Sorry this is a little slow in coming. I'm working and it's hard to find as much time to write as I had while I was in school. Thanks for being patient with me! And thank you for the reviews!

-Abs

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Phoebe rushed up to Paige who was sitting patiently at the café's table. "I love this place, I'm so glad that you wanted to have lunch here today," Paige smiled as Phoebe took her seat.

"Sorry I'm late," Phoebe apologized.

"If you weren't late, you wouldn't be you. It'd be the first sign that you're possessed," Paige nodded.

"I get it, Paige," Phoebe raised an eye to her little sister who just smiled. As she reviewed the menu, Phoebe contemplated whether or not to tell Paige about her dreams. She had been having a series of nightmares since little Chris's birth and big Chris's return to the future. The nightmares ranged from reliving old vanquishes, including Batterak's, to seeing images from the future. At least that is what she had to assume. In a recent dream Phoebe had witnessed Chris in a battle in downtown San Francisco. San Francisco didn't look at all like it did presently. Although the city was covered in a perpetual morning fog, in the future it seemed that the sun never shone. All the images were hazy and dark. Phoebe could sense the desolation, the fear—everyone was in hiding, witches, demons and innocents alike. There was a threatening new power, its presence could be sensed everywhere. There was chaos in the balance of good and evil—demons were converting to the side of good, and witches were joining evil… including Wyatt. Phoebe hadn't told Piper and Leo because she didn't know whether to interpret the dreams as remnants of the future that used to be before Gideon was killed, or the future that was a result of the present. Had Chris failed? Phoebe didn't know how to answer it.

What she did know was that Chris had been in the fight. Chris had led a group, presumptively of witches, against a demon named Tyris. Tyris was obviously a servant to a greater evil, but who Phoebe was unable to detect. The witches whom accompanied Chris were young, probably in their twenties, but they were powerful. Phoebe had witnessed Chris causing a demon to explode with one hand while flinging another into a fire with the other before pulling a vanquishing potion out of his pocket to throw at the onslaught. He had definitely become more adroit at using his powers since he left. The other witches were equally as impressive, using powers of invisibility, energy, levitation, astral projection, deflection—you name it and these kids possessed it. What was strange was that they were fighting in the middle of the street—in San Francisco. The onlookers had fled as soon as the battle had begun. And what were they fighting over? From Phoebe's perspective there was no innocent. There was no single person who the witches were trying to save from the demons. As the image faded from her mind, she had seen Tyris attack Chris with a massive energy ball before shimmering out with what was left of his gang. Chris had fallen back with a substantial chest wound. Crawling on the ground he had found the hand of one of his entourage—all five were still alive. Collapsing next to him, another member waved his hand as they all disappeared in a flash of green light before reappearing in the forest glen. There Phoebe saw the most exhaustive collection of good magical creatures she had ever witnessed. Various nymphs, elves and fairies rushed in to aid the wounded. Then a man. A tall man that Phoebe felt oddly connected to reached over Chris and healed his chest wound. Chris squeezed his hand in gratitude after he was done and laid on the ground resting. The man sat back and watched over him. She never saw his face—but she sensed his soul.

Phoebe hadn't realized that she had been stirring the cream into her tea for five minutes when she heard Paige speaking, "I think you've got that tea well mixed."

"Oh," Phoebe laughed, "I guess I wasn't paying attention," she took a sip of her now cold tea.

"Right, so how about telling me what you were just thinking about?" Paige took a sip of her own drink.

"I've been having strange dreams lately," Phoebe began.

"Prophetic? Premonitions?"

"I'm not really sure," Phoebe continued, "I almost feel as though I am invading someone else's dreams. Or invading their memories. It's doesn't feel like a premonition because I don't feel like I am supposed to be helping these people. I am just being informed."

"Who are they? Who are the people you are seeing?" Paige interrogated.

Phoebe lowered her head. She didn't want to tell Paige that she had seen Chris fighting in a future that appeared to be unchanged from the one he left. She was afraid that Paige would tell Piper and she would begin to panic even more. Piper had enough on her mind with Leo's impending trial, a new baby, and a toddler who liked to orb his little brother around the world in an odd game of hide and seek. But she had to tell someone. "I can't see all the faces," she half-confessed, "But it's the future. I know it is."

"Of course it's the future, but how far into the future? Innocents we are supposed to help now?" Paige kept questioning. Ever since she and Richard split Paige had become a demon hunting vigilante. The crime rate was lower, the underworld appeared to be taking a rest from tormenting innocents, and the Halliwells had been, what they thought to be, demon free for three weeks and counting thanks to some major detective work on the part of Paige. She had uncovered a plot to kidnap Chris and Wyatt soon after Chris's birth. Ballew, a kamikaze demon, had formed a faction to take the boys to sale on the black market—with Wyatt's predilection for evil, and Chris being a nascent witch, their powers could still be used against the Charmed Ones. However, one of Ballew's team had failed at kidnapping them one night and Paige held him captive in the crystal cage. Through a series of torturous screams and snipits of the truth, Paige was able to deduce the plan and where the group was meeting. Before vanquishing the demon, she took a piece of his flesh to make a vanquishing potion for the others. She then orbed into the demons' lair and vanquished all except for Ballew in one sweep. Using the crystals to hold Ballew captive as she had his steward, she forced him to send a message to the other demon's—stay away from the Charmed Ones' children before she vanquished in fire in front of them. The message got across.

"No, I told you that. I think that I am just watching what is happening. And they're not innocents. They're witches," Phoebe hoped Paige wouldn't ask her who.

"Oh," Paige sat back. She knew that Phoebe was keeping something from her—that she wasn't ready to tell her exactly what she was seeing in the dreams and she decided to respect that, "As long as their safe. Thank you," she turned to take her plate of chicken salad from the waiter and set it on the table in front of her.

Phoebe had ordered an arrugila salad with baby crab cakes and set it in front of her, "I hope they are. But no more business talk," she took a bite, "Tell me about Gavin."

"Gavin, Gavin. What is there not to love about Gavin?" Paige gushed, "He is a teacher for defensive magic, he's two years older than moi, a witch who does not abuse his powers, and he's radiant—Irish, red hair, emerald eyes. Too bad he has no idea that I even exist. Aside from my being his boss of course."

Phoebe crunched her salad, "At least you won't have to worry about the whole keeping you're a witch thing a secret. He already knows!"

"Too true, but don't you think I need to get him to notice me before we talk about that?" Paige pondered aloud.

"Leave that to me," Phoebe smiled wickedly, "I'm all over playing cupid. You know we made out once. It was heavenly."

"You and Cupid? Really? Do tell," Paige dropped her fork as Phoebe recounted her visit with Cupid and saving him, and love, from Drazee.

-----

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine," Leo sang to Chris as he spun blue orbs over him like a mobile, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine." Chris giggled. "You like that, little man?" Leo asked as he picked him up. "If you're older counterpart had seen me doing that, he would be so disgusted. Yes, he would. Yes, you would. Whatever," Leo coed as he rocked Chris back and forth on his shoulder.

"Block," Wyatt announced as he walked into the nursery with a trail of blocks following him.

"I see that," Leo leaned down to talk to Wyatt with Chris still on his shoulder, "You better be careful where you do that. You might get in trouble," he kissed his oldest on the forehead. "Can you give your little brother Chris a kiss, Wyatt?"

Wyatt leaned over and kissed Chris on the cheek before looking up to his father, "No Chris," he pouted, "Nooo Chris," he shook his finger before walking to his toy box and floating the blocks back in. He then reached inside, pulled out an elephant and tiger figurine, and proceeded to bring them to life with the blink of his eyes. He then sat and watched them fight, laughing.

"What do you mean, 'no Chris'?" Leo asked Wyatt who ignored him, "He didn't do anything to you, stinker."

Piper started laughing, alerting Leo to her presence. "I don't think that's what he means, honey." She walked in and took her infant in her arms.

"What do you think it means then?"

Piper watched Wyatt as he directed his toys in their battle, "I think he means it's not Chris. To him, this baby isn't Chris. Chris left him," she walked over to Wyatt and sat on the floor next to him holding baby Chris in her lap. She then reached up and picked up the picture of big Chris holding Wyatt from the dresser. "Wyatt," she tapped him on the arm, "Who is this?" she handed him the picture.

"Chris!" he announced excited and kissed it.

"That's right. Who is this?" she pointed to the baby.

Wyatt frowned, "baby," and turned back to his toys.

"No, no," Piper pulled him back closer to her. She picked up the picture and held it next to baby Chris, "Look, Wyatt, big Chris," she pointed to the picture, "little Chris," she pointed to the baby. "Your brother," she held Chris out so that Wyatt could think about it. "I know it's hard to understand. It's hard for the adults to understand. But Chris didn't leave you, Wyatt. He's still right here, just smaller."

Wyatt didn't say anything. He studied the picture and then would look back at the baby. Finally he picked the frame back up and announced, "Chris," pointing back at his brother in the picture, "Clo," he pointed to a blank space over Chris's shoulder.

"He's not glowing, sweetie," Piper took it back from him to see what he was talking about.

"Clo," Wyatt repeated determined. He then turned to Leo, "Clo?" and held up his hands.

Leo walked over to Piper and took the picture from her. He hadn't had the time to examine it before Piper picked it up to show Wyatt. His eyes grew large with realization, "Piper, I haven't noticed this picture before. When did you frame it?"

"Just recently," she stood and took it back from him wondering what he was seeing, "Do you understand what he's talking about?"

"No," Leo lied, "maybe he's making some connection between big Chris and little Chris." Piper nodded her head and left the room—Leo's answer seemed to satisfy her. Leo looked at the picture. In it were Chris, Wyatt, and Chloe standing behind Chris with her arm around his back. He picked the picture back up and sat back on the floor with Wyatt as the elephant gave the tiger a mean lashing with his trunk, "Wyatt," he whispered, "Who is this?" he pointed to Chloe.

"Clo!" Wyatt exclaimed grinning, "Chris," he pointed then, "Clo," he smiled, "Why-it!"

"That's right!" Leo hugged him, "But don't tell your mama. She doesn't remember Chloe."

-----

Phoebe and Paige walked into the kitchen and found Piper covered in baby food green peas, "What happened?" Phoebe laughed.

"Not funny!" Piper sponged herself off, "Not funny," she repeated, "That little one over there didn't want to eat his lunch. He sneezed and what was in his mouth flew all over me as did the bowl of green pea mush sitting in front of him."

"He used his powers?" Paige asked excitedly as she walked over to baby Chris, "Good for you using your telekinesis!"

"Not good for you," Piper corrected, "I don't think he did it on purpose," she finished cleaning herself off. "He told me that the first time he used his powers was in the grocery store when he was six months old. And it was orbing."

"Well, the only way he would know that is if you told him. Maybe you conveniently forgot about this little incident," Phoebe winked, "it also means you need to look out for him orbing himself somewhere instead of Wyatt."

"Great. Two kids who can do a disappearing act. I'll tell him the truth this time," Piper sat back down in front of the baby, this time armed with apple sauce, "I know you like this," she airplaned the applesauce into Chris's open mouth. He smiled. "So ladies, tell me about your lunch. Neither of you are wearing it."

"That's because we didn't have the pleasure of eating with a telekinetic baby," Paige laughed and sat at the table next to Chris. "We had a great lunch at Café Bella where Phoebe half-told me a story about the nightmares she has been having. I know you're keeping something back," she pointed to her sister.

Phoebe knew she was busted but she also knew that she couldn't confess as to what she was hiding in front of Piper, "Yes, I am. But they are just dreams. I'll work through them," she joined them at the table.

"How do you know they are just dreams, Pheebs?" Piper asked, "You've been psychically linked to people before, had premonitions in your sleep, what if that's the case this time?"

Phoebe had been psychically linked the succubus when she came into San Francisco before she, Prue and Piper had vanquished her, "I had forgotten about the succubus," she said out loud.

"That's right," Piper stuck another bite of applesauce into Chris's mouth, "How do you know this is different?"

"I don't," Phoebe recollected. She had not thought that she may have been linked to future Chris. But she wasn't seeing the images through his eyes, she was seeing them through someone else's, and feeling that person's emotions. "I don't think we need to worry about it," she said to her sisters, "It will work out. Whatever I am supposed to learn from it, I will. I always do. What we need to concentrate on is getting Leo through this little depression and anxiety thing he is going through, and keeping him from being recycled by the Elders. I have a plan." She paused. She hadn't told her sisters about Cole, "But you might not like who it involves."

"If it involves Cole, I was wondering when you were going to bring him in," Piper sat back in her chair.

"What?" Phoebe's jaw dropped.

"Yeah, Pheebs. He's a lawyer, he's perfect," Paige chimed in, "It's about time."

Phoebe looked between her sisters, she had expected more of an argument. But given Cole's useful aid in defeating Gideon, she sensed that he was beginning to win back her sisters' trust, "Well, I contacted him a couple of days ago. I wrote a spell and sent him a letter since I don't know where he is. He's coming. He said that he has some information that he has to gather before he makes it here, but he will come."

"Good. An ex-demon lawyer, he'll put those cranky Elders in their place," Piper unbuckled Chris and took him upstairs to change him.

-----

Cole was sitting in the middle of the Great Hall of Records. The hall existed on a separate plane from reality. It held the records of things done on the sides of good and evil, and therefore had to be stored at a place where it was accessible to both sides. He was surrounded by towers of books and rolls of parchment. In front of him, a small crystal ball was playing out a scene that looked as though it was dated in the late-1800s. In it, a man and a woman were fighting with each other in the middle of a park. The presiding council, in this particular court—demonic, hovered above them deciding their fate. The man suddenly went up in flames as a glowing orb floated up from where his body had been and into the hands of one of the council members. The woman scooped up a small boy from the ground, smiled evilly, and shimmered out of sight. "That's not going to happen to Leo and Piper's children," Cole coolly stated, "They are going to grow up with their father," he re-opened another book and continued searching for cases that would serve as examples for Leo's.