Chapter 14: The Oblivious Elder

A/N: This chapter is about Leo's reaction. I was going to write Paige's reaction, or Piper's reaction to herself, but I couldn't think of anything. Thanks to all the people who reviewed before. This chapter is for you.

The hour since Piper had revealed herself to Phoebe passed without majour event. Chris spent the time telekinetically flipping through the Book of Shadows, looking for something that he knew wasn't there. Phoebe was bombarding Piper with questions about the future. They were questions Piper wished she could answer, but she knew she couldn't. The more questions Phoebe asked though, the more hints Piper found herself dropping. There was one thing Piper made a point of telling Phoebe.

She sat her down and told her sister, "I know that you don't really trust Chris right now and the things you he did, and will do that are…questionable. But he has Wyatt's and everyone's best interests at heart. Just…be nicer to him." Saying that felt as if a large weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She felt so free. Since big Chris' death she had felt guilty. She had thought about all the hateful things she had said to her son, and wished she had never said it. Maybe now she never will.

Phoebe looked skeptical at Piper's request for them to be nicer to Chris. There was still something she didn't trust about the boy. She was almost sure he had an ulterior motive. The Piper of her time felt the same way. She wondered what could have changed to make Piper trust future boy so. They seemed a little too close. Could Piper have gotten over Leo that fast? "Look…" Phoebe started, "It's okay if you and Chris are a couple, but…"

Phoebe was cut off by Piper and Chris' disgusted gasps. Piper quickly changed the subject so Phoebe wouldn't be able to figure out the truth. "Maybe we should call Leo, have him check with the other elders about these demons", Piper supplied hopefully. "Good idea!" Phoebe responded brightly. Chris merely shrugged, not wanting to see his father, but trusting his mother's judgment.

"LEO!" Piper called. Leo immediately appeared in a swirl of blue-white lights. He looked curiously from his wife, to his sister – in – law, to the Chris. "What's he doing here?" Leo asked referring to Chris. He had never trusted the boy who claimed to be from the future. It was his fault that he and Piper were broken up. He said he was here to save Wyatt, but who knew if that was true? He was probably after his son. And Leo knew that Chris was the one who sent him to Valhalla. If he could just get some proof…

"Leo, honey", Piper began gently. Leo noticed only then that she looked different. She looked older, but not just in age. There was something about her. She looked…broken. Piper continued speaking as if there hadn't been a pause. "I know this might be hard to hear, but I'm from the future. I'm here to save us all. And…please try to be nicer to Chris. If you don't…you'll regret it later.

Leo just looked confused now. He tried to process what he had just heard. Something had gone terribly wrong in the future. Whatever it was had happened long before the time Chris had come from. Future Piper didn't look much older then the one he knew. Two…maybe three years tops. No matter what this version of Piper said, he could not bring himself to trust Chris. He found himself growing angry with all the time travelers. Mostly Chris though. He had threatened his family, and Leo could never forgive. Worse was that he didn't know why Piper wanted him to forgive it.

"That evil little &!#( insert your choice of swear word here) should just get out of here! He has caused nothing but trouble!" Piper paled, afraid at how Chris would react to Leo's comment. Her adult son's relationship with his father was already rocky. Had Leo just unwittingly destroyed it for good? Chris gave his father one last cold glare and orbed away without a word. Phoebe and Leo looked unconcerned. Piper remembered when Chris used to disappear for days at a time without explanation. Piper stared, ashen faced, at the space her son once was.

Without Chris there, she felt so alone. He understood what it was like, to travel back in time, to have only one shot to fix everything. In both there situations, the same thing was at stake. They couldn't fail. And no one in the past took their respective missions as seriously as they should. She looked at her husband, the disgust evident on her face. She loved her husband dearly, but she was, and would always be, very protective of her baby boy.

"You don't know what you did!" she yelled at Leo with tears in her eyes. This time travel thing was much more difficult then it seemed. It was so hard. She turned away from her husband and her sister. Her body shook with silent sobs. This was almost too much for her to handle. As Piper cried all the tears she had to cry, Leo looked on, and clearly confused at what he did that was so horrible…

TBC…