Chris ran in slow motion across the room. The more he ran, the further away Baby Wyatt moved from him. He had to reach him before Gideon did; he promised Leo he would protect him. As he was desperately trying to reach the helpless baby version of his older brother, he watched him change from a baby into Big Wyatt, and turn to Chris and begin laughing at him. Chris didn't understand why his big brother would be laughing at him when he was trying to save him. Suddenly someone materialized in front of him, and before he was able to register who it was he was overwhelmed by a sharp pain in his stomach which took his breath away. The pain was so intense that his legs gave way from under him and he fell to the floor. All he could think about was calling for his Dad to help him, not the Dad he had grown up with, but the one he'd come to know during his time in the past. This Leo seemed to care. This one he could rely on, this one he knew would heal him and save Wyatt. He tried to call out for his Dad, but his voice wouldn't work, nothing was coming out at all. He started to panic, but then realized that, strangely, his stomach wasn't hurting anymore, it was tingling. Wyatt had stopped laughing at him and was now talking. He couldn't make out what he was saying at first, but then it registered that he was saying "sore", but not in an adult voice, in a baby voice…
Chris jumped as he opened his eyes. Baby Wyatt was in front of him touching his stomach, but his jolt must have scared Wyatt, because he let out a startled cry and ran away. Chris, catching his breath from what he'd just experienced, looked around and realized he was lying on the couch in the living room of the Manor and everything he just thought was real was only a dream. Or was it? He stopped to think for a second, trying to clear his head and work out what was real and what was not. In his dream, he had relived memories he had only just received the day before, and he was sure that would not be the last time he would relive that horrific day. He tried to think back to the day before, which seemed so long ago. Did he really travel back in time again with Wyatt, or was that a dream? No, that was real, and he remembered Wyatt threatening his baby self, and then orbing out. And he had been injured. That was the last thing he remembered. His head was bleeding, his whole body was hurting, and somehow he managed to talk Wyatt out of killing him as a baby. He wondered how he had managed to do that, and try as he might, he could not remember a word he had said to Wyatt. All the events of the previous night were a bit of a blur; in fact he was struggling to remember anything after being injured and talking to Wyatt. He didn't even remember falling asleep, or being healed.
A female voice interrupted his train of thought.
"Chris, you're awake, I'm sorry if Wyatt woke you."
It was, of course, the familiar voice of his Mother.
"You see Wyatt, Chris is fine," Piper said reassuring him.
"I think he was just trying to heal my stomach," Chris told her.
"Oh, really?" Piper said, concerned. "I suppose that's understandable considering his last memory of you." Then she turned to Wyatt, "Chris is all better now, Wyatt." As she walked over to a nearby playpen she asked Chris, "How are you feeling?"
"Fine, I think, I was just trying to work out where I was.
Yesterday was a very long day!" He said to her.
"You can tell me all about it when your Dad gets here," Piper said as she walked back to Chris after placing Wyatt in the playpen. "You were pretty badly injured last night. Leo healed you, but you were so exhausted, you went straight to sleep again after you regained consciousness. You've been asleep for nearly twelve hours; I was beginning to get worried."
"Twelve hours? Wow, I can't remember the last time I slept twelve hours," Chris said, surprised.
"Well, you must have needed it. I'll call Leo and you can tell us what is going on." Piper said as she looked to the ceiling and then shouted, "Leo!"
A heartbeat later Leo orbed into the room.
He smiled at Chris, "you're awake," he said.
"Finally," Chris replied.
Piper sat down on one of the chairs in the living room and said, "okay, Baby Chris is asleep, Wyatt is in his playpen, now tell us what is going on, but first, I have to know, are you the same Chris who was living with us for the last couple of years?"
"Piper," Leo said as he sat down on another chair, "just let him tell us in his own time."
"What! You can't tell me you didn't want to ask him the same question?" She said in her defense.
"It's okay, Dad, I don't mind, really. It must be really hard on all of you, considering what happened the last time I was here." Chris said.
"So, you are the same Chris," Piper concluded, smiling.
"There's only one of me, and yes I have all the memories of the
Chris that was your Whitelighter, but I am also Baby Chris grown up, with his memories too. Did I mention to you that it's very complicated?"
"Just start at the beginning," Leo said to him.
"What about Paige and Phoebe?" he asked.
"Paige is at Magic School and Phoebe is at the paper. We'll fill them in later." Piper replied.
"Okay, then. Where do I start?" Chris asked himself as he took in a deep breath.
It took Chris about forty-five minutes to tell his parents the whole story. He explained Excalibur and how it had corrupted Wyatt, because it was really meant for him. He then told them how he had been destined to die because of Gideon, but had been saved and now had both sets of memories. And lastly, he told them how Excalibur had been destroyed in the future and that Wyatt, so obsessed with possessing it, had traveled back in time to try to steal it. And how he, in his wisdom, had tried to stop Wyatt, but had ended up accidentally going through the portal with him, ending up in their attic the previous night.
Mostly Piper and Leo sat quietly listening intently to all Chris had to say, but occasionally they would interrupt with a question.
"So, Wyatt is still evil in the future. We didn't save him." Leo more stated than asked.
"I think with my original future, it must have been the combination of both Gideon and Excalibur, because he definitely wasn't as bad the second time around. Maybe because you were still alive this time, Mum, you were able to convince Dad to take Excalibur away from Wyatt when he was still young. It was enough to stop him being the evil ruler of the world, but unfortunately he had still been corrupted by the power of Excalibur. Much like you were Mum, but you only had it for a few days, Wyatt had for years." Chris told them.
"Well, he won't be getting it this time around, I can promise you that," Leo pledged.
"First, we've got to stop his adult version from getting it,"
Piper added.
"And," Chris continued, "Stop Big Wyatt from getting Baby Wyatt to use it again. The more he uses it at a younger age, the more connected with it and powerful he will become."
"I cannot believe that monster threatening to kill Baby Chris last night was our Wyatt grown up." Piper said looking over at Wyatt still playing in the playpen. "If we had been able to see him the last time you were here, we would have had a better idea of the dismal future you had come from, Chris," she said looking back at Chris.
"I know, but in a way I was trying to protect you. Just finding out that he was evil gave you both enough pain, without me going into all the gory details. That's why I never told you what he did when he dragged me back to the future with Bianca. He would have killed me if it wasn't for her. Bianca saved my life, sacrificing hers in the process." Chris said sadly.
"I saw him in a Barbas induced vision," Leo said to both of them.
"I didn't know that," Piper said, surprised.
"At the hospital, while you were in labour for Chris, and just before Chris called me after Gideon attacked him," Leo explained. "I wasn't sure how real it was, until I saw him last night."
"This is all so confusing, having the older and younger versions of our sons with us at the same time," Piper said turning to Leo, and then looking back at Chris, "But I'm going to take this opportunity and say how sorry I am at how we treated you last time. I've had a lot of time to think over the past few months and that is one of the things that has haunted me. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to be able to say that. It really is wonderful to see you again."
"I was no angel either," Chris said looking at Piper and then to Leo, who smiled at the reference.
"Before we get onto saving Wyatt, again," Piper said, "Let's talk about you. In spite of everything, you do look happier." She observed.
"I noticed that too," Leo agreed, and then he continued almost too afraid to ask, "Did I change in the future?"
"My life, this time around, was totally different. Yes, Dad, you were there for me, in fact you were great, and so were you Mum." Chris said, honestly.
Leo smiled, relieved, but Piper still had another question she wanted to ask, and she didn't hesitate, "So, did I still die young?"
"What do you mean?" Leo asked, surprised at this piece of news.
"That's right, I never told you," she said to Leo, "during the six months you were away, Chris let it slip that in his future I had died young. He apparently told my Dad, because they were super close in his future, I think the word you used was awesome?" she said looking at Chris.
Chris smiled at the memory, "yes, that's right," he agreed.
"Anyway," Piper continued, "I found out that I apparently died young, but he wouldn't elaborate, so?" she asked turning to Chris.
"No, Mum you didn't die when I was 14 like in my original future, you were alive when I left this time," he said truthfully, deliberately choosing not to reveal how she had been injured when Excalibur had been destroyed. He was sure his Dad would have healed her anyway, he convinced himself.
"You were fourteen?" She asked, shocked.
"It doesn't matter, it didn't happen this time." He said, not wanting to go into it any further.
"You're right," she said "And once we've got this Excalibur thing sorted out, and you get back to a better future, there will be no more time traveling in this family, do you understand?"
Chris laughed at the memory of his Mother in the future saying the exact same thing to him yesterday. He didn't want to get into that, however, so just answered, "Fine with me! I have someone waiting for me in the future, and I would like to get on with my own life."
"Not Bianca?" Piper hoped.
"No, not Bianca, but someone very special and we're getting married, but that's all I'm going to tell you." Chris replied.
Before Piper or Leo could question him further, suddenly the room was filled with the sound of a baby crying. Piper picked up the baby monitor, "baby Chris must be hungry," and then she realized, "and you must be hungry too, Chris. I am so sorry, we were so involved in finding out why you were here, I completely forgot to offer you some food. You must be starving."
"I hadn't realized either, but now that you mention it, I am pretty hungry." Chris replied honestly.
"Leo, I'll take care of the baby, you take care of the adult," she instructed as she got up to leave the room.
After she left, Leo and Chris also got up to head to the kitchen. As they were walking together, Leo stopped and turned to Chris, seemingly wanting to ask him something, but not really knowing how to begin.
"What is it Dad?" Chris asked.
"I was wondering about your memories of the day that Gideon attacked you?" Leo asked him hesitantly.
"I remember everything, Dad," Chris said, knowing exactly where this conversation was heading. "And, no, I don't blame you, even though you promised to save me and send me back to the future."
"How did you know I was going to say that?" Leo asked, surprised.
"Because, I just had the exact same conversation with you in the future, yesterday, or at least I think it was yesterday." Chris said, trying to figure out how it could be yesterday if it was in the future.
"God, this is so confusing! Anyway, that doesn't matter; the main thing is that you know we're good."
"You sure?" Leo double-checked.
"Absolutely!" Chris reassured him. "Now I'd really like one of your famous chicken, lettuce and mayo sandwiches."
"I have a famous sandwich?" Leo asked him surprised.
"Yep! Mum finally let you in the kitchen." Chris told him.
"Well, I'd better get to making it then." Leo said as the two of them walked into the kitchen.