm just protective of her, that's all," he beat the ingredients.
"You didn't measure anything," Piper leaned over the counter smiling and added a pinch of salt, "it will make them fluff up more."
"Right," Chris grinned, "I never measure anything."
"Have you had a lot of potions explode in your face?" she laughed.
"A few," Chris blushed as he added the cinnamon. He looked around the kitchen for a banana and grabbed it off the banana rack, "You would do the same thing if either Paige or Phoebe was nearly beaten to death. You wouldn't let them out of your sight."
"Darn shootin'," Piper hit her fist on the counter. Chris looked at her funny. "I'm trying to protect the innocent ears," Piper pointed back to Wyatt.
Chris laughed, "Good, because fighting demons, possibly being turned evil, and raising the dead, that's all perfectly normal for a kid," he poured the banana pancake batter into the skillet.
"Pecans?" Piper asked licking her lips, "I really like nuts." Chris pointed his finger at the cabinet behind him and pulled a small bag of chopped pecans to him. He tore open the bag and sprinkled some pecans into the first pancake, "Oh, scrumptious," Piper chuckled.
"You didn't have to look, Chris, I'm proud of you," Chloe was standing in the door of the basement wiping her brow, "Keep that up and maybe you'll finally be able to beat me at blind telekinetic darts."
"You play blind telekinetic darts?" Piper's jaw dropped, "And I'm assuming at P3?"
"He, he, sorry I gave you away," Chloe winked sitting on the stool next to Piper, "Can I have a pancake?"
"Gave 'you' away? You mean gave 'us' away," Chris corrected flipping a pancake onto Piper's and Chloe's plates.
"Just don't take anybody's eye out, ok? I know Leo can heal, but I don't know if he can remake eyeballs," Piper stabbed her pancake.
"That's a lovely breakfast conversation," Phoebe emerged from the basement, Cole's hand on her waist.
*Oh my, scandalous,* Chloe thought smothering her pancake with syrup before putting a bite in her mouth.
Chris had his eyes fixed on the griddle when he laughed, "You're the one who read him the other day."
Chloe dropped her fork on her plate and looked down at her right hand. She noticed that the ring that was now on her finger was her ring and not her father's, "I didn't say that out loud, Chris."
"Uh-oh," he flipped the pancake and ducked.
Chloe drew pictures in her syrup, "I'm not going to blow you up. I'm going to get you when you least expect it," she snickered, "Bu-ha-ha-ha."
"Ok, then," Cole pulled on his shirt, "Who's ready to kill Gideon? I'm ready for a fight," he grinned evilly.
Leo came down the stairs in his pajamas that had been stored under Piper's bed, a fact that did not go unnoticed to Phoebe who cocked a suspicious eyebrow to Piper, "Morning," he yawned, "Chris making pancakes?"
"Leo, we're going to kill Gideon today," Cole smiled.
"What?" Leo turned shocked.
"Cole," Phoebe punched his arm.
"Not today," Leo picked up a plate, "we need a plan. He's obviously onto us or he wouldn't have attempted to win back our trust with the whole Batterak situation."
Leo and Chris both looked at Chloe, "What? Do I have something on my face?" she wiped at her mouth.
"No, you're fine?" Chris posed.
"You said that like a question. So, am I good or not? Mom?"
"You're fine, sweetie. No syrup," Phoebe grinned.
"Why were you looking at me funny?" Chloe put another bite of pancake in her mouth as Chris handed Leo and Cole a plate.
Leo and Chris exchanged an uncomfortable glance before Chris answered, "Well, you know... you've just always had such a great animosity for Batterak. I wanted to see how you would respond."
Chloe wrinkled her brow at Chris, "I'm glad he's dead, yay!" she threw up one hand in celebration, "is that what you wanted me to do?"
"Sure is," Chris put his own pancake on his plate, "Scoot over, we'll share a stool."
"You can have it," Chloe pushed Chris the stool and levitated in front of her plate, "I can manage."
"I've got it!" Paige announced bouncing into the kitchen with her family, "I've got it, got it, got it!" she repeated.
"What did you get?" Phoebe celebrated with Paige. Wyatt sat in his high chair clapping.
"How we're going to kill Gideon. We're going to get a darklighter's bow," Paige nodded delightedly.
Piper pushed herself up from her chair, "Oh, no, I don't think so," she waved her hand, "We have, one, two, three, four, and a mini one right here" she counted pointing to her stomach, "whitelighters and half- whitelighters in this room. There is no way I'm letting a darklighter's bow in this house."
"Piper," Paige walked up to her trying to comfort her sister, "I know the risks. But there's no other way to kill an elder."
"Unfortunately, she's right," Leo confirmed.
"That's also the way you would kill my husband, two sons, and sister!" Piper was defiant, "Phoebe, Chloe, help me out here."
"Uh," Chloe stalled looking to Phoebe for help, "I... I need to go shower," she shimmered out.
"Coward!" Piper yelled accusatorily.
"Only when it comes to you!" Chloe defensively yelled back from upstairs.
"Pheebs?" Piper looked back to her.
Phoebe fumbled over her words, "If I could shimmer out like my daughter I would have followed her," she responded meekly, "but Piper, Paige is right. There is no other way to kill an elder. We know that."
"Don't you think that I would be careful?" Paige pulled a plate from the cupboard, "I'm one of those half-whitelighters. I don't want to die!" she added flipping a couple of pancakes onto her plate.
"And they don't have to touch the bow or the poison. I could track down the darklighters and get what we need. What if we only got the poison? Made a vanquishing potion with it?" Cole offered his assistance
"There 'ya go," Paige waved her hand to Cole, "Good idea."
"Thanks," he mumbled—still a little uncomfortable around Paige.
"That's possible," Piper acquiesced, "Work on it. And I'll work on a way to keep this family of whitelighters safe," she stood up to take her plate to the sink. Leo quickly stood up and took it from her, "Thanks honey. Sucking up?"
"A little," Leo smiled walking to the sink.
"I think you should let someone else work on the way to protect us, Mom," Chris helped her walk towards the foyer, "You need to rest. I'm not ready to be born yet."
"I can do it, Piper," Phoebe offered, "Not a problem. You stay off your feet."
"Ok, Miss Thing upstairs. You're safe to rejoin the family in the kitchen and finish your breakfast," Piper called, "Besides, I want to take a bath first."
Chloe inched tentatively back down the stairs, "It's yours," she smiled warily, "You're not going to try to blow me up?"
"I'm not going to try to blow you up," Piper assured her.
"Excellent," Chloe ran back down the stairs, "Excuse me," and into the kitchen.
"You go finish your breakfast, too," Piper patted Chris's arm, "You slaved over it, and you should enjoy it. Phoebe'll get me upstairs." Chris nodded handing his mom's arm to Phoebe.
Chloe grabbed her plate off the counter and another pancake before sitting next to her father at the table, "So, what did we decide while I was upstairs?" Everyone looked at her funny, "Ok, what did you decide while I was upstairs?"
"Hiding," Chris also grabbed another pancake and took his seat back on the stool.
Chloe wrinkled her nose, "Piper scares me sometimes. I'm not ashamed. But seriously, what's going on?"
"I am going to coerce my way into a darklighters lair where I will then take some of the poison to bring back here—no arrows. And someone is going to make a potion out of it," Cole informed his progeny.
"And Phoebe's going to figure out someway to keep us safe," Chris indicated Leo, Paige, Wyatt and himself as he swallowed his bite, "Caught up?"
"I think so," Chloe then turned to Cole, "Can I come with?"
"No!" Chris practically choked.
Cole looked over at Chris shocked, "Why not?"
"After all you've been through," he addressed Chloe, "after all she's been through," and Cole, "You're willing to put her at risk again by taking her back to the underworld?"
"Chris, calm down," Leo cautioned, "As much as I hate to admit it, I trust Cole with his own daughter."
Cole looked crossly at Leo, "Thanks, Leo... I think."
"Anyway," Paige interjected, "Chloe doesn't have whitelighter blood. The darklighter can't hurt her."
"Chris, what is your deal?" Chloe looked at him bewildered. She then got up and took her plate with her to the sink, "I'm going to go talk to my mom while I wait on Piper to get out of the bath. Leo, do you want me to take Wyatt upstairs?" she offered. Leo took Wyatt out of his high chair and handed him to Chloe, "Come on, little dude, you and I are going to where the fun is," she shoot Chris a look that could kill as she left the room.
"Women," Chris slammed his plate down on the counter and stormed towards the conservatory and parlor.
"I got him," Leo told Paige.
Cole leaned over the table and grabbed what was left of Leo's pancakes off his plate, "I don't think he'll be needing these. And if he does, he can eat Chris's," he cut one and stuffed it in his mouth. Paige just shook her head disapprovingly.
"Dad, you can't be serious about that!" Chris stormed to the sofa.
"I am," Leo sat next to him, "Cole is not going to let anything happen to Chloe."
"How do you know that?" Chris shot back.
Leo looked him straight in the eyes, "Because he's her father. And fathers do whatever is necessary to protect their children."
Chris was shocked to momentarily silence by Leo's response, "I guess the spell worked. I'm afraid to ask her about it, just in case it did. I don't want to remind her. Plus side, she doesn't seem to be in pain anymore," he finally mumbled.
"No backfires?" Leo asked.
"Nothing yet," Chris turned to look at Leo, "Fathers do anything to protect their kids?" he asked.
"Anything," Leo put his hand on Chris's shoulder.
Chris had been sleeping on his back when he felt the sun tickle his face. He felt like there was something heavy sitting on his chest and slowly opened his eyes to see Wyatt's smiling face, "Boo!" he clapped.
"Ah! You scared me," Chris faked propping himself up, "Does mom know you're up here?" Wyatt shook his head no, "That's not good, let's go find her," he set Wyatt on the floor before throwing his legs over the side, "Come on," he took Wyatt's little hand.
"Paige," Piper rushed into Paige's room as fast as her pregnant body would allow her, "Wake up. Wyatt's missing,"
Paige's head popped up from her pillows in shock as she pulled her blindfold off her eyes, "On it," she bolted out of bed to join Piper.
"Mom," Chris walked down the hall towards Paige's room, "Mom," he came in the room.
"Chris, I'm glad you're awake, Wyatt's" Piper paused and noticed that Wyatt was standing hand in hand with Chris, "with you, thank God," she swept Wyatt up into her arms.
"In that case, I'm going back to bed," Paige fell backwards onto her bed.
Chris took Piper's arm as they walked out of her room, "You might want to put a bell on his neck."
"That's not funny," Piper smothered Wyatt with kisses, "Where did you find him?"
"He found me. I woke up and he was sitting on my stomach," Chris yawned, "He said 'boo!'" he leaned over and tickled Wyatt who giggled and hid his head in Piper's shoulder.
"Wyatt, don't orb up to your brother without telling me first, ok? You're going to cause mommy to go into labor," she mock scolded, "I was just going to go downstairs for breakfast. Do you want to join me?" Chris stuck his head in Phoebe's door and noticed that neither she nor Cole was there; then he looked in the bathroom. "Chris? Breakfast?" Piper repeated.
"Oh yeah, sorry," he kissed his mom on the cheek, "breakfast sounds good."
"Uh-huh, orb me down?" Piper requested as Chris took her arm and orbed them to the kitchen, "You are going to smother her," she added putting Wyatt in his high chair.
Chris had his ear to the basement door, "She's down there with Phoebe and Cole?"
"Yes," Piper agreed buckling Wyatt in, "she's fine."
"Good," Chris pulled flour out of the cabinet, "pancakes?" he offered getting the sugar, milk, eggs, and cinnamon.
"Sure, if you're cooking," Piper pulled up a barstool and watched her baby begin to mix his ingredients, "Want to tell me why you're so worried about her all of a sudden? It seems to me that Chloe is a lot like her mom and is quite capable of taking care of herself."
Chris poured some flour into a bowl, then sugar, a couple of eggs, some milk—he didn't measure anything, "It's nothing big. I'm just protective of her, that's all," he beat the ingredients.
"You didn't measure anything," Piper leaned over the counter smiling and added a pinch of salt, "it will make them fluff up more."
"Right," Chris grinned, "I never measure anything."
"Have you had a lot of potions explode in your face?" she laughed.
"A few," Chris blushed as he added the cinnamon. He looked around the kitchen for a banana and grabbed it off the banana rack, "You would do the same thing if either Paige or Phoebe was nearly beaten to death. You wouldn't let them out of your sight."
"Darn shootin'," Piper hit her fist on the counter. Chris looked at her funny. "I'm trying to protect the innocent ears," Piper pointed back to Wyatt.
Chris laughed, "Good, because fighting demons, possibly being turned evil, and raising the dead, that's all perfectly normal for a kid," he poured the banana pancake batter into the skillet.
"Pecans?" Piper asked licking her lips, "I really like nuts." Chris pointed his finger at the cabinet behind him and pulled a small bag of chopped pecans to him. He tore open the bag and sprinkled some pecans into the first pancake, "Oh, scrumptious," Piper chuckled.
"You didn't have to look, Chris, I'm proud of you," Chloe was standing in the door of the basement wiping her brow, "Keep that up and maybe you'll finally be able to beat me at blind telekinetic darts."
"You play blind telekinetic darts?" Piper's jaw dropped, "And I'm assuming at P3?"
"He, he, sorry I gave you away," Chloe winked sitting on the stool next to Piper, "Can I have a pancake?"
"Gave 'you' away? You mean gave 'us' away," Chris corrected flipping a pancake onto Piper's and Chloe's plates.
"Just don't take anybody's eye out, ok? I know Leo can heal, but I don't know if he can remake eyeballs," Piper stabbed her pancake.
"That's a lovely breakfast conversation," Phoebe emerged from the basement, Cole's hand on her waist.
*Oh my, scandalous,* Chloe thought smothering her pancake with syrup before putting a bite in her mouth.
Chris had his eyes fixed on the griddle when he laughed, "You're the one who read him the other day."
Chloe dropped her fork on her plate and looked down at her right hand. She noticed that the ring that was now on her finger was her ring and not her father's, "I didn't say that out loud, Chris."
"Uh-oh," he flipped the pancake and ducked.
Chloe drew pictures in her syrup, "I'm not going to blow you up. I'm going to get you when you least expect it," she snickered, "Bu-ha-ha-ha."
"Ok, then," Cole pulled on his shirt, "Who's ready to kill Gideon? I'm ready for a fight," he grinned evilly.
Leo came down the stairs in his pajamas that had been stored under Piper's bed, a fact that did not go unnoticed to Phoebe who cocked a suspicious eyebrow to Piper, "Morning," he yawned, "Chris making pancakes?"
"Leo, we're going to kill Gideon today," Cole smiled.
"What?" Leo turned shocked.
"Cole," Phoebe punched his arm.
"Not today," Leo picked up a plate, "we need a plan. He's obviously onto us or he wouldn't have attempted to win back our trust with the whole Batterak situation."
Leo and Chris both looked at Chloe, "What? Do I have something on my face?" she wiped at her mouth.
"No, you're fine?" Chris posed.
"You said that like a question. So, am I good or not? Mom?"
"You're fine, sweetie. No syrup," Phoebe grinned.
"Why were you looking at me funny?" Chloe put another bite of pancake in her mouth as Chris handed Leo and Cole a plate.
Leo and Chris exchanged an uncomfortable glance before Chris answered, "Well, you know... you've just always had such a great animosity for Batterak. I wanted to see how you would respond."
Chloe wrinkled her brow at Chris, "I'm glad he's dead, yay!" she threw up one hand in celebration, "is that what you wanted me to do?"
"Sure is," Chris put his own pancake on his plate, "Scoot over, we'll share a stool."
"You can have it," Chloe pushed Chris the stool and levitated in front of her plate, "I can manage."
"I've got it!" Paige announced bouncing into the kitchen with her family, "I've got it, got it, got it!" she repeated.
"What did you get?" Phoebe celebrated with Paige. Wyatt sat in his high chair clapping.
"How we're going to kill Gideon. We're going to get a darklighter's bow," Paige nodded delightedly.
Piper pushed herself up from her chair, "Oh, no, I don't think so," she waved her hand, "We have, one, two, three, four, and a mini one right here" she counted pointing to her stomach, "whitelighters and half- whitelighters in this room. There is no way I'm letting a darklighter's bow in this house."
"Piper," Paige walked up to her trying to comfort her sister, "I know the risks. But there's no other way to kill an elder."
"Unfortunately, she's right," Leo confirmed.
"That's also the way you would kill my husband, two sons, and sister!" Piper was defiant, "Phoebe, Chloe, help me out here."
"Uh," Chloe stalled looking to Phoebe for help, "I... I need to go shower," she shimmered out.
"Coward!" Piper yelled accusatorily.
"Only when it comes to you!" Chloe defensively yelled back from upstairs.
"Pheebs?" Piper looked back to her.
Phoebe fumbled over her words, "If I could shimmer out like my daughter I would have followed her," she responded meekly, "but Piper, Paige is right. There is no other way to kill an elder. We know that."
"Don't you think that I would be careful?" Paige pulled a plate from the cupboard, "I'm one of those half-whitelighters. I don't want to die!" she added flipping a couple of pancakes onto her plate.
"And they don't have to touch the bow or the poison. I could track down the darklighters and get what we need. What if we only got the poison? Made a vanquishing potion with it?" Cole offered his assistance
"There 'ya go," Paige waved her hand to Cole, "Good idea."
"Thanks," he mumbled—still a little uncomfortable around Paige.
"That's possible," Piper acquiesced, "Work on it. And I'll work on a way to keep this family of whitelighters safe," she stood up to take her plate to the sink. Leo quickly stood up and took it from her, "Thanks honey. Sucking up?"
"A little," Leo smiled walking to the sink.
"I think you should let someone else work on the way to protect us, Mom," Chris helped her walk towards the foyer, "You need to rest. I'm not ready to be born yet."
"I can do it, Piper," Phoebe offered, "Not a problem. You stay off your feet."
"Ok, Miss Thing upstairs. You're safe to rejoin the family in the kitchen and finish your breakfast," Piper called, "Besides, I want to take a bath first."
Chloe inched tentatively back down the stairs, "It's yours," she smiled warily, "You're not going to try to blow me up?"
"I'm not going to try to blow you up," Piper assured her.
"Excellent," Chloe ran back down the stairs, "Excuse me," and into the kitchen.
"You go finish your breakfast, too," Piper patted Chris's arm, "You slaved over it, and you should enjoy it. Phoebe'll get me upstairs." Chris nodded handing his mom's arm to Phoebe.
Chloe grabbed her plate off the counter and another pancake before sitting next to her father at the table, "So, what did we decide while I was upstairs?" Everyone looked at her funny, "Ok, what did you decide while I was upstairs?"
"Hiding," Chris also grabbed another pancake and took his seat back on the stool.
Chloe wrinkled her nose, "Piper scares me sometimes. I'm not ashamed. But seriously, what's going on?"
"I am going to coerce my way into a darklighters lair where I will then take some of the poison to bring back here—no arrows. And someone is going to make a potion out of it," Cole informed his progeny.
"And Phoebe's going to figure out someway to keep us safe," Chris indicated Leo, Paige, Wyatt and himself as he swallowed his bite, "Caught up?"
"I think so," Chloe then turned to Cole, "Can I come with?"
"No!" Chris practically choked.
Cole looked over at Chris shocked, "Why not?"
"After all you've been through," he addressed Chloe, "after all she's been through," and Cole, "You're willing to put her at risk again by taking her back to the underworld?"
"Chris, calm down," Leo cautioned, "As much as I hate to admit it, I trust Cole with his own daughter."
Cole looked crossly at Leo, "Thanks, Leo... I think."
"Anyway," Paige interjected, "Chloe doesn't have whitelighter blood. The darklighter can't hurt her."
"Chris, what is your deal?" Chloe looked at him bewildered. She then got up and took her plate with her to the sink, "I'm going to go talk to my mom while I wait on Piper to get out of the bath. Leo, do you want me to take Wyatt upstairs?" she offered. Leo took Wyatt out of his high chair and handed him to Chloe, "Come on, little dude, you and I are going to where the fun is," she shoot Chris a look that could kill as she left the room.
"Women," Chris slammed his plate down on the counter and stormed towards the conservatory and parlor.
"I got him," Leo told Paige.
Cole leaned over the table and grabbed what was left of Leo's pancakes off his plate, "I don't think he'll be needing these. And if he does, he can eat Chris's," he cut one and stuffed it in his mouth. Paige just shook her head disapprovingly.
"Dad, you can't be serious about that!" Chris stormed to the sofa.
"I am," Leo sat next to him, "Cole is not going to let anything happen to Chloe."
"How do you know that?" Chris shot back.
Leo looked him straight in the eyes, "Because he's her father. And fathers do whatever is necessary to protect their children."
Chris was shocked to momentarily silence by Leo's response, "I guess the spell worked. I'm afraid to ask her about it, just in case it did. I don't want to remind her. Plus side, she doesn't seem to be in pain anymore," he finally mumbled.
"No backfires?" Leo asked.
"Nothing yet," Chris turned to look at Leo, "Fathers do anything to protect their kids?" he asked.
"Anything," Leo put his hand on Chris's shoulder.