The Second First Born

N.B.I hope you're in it for the long haul! Please R&R! Also, disclaimer. I don't own Charmed, the show or any of the original characters.

Piper stood up and stretched, stifling a yawn, trying to hide the exhaustion that she felt. She shook her head from side to side, trying to wake herself up a little. She fell into the armchair that sat opposite the sofa, relishing the comfort it brought to her. The sleepy dusk outside of the window offered little light, and Piper's eyes began to droop…

Piper's head jerked up and she fought to keep her eyes open.
'You know, you should really get some sleep,' sad a voice from behind the chair. Piper turned her head, and smiled at Leo affectionately, 'You sound like Chris…'.
Leo returned her smile, and he moved further into the room, his eyes concentrated upon a motionless Chris, who was lying upon the sofa.

'Any change?' Leo asked, indicating towards his son.
Piper said, 'He's only just gone quiet,' she sighed and absent-mindedly began picking at her fingernails, 'It's strange…you know?'
Leo asked her, 'What is?'
'Chris…' she said, 'It's just…' she stopped, looking at her feet self consciously.
Leo nodded encouragingly, 'You can tell me you know.'

Piper gave a half smile, 'He's…he's half of me… my son,' she shook her head sadly, 'and I know nothing about him…'
'Piper, his life hasn't happened yet, he's not even been born…you shouldn't worry,' Leo said, reassuringly.
Piper sighed, 'I know that, I do. But something…something makes me feel guilty…'

Leo said, 'Chris isn't supposed to be here though, this isn't his time…'
Piper replied, 'I know Leo…' she tried to pull herself out of the chair, 'Never mind…it doesn't matter…'
Leo placed an arm across the front of the chair, forming a temporary barrier across her, preventing her from getting up, 'Piper…?' he said, questioningly.
Piper gave an exasperated sigh, before sitting back in her chair. 'Okay,' she said, 'I just feel like the reason Chris is here…is because of me…'

Leo raised his eyebrows at her, smirking.
Piper half-smiled back at him, 'You know what I mean. The reason he's…here,'she pointed over to where Chris was lay on the sofa, 'Having to go through all this…' Leo looked into Piper's honest face and knew that he loved her even more. Her expression spoke volumes, like his feelings personified; he understood her, knew what she felt.

'Chris came back,' he began, 'for a reason, to save his brother. He's here because of how he was brought up, how he was taught and because of his love for his family. That's all you did Piper, that's all you're going to do, be a good mother.'

Piper gave a shaky smile and took a deep breath, as if grappling with some unknown entity, 'Now I know why you were a whitelighter,' she said.
Leo held her gaze, searching her eyes 'There's something else…something your unsure about…'
Piper looked slightly amused, 'What are you, a secret empath or something?'.

Leo shook his head, 'Well, we've always had this…connection,' his voice went quieter, 'I could always feel what you felt, and when you're hiding something.'

Piper said, 'Well… you're right, there is something…' she trailed off.
Reaching over to Leo, she linked her fingers into his, and guided his hand, placing it upon her stomach. The moment captured, Leo looked at Piper as a grin steadily spread across his face.
'It kicked…he kicked,' he said, overwhelmed.
Piper nodded, shifting her weight in the chair, uncomfortably, 'The novelty wears off quicker for some than it does for others…'

Leo smiled, 'Thank you...'
Piper said, 'What for? He's your baby too…more so than I thought…'
'What does that mean?' Leo asked, warily.
Piper said, 'I think…he's the one that healed me,'
'Who?'
'Chris, he healed me,' she replied, more certain than before.

'Chris?' Leo said, pointing towards the figure on the sofa.
Piper shook her head, and looked down at her swollen stomach, 'That's how I was healed, after the demon attacked and he conjured a force field against the Undying…'

Leo looked extremely confused, 'How? Why now?'
Piper looked thoughtful for a moment, 'Think about it, when we went back to see Mom and Grams, the rule applied that only one of you is allowed to have powers at one time. When Chris was stabbed, his powers were taken, and so his other self got his powers.'

Leo's face showed mixed feelings of pride and worry, 'Just don't become too dependent on these powers, remember how vulnerable you were after…'
'Wyatt,' Piper finished, 'I know, I know, somehow I don't think that will be an issue. I mean, Chris will get his back when he wakes up…' her voice trailed off as she said this, uncertainly.

'We gotta find Phoebe!' Paige said frantically, 'I mean...we really have to, right now!'
Laura said, 'I know that…I'm not stupid you know…'
Paige yelled, 'Laura, believe it or not this is no time for you to come over all obnoxious!'

Her voice was getting louder and louder and Laura shushed her anxiously, 'Be quiet! If whatever took Phoebe is lurking around those corners…we are still in serious danger!'

This snapped Paige back to her senses, 'You…you think someone took her?'
Laura said, 'Well, did she seem in the 'wandering' type of mood the last time you saw her?'
'Good point,' Paige said.
A noise echoed around, rebounding from the slimy walls. Laura started, 'Okay…what was that?'

Paige said, after a thought, 'It sounded like a voice…'
She took the torch from Laura and held it up, so the cavern was filled with a dim glow. She turned around to look behind her, and Laura walked over to the high entrance to the cavern and peered through, Paige, seeing nothing turned back.

A surprised yelp escaped her lips as she caught sight of a shadowy figure, hanging back in the obscurity of the dark.

'Phoebe…s'that you?' she called
Laura stood next to Paige and looked expectantly at the figure.
'Prue…?' a timid voice came out from the shadows.

Laura smiled slightly, 'No, it's not Prue…it's…' she turned to Paige, enquiringly.
Paige shrugged, 'Don't look at me…Phoebe? You okay?'

'Prue, wait! Don't become a murderer too. It has to end with me,' Phoebe uttered from the dark.
Paige looked confused, 'Uh, Phoebe? Have you totally lost it? It's me, Paige,' she walked over and placed a hand on Phoebe's shoulder.

Phoebe swivelled her head upwards and locked eyes with Paige. Paige noted her chalk white complexion and dark circles outlined wide, frightened eyes. A river of tears was running down her face and she took a quivering breath, 'Wrong things done for the right reasons still the wrong thing. Our job is to protect the innocent, not punish the guilty, and I crossed that line, I know that. And now you guys have to know that too.'

Paige clasped her hands to Phoebe's shoulders and shook her, 'Phoebe, it's Paige! Snap out of it…come on!' As if unaware of Paige's existence, she slowly turned her head towards Laura, 'Prue, we were sent here for a reason. Maybe not to stop this like we thought, but maybe to understand why this has to happen…why you have to let this happen. I don't want to die, but I don't want you to die because of me…I love you.'

Phoebe turned back to Paige, her eyes once again transfixed. She murmured, 'I love you…' one last time, and her eyes glowed a brilliant white.
'Paige!' screamed Laura, 'Don't look into her eyes! She's one of them!'

Paige wrenched away her gaze and hurtled back across the cave, colliding with Laura, 'The spell, get the spell!'
Laura hastily unfolded the paper she held in her hand and the two witches chanted:

Powers of the heart and mind,
Let our bodies soar,
Through space, through forces black to light,
To where we were before.

They both erupted into white lights and scattered, before dispersing into nothing.
Phoebe whispered, 'I love you...' eyes dimmed, before she flamed away.