Chapter 12

The next few scenes Piper and Leo viewed were of Chris visiting fortune tellers, oracles, soothsayers—anyone that could give him information about his future, or rather, if he even would have a future, or a past for that matter. All of them told him the same thing—he had disrupted the time line. His conception was no longer a sure thing. Just by being in the past, nothing was meant to be anymore because his whole existence in this timeline was screwing up the cosmic order.

They saw Chris get upset, after Leo healed Chris' shoulder which had been injured by a light dart a demon tossed. At the time, Leo informed him and Phoebe of his plans to ask the other Elders to agree to send Chris back to the future.

Then another moment in the attic Chris was trying to convince Phoebe to stall getting de-genified in order to keep Piper away from her boyfriend Greg. As a genie, Phoebe could not refuse to help Chris, who held the bottle. When she asked how she was supposed to take charge and take orders at the same time, Leo informed them both that she wouldn't have to because the other Elders agreed to send Chris back to the future. Chris went off on his father and accidently wished that he would get over whatever issues Leo had with him. Phoebe was forced to grant the wish and Leo suddenly dropped all resentment he had towards Chris. Chris was thrilled with how Leo suddenly warmed up to him. He put out of his mind that it was the effects of a wish. He was so happy that his father liked him and was buddying up to him. He hoped from that point maybe he would be happy when he learned Chris was his son.

They saw Chris panic when Jinny the Genie threatened Piper and Leo's sleeping bodies with a fireball and when she wished his aunts and mother dead (although he knew his mother had to still be alive, because he still existed). They saw his fear as he started to fade away and seeing his parents on the ghostly plane.

Leo turned to Piper and said, "I hadn't really thought about this before now—remember how I told you that it would take someone with a bond to crossover, a connection? That was why Chris was the one we were able to connect with—both of us have a bond to him."

Then they saw the scene in the alley when he reemerged from nothingness, and immediately freak when he saw his father injured from the darklighter arrow.

Paige orbed Piper and Leo to Gideon, leaving Chris and Phoebe alone.

"What happened? Is he okay?" Chris asked, scared.

"Yeah, I think so," Phoebe said, trying to reassure him. "It looks like he got hit by a darklighter arrow. Don't worry, Chris. They're taking him to Gideon so he can heal him." Then, "Are you okay? Where did you go?"

"Nowhere," Chris answered. "The last thing I remembered was being in the attic with you and Paige. And then—nothing. Are you sure Leo's going to be okay?"

"Yes. He's going to be fine," Phoebe assured him. "And when he and Piper get back to the manor, we'll tell them about you."

Chris sighed, worried. He looked down. "What if they aren't happy about it. What if they don't want me as a son?"

Phoebe hugged him, "Chris, they are going to love you. I mean, I'm sure they are going to be freaked out at first, but once that passes, they'll be thrilled."

Phoebe continued to reassure Chris. He then orbed Phoebe home then went to P3 to change his clothes before the inevitable reveal to his parents. He had orbed downstairs and walked the steps upstairs looking for his aunts and parents. As he started walking towards Piper's room, he stopped when he heard the voices coming from inside the bedroom.

Piper and Leo now found themselves in the hallway outside of Piper's bedroom as Chris lurked just outside the doorway, out of sight from his aunts and mother in the room.

"…Not because of anything anyone told us or anything," Paige was saying, "because of Chris."
"Chris? Why would Chris know what happened?" Piper asked.

Phoebe replied, "Because he wouldn't be here if it didn't."

Paige asked, "My turn?"

Phoebe said, "Yeah."

Paige continued, "Chris is your son."

Chris didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until that moment, when he let it out.

"Wyatt's brother," Phoebe confirmed. "Look, I know this is huge…"

"No, it's not huge," Piper was saying, "because its not possible. I'm not pregnant."

Chris became disheartened hearing his mother's reaction. It wasn't the response he had hoped she would have when she learned she was expecting him. It took every ounce of will he had not to orb far away.

"No, I mean, how can that have happened? I mean, I know how that can happen, but…

what am I going to do?"

"Well, maybe you should talk to Leo about it," Phoebe suggested.

"I can't," Piper shot back.

"Why?" Phoebe asked.

"Because….because I can't!"

Chris decided to just get it over with. There was no use putting off facing her. He would have to do it eventually. He took a deep breath, then stepped in the doorway.

"Is this a bad time?" he asked, afraid his mother was going to reject him.

Piper spun around at the sound of his voice. Her expression was shock. Then, as it sunk in and she realized something, her expression softened.

As they watched the scene unfold, Piper told Leo, "I remember that was the first time that I really looked at him. I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it before. The resemblance was definitely there—he looked like he could be my son. Then I looked into his eyes and I knew it was the truth. He had his father's eyes—your eyes."

Piper stared at Chris for what seemed like forever to him. After a few moments, she walked over to Chris, looked closely at his face, and then embraced him in a hug.

"I am so sorry for everything you've had to go through," she said.

Chris stiffened up and sensing this, she let go.

She knew it wasn't her fault, yet at the same time, she felt part of her duty as a parent was to protect her children from suffering. Obviously, she had failed to do this for Chris. She also knew that she had been the reason for some of his pain over the past few months. Even though she knew her rejection of him at times had been understandable—not knowing he was her son or what his true motives were—she could not help feeling bad about it.

"It's okay," Chris said, still nervous. "I understand."

Chris was feeling somewhat uncomfortable. It was a combination of a few things. It was strange for Chris when he first came back to the past, to a time when his mother was still alive. He adored her, but he kept her at a distance. There was a fear of her getting too close just to lose her again when he went home. The other part was the reaction he heard her having when she learned she was pregnant with him. She seemed upset by the news that she was having another son and that son was him.

He hoped Leo would at least be happy about it. Leo had not been there much for Chris while he was growing up. He always believed that Leo never wanted another son. After their talk on the bridge a few weeks before, that confirmed it. However, the few months before that and again since the genie wish he accidentally made for Leo to get over his issues with him, he and Leo had been getting along really well. He hoped that maybe things between them would change for the better. He found himself enjoying his father's company. They had spent more time together in the last few months than they had in his entire life prior to Chris coming to the past. Chris began to believe for the first time in his life that his father really liked him.

Chris asked his mother, "Where's Dad?"

Piper was somewhat taken back at first by how naturally it sounded when Chris referred to Leo as "Dad".

"Leo…your dad," she said, "Had to go up there." She motioned upwards.

"So when is he coming back?" Chris asked, anxious to get telling Leo over with and finding out his reaction to the news.

"Well, Chris, the thing is, he's not coming back." Off Chris' incredulous look, she continued, "We can't tell him I'm pregnant right now."

Paige chimed in, "Why not?"

Piper turned to her sisters, "Because we can't. Okay? We can't do that to him."

Phoebe, seeing the hurt look on Chris' face, started, "Piper…"

Piper turned to Chris. "It's not because of you, Chris, don't get me wrong. I mean, I'm sure once his head stopped spinning, too, he'd be really happy about it, but—We can't keep making him hold on to us, it's not fair to him. We have to let him go."

Chris was unsuccessful at trying to hide his hurt feelings. Nothing had changed and it never would. Leo didn't even care enough to say good-bye to him.

"Yeah. Sure. I understand," Chris said, trying to sound like it, but failing to convey that. "I need to go…"
Piper asked, "Why? I mean, can't you stay a little while? So we can talk?"

Chris brushed her off. "I can't. I'll talk to you later."

With that he orbed off, leaving Piper to rationalize to herself that she was doing what was best for everyone.