CHAPTER 34:

2003, at the Halliwell Manor.

"Ehm, what?" Chris asked Leo, hoping he heard it wrong. That moment the sisters orbed in and saw Chris was alright. Piper sighed of relief and wanted to talk to him, but stopped when she saw the shocked look on Leo's face. "Sweetie what is wrong?", she asked carefully. "Ask those two", Leo said pointing to Joey and Chris with his free hand.

'O boy', Chris thought as he stood up. "Well", he said not knowing where to start. He looked away from them and though it might be best to just say it now. They would return to the future soon anyway and the future wouldn't be change much more when he would say it. It was just he was afraid of what their reactions might be. He did lie to them for all those months. Joey looked from Chris to her parents and thought by the look on Chris' face she might just have to tell it.

Before she could do so, Chris started to explain really fast. "I kind of had personal reasons to try to save Wyatt to. Because he's my big brother actually." He didn't respond to the surprised reactions around him and looked at his shoes while he continued. "And I used to have a little sister to, but she got kidnapped. Guess who I found in the past", he said while pointing to Joey. She smiled at him and avoided the other staring looks too.

Suddenly both Joey and Chris were embraced by their parents who didn't say a word, but just hugged them. Joey hugged her mom back, wishing it would take forever before they had to let go. She felt so happy they now knew they were family, a real family. She didn't want to leave this place again. Chris said "Woah", as Leo had given Wyatt to Paige and suddenly hugged him really tight. It wasn't how he knew his father, but then again, this was another Leo and without all the stuff happening in the future with Joey and the master he might never become the father that ignored him. He hugged his father back, not thinking about the painful memories.

"So", Chris said as he let go of his father and looked around. "Now that is all in the open I have something else to say. We have to go back to our futures." "O no you can't young man", Piper finally spoke. "You can't just tell us that you are my kids and then say you have to go, you just can't." "Look Piper… mom… I did here what I came here to do and the longer we stay the more we change the future, I am sorry." He looked at Joey who seemed to have even more problems with the going back part than any of the others. Even though she was the one to know it the longest. So he added "Besides, we see each other in the future, right?"

Chris tried to sound reassuring, but he didn't feel that way. He had tried so hard to keep it a secret and not just because it would change the future, but also because he didn't know how to handle his feelings when everyone know who he really was. "I am sorry", he said as he looked around and orbed out taking Joey's hand.

They ended up at the attic and Joey asked surprised "Why did you do that?" "I am sorry, we really have to go", Chris said trying to push away all the emotions that were about to take over. He gave Joey a piece of chalk. "Draw this sign on the wall, big enough for us to walk through, okay?", he said while pointing to the triquetra on the book of shadows. She nodded, knowing arguing wouldn't help right now, he was just as confused as she was. Chris telekinetically flipped through the book, trying to find the time travel spell. When he found it Joey was almost finished with the drawing.

He wanted to tell her to say the spell with him when the rest of the family came running in. "Stop right there you can't…", Piper said and Chris sighed. He was never being able to leave here. "You can't go", Leo interrupted Piper. "Not without saying a proper goodbye anyway", he added while he winked to them. Chris smiled at his dad, not expecting he would be the one help them like that.

"You're right", he said softly as he walked to his dad. He hugged him while Leo said to him "Thanks for everything son". "You're welcome", Chris answered as he ruffled baby Wyatt's hair and walked to Paige and Phoebe. When he hugged Phoebe she said "I am really going to miss you". "Me too", he answered as they let go of each other. He looked to Paige. "Awww… here comes the hugging part", she said as she held out her arms and embraced her nephew. Chris laughed and walked to the last person. "Mom", he said quiet. "O come here", she said as he bend forward and they hugged. "I love you so much mom", he said while tears welled in his eyes. "I love you too", Piper said as she hold him tight.

Joey followed Chris, although she didn't really know what to do. She didn't know them the way Chris knew them. She'd only met them a few days ago. But Leo spontaneously hugged her and said "Thank you to sweetie". "No problem", she said while she hugged him back. She looked at the baby in his arms and thought about that being the big evil Chris had told her about. She smiled to the kid as she felt she was being hugged by two pair of arms. When she looked up she saw it were Paige and Phoebe. "Hey", was all she said. She watched Chris who was just done saying goodbye to Piper.

Piper let go of Chris and looked to Joey. She smiled as she saw how she was overwhelmed by all the hugs. "Don't suffocate her", she said to her sisters as she walked closer and Paige and Phoebe let go of Joey. Piper held onto Joey. "Bye sweetie", she whispered. Chris looked at his mother and sister as he bit his lip. Everything seemed so fine here, he didn't know to what future they would return.

When Joey finally managed to get away from Piper she joined Chris in front of the drawing. She looked at the spell from the book and took Chris' hand. Together they said the words that had to bring them back to their right times:

"Hear these words,
hear the rhyme,
heed the hope within our mind,
send us back to where we'll find
what we wish in place and time."

The triquetra began to glow and suddenly a bright white light filled the room. Then the wall changed and it looked like there was a giant mirror of liquid in the drawing. Chris and Joey looked one more time back to their family before they walked to the portal.