A Mission's Worth

Standard Disclaimers apply.

Wait until you see what I did in this chapter. Some of you reviewers thought I blew his cover in the first chapter. Tsk, tsk, you underestimate me.

To answer some reviews:

Chris' elemental powers are made up. I have no proof that he is capable of screwing with the weather and the elements. It's just a power that I, and some authors it seems, have granted him.

Some were confused over who Chris was addressing in the last chapter. This one, as I said, should clear it up.

There was a question about this: (quote) "But things, memories from the two other timelines somehow broke in. Those memories said that this horrid, awful nightmare was real." (unquote) The "two other timelines" bit is in reference to his own timeline (the one he originally came from) and the one he went back to (the past with Piper and company).

I'm glad that at least one person liked the P.O.V. twist of the last chapter. Thank you for the review!

THANK YOU to ALL reviewers. I love ya for the feedback!

I know the last chapter was boring, but hopefully this one will be better.

Legend/Key

blah blah ... thoughts

"blah blah" ... dialogue

"blah blah" ... action during speech

blah blah / "blah blah" ... emphasis

blah blah ... sound/action outside of dialogue

#FLASH#

blah blah ... a flashback

#BACK#

((Pssst...)) ... I'm talking to you...

All warnings and notes about the timeline and content, blah blah blah, were handed out in the first chapter. So if you read something offensive, the warning for it is probably in the first chapter underneath that nifty little heading of: Warning. Just a thought.

LOL! I just noticed that I have the last chapter saying: "A Mission's Worth: Chapter One: Mom?" when it should be "A Mission's Worth: Chapter Two: Mom?" Hah. But I don't think I'll fix it since it is, in essence, the first chapter with a scene from the show thrown in. Meh.

Now on with the fic.

A Mission's Worth: Chapter Three: Mix Up

Chris' inquiry received mixed reactions. Piper felt like someone had just delivered her one of those "kidney shots" she had suffered through while pregnant with Wyatt. It confused her. Chris was ill, right? So he could be hallucinating, there was no reason that he couldn't be. Maybe her sister just resembled Chris' mother closely enough for him for get confused. Surely…surely, Phoebe couldn't really be…

Paige was gaping at him, though the six-footer didn't seem to notice. This was her nephew? Was he family? Some part of Paige hoped that he wasn't. Not with all he went through in this timeline… But still, it would explain a lot of his actions and his, well, 'quirks'. It made sense, him being family. The thought didn't disturb her as much as she thought it should have. Somehow it just felt natural, right – like a piece of a puzzle fitting snuggly into its right spot. No one had broken the silence yet, and Paige didn't think she'd be the one to do it either. Not this time.

Phoebe's brown eyes stared in shock at Chris' green ones. He still seemed to be waiting on an answer, a confirmation. Unfortunately, Phoebe didn't know what to say. He's-he's sick, delirious. Maybe I just look like his mother. But then again...people tend to say things they usually wouldn't say out loud when in this kind of condition. Chris was disoriented, obviously confused, and very much out of it. It stood to reason that he could, or would, blab something he would usually cover with the infuriable 'Future Consequences' shtick. Her train of thought had started off on the same track as Piper's, but seemed to be slowly merging onto Paige's tracks. She did feel a sort of connection to him, and it just felt right – thinking of him as family. Despite the fact that she was slowly warming to the idea, she had to ask, had to make sure that it wasn't just his…illness or weakness right now that was talking. Phoebe needed to know if he meant it. "Wh-what?"

Chris seemed to miss the entire problem with Phoebe being his mother, as his mind had convinced him that he was back at home now and everything was fine. More confident, his eyes cleared some, and he addressed Phoebe, instead of asking. "Mom."

Phoebe decided to go along with it, just so Chris wouldn't panic and hurt himself. "Um, yes…?" Phoebe was mentally cheering. His eyes had cleared some and that guarded, emotionless look she was used to seeing in thoseemerald eyes of his wasn't there. He was being honest, completely honest, and she could tell this time!

This seemed to make Chris very happy and Phoebe noted, with shock, that she could sense his emotions…sort of. It was weak, a diluted aftermath, but she could feel him! She said as much to her sisters, "Girls, I can sense him!" At their confused looks, she elaborated. "His emotions! I can sense them…a little." Both looked fairly shocked. She had never been able to do so before. This confused Chris, he wasn't coherent enough to grasp what was so special about that. He was an empath, she was an empath...so what was the big deal? Didn't all mothers have that sort of sixth sense about this sort of thing anyway? I feel so tired... But no, he had to stay awake as long as possible. That persistent, neurotic part of him that would never go away demanded that he keep his eyes open. That way if this was all some sort of sick trick or illusion, a cruel dream or spell...he would have these few moments to add to the tiny reserve within him that held all other things that kept him going in life.

"Well…he is in bad shape, or sick maybe,"Paige mused. "And you said he was unconscious when you found him. You were able to sense his feelings before…with that whole Bianca leaving him almost dead thing…"

Piper asked, "Well why couldn't you feel him when he first came through?"

Phoebe started to open her mouth, but then she closed. She couldn't answer that. "I have no idea." And he was certainly worse off when he first came through than he is now. It didn't make sense. "Maybe because I wasn't trying to?" No one seemed to be willing to go with that theory. It was too simple, too easy an answer. And nothing, especially concerning Chris, was ever that simple.

Paige sighed. "Well now what?"

Phoebe unconsciously began to run her fingers through Chris' messy brown hair. Mmm, I wonder if I could get him to cut this. She pondered on that and figured he wouldn't. He was probably one of those people who were secretly vain when it came to their hair, but would never admit it aloud. She didn't notice it, her practically petting him, but her sisters did. They didn't comment. Paige thought it was cute, having now – partially – bought into this 'Phoebe is Chris' mom' thing. Piper ignored it, having given up on figuring out why this all bothered her so. Maybe because I don't trust him? Yeah, she could work with that. He'd lied to them so many times before that she felt ill hearing him weave more webs of lies. That's what bothered her- the fact that he could be using her little sister for, for whatever it was he was up to. Yeah, Piper thought, satisfied with that theory. "I don't know…" was all that came out verbally.

Phoebe seemed to come up with something. "Well how about we get him coherent first?" She smiled down at the weakened Whitelighter –Whitelighter-witch, she amended mentally – who seemed more than happy to just lay there and soak up the attention. Hm… His eyes were drooping, but she was happy to see that he was only sleepy and not about to lose consciousness or convulse again or anything worse than just…sleeping.

Piper conceded to that and called for her ex-husband. "Leo!"

The Elder instantly orbed to them, holding Wyatt as the baby/toddler played with a ball. Thinking the worst, he turned to look at Chris and froze. What! "Phoebe…what are you doing?"

"Mm?" She looked down and finally realized that she was gently combing her fingers through her could-be-son's hair. She stopped. "Oh" was all she said to that. Chris didn't want the gentle feeling to go away, but said nothing to protest it. He didn't want to upset anyone; the air was already so tense in here. It was nearly unbearable and did nothing for his mental state. And his mother, he especially didn't want to upset his mother. She had confirmed it, as far as he was concerned. This short-haired woman here was his mother, end of story. Chris figured that his mom might not want him all over her like this and got up.

Or at least…he tried to. With a pained moan, he laid back down. "Chris!" Mom… She sounded so worried, so concerned. He missed that feeling of someone not wanting him hurt. So he obeyed her wishes for him to just lie back down. Okay, so that was a bad idea.

Leo frowned, wondering what exactly had changed so much in the – what? – ten, twenty minutes that he had been gone. Paige looked fairly neutral, so that was no help. Piper looked like she was somewhere between pained, confused, and distrusting. That didn't help him; it just confused him. Phoebe, on the other hand, had changed somehow. She seemed to be positively glowing, not literally of course,and he didn't know why. And Chris, well, the boy was…was…he wasn't sure what he was, but he looked too at ease lying there with Phoebe for his comfort.

He didn't trust Chris, didn't like Chris, and doubted he ever would. He manipulated them and told them more lies than he could count. He did so many suspicious things, and kept a lot of secrets. And they weren't little, insignificant secrets that they could deal without knowing. They big secrets that would tell them a lot about the future and about Chris, but the boy constantly refused to share those secrets, hiding behind that damnable 'Future Consequences' crap. He didn't like that at all. And, of course, Leo would never forgive Chris for sending him to Valhalla. That place was the stuff of nightmares, always having to fight and kill to survive. He was an Elder, a pacifist. Valhalla was no place for any man, least of all an Elder. And Chris had sent him there just to get close to the Charmed sisters. He knew it, Chris knew it, and the girls – on some level – probably knew it. He had thought they were all on the same page and agreed that Chris just had to go. They would handle the whole 'Wyatt turns evil' situation, if that was even true, on their own.

So why did it seem like he was the only one who still distrusted the boy, except for his wife, who was steadily regaining her focus as her look of disdain – from when she had first saw that Chris was back – returned.

There was something that had changed about Chris too, but he didn't see anything obvious. Leo figured he just had another secret to hide from them, nothing new. Belatedly, he noted that the three sisters were looking at him expectantly. "…?"

"What are you just standing there for? Heal him!"

Leo's surprise at the outburst showed and Paige spoke up before Phoebe could get upset about the Elder's lack of movement. "Uh…she's a little moody right now," she explained quickly. "I think it would be best if you just healed the guy already."

Leo turned to his ex-wife, sure that she would explain this to him. He was rewarded with a reluctantly expectant look. That look told him that Piper had caved to her sisters' wishes and that a tiny part of her wanted him to just heal the poor boy already. He sighed and handed Wyatt to his mother, the little boy still fully occupied with his toy.

Kneeling beside the Whitelighter-witch, who looked wary of him, Leo put his hands over Chris' shoulder since that was the most obvious wound. A moment of dead silence passed as nothing happened. Leo wondered why he sensed someone panicking, and wondered even more why that someone was Phoebe. Then a familiar golden glow enveloped Chris' injury…injuries actually. Finished for the most part, Leo pulled back.

Phoebe smiled at her son. "Better?"

Not really. But he didn't say that aloud. If he told her that then shewould get upset and Chris didn't want that. And besides, he didn't want that man over there to ever get that close to him again.Any idiot could see that Leo didn't like Chris very much and thefeeling would be pretty mutual once Chris gathered what was left of hissenses and wits. "Yes, thank you."

There was another moment of silence, and Leo was the one to break it. "I'm being called by the other Elders. I have to go." He orbed out immediately. He wanted answers and explanations for all this weird behavior later.

Piper refrained from looking pained by focusing on Wyatt and the toy he was playing with. Paige rolled her eyes and said, "Well that was predictable."

The silent question of 'what do we do now?' hung in the air. No one seemed to have an answer until Chris attempted to get up again. He succeeded this time, covering a grimace. His throat still ached and his back was almost killing him. The physical wounds were gone, but it still hurt a bit. He gave his mother a weak smile. "So is everything okay now?"

Sure, he'd love to believe his wrecked mind when it told him all was well again, but he had a hard time believing that everything would just be perfect now. It was too much to ask for, too much to hope for. And hope…well… that happened to be something he just didn't have much left of. He was being paranoid perhaps, but he didn't just get that way. That characteristic became a part of him for a reason. Not a pleasant reason, mindyou, but a reason nonetheless.

Phoebe looked confused for a moment, before interpreting his question as him wanting to know if they trusted him again, if they'd let him come back to them. They had officially, as far as they were concerned anyway, dismissed Chris as their Whitelighter when he had left. Even before then actually. He had already been kicked out by Piper and Phoebe mentally winced at that memory. Him being de-titled as their Whitelighter was just some unsaid thing that had been understood when he walked through that portal. But now…she knew she couldn't do that to him now. This was her son; she was convinced of it now.

It is simply amazing how the human mind can convince one of anything. It could make you see things that weren't there, think things you knew weren't true, and even accept things that just seemed off. The power of the mind was how Chris could believe what he did, how Piper could get on in life, how Phoebe believed that Chris was her son, etc. The mind…what an incredibly powerful thing.

Phoebe smiled at her son and nodded. "Yes sweetie, everything is fine." The empath set a new goal of transforming the weak, unsure smile Chris was giving her now into a full-blown smile. She just knew he would have a wonderful smile.

Chris looked around and noted the open Book of Shadows, the potions Paige had set down when she had first seen Chris, and a paper pad that had the beginnings of a spell written on it. "Were you in the middle of something?" He felt like an inconvenience now.

The hold – it had felt like a spell or trance…but at the same time didn't – that had let the world revolve around Chris for a just a little while broke. Reality came knocking again and said 'Hey, don't you havea demon to vanquish?' Piper hugged Wyatt close to her, as if apologizing for forgetting about him for even a little while. Paige blinked and Phoebe's mouth made a small 'o' as she remembered that they indeed had been doing something. "Oh yeah…that demon that came after Wyatt."

Back on track, Paige picked up her potions, ready to get back to work. "Looks like it's back to potion-making, you know, just in case he comes to visit us before we get anything good on him." She turned to Chris and with a quick "Welcome back", she orbed out. Piper looked at the two of them and said nothing, walking out with Wyatt.

Chris felt as if he had done something wrong.

Phoebe saw his expression and could even get a weak read. Aw…he feels like a burden. She smiled, having picked up on how that seemed to cheer him up for some reason. She wondered how badly he had wanted to say something, to open up to her, to just be there with her without the cover story being in the way… How badly could he have needed me, his mother, for my smile alone to be enough to lift his spirits? As curious a person as she usually was, this time, Phoebe wasn't so sure she wanted to know this tidbit. It had 'depressing' written all over it and now wasn't the time for that. Was she not around in the future or something? Were any of them still alive? She was starting to doubt that she or her sisters were around in the future. If it was so bad in his future, something had to have happened to them. But she wouldn't question him on that now.

"Come on, you can help me search through the Book and make a spell." She didn't know why she offered him her hand; the Book was only a few feet away. It just felt right and when Chris gave her another unsure smile, this one a little brighter than before, Phoebe smiled back. This was her baby, her son, her brave little trooper that came to the past to save his cousin. Her little super-hero. Okay, so maybe he wasn't so little; the guy was six feet tall and in his twenties. My tall super-hero then.

Suddenly everything else didn't matter. Not now anyway. Sure he was looking through the Book of Shadows for a demon that was trying to kill his cousin, but hey, he was doing this with his mom. And that made all the difference to Chris.

"Okay Mom."

Don't you love these mushy endings? I'm just kidding you know…this isn't even close to being over! Let's ruin Chris' dream in the next chapter, shall we?

Muse: nods

And ruin it we shall! R&R please.