Disclaimer: See First Chapter.
Author's Note: Hi!
Thank you all so much for the reivews! I'm so happy that you're all enjoying it!
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Last Time...
Hmmmmm, answer questions or get cleaned up?
"Oh my god! Did I ever hit on you?" Paige cried suddenly, her expression horrified.
Get cleaned up it is…
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Funny thing about Whitelighter's and their charges… when they call you… you hear them…
Loudly.
No matter what you're doing. And if the charge is persistent enough— which the Charmed One are— it eventually leads to a headache if you don't answer.
The sisters had been calling my name for nearly twenty minutes before I finally orbed back to the Manor.
I'd gotten cleaned up and changed my clothes and was now ready for an extra large aspirin and a warm bed.
"Finally, what if we were being attacked!" Paige cried when I orbed to them. They were all in attic now.
"You're calling would have been a bit more desperate," I told them simply, maybe a little sullenly.
During my cleaning up process, I'd managed to work myself into a horrible mood. I wasn't sure exactly why…
Something to do with knowing that I'd have to explain to Mom what I'd done to Leo, about knowing that I'd have to answer the sister's questions, about Piper's reaction to finding out I'm her future son, about having no more cake…
I didn't know whether to be happy that she hadn't suddenly loved or upset about it.
"Don't do that, baby," Mom's voice cut my thoughts off, I blinked and found her sitting on the sofa, looking for all the world like she belonged… like she was there to stay…
… but she wasn't…
… she would have to leave.
I shook my head, and gave her a smile, "I'm fine."
She rolled her eyes, "Not buyin' that smile, baby boy, come here and let me embarrass you a little."
This time the smile was real.
"With an invitation like that, I don't know why I'm coming," I grumbled as I sat down next to her.
The sisters were watching… silently.
That made me nervous. The sisters were rarely ever silent.
"So what have you all been talking about while I was gone?" I asked semi-casually.
It's hard to do casual when you're hearts pounding and you have a mounting sensation of doom.
"Oh you know… this and that…" Mom said, "They were filling me on what's going on during this time period; who Phoebe's dating, where Paige is working, why I'm now divorced from my husband…"
My mouth went dry.
"Did you send your father to Vallhalla Chris?"
Shit.
Of course it would all come back to that.
That one, little, inconsequential thing that they'd never been able to prove I'd done.
"You just can't let it go, can you?" I asked them, my tone bitter.
"We just want to clear the air Chris," Piper said softly, almost apologetically, "Maybe start over … without the hostility…"
It all came back to that one consistent lie that I'd told so well, hidden so well… they just couldn't let go…
Clear the air, huh?
Would that work? Was it a good idea to clear the air? Would my life be easier or harder? Ugh! No wonder I'd worked myself into a bad mood… this little visit - this one moment of mine - was turning out to be a major life altering thing…
Of course it would have had to…
After all I'd tempted fate…
"Chris?" Mom said softly, reaching for my hand and holding it between her two.
I looked down at our intertwined hands, felt her squeeze mine, and thought about what that squeeze meant— trust me, tell them, clear the air…
I let out a frustrated growl and told the truth, "Fine! Yes, if you must know— I did!"
"But why?" Piper asked, her eyes confused, "Why didn't you just tell us. All of us, that you needed our help… why get rid of Leo?"
"Yeah, Chris," Mom said her tone lightly teasing, "What was the reason…" her gaze was pointed and I looked away, refusing to meet her teasing stare.
"You know why," I told her grumpily.
I saw the shock spread across all the sisters faces and figured Mom was grinning at me in that silly look-at-my-baby-isn't-he-cute way.
"I do know why, but they don't. And I'm sure they'd like to hear it."
I remained silent.
Mom chuckled a little and shifted to look at the sisters, "I'll tell it than. Chris sending his father to Vallhalla—albeit a version of him that isn't his father yet, is basically a petulant grudge finding it's way out in vindication."
"It is not!" I protested, "I had his best interest at heart!"
Which was true—mostly.
Mom arched an eyebrow at me, and I flushed, "Fine," I grumbled, "He had my best interest at heart too," I stated ungraciously.
She reached out ruffled my hair, "He needs a haircut, by the way. He never keeps his hair this long…" She told Piper and I pulled away from her hand.
"No reason why she needs to care," I hissed.
Mom gave me that arched eyebrow again and my expression clearly conveyed— I'm-in-a-bad-mood-so-sue-me.
"Anyyyywayyyy," Mom said, turning back to the sisters, "Chris was never partial to training his powers when he was younger. Being the adorable little scamp that he was and which you can still see the remnants of…" she added cheekily, "He had the three of us wrapped around his little."
"I did not."
"Okay, maybe not me… but come on…" she said opening her eyes wide and batting her eyes lashes, "Puh-leeeese don't make me Aunt Phoebes," she mimicked, "And Phoebe'd cave like a house of cards on a shaky table…"
I glowered at her, "Not true…"
Again the eyebrow.
"Not completely true…" I amended grudgingly.
She grinned, "Okay, usually you didn't have to plead, just pout. Anyway, the point is he didn't want to practice or train and the three of us never really made him. We just sort of neglected that area of his education, it was easier to let him be normal than to coerce him and deal with his tears if we made him train. Then one day we were attacked… a coordinated one and Chris got hurt. We summoned Leo to heal him and after he had he asked Chris why he hadn't frozen the demon-"
"He can freeze!" Paige asked in surprise.
Mom grinned, "Inherited it from his mother."
I rolled my eyes; they didn't notice though—too busy looking between the two Piper's and grinning like fools.
"Chris told him that he'd tried." Mom continued, "But that his aim had been off."
"And I did try," I reminded her, "I was just a little kid!"
"Leo flipped out," she continued without sparing me a glance, "I mean he completely lost it. He yelled at all three of us, saying that it was our fault and if we weren't going to take Chris in hand and show him how to control his powers than he would, which would have been great if Chris hadn't been dead set on basketball."
"I wasn't dead-set on it; I just liked it better than magic," I grumbled, "This conversation is so not necessary. They asked, I answered—that's enough."
"Oh but this is great Chris," Phoebe answered quickly, "We get to find out a little bit about you…"
I glared at her, "You didn't want to know about me before…"
This phrase silenced the room. And I felt pleasure at the ashamed expressions that covered the sisters' faces. I was glad they realized how truly horrible they'd been to be, glad they felt guilty.
Mom gave my hand a squeeze and I looked at her—my gladness faded. Her expression said she expected better from me, that she'd raised me better than to gain pleasure from anothers discomfort.
"It's true," I said stubbornly, "They didn't want to know anything about me before. They didn't care that I was here all by myself, that didn't care about me at all."
Her gaze was steady and understanding but her words firm, "There's no need for that, baby. I'm sure they can do it well enough on their own."
"Do what?"
"Blame themselves."
I scowled at her; why did she always have to make me think of others?
"I suppose making them feel guilty isn't conductive to clearing the air." I grumbled to her, ignoring the sisters completely.
Mom smiled gently at me, placing her hand on my cheek, "They feel bad enough as it is Chris. And although you're certainly entitled to make them feel worse, I don't think that's what we need right now."
"They treated my like shit for months and now I'm supposed to sit back and let them care."
"Yep," She said looking at me intently, "Because whether you like it or not they're your family and they can't help but care for you now. Even if they had liked you as a stranger, they'd still care for you more now."
I sighed, I hated it when she was right.
"Fine so I was dead set on Basketball, big deal." I said it while turning back to the sisters and settling myself back against the sofa. It wasn't a gracious concession by any means, but it was the best I could do.
Mom's hand dropped from my cheek and went for my hand again.
"Right, so Leo was all focused up in Chris practicing his magic, but all the time he wasn't actually in school he was practicing at school." Mom picked up the story right away and I saw the way the sisters had to blink to get their minds wrapped up in it again.
"And Chris had the three of us supporting him, because…" she stopped here and smiled, her eyes holding a faraway look as she remembered the loveable urchin her son had been, "… he'd look up at us with those big green eyes and tell us with such sincerity and longing that he just wanted to be normal…"
"And that would hit us right in the heart," Paige deduced quietly.
"Exactly, so the school year passed like that. Leo arguing with us, us supporting Chris's choice and then summer arrived. I signed Chris up for Basketball camp and Leo offered to drop him off, I agreed thinking that the man was finally coming around." I saw the sisters stiffen suddenly and glanced at Mom, her eyes were blazing fire now, and I could only imagine what she'd liked then.
"Except Leo hadn't come around," She said heatedly, "He'd just come up with a plan. He didn't drop Chris off at basketball camp. He dropped Chris off at Vallhalla, where he'd talked the Valkire's into training him for the summer."
"He didn't!" Phoebe cried.
"He lied to you?" Paige added.
Mom nodded slowly, "He basically kidnapped Chris that summer. He wouldn't help us find Vallhalla and we had no idea where to begin."
"How could you let him do that!" Piper cried.
"I didn't' let him, the man was absolutely unreasonable. I tried to tell him that Chris would never forgive him, that he needed to at least let us explain, let us say goodbye. I mean basketball camp was only five weeks. But Leo let them keep Chris the entire summer."
"I'd blow him up." Piper hissed, "He didn't even let you say goodbye?"
Mom shook her head, "I told him he wasn't allowed in this house until he showed up with Chris; Wyatt told him the he wasn't training until Chris got home; Paige threatened to have his wings clipped—although I don't think she could actually have managed that…"
"What did I threaten?" Phoebe asked.
Mom smiled, the intensity and anger fading, "Nothing. You understood… and talked the rest of us into understanding."
"What?" Phoebe squeaked, "Me? I understood…"
"Yep, you told us that we had to see that we'd given Leo no other choice but to take matters into his own hands; that we all loved Chris but that maybe—she added a just maybe to her speech—we indulged him too him. That if something ever happened to him because we hadn't helped him develop his powers we'd never forgive ourselves. That honestly speaking we let the boy run rampant over us and that Leo had simply done what parents are supposed to do—look out for the child's interests."
"Wow… I said all that…" Phoebe asked softly.
Mom nodded, "Yes you did, and we had to admit that it was true. That where Chris was concerned none of us had the heart to be firm."
"Oh, please Mom, I wasn't that bad. I remember lots of times I got in trouble." I complained. She was making it sound like I always got whatever I wanted.
Mom turned to me, her patient expression on, "Yes, Chris, lots of times… for outrageous things… like filling the teachers desk with roaches or putting firecrackers in the neighbor's birthday cake or freezing people than taking off their shoes and unfreezing them or-"
"Hey! That can be considered as practicing magic!"
For my efforts I received a chilling stare, "Shall I bring up the babysitter incident?" She asked.
I blushed, I hated the babysitter incident.
"Right, so as I was saying… we punished you for things that simply demanded punishment… but for regular things… not doing homework, not washing the dishes when it was your turn, not cleaning your room, not calling when your going to be late from school… stuff like that you got off scot-free, Chris, and you know it."
I scowled again.
Mom laughed, "Admit it. You had no discipline."
"I had a little."
"A very little."
"Enough." I stated.
Her gaze became abruptly serious, "Yes," she agreed quietly, "Enough."
I knew suddenly that her mind was no longer on the past; I knew that she was thinking about the present.
About my present, my life, and how disciplined I'd become.
Disciplined enough to organize a resistance against the ultimate ruler, disciplined enough to keep hundreds safe from His power; disciplined enough to travel to the past, to live in a different era among known strangers, to give up my life, my love.
I could see, in her eyes, that her mind had turned away from those carefree days of my youth. Those days when the evil lurked so near and we never even sensed it.
And I wanted her mind to turn back to those days. I didn't want her to think of my life now, of what I'd done… what I would have to do… the things I'd be willing to do to save Him.
"Okay, so I could've gotten away with murder if I'd had a good reason." I said, the smile on my face not exactly matching the seriousness of my eyes.
But I needed her to understand—to not make me think of the life I was living, to remind me of the life I had lived.
And she was Mom.
So she did.
With a slow nod and a gentle smile to me, she turned back to the sisters. They were looking at us expectantly.
"So… yeah, Phoebe talked us into understanding and we forgave Leo… sort of…" Mom continued, "All thoughts of forgiveness, though, fled the day Leo brought Chris home."
"Angry was he?" Paige asked a smirk lurking on her lips.
Mom sighed and even I avoided looking at the sisters—she was about to reveal one of my not-so-happy childhood memories.
"He was angry at Leo, but he was furious with us," she said sadly.
"At us?" Phoebe asked.
Mom nodded, but it was Piper who spoke, "We didn't bring him home." She said and my gaze instinctively met hers.
I didn't like that she understood… didn't like that I could see the stirrings of Mom in her.
Mom nodded, "Exactly. He yelled and screamed and asked over and over again How could you and let me tell you…" she sighed but there was a smile in her eyes now, "He ran a major guilt trip on us for weeks. And we knew it, but…" she shook her head wryly, "… there was nothing we could do about it… we let him…"
"What about Leo?" Paige asked.
"Leo received the cold shoulder for a long time… longer than we received the guilt trip. The only person Chris could abide for weeks was Wyatt…"
Her smile faded… but I wasn't letting her drag us all back to the present… not yet…
"Of course," I said forcing my mind to relive those days, "Wyatt didn't train with Dad while I was gone; and he looked for Vallhalla every day. Wyatt didn't abandon me."
I saw Mom swallow hard, this was difficult for her. It had to be. To accept what had happened to her first born, how completely unable to stop it she'd been. But she was as resolved as I was to not discuss the current Wyatt.
She smiled, "I remember you asked us to let Wyatt pick you up after practice because Wyatt was the only one of us who could be trusted." She paused than added in a cajoling tone, "But admit it Chris—Vallhalla was good for you."
I nodded, graciously this time, "It was; I learned a lot of things about magic and protecting myself…" just for good measure I shot a pointed look at the sisters, "Things that this Leo could use to protect baby Wyatt from whatever it is that turns him."
They all looked at each other; it was Phoebe who spoke, "So you sent Leo to Vallhalla for his own good?"
I nodded, feeling satisfied that finally understood…
"What about our divorce? Was that for his own good too?" Piper asked sharply, and I felt everyone's gaze on me.
Even Mom was waiting for delightfully clear explanation…
Too bad for us all that the one had to give was so un-delightful.
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Please Review!
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