A/N: Wow! Thank you to all who took the time and effort to review chapter 8. I'll respond to them in the next chapter, I promise. I was so encouraged, I wrote an extra long chapter for you! Please don't read this story if you don't want to be spoiled for season 7. I keep trying to work some of the spoilers in, to break up the story just a bit. And so I can fool myself that my story really is season 7.
Chapter 9
"So is it safe to be here?" Paige asked, as she walked into the attic, her eyes alight with mischief as she scanned the room for her nephew.
"I don't know what you mean," Chris shot her a withering glance, from his position at the Book of Shadows. He was still flipping through it; this time he searching for a spell to send him back to his own timeline.
"I guess Phoebe and I must have imagined those fireworks, eh? Come on, Chris, talk to me. What were you guys arguing about?" Paige wheedled, as she gently 'shoved' Chris out of the way, so she could conduct her own research on making Chris, as he so adeptly put it, 'a real boy.' Being a ghost meant that 'shoving' was more of her stepping into his personal space.
"Hey! I was looking for a spell to take me back!" Chris protested, as the little research he had complied was quickly ripped away, as Paige started with a fresh piece of paper from the writing pad.
"First things first. First, we anchor you to this plane. Then we'll work on sending you back, okay?" Paige replied, absently, as her fingers skimmed the pages, her attention focused on the Book.
Muttering under his breath about lack of respect, Chris paced in front of Paige, his entire demeanor tense.
"Okay, you pacing is NOT helping," Paige pointed out, exasperated with her nephew. "Look, I know you can't tell me about the future, but why don't you tell me what you can about Leslie and how you know him? And what you guys were arguing about."
"You know I can't tell you anything, Paige," Chris sniffed, loftily, "Future consequences..."
Paige rolled her eyes. "That is getting really old, you know, mister."
Chris shrugged, undisturbed. "Hey, I don't make the rules, you know."
"Oh please. Isn't that like calling the kettle black?" Giving up on the Book of Shadows for now, Paige narrowed her eyes at her nephew, as she began ticking off her fingers, "Let's see...how many ways have you've broken the rules so far...one, you came back from the future. Two, you told everyone you were from the future. Three, you changed the future. Four..."
"Okay, okay!" Chris protested. "No need to point out all my mistakes, thank you very much. Inferiority complex, remember?"
"More like neurotic," Paige smiled, fondly, her tone making it obvious that she was joking. Paige wrote down some notes on her pad of paper as she continued to flip through the Book. "Anyways, why are you in such a hurry to get back? We were just starting to get to know you. Maybe you could hang out for a little bit longer, before heading back. Aren't you going to miss us?"
His back to Paige, Chris closed his eyes, drinking in the air around him. He wanted to stay. He wanted to stay so much it hurt. Here, his mom was still alive. His brother was a cute little toddler, and the city was still intact. It was one of the reasons why he had been pushing to get back to the future as soon as he could. Because he knew, if he didn't, he'd be seduced into staying here, where everything he ever wanted still existed.
Chris snorted, and covered his despondence, "Of course I'll miss you. That's not the point."
Catching the note of despondency in Chris' voice, Paige pressed, "Hey, you can talk to me, you know. Do you really want to go? I mean, would it make a difference if you stayed here, just for a little while? After all, we'd be sending you back to a new and glorious future, right? It's not like anyone will know if you hanged out here for a bit longer."
Chris sighed. He hadn't been really happy being the leader of the Resistance. The responsibilities that came with the role were a heavy burden to bear. He just hadn't realized how much he sometimes resented it, until he had come back to the past. When he had first arrived, his mission still fresh in his mind, he had lectured the sisters on putting their wiccan duties before their personal lives. But the longer he had remained in the past, the easier it seemed to let things go. The feeling of freedom was addictive, rushing through his blood and straight to his head. Here, he was responsible for just three sisters and a baby. The fate of thousands didn't rest on his shoulders. Tallying losses after battles were a thing of the past; comforting those who had lost loved ones no longer a daily occurrence. He was free. Free from sending people to their deaths, every day. Free to enjoy life, a life he never had.
"I...being here, getting to know you, mom – it's been amazing," Chris indulged his fantasy for one moment. "But it would make a difference. I have...responsibilities." Adroitly, he decided that a change in subject was needed, "Have you found that spell to make me real yet?"
Paige raised her eyebrow, ignored Chris' attempt to change the subject and waited patiently.
"Leslie told me that the future hasn't changed. I have to go back, okay? They need me." Sighing, Chris ran his hand through his hair, and pushed his conflicting emotions aside. "I...I don't want to talk about it, okay? I...I just...I can't talk about it, Paige. I'm sorry."
Slightly shocked at Chris' revelation of the future, Paige froze for a moment, before she jolted herself out of her trance. Her first priority had to be her nephew. Time for speculation could come later. Reaching out to her nephew, she placed a comforting hand on his arm, "Hey...Don't be sorry. Don't ever be sorry, okay?"
"I don't understand. What do you mean, the future needs that leader? What is Chris a leader of? Why does the future need him?" Piper questioned, her confusion clearly written on her face.
"You know I can't answer that," Leslie sighed. "I've already said too much as it is."
"Oh no!" Phoebe pointed her finger accusingly at Leslie. "You insisted on bringing this up. If you didn't want to talk about it, then you shouldn't have said anything. I am sick and tired of all this future consequences crap! How are we suppose to change things for the better, if we don't know what to change?"
Leslie cringed at the harsh words, "I don't know. It's just...everyone knows you're not suppose to talk about the future."
"And just who is everyone?" Phoebe's eyebrow arched sardonically. "Ah – ha! You don't even know! I bet everyone's just been following that stupid rule for so long, that you don't even remember why anymore! It's just instinct! For all you know, you're suppose to tell us everything."
Nodding at Phoebe's logic, Piper commented to Leo, "She's got a point, you know."
"Besides, we saved Wyatt. I got to him before Gideon did. So everything you're saying, must be moot," Leo argued, his eyes focused on Leslie.
"I left one month after Chris came here," Leslie's voice was soft, "I waited one whole damn month. Nothing changed." He glanced up from the table, and looked into Leo's eyes. "Nothing changed."
"That's...that's not possible," Piper stuttered. "Leo, tell him that it isn't possible. You saved Wyatt. He's not evil. He's not!"
"I'm sorry, Piper," Leslie whispered. "I'm so sorry."
Horrified, they could only stare at Leslie in stunned silence. "Are you – are you saying that Wyatt is still evil? That the future didn't change?" Phoebe gasped in disbelief.
Leslie nodded. "And that's why Chris can't stay here, he has to come back to the future. We need him."
"What you're saying...if what you're saying is true, then there is no way in hell that I'm sending my baby boy back to that hell hole you call a future," Piper glared at Leslie. "You want to help? Then you tell me how to change things here."
"Les, I love my son. Both of them. Please. Help me save them, both." Leo appealed. "There's so much Chris won't tell us. But I just want to protect them. I need to. Please, Les, I'm begging you."
Leslie closed his eyes, fighting the conflict within. Every gut instinct in him screamed to tell them about Chris and Wyatt. To do anything to prevent the future that he had just come from. Surely nothing could be worse than the future where he had come from, right? He opened his eyes, seeing the desperation in all their faces, and remembering all his friends who were counting on him, "I...I can't. I'm sorry. It's the first thing that's drilled in your head before you time travel. I want to tell you. Really I do. But it could screw up the future in even worst ways. There are reasons for those rules. There has to be."
Defeated, Leo slumped in his chair. How could he protect his sons from the unknown? How could he save his sons? How could he prevent this horrible future that seemed destined to be, no matter what he did?
Piper, on the other hand, was having none of it.
Her eyes blazing, she spat "Are you kidding me? If the future is anything what we just saw in Chris' head, how could it possibly get any worse? Don't fool yourself! It's not that you can't tell us about the future, it's that you won't! How the hell are we suppose to change the future if people like you won't tell us what to change!?!"
It didn't take Phoebe her empathic powers to realize that Piper was pissed. Royally so. Trying to diffuse the situation, she offered up a compromise. "Les – Piper's right. We've already seen the future, in Chris' mind. We already know that San Francisco is basically destroyed. Look, we already know what's going to happen if we don't change things. Help us save the future. Tell us what we can change, how to help our nephews."
"Is that what you saw in Chris' head? The future?" Leslie questioned, his eyes darting between Piper and Phoebe.
Phoebe nodded. "I have to say, it wasn't a pretty picture."
Letting out a slow breath, Leslie recalled the time from which he just jumped, "No. No, it's not. I told you before, the future, it's different...from now. I don't know what you can change. Chris was the only one who ever knew, that's why he came back. But it didn't work. We've got to cut our losses. Every minute he spends here, pushes us closer to the edge."
Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Leslie considered his words carefully. He didn't want to give away too much information, just in case it did screw up the future, but he wanted to tell them enough to realize how important it was to get Chris back to his own time. "The war between good and evil never ends, you know that. But...it seems like evil is starting to gain the upper hand. We've been waging the battle for close to five years, and it's...it's been hard. The final confrontation is coming, and...we need to have hope. We need hope that we'll win. We need to hope that good will conquer over evil."
"We need Chris."
Chris rummaged through the shelves in the attic, not knowing what he was looking for, but if he didn't do something, he was going to go crazy. It had been silent for the last twenty minutes, save the rustling of the pages each time Paige flipped through the Book.
"Did you really mean it?" Paige asked, softly.
Confused, since Paige's question seemed to come from nowhere, Chris tried to recall their last conversation. He retraced their conversation in his brain, but when he still didn't know what she meant, he questioned, "Mean what?"
Her eyes downcast, "That there is 'no fate'."
Taken aback, Chris was dumbfounded. He opened his mouth, but no sound emerged. Paige, questioning fate? Of the three sisters, Chris knew that Paige embraced her wiccan side the most whole heartedly. He had observed her here, in the past, when she had undertaken numerous temp jobs in her determination to find her 'magical destiny.' Frankly, of all the sisters, Paige was the last one he ever expected to ask him that question. Playing for time, Chris asked instead, "How do you know about that?"
"What? How you believe that there is no fate?" At Chris' nod, Paige continued, "I saw the letter you wrote to Leo, that you gave to Clarence. You said you believed that we could change our destinies, that we didn't all have predetermined fates. Do you really believe that?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Chris, just give me a straight answer for once!" Furious, Paige glared at her nephew. Carefully, she enunciated each word, "Do – you – believe – in – fate?"
"I'm not trying to avoid answering you! I just...I just need to know what brought this on," Chris rubbed his chin wearily.
"The Elders asked me to take over running Magic School." As Chris' eyes widened at the news, Paige sighed. "But I'm not sure I'm the right person. Ever since you...you know, died, I've been struggling with myself. Everyone keeps telling me that there was 'a reason' for what happened to you. That I should believe in our magical destinies. And all I can think is 'what a bunch of crap.' How can I teach kids about magic and destiny when I'm not sure I even believe in it myself, anymore?"
"Paige. I...I don't know what to say," Chris closed his eyes, searching his heart to find the right words to explain himself. "Maybe I should have written that letter a bit better. Those words, they hold a special meaning to me...I borrowed them from this movie I once saw when I was a kid. But there's more to it than just 'no fate'."
"I don't understand."
"Obviously we don't share the same taste in movies," Chris smiled as Paige snorted. "It's not that I don't believe that fate or destiny doesn't exist. Rather, I like to think that there is no fate, no fate, but what we make. The future isn't set in stone; we can be master of our own destinies. When mom first visited the future, the Elders showed her a future with a daughter. Well, as far as I know, mom's only had Wyatt and me. When aunt Phoebe told me that story, I knew, I knew I was right. We can change things. Maybe better, maybe for worse." Chris shrugged. "But the important thing to remember is that we can change the future."
"It's just...I feel...lost, you know?" Paige tried to explain her feelings. "If the future isn't set, if fate doesn't control our destinies, why do we bother?"
"Because that's life." Chris' smile was crooked. "If fate controlled our destinies, if everything was predetermined, where would be our right to choose? To make mistakes? To live our lives?"
As his words sank in, Paige shook her head, half in amazement, and half in disbelief, "How'd you get so smart?"
Chris smirked, "What can I say?"
"Obviously, modesty is not one of your virtues." Narrowing her eyes at him, Paige teased him back. "Didn't anyone every tell you that pontificating is a rather annoying trait?"
Chris' smile faded. "Seriously, Paige. I really do believe that it's our responsibility to grab our destinies with both hands and bend it to our will. We're like cogs, in a wheel, on which the future turns. When you think about it, it's an awesome responsibility; just think, the choices you make, the decisions you decide, could influence the outcome of the universe." Chris paused, letting his words sink in. "And that's why I think it's great that you are going to teach at Magic School. The next generation needs to know that there's a world out there that they're going to be responsible for. You can give them guidance, nurture their talents and teach them about that responsibility. And maybe you can help make the future be better because of it."
"You know, I think you're right," Paige nodded slowly, consciously deciding to mull Chris' words over at another time. "Maybe...maybe this can be a good thing. A great thing." Rolling her eyes at Chris' knowing grin, she pushed her worries to the back of her mind to concentrate on finding a way to save her nephew, and once again flipped open the Book of Shadows. "Okay, right now, let's focus on helping you. Stupid book. There isn't anything in here about making you corporeal or sending you back."
"Well, maybe we need to try something different," Chris began to pace again, acknowledging Paige's need to change gears. "What about a potion? Wait a minute! What about Gideon's potion?"
"Huh? What about it?" Paige stared at Chris blankly.
"Before...before I was stabbed...Dad and I were in the attic, and he said that Gideon didn't want us to use the potion to get back, which was why we used the power of three spell. Dad thinks that means the potion must work!" Chris stopped his pacing to stare back at Paige. "Why didn't I remember that before?"
"Well, maybe you were distracted by, you know, the whole dying thingy and getting sent to Hell?" Paige cracked.
Rolling his eyes, Chris focused on the issue. "So do you still have those potions? If you do, they should still work."
"Yeah, I think we do. In fact, I think we left them at Magic School!" Paige recalled, as that had been the last place they had been when they had tried to send Chris back to his time.
"Well don't just stand there!" Chris ordered, "Go back to the School and find those potions! At least that solves one of our problems."
"Look, you're one of my favourite nephews and all, but you have got to relax!" Paige replied. Ignoring the withering look Chris gave her, she sighed, as she orbed out of the attic, "And you – you keep looking in the Book for a way to make yourself corporeal!"
Piper shook her head slowly. "I still don't understand why it's so important that Chris goes back to the future right now. Wouldn't it make more sense to figure out what to fix here first, before we even attempt to send him back?"
"I know you don't want to hear this. Chris certainly didn't. But he tried. Don't you get it? He came back to change things, but nothing changed. Maybe, maybe nothing is supposed to change. I don't know." Leslie ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "But we tried it his way. And it didn't work. I'm sorry, but he's got responsibilities. He has people counting on him. He's given you plenty of information to protect Wyatt; now it's time for him to come home and fulfill his duties. I get that Wyatt's your first priority here, but mine is protecting my friends and family back home. It's up to you to save Wyatt."
Phoebe gently touched Leslie's shoulder, offering him what comfort she could. The anguish in his tone was clearly discernible.
Stubborn as a mule, Piper put her foot down. "I still think we wait. We fix things here, then we can send him back. So he can go back to the happy and peaceful future he deserves."
"Are you even listening to me?" Leslie shook his head in frustration. "I know him, Piper. This is killing him slowly, inside. Being here, with all of you. Happier times. Who wouldn't want to stay? God! I want to stay! And that's why we need to leave here, right now! Before both of us decide to stay here."
"Whoa!" Phoebe held up her hands in protest, as Leslie's emotions flared up again and her empathic powers picked up on the leak. "I think we may be confusing desires here. Are you in such a hurry to get Chris home because you feel guilty for being here?" Phoebe shook her head in confusion, trying to interpret the emotional thread.
Leslie clamped down on his shields, effectively sealing off the leak before Phoebe could read him even more. "That would be selfish. And I know Chris. He won't stay here, when he knows he's needed at home. But every day you force him to stay here, a piece of him is going to think about everyone he's left behind. All the deaths he could have prevented. All the people he's letting down the longer he stays here. And that piece of him is going to die just a little bit more each day."
"Do you honestly think that Chris can't change things here? That the only option is for us is to do our best to protect Wyatt and for Chris to go back to the future?" Leo asked Leslie, searching for the truth.
"All I can tell you is that we've tried it Chris' way. Now it's time for him to try it our way. Darryl and I were always against this plan of Chris' to come here, to this time. There was no guarantee that it would work, but we couldn't stop him. But I understood he had to try...hell, I wanted him to be right, so badly, more for his sake than our own. But he wasn't. And I have to think about everyone at home, and that means I need to get Chris to go home."
Leslie pushed himself away from the table, standing up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a leader I need to bring back."
And he left the room.
"Ouch!" Paige exclaimed, as she bumped into another box. Absently, she patted her pocket to make sure that the vials with the important time travel potions were still intact. "Okay, how long does it take to unpack all this stuff?", she said to no one in particular, as she maneuvered her way across the room.
"Depends. If we actually want to be able to find stuff later, then a long time."
Paige turned her head to see a young man approach her, in a set of teacher's robes from Magic School. He looked to be about the same age as her nephew, that is, the adult one, anyways. "Hi, I'm Paige. Have we met?"
Shaking her hand, the young man shook his head. "Nope. I'm Ben. Pleased to meet you. I'm a grad student here at Magic School. Can I just say how much I admire you for sticking up to the Elders and keeping the School open?" He smiled at her, his blue eyes twinkling. "I definitely agree that we need to keep this place open for the next generation."
Paige smiled back, noticing that he had a nice smile. "Your welcome. So, ahhh, how long till this place is back in swing?" She looked around the room, noticing the numerous teenagers running wild. Some were helping to put stuff back, but a lot were just lounging around.
"Well," Ben scratched his head thoughtfully, "Mrs. Winterbourne thinks another week or so. We're almost done cleaning up, and then we'll be ready for classes. That is, of course, if you think so."
"Well, of course I think so," Paige chattered nervously. She grimaced as she felt a spit ball hit her in the back of her head. Turning around, she glared at the kids, "Okay, that was disgusting. You," Paige pointed at one of the kids who was staring at her rebelliously, "unpack that box."
"Whatever," the teenager grumbled, his eyes backing down from the fire in Paige's. Grabbing the nearest box, the kid began to haphazardly toss the books from the box onto the nearest tables.
Turning back to Ben, Paige smiled pleasantly, "I'm sorry. What were we just talking about?"
Ben grinned. "You'll have to forgive Duncan. That kid's got enough energy to light up a city."
"You mean he's really powerful?" Paige gasped.
"Nah. I mean he's hyper," Ben laughed. "He can conjure, but that's about it, so far."
Paige laughed back. "Well, conjuring isn't anything to snort at..."
Suddenly, a swirl of golden lights appeared above their heads, before settling in the middle of the room, and materializing into a woman sitting on a horse.
A naked woman.
Whipping her head around, she turned to find Duncan with a book in his lap, open to a page with a picture of the same woman, "Uh...sorry?"
Paige sighed. "This is going to be a long day."
"Were you born this self righteous?" Phoebe demanded, as soon as she, Piper and Leo entered the attic. "Or was it something you picked up along the way?"
Both Leslie and Chris looked up from the Book of Shadows. "Uh, who are you talking to?" Chris asked, a little uncertainly, glancing from the angry expressions on his parents and Phoebe's faces to Leslie's own blank expression.
"Him! Of course," Phoebe jabbed her finger into Leslie's shoulder, producing a wince. "Just because you left the kitchen, doesn't mean the conversation is over."
"Did you follow me up here just to tell me that? Or are you actually going to do something useful to help make Chris corporeal?" Leslie sniped.
As Phoebe began stuttering, Piper held up both her hands in an attempt to gain control of the situation. "Okay, time out! Can we please focus on the most important thing here? Helping Chris?" She paused, her right eyebrow arched, as she glared at Phoebe, who ducked her head and at Leslie, who nodded shamefully. "Thank you."
Hoping to forestall any further arguments, Leo directed his next question to Chris, "Any luck with the Book?"
Chris shook his head. "Nah. Not a thing in here about making a ghost corporeal. But Paige and I did get a lead on how to get me back to the future. You must have just missed her. She's at Magic School right now, following up."
"That's great! Why didn't you say something earlier?" Leslie exclaimed.
"Because I didn't get a chance to. You just got here, like, 5 minutes ago, Les!" Chris glared at his friend in annoyance. Turning back to his family, Chris asked, "Any luck at Magic School?"
"Actually, yeah." Piper pointed to the two heavy tomes Leo was carrying under his arm. "There wasn't anything specific about your situation, but we found a couple of things that may put us on the right track, at least."
"We don't have time to be 'put on the right track.' We need to make Chris real, and get back to our time, right now!" Leslie argued.
"Make Chris real..." Phoebe mused aloud.
Ignoring her sister, Piper glared back at the telepath, "Hey! I don't tell you how to do your job, do I? So you don't get to tell me how to do mine." Piper narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "And anyways, I thought Phoebe said your job was to protect us. What's this whole 'we need to get back' thingy? Mighty hard to protect us from demons if you're in the future."
"I think we've totally lost control of the conversation," Chris sighed, aside to Leo.
"Make Chris real..." Phoebe repeated.
"Yes, Phoebe, we know. Can we focus here? As in I don't trust this guy any further than I can throw him?" Piper snapped, waving her hand in Leslie's general direction.
"That's it!" Phoebe began to babble excitedly. "That's it. We make Chris real! We make Chris real and then we can send him back to the future!"
Leo and Chris looked at each other, puzzled. "Yes – that is what we've been working on, Phoebe, for, like the last couple of hours!" Chris pointed out, dryly.
"I know that's what we've been working on," Phoebe smiled triumphantly. "And I know exactly how to make Chris real again!"
Paige materialized into the attic, catching Phoebe's last statement. "You do? That's great!"
"Hey, did you find what we were looking for?" Chris asked.
Holding up her hand to show him the two vials of potion, Paige grinned, "Yep. Anytime you want to go, we're ready."
"And what took you so long?" Chris wondered.
"Hey!" Paige glared back at her nephew, as she picked out the spit ball from her hair. "Some of us have jobs, you know."
"Magic School?" Leo asked, matter-of-factly.
"Yes, Magic School." Paige rolled her eyes. "I'll explain later. Suffice to say, I had some unconjuring I had to do."
"Are those the potions Gideon said wouldn't work?" Piper asked.
At Paige's thumb's up sign, Leo nodded, emphatically, "Good thinking, you guys. I forgot all about those. Chances are that they really will work."
"But is it safe?" Piper asked, worriedly. "I mean, remember what happened last time?"
"Last time was a spell, mom. This is a potion. And we've got two vials, one for me to use to get back here, if it doesn't work. Relax, okay?" Chris reassured Piper, then directed his attention back to Phoebe. "So how are we going to make me real?"
"With a couple of alterations, we're going to use the potion that we used to make Mr. Right real!" Phoebe explained, gleefully.
"You mean, Paige's sex toy?" Piper asked, fuzzily, scratching her head.
"He was NOT a sex toy!" Paige yelled, slightly embarrassed as she saw the smirks the guys tried to hide. "Oh, what? Like you've never conjured stuff before."
Still smiling, Chris went to the shelf, pulling down the pot the sisters used to brew their potions. "What do you need, Phoebe?"
Coughing, Paige waved away the small cloud of smoke rising from the pot. "Okay, I think a little less mordock root, don't you?"
"Who is making this potion, you or me?" Phoebe rolled her eyes, as she grabbed the spoon away from Paige and continued stirring.
"Well, I think that the answer to that would be, all three of us," Piper put in, calmly grabbing the spoon from Phoebe.
"Okay, yeah," Phoebe conceded, "But who made this potion before and it worked perfectly fine?"
"That would be you," Paige agreed, "And it would also be you who didn't write down the exact ingredients in the Book so we'd have it for reference again."
"I was going to! It's just things got busy. You know, saving the future and all that," Phoebe retorted, defensively. "I was going to write everything down, right after I actually started my sabbatical."
"Are they always like this?" Leslie whispered, sitting next to Chris, on the other side of the room, as they watched the sisters bicker. Leo had orbed back to Magic School, to check on the children and Victor.
"Yeah." Chris smiled wistfully. "I'm going to miss this."
"Me too."
"You?" Chris asked, "Just how long have you been here?"
"Not long," Leslie shook his head. "But that's not the point. I've been here long enough."
"Long enough for what?"
"You know, every day, in the future, I would get up wondering if that day would be my last?" Leslie reminisced. "I hated being trapped underground, like I was some sort of rat, never seeing daylight. I can't remember the last time I had a decent meal back home. Every day, I'd wonder how many people did we lose? Would the dead be someone I knew? What if they left loved ones behind?" Leslie looked down at his hands, reflecting. "I'd forgotten what it use to be like, you know. Before. Being here...It's like I'm in a dream, and I don't want to wake up."
Chris placed a comforting hand on Leslie's shoulder.
"I've been here long enough. Long enough to miss things that I'd forgotten about," Leslie laughed self deprecatingly. "Phoebe was right. Almost long enough to not want to go back."
"Maybe you shouldn't."
"What?" Leslie stared at Chris like he had grown another head.
"Maybe you shouldn't come back with me," Chris had heard the anguish and wistfulness in the other man's voice. "I don't need a baby sitter, Les. Maybe you should stay here, protect the sisters."
Leslie shook his head frantically, "No way. I'm going with you. I've got your back, remember?"
"Les," Chris smiled, fondly, at his friend. He felt so old, right then, even though Leslie was chronologically older. "Frankly, you were the one who told me that Wyatt's sending demons back in time to try to kill mini-me. You know, Piper made a good point earlier. How are you suppose to protect the baby if you're not even in the same timeline?"
"Chris–," Leslie said, warningly. "I don't need your pity."
Chris snorted. "Trust me, I don't have time for pity." His face softened, just a bit. "But I do have time for compassion. I know the future's not an easy place to be. And you're right, I am needed there. But I need you here too. I need someone I can trust to not just take care of mini-me, but someone who'll look out for the sisters and Wyatt."
"Leo's doing that. They're all doing that, Chris." Leslie disagreed.
"But there's only so much Leo can do. With Wyatt sending demons back through time, I need someone here that has the knowledge from the future, in case there are demons that my family has yet to encounter. That person is you."
"But – ," Leslie started to object. "That person could be you, too."
"Les. You said it yourself. The future needs me." Chris smiled, sadly. "From what you've told me, they're going to need me even more. But you...you can stay here. You can continue my work, and find out what turns Wyatt evil and stop them."
"I still don't think it's right. But I...I..thank you," Leslie whispered. "I won't let you down, Chris. I swear it."
Chris clapped Leslie on the back, "I know you won't. I'm counting on it."
They sat in silence.
Leslie cleared his throat, "Oh, before I forget...", Leslie reached into his shirt pocket, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to Chris. At Leslie's urging, Chris slowly took the paper from him, unfolding it.
It was the photo of his family.
Chris blinked back his tears, as he studied the photo. It was one of the few personal items that he had managed to save, over the years. It reminded him of why he got up every morning, when all he wanted to do was run away and hide. It reminded him of why he fought for a better future, when all he wanted to do was give up.
It reminded him of when his family had been happy.
And they had been happy.
Folding the photo back into a square, he pressed it into Leslie's palm. "Chris –, what are you doing? This is yours..."
"And now I want you to have it," Chris grinned at Leslie's blank stare. "This photo has been a great source of strength for me. It reminded me of why I came to the past. And I want it to remind you of why you're here. That's what you're fighting for. Every time you feel like giving up, or that you should come back to the future to help, I want you to look at this photo. Because whatever you do here, is just as important, if not more so, than anything you could do back home."
Leslie slowly closed his fist around the photo, careful not to crush the fragile piece of paper and reiterated, "I won't let you down, Chris. I promise I won't."
"I know."
"Hey," Leo said, as he orbed into the attic, "Did you guys finish the potion?"
"Got it right here," Paige held up the vial in triumph. "Now we just need to throw it at Chris."
"Someone call my name?" Chris got up from his seat, and crossed the room, with Leslie trailing behind him.
"Stand back," Phoebe warned everyone, "We just want to be careful."
"Wait!" Leo protested. "What if something goes wrong? Can't you test it somehow?"
"Uh, Leo, I don't mean to be picky, but what could go wrong?" Paige asked, wryly. "Chris is a ghost. I don't think we could do anything to him."
"Other than the whole corporeal thing, of course," Phoebe chirped.
"Okay – can we please just get this over with?" Chris griped, impatiently. "Just throw the damn ---. Mom!"
"Give me that!" Piper had snatched the vial out of Paige's hand and threw it at her son. "That will teach you not to swear!"
As the smoke lifted, a clearly visible Chris was standing in front of them. "I don't believe it. It worked." Chris whispered in disbelief.
Piper clapped her hands to her mouth in joy, as Phoebe ran and threw her arms around her nephew. "I can't believe it! It worked! It worked!"
Paige quickly joined her sister, hugging her nephew, smiling at the feel of his body. "I can't believe it either."
"Who didn't believe that I could do this, huh, huh?" Phoebe leaned towards Paige.
Raising her eyes heavenward, as if pleading for patience, Paige replied, grudgingly, "I did. I'm sorry. I never should have doubted you."
"That's all I wanted to hear," Phoebe smiled smugly.
"Okay, our turn." Piper smiled through her tears as she pushed her sisters away. She enfolded her son in her arms. "I love you."
"I love you too, mom." Chris said softly. He looked up at the feel of another hand on his back, into Leo's eyes. "Thanks for saving me."
"Your welcome."
He felt horrible. They were all so happy. And he was tearing their family apart. Leslie stood alone, watching the happy reunion, feeling like a kid with his nose pressed up to the window of a candy store. He envied Chris at this moment. All of Leslie's family was pretty much gone. His parents gone, his sister killed, he didn't have any close family left in the future.
And then he remembered, neither did Chris.
How could he take this away from Chris? How could he let anyone deny Chris this? If only he hadn't agreed with Darryl to come back here. Maybe Chris would have had the chance to be happy. He berated himself for his self-righteousness; Phoebe had been right. Where did he get off with his holier-than-thou attitude, insisting to Chris' family that Chris' place was in the future? To lead? To fight? If anyone deserved more to be happy, to spend some time with his family, it was Chris.
Maybe they could get by without Chris, in the future. After all, one difference could one person make?
And even as Leslie thought it, he knew it wasn't true. One person could make all the difference. After all, Wyatt was one person. And so was Chris.
And then, as if Chris could read his thoughts, he glanced up and his gaze met Leslie's. "I have to go now, Mom."
"What?" Piper clutched her son to her harder, ignoring his gentle attempts to pry her arms loose. "No...no, just a little longer. I could make your favourite dinner. I could..."
"Mom," Chris repeated, gently, drawing back to look into her eyes. "I have to go now."
Tears began to course down her face, as Piper shook her head in denial. "It's not fair. It's not. Can't you stay? With us? Please?"
Chris stepped back from his mother's embrace, gently pushing her towards his father. Chris' eyes met the sorrow in Leo's, but he knew his father would understand. If anyone understood Chris' duty to take care of others, it was his father. "Mom. It's okay. You've got mini-me, remember? So I am staying, in a way." Chris glanced at Paige, who nodded, and picked up the potions she had brought back from Magic School.
"It's not the same," Piper sniffled.
Phoebe wiped her tears away, as she began to draw the triquetra on the wall with a piece of chalk.
Chris held his hand out to Paige, who silently placed one of the vials in Chris' hand. Leo stepped next to them, his arms still firmly wrapped around Piper, as she continued to cry. "You come right back if...if you're not suppose to be where you're suppose to be."
Nodding, Chris turned his back to face the triquetra. "I'm ready."
"Wait! What about Les?" Phoebe pointed at the man, who was standing silently observing them.
"He's going to stay here," Chris explained. "He'll help you finish what I've started. And that's to find out what turns Wyatt evil and save him."
"Why can't you stay, then?" Piper choked out.
"Because I have...responsibilities. Mom, Les told you that the future still needs to be changed. And he'll help you do that. But I have to go. I have people who are counting on me." Chris explained, regret filling his voice.
Paige picked up the other vial, in her hand, getting ready to toss it. "Are you sure?"
Chris smiled crookedly, "I'm sure."
Paige threw the vial at the triquetra, and the portal glowed. Chris paused, just before stepping through the portal, to glance back over his shoulder at his family one last time. Phoebe's and Paige's eyes were bright with unshed tears, and his mother was openly sobbing. But what surprised him most were the silent tears running down his father's cheeks. "Take care of each other." Trying to lighten the moment, he joked, "See you in 22 years." And he stepped through the portal before he could change his mind.
"Look out!" Leslie shouted, running towards the sisters, as before the portal even had a chance to close as Chris disappeared into it, another opened, on the wall directly opposite from Chris', which the Halliwells currently had their backs to. Leo and the sisters turned around just in time to see a demon stepping out from a second portal
Snarling, the demon threw an energy ball at the nearest sister, Phoebe; Leslie knew he wasn't going to reach Phoebe in time to push her out of the way, so he did the next best thing. He lunged across the distance separating them, and threw his body in front of hers as a shield. Pain exploded in his chest, as the energy ball hit Leslie directly, the force of the energy ball knocking them both into Chris' time portal.
"Phoebe!" Piper gasped, whipping her head around to see her sister and Leslie fly through the air into the portal. Enraged, Leo waved his hands, emitting beams of electricity in an attempt to vanquish the demon, while at the same time, the demon threw another energy ball in its attempt to kill the remaining humans.
The force of the two magics collided in the middle of the room, exploding with enough force to send the demon soaring through the air back into the time portal behind it that the demon had emerged from.
And with enough force to send the two sisters and Leo through the air into the time portal Chris, Phoebe and Leslie had just disappeared into.
And both portals glowed, the lights flaring up briefly, before vanishing.
Leaving the attic completely empty.
To be continued....
A/N: Yay! I've reached the half way point of the plot line! Happy dance! Okay, the next chapter is two-thirds written, so I'll try to get it up by the end of the weekend.