Chapter 8

The scene seemed to move fast forward. When it stopped, Piper and Leo saw Chris sitting despondently in a cage. A tray of food he had barely touched was sitting beside him.

A warrior named Myst entered the cavern.

"You barely ate," she said when she spotted the tray.

"Well, sitting here all day isn't exactly helping me to work up an appetite," Chris responded.

"The Elder doesn't want you fighting," she explained. "Our orders are only to keep you safe and comfortable."

"You call this comfort?" Chris pissed back.

Myst, obviously attracted to him, seductively said, "Perhaps I can do something to make you more comfortable. And help you to work up an appetite."

Bianca suddenly shimmered in behind her, holding an athame. "Stay away from my man, skank.," Bianca hissed as she plunged the athame into her back.

Myst cried out before collapsing to the ground.

Chris, horrified, said, "You killed her."

Bianca was all business. Opening the cage for him, she said, "Hurry, we don't have much time. Valkyries don't stay dead. Even when you kill one off the island, their body returns here and they come back to life. Any minute now she'll be coming back to life and get help."

Chris exited the cage, grabbed Bianca's hand as she shimmered both of them out of there.

The scene Piper and Leo were now witnessing had shifted to a park. Piper recognized it as the same park she often took Baby Chris and Wyatt to on walks.

"I can't believe my dad just left me there," Chris said, angry.

Bianca pointed out, "He was only trying to protect you, Chris."

"That's what he tried to tell me, but I think he was more afraid I would screw up and make things worse than they already are.," Chris replied. Then, off realization, "When I get to the past, he's going to send me right back as soon as he knows who I am."

"Then you can't tell them," Bianca said.

"They'll never trust me if I pretend to be some random guy from the future," he said. "Especially if I tell them the reason I'm there is to stop Wyatt from turning evil. They were in denial about how bad he was for years when I was growing up. Mom never believed it. Dad didn't either until years after she died."

Bianca thought about this for a moment. "Your dad became an Elder after the Titans were defeated, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"I think that would be the perfect time for you to make yourself known to them. You can pretend to be a whitelighter and take Leo's place…"
"Even if I can pull off pretending to be a whitelighter," Chris said, "why would the Elders even consider assigning someone who they know nothing about to be a whitelighter for the Charmed Ones."

"That's why you need to get there when the Elders first begin to attack. Make them believe that without your help, the Titans would kill all of the Elders and be ruling the world in the future. That way, they are sure to make you the Charmed Ones new whitelighter as a reward for helping to save the remaining Elders and the world."

Chris thought about this. Then, "I'll have to lie to my mom. I never lied to her before."

"You have no choice, Chris," Bianca said. "It's the only way to save your brother…to save the future. And you better get used to calling your parents by their first names. You can't afford any slips. You can't do anything that might lead them to suspect who you really are."

Chris then said, "What about my dad…Leo. I know how he is. If I show up pretending to be some random guy from the future, he won't let up until he finds out who I really am…"

"You'll need to get him out of the way," Bianca said. Then, she had a thought. "And I think he's given me an idea. The Valkyries—You need to go to them, convince them to keep Leo for awhile, just until you can save Wyatt from whatever turned him."

"How do I convince them to help?" Chris asked.

"Tell them it's for the greater good. When you ask them for help, they will have one of them read your mind to see if you are being honest with them. When they do this, you need to focus on only what you want them to believe."

Chris looked down, thoughtful. Then he looked at Bianca and smiled. "I have something for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. "Will you marry me?"

She blushed, smiling. "Here? Now?"

Ads they watched their son propose, Piper became somewhat displeased.
"I can't believe a son of mine would want to marry such a…"
Her words were cut short as they were transported to another scene in Chris' life.