A/N: I am starting to think that I may have to change to rating on this fic. Let me know what you think. It shouldn't get much darker than the last chapter but you never know.

Disclaimer: Nope still don't own Charmed.

Piper was sitting on the day bed in the attic. It had been a few hours since Chris had carried Sara back to their future. Were they ever going to come back? Paige and Phoebe were pacing the room. Leo was leaning against the doorframe obviously lost in thought. Haunting thoughts were filling Pipers mind. She had let them go back to the past without any back up. Back up Phoebe and Paige demanded that they needed. Piper couldn't help but look at this as all her fault. She was shaken out of her thoughts when glowing blue triquetra appeared on the wall, signaling time travel was being attempted. Everyone in the room tensed waiting anxiously.

There was a cry of what could only be horrible pain moments before Sara and Chris fell through the portal. Both collapsed to the floor in a heap unmoving.

Leo was the first to reach their side as the portal closed. Quickly he knelt down and pulled Chris from Sara's arms. His adult son was bleeding profusely from a stab wound to the chest and he quickly went to heal him. The warm glow slowly closed the wound and Chris gasped for breath, his green eyes snapping open. Groaning he struggled to sit up.

"Sara?" Chris asked when he saw his sister unmoving next to him.

"She's fine." Leo responded, as he looked her over.

"Physically," Chris sighed as he shakily stood up. "I don't know about her sanity."

Piper engulfed her second son in a hug as soon as he was steady on his feet, which he returned with little enthusiasm. She slowly pulled away and looked up, studying his worn features. His eyes were dull except for the haunted look in them. Piper felt tears filling her eyes as he turned and stooped to Sara's side. He seemed like a completely different person. Gone was his cocky confidence and sarcastic wit. Chris seemed to have aged a great deal in the little time he had been away. What had Wyatt put them through? Piper gratefully pressed herself into Leo's embrace when he moved over to her giving Chris some space. Turning her head so she could watch her adult children, Piper let her tears fall.

"Sara?" Chris called softly squeezing her shoulder. "Time to come back to reality."

"Why?" Sara whispered after a long moment. "Reality bites."

Chris sniffed at her response causing his sister to open her eyes and glare at him. Chris felt some of the weight on his shoulders lessen as he gazed into her green stare. While he knew what had happened was going to torment his sister relentlessly he also knew that her will was strong and her sanity remained. At least she was safe. Chris shuddered at the memory of Wyatt towering above her, sword raised and malice his intent.

"Can you honestly disagree with me?" she huffed as she sat up, rubbing the arm that had taken the brunt of their careening fall through time. "In the last few hours we have been thrown across rooms, hit with energy balls, physically and mentally tortured, discovered our cousin's weren't as dead as we thought, tricked into thinking we failed our parents, and you were ran through with that blasted sword of his."

"Are you finished?" Chris asked when she stopped for a breath. He decided not to wait for an answer when she shot him a heated glare. "I agree, reality sucks in our time. That's why we came back here. To change that."

Sara suddenly seemed to notice they were not alone in the attic. Her gaze became riveted over Chris' shoulder to where Piper and Leo stood quietly watching and waiting. Sara felt her throat constrict as she caught sight of them and quickly diverted her gaze. She glanced over at her two aunts before looking back to Chris. She just wanted to be alone to sort through her turbulent emotions.

"I can't do this right now." She whispered to her brother before kissing his cheek. Chris nodded his head in understanding as she dissolved in blue orbs. Steeling himself for an outburst he turned to face his worried family.

"She needs some time to gather her wits." Chris said as four mouths opened to loudly protest Sara's silent departure. "She'll be back when she's ready."

"What happened?" Phoebe asked quickly. "You both look like hell."

"Wyatt happened! We just reflect what hell on earth is like." Chris shouted surprising even himself at his tone. Trying to calm down he found great interest in the attic floor. "Sara pretty much summed it up."

Silence was his only answer. Each person in the room seemed to be remembering Sara's rant before she had noticed her family. Piper was the first to speak.

"I would like you and Sara to stay in the guest room." Her voice was soft and questioning. "I'll go set it up." With that the eldest charmed one left the room hurriedly trying to keep her emotions in check until she was in the hall. She couldn't stand to see Chris and Sara so distraught. It broke her heart.

"Mom!" Piper halted at the sound of his voice followed by footsteps coming toward her and turned to him.

Chris sadly gazed at his mother, taking her hands in his. "If you want us to stay here we will." When he received only a watery smile he hugged her close. "We love you all so much, Sara and I. Just try to understand how hard it is for us to be here like this."

"I love you too." With that Piper turned to walk down to the guest room. "Go help your sister."

Chris disappeared with a sad smile and a soft sigh. Leo, Paige and Phoebe stared blankly at each other before following Piper out of the attic, each one lost in thought.

Sara sat huddled in a small alcove at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge trying to calm her tired and agitated mind. She had killed him. How was she going to be able to face her family let alone her mother? She had killed Wyatt, her older brother. Pulling her knees to her chest she buried her tear soaked face in her arms. Wyatt's surprised and horrified face when she had stabbed him kept pushing its way to her minds eye. He had every right to try and kill her. She thanked the fates that she had managed to pull Chris with her through the portal or else she would have succeeded in killing both of her brothers. She was sobbing hysterically when Chris orbed in next to her.

"Oh Sara," Chris murmured as he sat next down and put a weary arm around her shaking shoulders. She was a mess. Chris knew what plagued her thoughts without even tapping into her mind. Wyatt. She was suffering under the pressure of her actions. Chris doubted their brother was dead. Wyatt was resilient and while he was thankful his older sibling survived death he worried what Wyatt may try to do to them. He was bound to seek revenge. It was of part of his nature. Chris prayed he didn't grace them with his presence.

"Go…away…Chris," Sara hiccupped after a moment breaking his train of thought.

"Not likely." He stated firmly. "It wasn't your fault."

"Umm, yes it is." She argued raising her red, swollen eyes to his. "I stabbed him with an athame Chris with intent to kill."

"Because…"

"He was going to kill you." She gasped as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Chris only nodded his head and pulled her closer. "I couldn't let him kill you like mom and dad, Chris."

"I know."

"I won't lose you too."

"Shhh." He was relieved when her sobbing slowly dissipated.

Sara started to relax. Chris was there, alive and well. Her thoughts weren't quite as jumbled and she was able to think clearly within a small lapse of time. The idea of being around her family again was a bit frightening. The little while she had spent in this time before was a slight blur. This time around was going to be different. What was she going to say? Would they like her?

"They are going to love you." Chris said quietly answering her unspoken question. "They can't wait to get to know you. In fact they may smother you with protective affection. They don't want to make the same mistake twice."

"Same mistake twice?" Sara questioned him letting his intrusion on her thoughts pass. "What mistake?"

"When I first got here they were less than friendly. Suspicious and at times down right mean." Chris smirked at her. "I'm sure my veil of secrecy didn't help. That and the small issue of splitting up mom and dad might have had something to do with that."

"What!" she exclaimed. "Why would you split them up? Hello, our existence relies on them being together."

"Everything turned out right in the end." Chris claimed in mock defense. "She is pregnant with me and they know they have to get back together so they can have the buddle of joy that is you."

"How much do they know?" Sara asked worried. The original plan that she, Chris and Bianca had come up with was that they were to never know Chris' true identity.

"They know that Wyatt is evil, that I am their son, you are their daughter, the future is far from a happy place and about my issues with dad. Not much more than that."

"Dad loves you Chris." Sara stated. "He just…"

"Don't." Chris cut her off. Their father was the last thing he wanted to talk about. His relationship with his father's younger self was even better than the one he had with his true father. That didn't say a whole lot. Chris pushed bitter feelings aside and turned his attention back to Sara.

"You didn't kill Wyatt, Sara."

"Ok not fair." She shivered and looked about to relapse into tears. "I won't talk about dad's shortcomings with you if we can avoid that topic of conversation. And yes I did."

"You just bought us time. Wyatt has resources to prevent an athame from taking him down. We just succeeded in pissing him off worse than he already was."

"In a way I hope I did kill him." She sighed and looked out toward the city, her mind wanting to be a million miles away. "That way he won't be able to hurt anyone any more."

"That's why we have to focus." Chris said determined as he stood up and began to pace. "If we can just figure out who or what turned him we can prevent any of this from happening. Maybe save our whole family. Wyatt only had a part to do with their deaths. We could be a family again."

"Your speech was good up until that last line." Sara claimed sarcastically. Wyatt had played on her wish for her family to be alive and well. He had used that line too often with her. With Wyatt it was a lie but with Chris she found the same hope in his words as she felt in her heart. "As long as Wyatt isn't a power crazed murderer, I'll be content."

"So?"

"So we have a lot to accomplish in the next thirteen days. Your birthday is in the next few weeks."

"Yeah," Chris sighed holding out his hand and helped her to her feet. "I know he hasn't been turned yet and we know it happens before I am born. It's going to be a very long two weeks."

Sara walked over to him and smiled. Gazing at him she was able to relax even though the future rested on their shoulders. It was like she was seeing him for the first time since he had left the first time for the future. The last twelve hours had been a bit draining and hectic to say the least. She took in the new length to his hair, the fierce look of determination in his eyes, his loss of weight, the paleness to his complexion. Sara was brought out of her reverie by his smirk.

"What?" he asked suspiciously.

"I like your hair longer like this." She stated matter of factly. "You look like such a punk when it's shorter and sticking out in every direction."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. You were an unruly mess."

"Well I think you need to worry about your own hair."

"My hair is only messy right now because it doesn't agree with time travel."

"That's right blame it on the portal."

"At least mine was not intentional."

Chris laughed for what felt like the first time in the longest time. Sara truly was the light in the dark. They were both hurting yet each was able to comfort each other with idle banter. Chris knew that his mission was going to be less lonely and easier with her around. They had been siblings by fate and the best of friends by choice. She was able to take away some of his pain and vice versa. He just hoped that they were able to accomplish what they had come here to do with out to many more sacrifices on either of their parts.

"That's right laugh it up fuzz ball." Sara laughed.

"I forbid any movie quotes out of you!" Chris joked hugging her and ruffling her hair. "Especially from those movies."

"I wouldn't know them word for word if you and Wyatt had not replayed them over and over during our childhood. You guys were some serious Star Wars nerds."

"Oh that's right blame us," Chris smirked. "You enjoyed them just as much as us."

Sara expression suddenly changed. It was easy to block out the terrifying future when they were safe in the past but this simple joking had given her knew resolve.

"We have to save him." Was all she could say.

"We will." Chris sighed. "And if we don't then by god I will stop him."

They stood for a long time lost in their own thoughts before the twinkling sound that accompanied orbing interrupted them. Leo looked unsure of what to say to his youngest children when they turned their haunting green gazes in his direction.

Sara shrunk back against Chris when she saw who had appeared next to them. She was thankful when Chris put his arm around her shoulders. She still wasn't sure if she was ready for this.

"Piper, err, your mother, was wondering if you were hungry or if you wanted anything at all?" He looked pleadingly at them when neither responded to him. "Please just tell me some kind of snack. She's threatening to start blowing things up, including me and your aunts."

"Pizza." Sara whispered shyly, "and double chocolate chip cookies with milk."

Leo was smiled gratefully at his daughter. He turned his attention to Chris who had yet to say anything or even step down from his protective stance next to his sister. Sara also looked up at Chris yet she made no move to disentangle herself from his protectiveness.

Sighing Chris looked down at his sister then back up to Leo. "Pepperoni, extra cheese and light sauce."

Leo smiled and nodded, he was about to orb away when Sara pulled away from Chris and slowly began to walk toward him. He began to worry. Had he been a bad father to her as well? She seemed skittish and nervous at the manor when she saw them. Leo was almost certain she came damn close to a panic attack when she had noticed them staring at her expectantly. Then he remembered the soft call for daddy when they had summoned her injured form from the future. Perhaps there was a chance.

Sara stopped a few feet away from her father. Her eyes scrutinizing his unchanging features while she tried to get a read on him. His face was the same yet his eyes were softer and almost happy. She reached forward enough with her mind to feel his nervousness and fears. Chris was right, perhaps there was a chance to save more than just Wyatt.

Chris watched his sister stop just before their father. She had been a true daddies girl and Chris was aware of how hard it was for her to see him once more. He hoped Leo would make it easy on her. He was willing to do serious damage to the elder if he hurt Sara. Chris knew he had nothing to fear though.

"I'll go tell mom that we crave cookies and pizza." With that Chris orbed out and Leo was sure his daughter was about to quickly follow from the terrified looked that flashed through her eyes.

Leo was surprised when Sara stayed put still gazing intently at him. Many emotions were passing through her eyes. He saw fear and hurt yet unconditional love seemed to win out when she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder.

When he pulled her close to him and kissed the top of her hair Sara could forget that this was not the father she knew. That this Leo didn't share her memories with her or even know what her favorite color was the farthest thing from her mind. It was the first time she had hugged him in over six years. The softest sent of Old Spice and his steady heartbeat against her ear caused her eyes to once again well up with tears. She hugged him tighter as she began to cry freely. While Chris was her best friend and brother and had raised her from the age of thirteen he wasn't able to completely fill the gaping hole in her heart that was her father. She knew that was the one thing that bothered her brother more than anything else.

"I love you daddy," she whispered looking up at him surprised to find his eyes were full of tears as well. "I missed you so much." She quickly pulled him into another hug, not willing to let him go for fear he might disappear.

"I love you too baby girl." he said softly, resting his chin on her head.

Please read and review. Your comments give me the enthusiasm to continue with the story and more chapters.