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Chapter 10: Time to Time-Travel

Phoebe was dressed and ready for her date. Only problem was, she still had an hour to wait. Seeing Jason again, being that close to him... it brought back memories. Not to mention her empathy power was sending her senses into overdrive. It wasn't love. Before he left it was love, but now it was something, just not quite love.

She checked her makeup in the mirror. It was absolutely perfect, no flaw in sight. She looked at the clock on her end table. Only fifty-five minutes to go...

Paige orbed into her room. "If it's a demon, I don' want to hear it," she warned.

"What? No. Something better."

"What is it?"

"You are looking at a newly employed Paige."

"Really? That's great!" Phoebe congratulated her. "I thought you went to see the Elders, not a job interview."

"That's right."

"Yeah, you got to help me here. I'm lost."

"The Elders gave me a job. I am now a teacher at magic school."

Phoebe jumped up and hugged her. "That is so great! I'm so proud of you. When do you start?"

"Two weeks. I'm replacing a teacher that is going to get Leo's Elder position."

"Paige, that is amazing."

"I know. I'm so happy." Paige looked at herself in the mirror. "I hated giving up my job at the clinic, but my magic had to come first. But now I have a job that involves magic, and I even get time off for legitimate Charmed duties. I may not get paid for it, but at least I feel worthwhile again."

"Paige, you have been great. You don't need a job to feel worthwhile."

"No, but it helps."

Phoebe laughed. "Come on. Let's go tell Piper and Leo."

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Meanwhile, in the future, Chris was running from Paige and Phoebe. They were trying to kill him. No joke. They thought he was a demon, and they had a vanquishing potion ready to go. He raced to the attic and grabbed the book of shadows. Phoebe and Paige would figure out where he was any minute. He flipped the book to a spell. As he recited it, Phoebe and Paige busted into the room. "What are you doing?!" Phoebe yelled and Paige hurled the potion. Chris quickly read the rest of the spell and was immersed in white, swirling lights just before the potion reached him.

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Phoebe was on her date, Piper was putting the kids to bed, and Paige and Leo were in the attic, checking out the book of shadows for any possible demons to attack in the weeks to come. "Where do we even begin?" Paige asked.

"Look for demons that want power."

"Okay, that's only all of them."

"I mean ones who specialize in stealing powers."

"Oh. That kind of demon. I think--" She was cut off by the sudden appearance of swirling white lights. Paige grabbed one of the many potions she had been concocting all day. She was tempted to throw it, but didn't. White lights like that usually meant something good. She still had it poised and ready to throw when Chris suddenly appeared out of the white lights.

He saw Paige with the potion and thought the spell had failed, that it was still the same Paige trying to kill him. he screamed and tackled her to the floor. Leo had to pull him off of her.

"What is your problem, Chris?!" Paige said as she made the effort to get off of the ground. Leo roughly held him back.

"What's wrong with me? What about you?! You're the one who's trying to kill me!"

"I thought you were a demon!"

"How my times to have to tell you I'm not?"

Paige was thoroughly confused. "This is the first time you've told me."

"Bullshit. You've been like this ever since I got back."

Leo pushed him against the wall. "Watch your language. What the hell has gotten in to you?"

"Ask her and Phoebe. Maybe if they weren't trying to kill me, I wouldn't have to worry."

"Phoebe's not even here. What are you talking about?"

Piper, hearing all the noise, came running into the attic. "What's going on?" she asked, but then she saw Chris. "Chris?!"

"Mom?!" He pushed Leo out of the way and gave her a huge hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Piper hugged him back, confused. "I'm glad I okay too. Now do you want to tell me what's going on?"

Chris looked around the room for the first time. "It worked! It worked!"

Paige, still a little hurt by his attack, asked, "What worked?"

"The spell! It brought me back!"

"Clearly."

Chris looked at Paige. "I am so sorry. I thought you were trying to kill me again."

"Again?"

Chris sighed and sat down on one of the old chairs in the attic. 'You remember how I was afraid that if I told you too much the future would change in bad ways? Well it did."

He saw that Piper was about to open her mouth. "Don't worry; Wyatt's good. A perfect little angel. Literally. At least I did one thing right."

Piper kneeled down by Chris. "Chris, Honey, you have to tell us what is wrong. It's the only way we can help. No secrets this time. Promise?"

"Promise." He looked around. "Where's Phoebe? I only want to explain this once."

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Jason took Phoebe to a beautiful restaurant in downtown San Francisco. He was the perfect gentleman, even pulling out her chair for her when she arrived. "Phoebe, I love being back here with you. I want to know everything that's happened to you, magic or not."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes."

They ordered their food before she began to talk. As she ate, she gave him small detail of her life before magic. Mom dying, Dad leaving, Grams dying, moving to New York, those sorts of details.

She waited until she was done with dinner to begin the magic stuff. She described to him finding the Book of Shadows and reading that fateful incantation that turned her into a witch, brought her to her destiny.

Then she moved onto demons. Every single one they encountered. From vanquishing Jeremy the warlock (Piper's boyfriend) to helping a ghost moving on (one that Piper fell in love with), to discovering who Leo really was. That sent Jason for a reel. He couldn't believe Leo was a dead guardian angel. She even explained Andy's death, Piper's decision of Dan over Leo, and the other various relationships the girls had.

I was great seeing his reaction about Cole. "You knew he was a demon?"

"Yes, but I loved him anyway." It was kind of cute, seeing Jason jealous.

As Phoebe finished telling him about the time she was turned into a banshee and Prue into a dog, Jason laughed. "Phoebe, you could publish a book larger than the bible. You've had enough adventures to fill a newspaper with articles forever."

Phoebe didn't laugh. She looked down at her food. "That's actually not funny..." Phoebe went on to explain about being exposed as witches and her being in the underworld with Cole as one of her sisters died. "But Prue, being the amazing big sister she was, wasn't going to let Piper die with out a fight." Phoebe had tears in her eyes. By the time she finished explaining about the time reversal and how she and Leo were too late to save Prue, the tears were flowing freely. Jason leaned over the table and squeezed her hand.

"You have seen so much. Not just as a witch, either."

She was going to move on to what happened after Prue's death, but her cell phone rang. Please don't let it be about a demon, she pleaded. "Hello?" she said into the phone. After listening for a bit, she concluded, "don't worry about it. I'll give you a call in a few." She turned and faced Jason. "Family--"

"—emergency," he finished for her. "Phoebe, cut the crap. You don't have to use that excuse any more. You can tell me the truth."

"Jason, I actually am," she said, a little offended. "I'm sorry I have to leave, but--"

"You don't have to explain, really." Jason held up his hand to signal for the check.

His attitude was pissing Phoebe off. "You know what? You said you wanted to know everything, so here you go. My nephew Chris is back from the future because something bad is going on. The kind of bad that sounds like one of us is dead in the future, and we need to fix it."

Jason held up a hand. "Fine. I'm coming with you."

"No, you should go home."

"No, Phoebe. I said I wanted to know everything about your life and this is it. I'm coming and you can't stop me."

"Fine. Do you remember what I told you about orbing...?"

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Leo heard Phoebe's call. "Phoebe's calling. She's bringing Jason with her. Do you want to come with me Chris?"

"Sure. He stood up and tried to orb, but he went no where. "I can't orb."

"What?" Piper looked at him and a thought popped into her head. "The baby..."

"What about the baby?"

"The baby has powers now, so you can't use yours."

"This just sucks." Chris sat down again and Leo orbed out to get Phoebe.

He returned a few seconds later with Phoebe who ran to Chris and gave him a big hug, and Jason, who clutched his stomach and sat down. "There goes dinner..."

"Give it a minute or two," Paige advised. "So Chris, details, now."

"What about him?" he asked, indicating Jason.

"He's alright. I've told him everything about us."

"Phoebe!"

"What, Piper? He already knew about us. He may as know all of it."

"But..."

Chris stood up and mad a T with his hands. "Alright, people. Time out. There is enough time to argue later, when we get back from the future."

"Future? Whose going to the future?" Jason asked.

"One rule, Buddy," Piper told him, "you are not allowed to ask questions right now. After we get this straightened out you can ask Phoebe what ever you like."

"Piper, be nice."

"I am. Now what were you saying Chris?"

"I need Phoebe and Paige to go to the future and try to talk some sense into themselves."

"Why? What about Piper?" Leo asked and piper nodded her head.

"That's the problem."

"Care to explain?"

"Not really."

"Too bad. No secrets, remember?"

Chris sighed. He hated that he made that promise. It seemed like a good thing to do at the time. Now he wasn't so sure. Oh, well. It's too late now. "Fine? You want the truth? The problem is Mom and I are dead, Leo and Wyatt are up in Elderland, and Paige and Phoebe have turned from good magic to find the demon that killed Piper."

The room was silent for a few minutes. Then Phoebe broke the silence. "We're evil?"

"No. You've just turned from good magic. You still vanquish demons, just not in the most ethical ways. Oh, yeah. And you think I'm a demon and have repeatedly tried to kill me."

"Tried to kill you?" Phoebe squeaked.

"Yep."

Leo stood up, looking like the all-powerful Elder he was about to un-become. Piper felt a little guilty, but not much. "So what do you propose we do?" Leo asked.

"We go to the future. Paige and Phoebe won't listen to me, but they may to you."

"Or we may try to kill ourselves," Paige muttered.

She was ignored. "Chris, is going to the future the only way to find out what happened?"

"Yes. We need to find out what happens quickly, because I was only a month old when I died."

The room was silent. "Why? How old am I now?" Chris asked, close to panic.

"Don't worry. You're not even born yet," Piper assured him. "Do you know how you were killed?"

"No."

"Well, I guess the only way to find out is to go to the future," Piper told the group.

"I'll start the potion," Phoebe said and stood up and walked to Jason. "Sorry about all this. I'll call you when I get back." She kissed him and turned around, but he grabbed her arm.

"You be careful, okay?" He kissed her again. And again. And again...

Piper cleared her throat. "A little professionalism, people." She began to shoo everybody but Phoebe and Jason out of the room. "Chris, help me with the time-travel potion, Paige, make some all purpose demon vanquishing potions, and Leo, go check on Wyatt." Piper was the last one to leave the room and gave Phoebe a wink as she left.

"No the most subtle way, but it worked," Jason said and kissed Phoebe again.

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Leo followed Piper down the stairs. Halfway down, he made her face him. he took in her pale face and realized how much this stuff was worrying her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Really. I'm getting quite use to the idea I let my son die. Even more to the fact that I die."

"Piper..." Leo held her close in his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he rubbed her hair and rocked her back and forth.

"We'll fix this. I promise. We always do."

"But what if we can't?"

"We will," Leo said seriously.

"You don't know that. Something happened to Mom, then Grams, and then Prue. Who are you to say something won't happen to me?"

"Piper, don't talk like that. You have your sisters and me to make sure nothing happens to you."

"Yeah, well in the future it doesn't seem to have worked out to well."

"Piper, you listen to me. I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know that. But what about Chris?"

"What about him?"

"Leo, we let him die in the future."

"We'll change that."

"But what if we don't? I feel like such a horrible mother."

"Why? You know that's not true."

"Don't I? Leo, our oldest child becomes the source of all evil, while our youngest is some time-traveling secret keeper with a major inferiority complex to his brother. Remind me of what I'm doing right!"

"Piper, the boys love you. You are not to blame for what happens to them in the future. If anyone is, it's me. I wasn't there for them when they needed me the most."

"Leo..." Leo kissed her to shut her up.

Phoebe walked down the stairs with Jason and cleared her throat. "I'm just lovin' the professionalism, Piper."

Piper stuck her tong out at her. The four headed to the kitchen where Chris and Paige were preparing potions. "There you guys are," Paige said, throwing some mandrake root into the potion. "I thought we were going to have to send a search party for you." Paige looked at her suggestively.

"No such luck. Now what are we making here?" Piper asked, changing the subject.

"I am making all-purpose demon vanquish while Chris is trying to make the time-traveling potion."

"Let me do it," Piper said, gently prying the spoon from Chris' hand.

"I hate to be a bother, but could someone do that little blue-shiny-transportation thingy..."

"Orbing," everyone replied.

"Okay. Could some orb me back to the restaurant? My car is still there."

"I will," Leo volunteered. He grabbed Jason's hand and got ready to orb, but Piper stopped him.

"Leo, will you take Wyatt to magic school? I have a bag ready for him on the rocking chair. Take his light blue blanket and booties." She set down the spoon. "I'll go get him ready."

"Piper, I can do it. Finish the potion. I'll be back in a few." He and Jason walked upstairs.

"But..." Piper said and looked down at the potion.

"Piper, you have really got to learn how to chill," Paige told her.

"Leo's back now, honey. You can let him take care of the kids now," Phoebe informed her.

"It's not that. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"Why am I always the one who dies?"

"What do you mean?"

"Phoebe, you're the one who is turned evil, Paige is the one who is put under spells, and I'm the one who always dies."

"Piper, that's not true."

"Yeah, it is. You better watch out, Phoebe; you may be next. It seems the Charmed Ones die by seniority." Piper let out a bitter laugh.

"Piper, don't talk like that. We'll fix this. We always do."

"But that's the point. We always have to fix my dying. It's not that fact I don't believe we can, because I know we can, but the fact that we even have to scares me. What if what happens to Prue happens again? If you guys hadn't turned back time, I would be dead and Prue would be alive."

Phoebe firmly put her hands on Piper's arm. "We are not going to let what happened to Prue happen to you."

"I know that. But I also thought I would never let anything happen to you or Prue. I let her down."

"Piper, you need to let that go. I wasn't your fault. It was Shax. If we hadn't reset time, you would have been dead and do you really think the CIA would have let Prue live? I would have lost both of you. Piper, losing Prue was hard enough. I promise on my life I will let nothing happen to you. I promise." She put her arms around Piper."

Paige, who always felt left out when they discussed Prue, came and joined the hug. "Chris came back for a reason, you know. It's to save you. Now if we want him to succeed, you're going to have to help." Piper looked at her. "The potion's boiling over."

Piper raced to save the soupy mess that would hopefully save her life.

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When Leo orbed back into the manor, minus Jason and Wyatt, he found Chris in the attic drawing a Triquetra while the girls were downstairs concocting potions. "Hey. What's up?" Leo asked him.

"Oh, nothing. Just trying to save my family once again. You know, the normal stuff."

"That's not what I meant. I meant how are you guys progressing with the time-traveling?"

Chris shrugged his shoulders. "I'm almost done with the Triquetra and the girls are working on the potion." He turned his back to Leo and continued drawing on the wall.

"Chris, if you want to talk..."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"I think there is."

"Okay. You want to talk? Fine. I come to the past to save my little brother from turning evil. I go back and he is literally a little angel, but my mother and I are dead. But you want to know something, Leo? There is something I didn't tell the first time I came back. Mom, she was dead. This is the second time I'm trying to save her. I won't let her die again. I promise." Chris finished her rant.

Neither Chris or Leo saw Piper behind them. "You're not the only one who's promised that. Now are we going to do this or what?"

"Mom, I'm sorry. I never meant for you too..."

Piper held up her hand. "It's okay. I'm over it."

"You're over the fact you're dead in the future?" Leo asked.

"Hey, it happens to everyone sometime. I guess it was my time."

"Yeah. Was," Paige said empathetically. "But that's going to change."

"Alright. Enough chit-chat, people. Are we going do this?"

"Yeah. Let's go. I have the return spell. " Phoebe, Paige and Piper formed a half circle in front of the Triquetra. Leo and Chris stood behind them. Phoebe arced back her hand and threw the potion at the wall. It opened into a large, swirling blue portal. Holding hands, the three sisters held hands and walked through the portal, Chris and Leo close behind them.

They ended up back in the attic. It looked like the attic, only less cluttered and very dusty. An older Paige and an older Phoebe, both dressed in black, were waiting for them.

"I told you he'd be back," Paige snarled, hurling a potion at Chris.

"NO!" Piper yelled and threw up her hands. The bottle stopped in mid-air.

Paige and Phoebe's jaws dropped. "Piper?" Phoebe whispered.

"Yes."

"Oh. My. God." Paige and Phoebe ran to her and had her enveloped in a hug. "I can't believe it. It's actually Piper."

"And us too. Phoebe and Paige," present Phoebe said.

Their future selves glared at them, drawing Piper away from the time traveling group. They made sure Piper was behind them and future Phoebe took a step forward. "You don't deserve her."

"What do you mean?" present Paige asked.

"This is what I mean," future Phoebe said and took a closer step to past Phoebe. "You murdering bitch."

And she punched her. Squarely in the jaw.

Authors note: I hope you liked. I would like to thank all of you that have reviewed, your comments have been great. Feel free to give suggest about what you think should happen. Next chapter: Why is future Phoebe so mad at present Phoebe? What dark secrets are being hid in the future? Read on to find out. Please read and review.