Chapter 5: The Suspicion Begins

Piper puked in to the toilet and flushed it. Only seven weeks pregnant, not even showing, and the 'morning sickness' was getting horrible. For her, it wasn't just 'morning' sickness, it was '24/7' sickness. She washed her hands, out on her pajamas, and got into bed. She felt her stomach give an uneasy twist and hoped the sickness would hold off till morning. She didn't feel like getting up in the middle of the night and puking out her guts. Before she fell asleep, her last thought was that she hoped they had enough saltine crackers downstairs.

Sure enough, 2:30 in the morning, Piper woke up with the feeling to vomit. She ran to the bathroom and bent over the toilet. When she finished, she slowly walked back into her room, holding her stomach, knowing that would not be the last time she ended up in the bathroom that night.

"Piper, are you alright?" A voice said from the darkness.

Piper let out a little scream, hoping it would not wake her sisters. "Damn it, Leo! What are you doing here?"

"I hold Wyatt sometimes at night. I told you that a while ago. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just a flu bug or something," she fibbed.

"Let me heal you."

"No!" Piper didn't want him to heal her and then vomit on him. That would take some explaining she didn't want to do. Besides, when she was pregnant with Wyatt, the smell of his aftershave made her sick to her stomach, and she wasn't eager to find out if it would now.

"Why not?"

"No magic, alright. We haven't seen a force of evil since the Darklighters killed Madison and I want to keep it that way. Every time we use magic not involving vanquishing, it seems a demon shows up, so just no magic." Piper lied her way through the question, falling back on the good old no-magic-all-I-want-is-a-normal-life routine.

"Piper, your apathy towards magic worries the Elders."

Piper was appalled and outraged. "My apathy towards magic worries Them?! Well, do They every worry about us? Do They every worry that every demon that walks, shimmers, or flames, into this house raises our chances of being killed and leaving our children orphans?!" Piper realized her mistake. Children. She said Children instead of child.

Leo looked confused. "Children?"

Piper looked for a quick cover-up. "Phoebe saw a child of hers during a vision quest at magic school. That's why I said children." Leo seemed to buy the lie for now. "You know what? I don't want to argue."

Leo walked towards the nursery. "I'll put Wyatt down and leave."

"No," Piper protested. "You need to spend time with Wyatt. He hardly ever sees you and you need to spend more time with him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'll be downstairs." She left the room and headed towards the kitchen. She was surprised to find Chris sitting at the table. "Hey. What are you doing up?"

"Nothing. You?"

"Hungry." She didn't want to tell Chris Leo was upstairs. She went to the cabinet and grabbed a box of saltines, making a note to get some more. She then went to the refrigerator and grabbed pickles and parmesan cheese.

"What is that?" Chris asked, disgusted. "Crackers, pickles, and parmesan cheese? Why?"

"Crackers for my upset stomach and the pickles and cheese because... well, just because I want them. It's a pregnancy thing." Chris just shook his head. "Want some?" She held out the pickle jar to him.

"Why not?" he said, taking a pickle. "No cheese though." He took a bite of the pickle and Piper held out the cheese to him. "Oh, whatever." He put some parmesan cheese on his pickle and took a bite. "Hey, this is pretty good!"

"See I told you. Would I ever steer you wrong?" Piper asked, smiling, making one for herself. It felt good to bond with Chris, to know she does some thing right in the future. Chris was a good kid. She only hoped Wyatt would turn out as good.

"So, tell me about the future." Chris groaned. "I don't mean you have to tell me what happens, but tell me about you. What do you do? Do you have friends? Do you even like the future?"

Chris took a breath. He guessed there were some things he could tell her without affecting the future. "Alright. When I was little, about six or seven, we, meaning you, me, Wyatt, Phoebe, her husband and kids, would go for picnics at this park. You would make this huge lunch and we would pig out all day, laugh, and just have fun. Those were some of the best times I ever had. They were just magic- free, worry-free days. It was great."

Piper smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed them so much. So, tell me about Phoebe. Kids, as in more than one? In her vision, she was pregnant, but only one."

"Plural, is all I say. You know I can't say how many."

"What about Paige? Did she or Leo ever come?"

"In my future," Chris said sadly, "Paige wasn't alive, remember? And Leo... well, he came a few times, but usually left because of some call or some thing. He really wasn't a big part of my life."

"And that's why you resent him so much now? Because he wasn't around back then?"

"I guess."

"You know, Chris, you shouldn't resent him now. He's not the person you know. Maybe you can change that. For the better."

"I thought you weren't going to tell Leo about me."

"I'm not, but he's bound to find out one way or another. If Phoebe or Paige manage to keep it a secret, which I highly doubt, he's bound to notice the changes. If he finds out on his own, maybe you should take what I said into consideration."

Piper let out a yawn. "I'm going to bed."

"I'll clean up."

"Thanks," she said, letting out another yawn. She began to head out of the kitchen when Chris' voice stopped her.

"I love you."

Piper was taken aback. This was the last thing she expected. She then broke into one of the largest smiles Chris had ever seen on her face. "I love you, too." She headed out of the kitchen. "Goodnight."

"Night," Chris replied and began to clean up the kitchen.

There was something going on with Piper, Leo just knew it. Was she so sick she was afraid to tell him? After spending a little more time with Wyatt, Leo set him in his crib and put up his invisibility cloak. He snuck downstairs to find Piper. He felt bad about snooping, but how else was he supposed to find out what was wrong with the woman he loved. He found her in the kitchen with Chris, and his heart dropped when he heard their conversation:

"I thought you weren't going to tell Leo about me."

What was there to tell? Leo thought, growing suspicious.

"I'm not, but he's bound to find out one way or another. If Phoebe or Paige manage to keep it a secret, which I highly doubt, he's bound to notice the changes. If he finds out on his own, maybe you should take what I said into consideration."

Piper let out a yawn. "I'm going to bed."

I'll clean up."

"Thanks," she said, letting out another yawn. She began to head out of the kitchen when Chris' voice stopped her.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." He heard her say. "Goodnight."

"Night," Chris replied and began to clean up the kitchen.

Leo couldn't believe it. This was an all time low. Even for Chris. Sure, Piper had fallen for her Whitelighter, and her mother with hers, but did that mean the same for Chris?

As he looked at the smile on Chris' face and the one Piper gave him earlier, his suspicions were confirmed.

Chris and Piper were falling in love. Or had already fallen.

Author's note: Not what you were expecting? Let me know what you think!

Will Piper and Chris explain the misunderstanding to Leo, or let him be miserable? Where are the demons (they're coming, don't worry!)? Just wait till Leo confronts Piper! More of this and juicy twists and turns for the lives of the Halliwells (and a Matthews) to come! (Chapter 6 is pretty long, so use the bathroom before you sit and read!)