CHAPTER 26:

2003, at the Halliwell Manor.

Joey waited for Chris to start talking, but he didn't. "So", she repeated his last word to break the uncomfortable silence. "You wanted to talk to me about something?" "Yes, I do", Chris finally said. "How about I start with a little story about myself?" "Ehm okay", Joey replied. It wasn't what she was waiting for, but if it would make him feel more comfortable she was willing to listen.

"Well you might have noticed I am a witch too. My family is very powerful and therefore we were, and are, always in danger", Chris started. "When I was little some powerful demon found out that me and my siblings were a threat to him in his future. He thought the only way to survive was to destroy my family. He killed my little sister and what that my family did was destroyed."

Chris sighed before he went on. He had never told anyone about his feelings. "After that my dad was hardly home anymore and when he was he just ignored me. I know he blames me for what happened to my sister. They wanted to kill me, but when I heard them coming I hide myself, so they took my sister instead. And after my mom died when I was fourteen my brother lost it all. He became evil just like them. I know that he always had acted strange, but I never expected this."

He thought about it again, still not knowing if the dead of their mom was what had triggered it. "Anyway. Where I come from the world is now half destroyed. And if I don't stop my brother the other half will follow soon. Therefore I and someone else decided we had to prevent that all from happening. I went to the past to keep an eye on my brother, who's now only a little baby." He saw the surprised look on Joey's face when he talked about going to the past and added "So here I am. The little kid in this house is actually my older brother and the woman are my mother and aunts, only they don't know it."

"Wow", Joey said. "And I thought I had a strange life story", she silently added. But not silent enough, because Chris heard her and he laughed while he went on: "Yeah that's the other thing I wanted to talk about." "Huh, what do you know about me?", Joey asked suspicious.

"Well first of all I went to the place where you grew up and I talked to the nice old lady there." "You talked to Wendy?", Joey interrupted. "Yes I did and she gave me the last missing pieces of the puzzle I needed to solve. I now know why these demons are after you and…"

"Why?", Joey interrupted again. "Woah, let me finish my sentence will you?" "Sorry." "Okay what was I saying?", Chris asked. "O right, why they are after you. Well like I said you are a witch, a very powerful one. Apparently you are the only one who can destroy a certain demon."

"Wait a minute, I heard that before. You just said that you and your siblings were the only ones to be ably to get rid of a specific demon." "Yep", Chris said smiling, he knew it was only a matter of seconds before she would find out. "So any chance that's the same demon?", Joey asked carefully.

"When Chris nodded Joey stared at him, stunned. "But… but… you just said your sister died." "Well we thought she, I mean you, did. Because you've been missing for so many years. How should we have known you were growing up in a completely different time?" "So you are like my brother?", Joey asked a little less careful. "Yeah", he said with a smile. "Cool", she said as she impulsively gave him a hug.

When she finally let go they stared at each other. "This is pretty cool huh?", Joey asked. "Yes it is", Chris answered smiling to Joey.

Suddenly Joey thought of something and she bit on her bottom lip, while she thought how to ask it and if she really wanted to know the answer anyway. Chris saw something was wrong and bend forward to her. He looked her in the eyes and asked: "Hey what's with the sad face? What's wrong?"

"If you are my brother and your mother is one of those woman in this house, that means that she's my mother to, doesn't it?" "Yes that's is true", Chris replied as he realised her problem. "But she doesn't know who I am and she can't find out who you are to. I am sorry, but when we can go back to the future you'll get to see her. She just can't know right now. I can't change the future that much."

"Changing your brother isn't much?" "Well yeah it is, but that's the only thing I can change, besides that's not just for me, but to save many others. I am sorry", Chris said with pain in his heart. He himself wanted just as bad that he could tell Piper who he was and how much he had missed her.

"So which one is her?" Joey continued her questions. "Piper, the woman who was just with us in this room." Joey swallowed a lump in her throat as she thought about Piper as her mother. She sighed. "So what exactly is left for us to do before we can go back? Because I don't know how long I can pretend to her I am a total stranger."

"Well I think we only need to get rid of that one demon, the master he is called. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't be kidnapped and our family wouldn't become such a mess. Maybe we even save Wyatt, that's our brother, that way. I know where to find the master, but you need to gain all of your powers first."

Chris hesitated before he went on. "And for that we need the sisters. Do you think you can face them already? Without letting them know who you are?" Joey sighed but nodded. She wasn't sure at all how she'd react when she'd see her mom again, but at least Chris was with her to prevent her from saying anything stupid. He smiled at her and helped her of the bed. They walked out of the room, down the stairs towards the voices in the kitchen.