Author's Note: The final chapter, just the epilogue left. A sequel is in the works, tentatively titled Post Hoc, and should hopefully appear soon. It will probably be darker and deal more with Wyatt and Chris and their post-reunion relationship.
"Wy! The eggs!" were the words that greeted Piper as she descended the stairs, wrapping her robe firmly around her waist. It was Jordan's voice, she recognized, and the exclamation was followed by a mixture of laughter from Jordan and Chris. As she neared the kitchen, she could smell something (presumably the eggs) burning. When she entered, Wyatt was cursing and yanking the skillet off of the stove. Jordan stood in front of the toaster, switching four toasted slices of bread for fresh slices. She was shooting Wyatt amused glances as he scraped the blackened eggs onto a plate. Chris leaned against the counter, searching the fruit bowl for the best specimens.
"You had one job, bro, and you couldn't take your eyes off of your girl for the two seconds needed to complete it?" Chris teased with a smirk, choosing a red apple and tossing it onto one of the six plates lined up on the counter top. "Not that I blame you, 'cause she is…"
"Don't finish that sentence, little one," Jordan interjected, as Chris grinned and chose two more apples. She turned from the toaster and leaned over to the fruit bowl, picking out a ripe banana and handing it to him. "Give us a little variety, please." She tweaked his nose.
"I think I should start over," Wyatt said, looking dejectedly at the ruined yellow-black-brown mess on the plate. His face fell into a pout as he raised the plate, opened the trash can, dumped the contents.
"You get the drinks on and I'll get the eggs this time," Jordan smiled, pausing to kiss his cheek. Behind her, the toast leapt up. "And get that toast. We need at least four more pieces."
"Yes, ma'am," Wyatt grinned, backing away from the stove area with his hands raised in defeat. He looked up and saw his mother standing there. "Good morning, Mom. Sleep well?"
"Yes," Piper lied, a smile lingering on her face from the adorable scene she'd just witnessed. "What are you three doing up so early?"
"Making everyone breakfast," Chris answered with a sheepish smile. He was dressed in a pair of Wyatt's plaid sleep pants and one of his baseball fundraising shirts. They hung a little loosely on his skinny frame, but he looked quite comfortable in them.
Jordan, too, wore a pair of Wyatt's pants and a T-shirt proclaiming loyalty to Baker High. She grinned reassuringly at Piper when she looked up from her egg-scrambling. "Your son is unable to make scrambled eggs."
"I've failed as a mother," Piper played along, "And cooking is in your blood, too!"
"Sorry, Mom." Wyatt grabbed six glasses out of the cupboard and placed them on the table to complete the place settings.
"When are you going to go talk to Them?" his mother asked as he removed the toast, replaced it with more bread, and then grabbed a pitcher of orange juice out of the refrigerator.
"After we eat breakfast and Jordan and I shower."
"Separately, I hope!" Chris exclaimed playfully.
Jordan thwacked him with the spatula. "Behave, Christopher. Is the butter and jam on the table?"
"Yes, ma'am," Chris petulantly responded, rubbing his head.
"Good, the eggs are ready and not burnt, so all we need are our remaining two diners."
"Aunt Paige! Aunt Phoebe! Breakfast!" Wyatt yelled from the doorway of the kitchen in the general direction of the stairs.
"Take a seat, Mom," Chris offered, a beautiful smile on his face as he looked at her.
She felt herself tearing up as he pulled a chair out for her, but refrained from crying as she sat down.
"Thanks, Chris."
"Not a problem." He was still smiling. "Jordan made sure I learned my manners."
"Somehow," Jordan teased, placing the eggs in the middle of the table. Wyatt came up behind her, placing the toast next to the eggs. His hands rested on her hips momentarily before pulling out a chair for her, too.
"Hey! I was good!"
"Good is relative, sweetie," she laughed. "When I was growing up…"
"In the eighties, old timer?" Chris cut in. "How old are you, anyway?"
"Shush, you. A lady never reveals her age," Jordan deflected him, passing an uncomfortable glance in Wyatt's direction. Neither yet seemed completely at ease discussing Jordan's history.
"Aw, c'mon, Jay." She wouldn't budge. "Let's see, you were born in what? 1980?"
"Yes, little one. Now eat your breakfast. It's too early for you to do big math like that."
1980, Piper thought to herself in wonder. That was only a few years younger than her.
Paige and Phoebe chose that moment to wander sleepily into the kitchen.
"'Morning everyone. Anyone make coffee?" Phoebe questioned, slumping into one of the empty chairs.
"Still perking," Wyatt answered, nodding towards the coffee maker. "Help yourself to some eggs. They're much better than the ones I made."
"Is that what was burning?" Paige asked.
"Yes," Wyatt grumbled. "I've made them before without problems."
"Jordan was distracting him," Chris added.
His aunts smiled knowingly and settled themselves in to share the meal with their sister, nephews, and Jordan.
A couple of minutes into the meal, Chris looked up and asked, "Aunt Phoebe, do you think I could meet Casey soon?"
Phoebe smiled widely. "Of course. As soon as possible. I'll talk to her dad about when I can get my hands on her again."
"She'll love you, Chris," Wyatt put in, "She needs an annoying sidekick."
The younger brother looked up in mock-hurt and pouted. "You cut deep, brother…"
Piper almost cried again at the natural teasing and closeness that rested between her boys, even after their separation. Instead, she smiled bitter-sweetly and met Jordan's gaze thankfully. She owed the angel so much more than she would have imagined. It was obvious she had taken an active role in shaping Chris and keeping him linked to the world he was born into. And the girl (Piper would always consider her a girl) loved Wyatt, and vice versa.
Breakfast soon ended and Wyatt offered Jordan the first shower so he and his conscripted assistant Chris could clean up.
"So… how'd it go?" Chris was the first to break the silence that lingered over the conservatory.
Wyatt and Jordan had just orbed back from Up There. Paige and Piper occupied the wicker couch, reviewing the Book of Shadows for any overlooked demons that might need to be crossed off the to-do list, and Phoebe was off picking up Casey to bring her back for dinner. Chris had settled cross-legged on the tile floor, absorbed in his baby book, until the pair reentered the manor.
Piper's eyes leapt to her older son's face to study his reactions.
"We're going to finish out the school year, both of us," Wyatt started, his glance telling Jordan he would tell the story. Taking this cue, Jordan joined Chris on the floor, nudging him gently to elicit a grin.
"And then?" Piper asked.
"And then, Jordan drops out. We'll tell all our friends her parents are home-schooling her or something. I'll finish senior year, and then we'll go from there. In the mean time, Jordan and I are going to be working with the Elders to restructure Good Magic and plan for the future. Jordan gets to stay as my White Lighter, as long as our relationship doesn't interfere with her duties."
"He's my only charge, so there shouldn't be much of a problem," Jordan added as clarification, leaning back against the coffee table with a relaxed smile. Noticing this behavior, tension drained from Piper's worried body. She knew that all of this Camelot business was just beginning, but it seemed to be starting out on the right foot.
"What about the Dark Lighter?" Chris asked the question that had slipped everyone else's mind in all the confusion.
"He's been traced back to what's left of leadership in the Underworld, an effort to stop Wyatt from drawing the sword. Wyatt, personally, is off limits, but his White Lighter isn't," Leo answered after orbing in at the end of Chris's question. "Now that he's drawn the sword, there is very little the Underworld can do to him."
Piper looked up with surprise at her ex-husband, noting that she had not seen him this relaxed since Wyatt was an infant. A familiar ache returned to the pit of her stomach at his easy grin that had won her heart so long ago, at the loosening of the tight lines around his eyes. His hair even looked a little less white.
"Oh, and one more thing. I've made my first executive decision," Wyatt chimed in, a grin so similar to his father's creeping across his face.
"And that is?"
"If he agrees, the whole custody agreement about Chris and me is dissolved. We both live where we want to live, and the other parent can visit us wherever we choose. I, obviously, choose here until I finish high school. What about you, Chris? Care to give the real world a try? Maybe even do some time as a sophomore at Baker High?"
Piper's heart jumped into her throat as her eyes fell on Chris, anxiously awaiting his reply. Leo first glanced up at his wife and the earnest expression gracing her still-beautiful face, then turned his attention to his son, knowing the decision before Chris even opened his mouth.
"No offense, Dad… I love you, and I've loved living Up There with you. It's gonna be a hard adjustment… but I need to be here. I need to be a normal kid for a little bit. I'd like to try it here."
A brilliant smile spread across Piper's face and passed itself on to Paige and Wyatt. Jordan, knowing Christopher Perry Halliwell better than he knew himself, allowed herself a small grin of satisfaction as he answered just as she had expected. She raised her eyes to meet Leo's and rose to approach him as the Halliwells converged on Chris excitedly.
"You know," she said gently, observing affectionately Wyatt's firm embrace of his brother and mother. "You could be in there, too."
He glanced sidelong at her and returned his eyes to his family, feeling distinctly alone. "White Lighter advice?"
"Daughter-in-law advice," she winked playfully. "Talk to her. Forget all the Elder crap, Leo. We all answer to a high power now. He just happens to be your son, which gives you a distinct advantage. Appeal your case to the highest court; I'm sure Wyatt will rule that it is quite alright for his father, the man his beloved mother loves, to stretch a few Elder rules to slowly but surely reintegrate himself back into the family. It doesn't have to be right away, Leo; it doesn't have to be soon. Just start the healing."
Jordan gave Leo a final grin as flourish and hurried to join the boys as they headed into the kitchen for lunch. Lunch was to be between mother and sons, so Jordan was quickly preparing a sandwich before making herself scarce. As he noticed Piper lingering in the dining room, his heart began to ache with all of the familiar beautiful agony he felt around her.
"You can come and visit the boys whenever you like," she stated after a prolonged silence where they both thought of something appropriate to say to capture their maelstrom of feelings. "Or whenever the Elders allow you."
"The Elders are worthless now," Leo answered, raising his eyes to hers, but remaining planted in the arch of the doorway. "I'll be around as often as possible. I want to be at every game, every important event."
"We need you for the unimportant ones, too."
Leo took note of her pronoun choice, his heart fluttering as it hadn't in a very long time. "We need you…"
"This isn't about taking Chris from you," she said, voicing her fear that he would be angry with the new living arrangements.
"I know," Leo responded quietly, the gentleness in his tone evoking memories in both of them. "You are just putting our family back together. You've always been the strong one. I should have been stronger." His eyes were thick with apology. "I'm so sorry, Piper. I have hurt you so much, the last thing I have ever wanted to do."
"I used to think we were meant to be," Piper said softly, just above a whisper.
Leo crossed to her. "I still do. I need you, Piper. You and the boys… I need us to be a family again someday."
"We need you, too," Her arms circled him and she rested her head on his chest. "I need you, too."
Holding her tight, he whispered, "Can we start over?"
"No," she answered emphatically, "Because I don't want to throw out our history."
Epilogue coming soon.