Love and Fear

Chapter 12: Love and Sex

The calm and the loneliness from the Golden Gate Bridge was exactly what Chris needed right now. He was sitting on one of the metal beams for over two hours already, but he still didn't feel the need to get back to manor. Of course his parents had insisted that he would stay there and rest, but he had orbed away as quickly as he could. He wondered why they hadn't come to get him back yet. But a part of him was glad that he they hadn't. He didn't want to face them after what had happened.

Chris knew that he had just acted to defend himself, but it still didn't change the fact that he had killed his own brother. And the worst part of it was that he had sworn that he would protect him and save him. How could he end up killing him? Wyatt's face was haunting him every time he closed his eyes. He already feared going to sleep, because he knew that he would have nightmares about his brother and he really had had enough nightmares in his life. But wasn't this the least he deserved? He should feel guilty about what he had done. Nothing would ever justify it.

Leo chose that moment to orb next to him, along with Piper. Chris didn't look up at them and said calmly "I want to be alone."

"I think you were alone long enough, sweetie" Piper said gently and sat down beside him. She, Leo and her sisters had decided to give him some time to deal with it, but Piper hadn't been able to stay at home any longer, knowing that her son was most certainly still beating himself up over what had happened. She knew that her reaction when they had found her sons hadn't been very helpful, but in that moment everything had been just too much for her. But now she had pulled herself together and she would prove Chris that he wasn't to blame. "Chris, I'm sorry for how I acted earlier" she said and took her son's hand in hers. "I'm still so very proud of you…"

"Yeah? How can you?" Chris asked bitterly, still not looking at them.

"Because you're our son and we love you" Leo answered firmly, wanting to vanish all of Chris' doubts of their love out of his mind.

Piper nodded in agreement. "He's right, Chris. I love you so much, no matter what will happen. I'm your mother, I'm destined to love you."

"Yeah, that's the reason you do – because you have to" Chris said, hurt evident in his voice.

Piper let out a groan, mixed with frustration and sadness. "No, that's not the reason – at least not the only. Of course I love you because you're my son, but that's just part of it. Chris, you're an amazing person. You're brave and strong and courageous and you care so much about your family that it fills me with more pride than you could ever imagine to say that you're my son. I think you know that I always wanted a family and children and you are everything I ever hoped for. I love you and not just because I have to, but because I just love you for who you are." She paused a second to lay one of her hands on Chris' chest. "For your good heart and your selfishness, but certainly not just because I have to."

Finally Chris looked up at her, a small smile on his lips, but eyes still clouded with sorrow and doubt. "You mean that?" he asked uneasily.

"Yes, I mean that" Piper answered without hesitation and pulled her son into a hug, which he immediately returned. "I love you, my baby" she whispered into his ear, smiling.

"I love you too, mom" he mumbled, but pulled away from her a second later. "But I – I killed him… you can't – "

"You will save him, Chris" Piper cut him off, knowing what he wanted to say. "I have every faith that you will."

Chris sighed and looked back down. "I hope you're right…"

"Well, and I know that I'm right" Piper said convinced.

"How about we go home now?" Leo asked, smiling when he saw how his son's face lit up when he heard the word home.

Chris nodded and took his mother's hand again, before he orbed them back to the manor. Leo followed them a moment later.

On the next day

"Good morning!" Piper exclaimed with happy smile on her face when she entered the kitchen.

Phoebe, Paige and Chris looked at her curiously. "What's up?" Phoebe asked then, while they watched how Piper took a cup of coffee and sat beside her son.

"Nothing" Piper answered innocently.

"Uh uh, that's why you look like you've slept with a coat hanger in your mouth" Paige said sarcastically.

"Err… not exactly with a coat hanger" Piper mumbled and drank a bit from her coffee.

They looked at her confused and Phoebe just wanted to ask what she meant, but then Leo came in also with a big smile on his face. "Good morning!" he too exclaimed and took a beagle before he sat beside Piper.

Chris looked at his aunts, searching for an explanation, but they seemed to be as clueless as he was. He turned back to his parents and asked "Okay, what's going on here?"

Piper and Leo looked up at them and smiled. "What do you mean, sweetie?" Piper asked him back, seemingly confused by his question.

"He means that you two seem really happy about something. Care to share?" Paige answered instead of her nephew.

"Yeah, what happened?" Phoebe also asked eagerly.

"Nothing" Piper repeated.

"Hey, I could be hurt by that, you know?" Leo said, playfully offended.

"Oh, shut up you" Piper replied with a little laugh and hit him on his arm.

Chris once again exchanged looks with his aunts and this time Phoebe seemed to get what this was about, because she suddenly looked very excited. "You two are back together!" she blurted out in the next moment.

Chris was a bit surprised by this and turned quickly back to his parents to see how they reacted to Phoebe's suggestion. He was really relieved when he saw that his aunt seemed to be right. Piper and Leo looked a bit embarrassed down on the kitchen counter before Piper stood up to get a beagle too. "Is it that obvious?" she then asked and everyone nodded immediately. "Well, then yes, we're back together" she admitted and sat back down next to Leo who gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"Aw, how cute" Phoebe said and smiled.

"So… err… you have – well, I mean…" Chris stuttered, not sure how to ask. But how are you supposed to ask your parents if they had slept together to conceive you?

"Didn't you listen?" Paige asked him, before Piper could say something. "Piper has said that she had slept with something else than a coat hanger and I'm pretty sure that something was Leo."

Leo turned a bit red and asked confused "Coat hanger?"

Phoebe nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, that's quite interesting, Piper. Paige asked you if you've slept with a coat hanger in your mouth, so…" She trailed off, not leaving much place to think about anything else than she obviously meant.

"Phoebe!" Piper now scolded clearly embarrassed.

"What? I just wanted to know" Phoebe tried to defend herself.

"Oh please, could we change the subject?" Chris suddenly threw in, clearly not comfortable with the turn of this conversation.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to know in the first place" Paige teased.

"I just wanted to know if they slept together and not every little thing they did or not" Chris exclaimed, turning an interesting shade of red, just like Piper and Leo.

Phoebe and Paige had to laugh heavily when they saw the embarrassed family. "Well, I have to go now" Phoebe said, after she'd calmed down a bit. "I'll meet Jason and I have my column finished, so maybe we have a little time to…"

"Sleep with a coat hanger?" Paige finished with a mock grin.

"No, but maybe we still have some time get a bit sexed up for the evening" Phoebe said casually.

Chris however was slowly freaking out and stood up from the chair. "Hey! You know, now that you finally know who I am you could stop discussing your sex lives in front of me" he complained, still with slightly red cheeks.

Piper finally found some mercy and spoke up "Yeah, you're embarrassing our little boy."

"Well, I think he's not really innocent himself" Phoebe shot back, causing Piper and Leo to wince at the thought of this.

Paige laughed and turned to her nephew. "You wanna talk with us about something, Chris?" she asked teasingly.

"No! God, can you guys talk about something else than sex?" he exclaimed upset. "I swear if we don't change the subject now, then I'll send you all demon hunting!"

"I'm already gone" Phoebe said quickly and exited the kitchen, before her nephew would carry out his threat.

"Yeah, I also have to – do something" Paige said and followed her sister out of the room.

Now it was Piper's and Leo's turn to laugh while Chris sighed relieved and sat back.

"Nicely done" Leo finally said, after they stopped laughing.

"Yeah, I've never seen them leaving a room that quick" Piper agreed with a smile.

Chris grinned back. "I wasn't joking, mom. We really have to get back to work. I already have new lead and I think it could be something serious."

"Oh Chris, come on. Leo and I have some time to make up" Piper whined like a kid.

"No, you'll have plenty of time to…"

"But I missed him so much. My bed was so empty in the last months and Phoebe's suggestion stirred up a desire in me that…"

"Mom!" Chris exclaimed horrified.

Leo had to gather all his self control not to burst into laughter again when he noticed what Piper was trying to do. He decided to play along. "Yeah, we couldn't get enough from each other in the last night and…"

"Okay, I'll go and check the book now for some demons" Chris interrupted him, not wanting to hear anymore and orbed away to the attic.

Once he was gone Piper and Leo burst into laughter once again. "That was really cruel, Piper" Leo then said and wrapped his arms around Piper's waist.

"Well, he shouldn't threaten me" Piper replied playfully. "And besides… I think we could really spend some more time together" she added with a meaningful look.

"Oh, if you say it like this…" Leo trailed off and kissed his wife passionately. God, how much he had missed her in the last months! But now he knew that everything would work out somehow. They just had to stick together and then they could protect their family and especially their sons.

The End

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Please tell me what you think about the end! It's quite happy in the comparison to the rest of the story, but I think that it was angsty enough ;)