Disclaimer: See First Chapter.
Author's Note: Hi everyone!
I'm sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. I was away on vacation! On the bright side though, it is pretty long.
You get to see Phoebe's girls in this one -- not for too long though. It's more like a glimpse. Mainly this one is wrapping up the most pertinant questions. If I've missed anything please write in and tell me; I'll be sure to work it into later chapters.
Someone mentioned in a review that Chris should be angrier at the Elders for letting him die. I just wanted to clarify that this fic is AU... Chris was never stabbed in this version of events.
He went back to future before the Girls and Leo figured out it was Gideon who was after Wyatt. Besides that however, everything else happened the same way.
I recieved a lot of different opinions over Chris's fiancea. Some peopled wanted it to be Bianca and other's didn't.
I'm sorry to those that didn't. Just like with Phoebe and Paige, I gave Chris the partner the show did.
I hopeyou all enjoy it anyway.
The word spun around in Chris's brain and he gave thanks that he was already sitting down. From the swirling depths of his thoughts, Wyatt's words floated to him, "… you'll be married before I am…"
They made sense now.
He was engaged.
He had a fiancée …
"No," the word freed itself from his lips effortlessly, as the truth sank in.
He had a fiancée…
Bianca.
Her face flashed in his mind; her beauty, her smile, her determination, her courage, her death…
He shook his head, tears burning his eyes, "No," he repeated, struggling to get air into his lungs, "Dad, I can't-" but he couldn't even formulate words.
The idea of sharing his life with someone… someone who wasn't Bianca…
"Whoa, buddy," Leo cried suddenly, putting a hand on his son's arm, "Relax, breathe… it's her… it's your Phoenix…"
Chris stared at his father, blinking owlishly; not comprehending the words.
"You're engaged to Bianca, Chris." Leo clarified gently.
Still the boy stared at his father. Leo noticed gratefully though, the he seemed to be able to draw a breath now.
He smiled tenderly at his son, "If you found each other, and loved each other, and fought for each other in that world, that hell… why would you think it wouldn't happen here?"
"Bianca…"
Leo nodded, "Yeah, Chris… Bianca…"
"She's okay… she's not…" he cut his words off and drew a ragged breath, running a hand through his hair. "Oh god Dad… I just…" a shudder ran through his frame and Leo's gaze grew concerned.
Without a another word he began to rub soothing circles on his son's back and did the only thing he could think of—he talked.
"You should've seen your mother's face when you brought home an older woman, and an assassin witch to boot… I thought she'd blow the house up—by accident, of course. She tried so hard to keep up appearances like nothing was wrong; but then one day she just—popped and started yelling at you over breakfast, about what was wrong with your head and had you completely lost all sense of reality and she was an assassin, for christssake… and you gave this longwinded speech about how she'd never actively pursued the occupation, how her mother had gotten out and raised Bianca right; about how she made you feel invincible and strong and capable of anything, and how you couldn't imagine the rest of your life without her—and then to end the speech, which already had Phoebe and Paige bawling and your Mom kinda teary, you told them that it was simply in your nature to seek out older, strong, courageous and gorgeous women—you'd been raised by three. At which point they really went at it and launched themselves at you, hugging and telling you to bring her over that night for dinner and that you were just the cutest-"
"Okay, Dad… you can stop… I get it." Chris stated his voice wry, his gaze a little dazed but no longer bleak.
Leo released a long breath, "Jeez, I thought you were gonna pass out for a second… you just got pale…"
Chris shrugged uncomfortably, his eyes on a distant spot, "I just remembered… everything about us and then… the thought that…that it wasn't her…"
"I know, Chris, I know… it was my fault. I shouldn't have said it like that… I'm sorry…"
"Anymore earth shattering news I should know about Dad?" Chris asked suddenly his eyes glinting again, "Could you just spit it out now, before my heart completely recovers and resumes normal beating…"
Leo grinned and shook his head, "No, I think we're out'a earth-shattering news… I can rummage some up for you if want though…"
He would've continued his teasing but suddenly Chris's eyes went dark, "I want to see her, Dad…" he said firmly, leaving Leo no doubt as to who he meant, "… and Phoebe…"
"Uh, well… the thing is that… Bianca isn't around today…"
Chris frowned, "Why not?"
"She's a social worker… works for the same agency Paige used to."
"Oh."
"Yeah, and she's placing kids today… in Florida. She took them there herself, she should be back tomorrow morning. She's upset that she's going to miss your party, but… this is important to her."
Chris didn't say anything for a moment. "Do they normally do that, social workers I mean…?" he asked quietly.
"No, but she… she takes every case very personally. She's a sweet girl…"
Chris nodded, but remained silent.
"Not that I would have noticed from my very first meeting with her." Leo added, hoping to get a smirk out of his son.
But nothing, Chris remained still and silent, so Leo waited.
The seconds ticked by and finally his son stirred, he took a deep breath and spoke softly, "I guess its better this way…" he said his voice still quiet, "… that I don't see her… this Bianca… wouldn't be my Bianca…"
"Chris-" Leo began but the boy cut him off with a smirk.
"I mean myBianca was a lot of things… but sweet wasn't one of them." Chris muttered, "She could be kind, though…" he added after a moment.
Leo stared at his son, and then decided it was time for a new topic, "Well… uh, Phoebe should be by any minute now…"
Chris blinked at his father a moment, before a small smile tugged at his lips… it would be fun to see Phoebe…
"She still writes for the paper?" he asked.
"She runs the paper…"
The small smile turned into a grin, "Cool…" he murmured, then he stared down at the album still sitting on his lap, unopened.
"Well…" Leo said, wryly, "You can't see the stuff until the book is open…"
Chris remained silent, then, "Dad?"
"Yeah, buddy?"
"I was thinking-"
"-thank god-" Leo joked, but instead of a smile received a glare.
"I'm serious," the boy clarified and Leo instantly sobered, "When you and the cleaners dropped me off earlier-"
"Twenty-three years ago."
"Yeah, whatever..." Chris dismissed the time difference as irrelevant and despite himself Leo smirked a little. That was his son... blind to everything else except what he was trying to accomplish.
"... they said I would only remember the past, my world that is, and my trip to the past, for twelve hours…"
"Yeah…" Leo prodded.
"Okay, but then what's going to happen?" he asked.
Leo met his gaze and smiled wryly, "You just love borrowing trouble don't you Chris,"
Chris frowned, "Just because I, the I sitting here right now, won't have to deal with the fallout of this day doesn't mean I can't be worried about it. I mean the me, the other me who grew up here, isn't going to remember any of this. So what's he going to remember, huh? I mean he can't walk around with a forgotten day, can he? It isn't normal and Mom isn't just going to let all this go, you know… and probably neither is Wyatt…"
Leo chuckled, and reached to gruffly ruffle his son's dark hair, "Don't worry about it, kid…"
"But Dad…"
"Look, when the twelve hours are up you will very likely blink a little, feel slightly disoriented and then realize that you're at your birthday party and continue partying. When you think back on this day you'll remember going to class this morning—or not going, as the case may be. Spending the day with me and Becky, and doing whatever else we're going to do today… you won't realize that anything out of the ordinary happened."
"But the Cleaners said I'd pass out…"
"They said you may pass out. And if you do," Leo shrugged, "I'll cover for you Chris. I'll handle it. I always have."
The words were firm and confident and Chris felt his worries ease. There was still one thing on his mind… something that had nagged at the back of his consciousness since the moment the Cleaners had mentioned it.
"… the Cleaners," he began slowly, "… they said that the memories of the Charmed Ones would be cleared after the threat to Wyatt was neutralized; but we did that while I was there and last I saw them they still remembered... so uh... I guess what I want to know is-"
"Chris." The word was spoken firmly, interrupting the boy's flow of words. Chris halted and looked over to his father.
Leo was sitting forward now, his gaze trained steadily on his son's face. "I've been honest with you about everything. I haven't held back; even when I knew that what I had to say wasn't what you wanted to hear, isn't that right?"
Chris's brow furrowed a little, "Yeah, I guess…" he muttered.
"And you trust me, don't you?"
"Of course, what does that have to do with my quest-"
"What happened after I left you here…" he took a deep breath, "It took us all by surprise…"
Chris swallowed hard, "It wasn't the Game-master's then; they weren't the ones after Wyatt."
Leo shook his head slowly, "No, it wasn't the Game-masters. They weren't the ones who turned Wyatt…"
The silence stretched for a moment; then Chris asked the question.
"Who was it?"
Leo looked away, "It's over, Chris. There's no point-"
"Who was it, Dad? And why?" The young man's voice was hard, uncompromising.
Leo remained silent.
"I need to know." Chris added, after a moment. "I need to…"
Leo took a ragged breath, and faced his son, "Trust me, son, you're better off not knowing. You're better off living the rest of this day, with the knowledge that you changed the future; that thanks to your work, to your warning we were able to stop it, to make things right."
"Dad, I need to know why?" the boy asked, his voice tinged with desperation, "I need to know what set it all in motion, I need to know why?"
"Why?" Leo repeated the word bitterly, his eyes flashing with rage, "Fear, Chris. It was all about fear. And in trying to destroy that fear, they brought it about."
"You stopped it." Chris confirmed after a moment.
"We did. And I made sure it would never threaten again."
"And you don't want to tell me any thing more."
Leo cocked his head to one side, "I want you to enjoy today. To enjoy what you helped create, to be happy and proud of this world—I don't want you to be constantly thinking about the why. And trust me Chris—if I told you, you wouldn't be able to get it out of your head."
Chris met his father's gaze, "Why?" he asked, not caring that his use of the word was appropriate for a four year old.
"Because it came from the last place we would ever have looked." Leo answered steadily; and Chris's stomach lurched… he knew suddenly, his father was right—he didn't want to know.
"Okay, Dad…" he conceded.
Leo smiled a little, "You gonna look through that scrap book or what?"
Chris smirked and looked back down at the book. He opened it. The first page was a copy of his birth certificate.
"I was born." He said deadpan, staring at the page.
Leo chuckled, "I figured I'd start at the beginning. You can flip to the end where the current information is at and look through the rest later…"
Chris nodded and started to do as his father suggested. But paused suddenly and looked up again, his expression intense.
"What about the girls?" He asked.
Leo sighed, "What girls?" he said, his voice speaking of longsuffering patience.
"Mom and Phoebe and Paige…"
"What about them?"
"Well… if I was erased from their memories… what do they remember? I mean… I was pretty involved in stuff, beginning with the Titans…"
"They thought I was pretty brilliant figuring all that out and giving them the power of the gods in time to stop them…"
"Dad…" Chris stated, drawing out the word. Leo wasn't answering his question.
Leo shrugged, "In some instances they remember figuring something out that you actually helped them with; or they remember me in your place; or they simply don't remember…"
"Don't remember?"
Leo nodded, "Bianca's trip to the past for example."
Chris nodded slowly, "What about your uh… vacation to Vallhalla?"
Leo's eyes narrowed, "They remember me doing that by choice in order to develop my fighting skills…"
Chris flashed his father a grin, "Sounds good, better then the me-separating-you-from-your-loved-ones story…"
Leo didn't reply, but sent his son a knowing stare.
"So everything worked out well…"
"Yes, Chris, everything worked out well. I was part of the committee that worked on rearranging their memories so I made sure everything was perfect."
"Do you think… I mean, could something like... trigger memories of me…?"
"Yeah, it happens sometimes. If something triggers a memory it manifests itself as a dream or as a sense of deja'vu." Leo explained, "Sometime, especially recently—you know since for the past year you've been the age you were when you traveled to the past—sometimes I'll catch one of them watching you with this look in their eyes; like their trying to pinpoint something familiar but just can't get a grip on it."
"Have they ever asked you about it?"
"Nope, they pretty much just brush it aside. I mean why would they ever even consider that they'd met you before you'd been conceived…" Leo teased.
Chris smiled a little, but his eyes were still cloudy, "Why'd you do it, Dad? Why'd you vote to erase me from their memories?"
Leo's gaze grew concerned instantly, "Chris I didn't do it because I wanted them to forget you or what you'd done for us." He clarified quickly, "I did it for you. So that you could grow up without the shadows of that other world surrounding you. And for Wyatt, so that he could grow up without them too. It would have been impossible to raise you boys without those shadows if the sisters remembered. Every argument, every eye-roll, every bad deed or good deed or wrestling match would have held double meaning. Eventually you and your brother would have sensed that double meaning, the unspoken comments and undercurrents of worry and relief—it would have made you guys suspicious."
Chris met his father's eyes, "Yeah I guess…" he said softly.
"It was hard enough with just me, Chris. I'd slip up all the time when you were younger. Referring to things I'd learned about you in 2004. It was easy for you and Wyatt to let it slide, but if it had happened with all the adults in your life… it wouldn't have been."
Again Chris nodded, but this time remained silent.
"Plus… let's face it… Phoebe would have spilled by the time you were seven…"
A quick smirk lit Chris's face, "More like four," he corrected as the image of his aunt filled his mind—and her notorious inability to keep a secret.
Leo grinned, "You know, if you don't want the scrap book; I can put it back…"
Chris chuckled, the wariness fading from his gaze, as he glanced back down at the book, "I want it…" he argued and started flipping through the pages.
"CHRIS! LEO!" Piper's voice floated up to them suddenly, "THE GIRLS ARE HOME!" she called out.
Leo grimaced and without a word took the book from Chris's lap, quickly he flipped through many of the pages. Chris caught quick glimpse of dark hair, smiles, balloons, birthday cake, outdoors… before his father settled on a page.
"That's Polly…" he said pointing at the picture, "… and that's Lee…" he added pointing to the girl next to her.
Chris stared at the picture; it was recent, of him with the two girls.
He frowned a little, "Are they twins?" he asked, "They look the same age…"
Leo shook his head looking anxiously towards the attic door, "No, but only sixteen months separate them… at the moment Polly is seventeen and Lee is sixteen."
Chris continued to study the picture. Polly had the dark hair and eyes of her mother; Lee took after Jason, with lighter hair and eyes—both were beautiful and even through the picture he could see they vibrated with energy.
Footsteps pounding on the stairs, brought Chris out of his reverie and the book was suddenly snatched from his grasp.
"Hey!" he protested, but Leo stood and dropped the book on the floor using his foot to hide it under the couch, "Whatever you do, don't hug them!" his father warned.
And a moment later the door burst open.
"Is this a private male party or can the lovelier, smarter sex join?"
The voice was happy and came from the light haired girl – Lee.
"Hey sweetie," Leo greeted, "How was school?"
"Fine… I heard Mattie got suspended again?" she said smugly, as she neared the men.
"It's not funny," Polly protested, at her sister's smug smile, "Aunt Paige is gonna have a fit…"
"Aunt Paige is always having a fit," Lee protested, "If it's not Mattie, it's one of her students…"
"Or you," Polly chirped.
"Me?" the younger girl cried, her eyes wide in mock horror and her hand pressed against her heart, "I never caused anyone to have a fit, in my life," she proclaimed proudly, then plopped herself next to Chris, "… isn't that right, Chris?" she asked boldly.
"Uh, no," he began tremulously at first, trying to figure out how he was supposed to respond, but when she turned to face him, he found himself staring into glittery blue eyes and knew exactly what to say, "… of course not, never you…"
He let the sarcasm drip off his voice, knowing somehow—that of Phoebe's three girls, he was looking into the eyes of the troublemaker.
She laughed, "What're you doin here?" she asked him.
"Don't you remember, Lee…? Bianca has cut the umbilical cord for a few days…" Polly remarked, grinning.
"Oh, yes, that's right…" she said, reaching up and patting his head in pseudo-sympathy, "You must feel quite desolate."
"Nobody to pour his juice for him," Polly continued.
"Or tell him when to cross the street…"
"Poor baby…"
Chris found himself glaring at them quite naturally.
Both girls laughed, it was Polly who spoke next and her tone was no longer teasing, "I can't wait for the party, tonight… I have the best outfit!"
"Actually I have the best outfit," Lee contradicted.
"Then it probably belongs to me," Polly frowned, "Speaking of which, you got my favorite skirt dirty."
"I did not!" the younger protested heatedly, then frowned and bit her lip, "Which skirt are we talking about?" she asked.
"The khaki mini with the little blue roses on it," Polly described, still glaring.
""Oh… that one… well yeah, I did…" Lee admitted, shrugging, "… but don't worry there's this new invention called a washing machine… and it comes with this liquid call detergent… and it actually makes dirty clothes clean again…"
Polly's eyes narrowed, "Whatever it is that you spilled on it, won't come out…" she gave her sister a haughty look, "You owe me thirty-five dollars."
Lee snorted, "Sure, don't hold you breath on that one…"
"You'll pay Lee, or I'll tell Mom about-" she shot Leo a look, "Can you excuse us for a minute Uncle Leo?" she asked sweetly.
"No, he can't," Lee answered for her Uncle, "I have a very important question to ask him."
Polly rolled her eyes, but remained silent.
In fact everyone remained silent and Chris realized suddenly what she was doing, "Wracking your brain for a question, huh?" he asked, the girl sitting next to him.
She elbowed him in the ribs and looked over to Leo, "Can we go see those cliffs now?" she asked eagerly.
Leo's eyebrows shot up, "Now?" he asked aghast.
Lee nodded, "Yeah, why not? We're not going to set up for the party until after dinner and it's Friday, so no homework, anyway... we can go now and be back in time for Aunt Pip's Pesto..."
"She's not making pesto, she's making Lasagna... Chris's favorite..." Polly countered shooting her cousin a look, "He gets two days of favorites-- one for the party and one for the actual day..."
Leo rolled his eyes, "You all get that," he commented, then looked back to Lee, "I'm not sure it's such a good..."
"Why not?" Lee asked curiously.
"He doesn't wanna take you, obviously..." Polly hissed, her dark eyes twinkling.
Lee shot her a venomous glare, "He does too... he offered... didn't you Uncle Leo?"
"Yeah, that's true... I did offer, it's just that..." his eyes darted quickly to Chris who was staring at Polly now. He seemed to be alternating, one moment staring at Lee the next at her older sister.
Lee sighed dramatically and stood, "Okay," she said softly, "We can go some other day if you don't want to take me today..." she said pathetically, "I guess I'll go help Aunt Pip with Becky." Very carefully released another small sigh, "You will take me Uncle Leo, though, won't you..." she turned big, woeful blue on him, "Someday... I'd be so disappointed if you didn't. I'm sure there'll be a day as perfect as this again... right?"
Leo was beginning to twitch nervously, the conundrum evident on his face – he didn't want to leave Chris right now, but he had promised Lee.
"Probably not, Lee... you might have to wait a month or more to get another perfectly clear day..." Polly said solemnly, and Chris narrowed his eyes; she'd said that a bit too sympathetically.
They were ganging up on him!
He realized suddenly, they joining forces to guilt Leo into taking Lee somewhere...
Lee sighed again, her eyes downcast, "Oh well..." she said softly. A silent moment passed and then she lifted her gaze to Leo's and Chris knew he was about to be left alone.
No one could resist those eyes, "Please couldn't you take me today, Uncle Leo… oh please…" she asked.
And Leo sighed—a sigh of acquiescence.
Lee must have known too, because her face lit up, and a glint of triumph appeared in her eyes, "Yes!" she cried happily.
Leo rolled his eyes, "I was just conned, wasn't I?"
Polly laughed, "Oh, Uncle Leo," she said sweetly as she walked over to him, "You never stood a chance…"
He smiled a little, "Have I ever…"
It wasn't a question.
"I'm gona got tell Aunt Pip… oh and maybe Mom's home, and I gotta get my camera!" Lee squealed excitedly as she ran out of the attic.
"She's such a nerd," Polly commented when the girl left.
"She's a geologist," Leo corrected.
A geologist? Chris thought, frowning a little.
"Or will be…" his father added.
She liked rocks. Leo was taking her to cliff. Leo was leaving. The thought came to him quickly and he fought the wave of panic that followed it.
This was his family. He was home. Everything was fine… he didn't need Leo to hold his hand… he would fine.
Still though, the thought of facing everyone on his own, was… unsettling to say the least.
"Well…" Polly said, staring at her Uncle, "Are you gonna go take her. She's going to wanna spend at least an hour there…"
"Right, right…" Leo said, shooting Chris another look, "I guess I should go then…"
Chris met his father's gaze, "Yeah, I guess you should…"
Polly looked from one to the other, "Is there something I'm missing?" she asked, "I'm sensing a lot of non-verbal communication..."
"Are you?" Leo asked distractedly, his gaze still on Chris.
Polly looked from one to the other again, "Yep. I am. What did you do now, Chris?" she asked.
Chris's gaze shot to her, "Me?" he asked alarmed, "I didn't do anything!"
"Whoa! Chill! It was just a question, dude. Not even a serious one. Relax." She exclaimed her eyes wide and beginning to get that same suspicious look Wyatt had given him.
"I'm relaxed," he grumbled, "I'm fine."
She gave him a skeptical look, "Sure..."
"UNCLE LEO!"
Leo looked to the door, his gaze a tad panicked.
Chris took pity on the man, "You better go, Dad." He offered softly, trying to control the rapid thudding of his heart. It wasn't like he was going into enemy territory... this was his home, his family...
But not my world...
He shoved the thought away. He could do this...
"Sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be back," he added, meeting his father's gaze.
Leo swallowed hard but nodded, "Okay... I'll uh... see you later then." He told the young man.
Chris nodded and watched silently as his father headed for the door.
"Okay, seriously, what did you do?" Polly asked as soon as the man had left the room.
Chris transferred his gaze to her.
His cousin.
The next child born after himself.
She hadn't existed in his world... but she did here. Here she stood looking at him with big, dark eyes waiting for his response.
She grinned suddenly, "So bad, you can't put it into words, huh?" It was a teasing question... he could tell by the way the dark eyes sparkled.
The desire to know her came swiftly, unexpectedly.
But how?
How was he supposed to get to know someone who he'd supposedly grown up with?
Take it slow
His father's advise... the same advice of the Cleaners came to him then...
"Uh... how was school?" he asked a little haltingly.
Her grin turned wry; she walked over and plopped herself next to him. The same seat her sister had vacated earlier.
"Sure, ignore my question why don't you?"
"I didn't do anything." Chris assured her.
Polly snorted, then, "School was the usual."
"Is the usual good?" he asked.
She shifted to look at him, her brow a tiny furrowed, her gaze intent on his face, "What's going on?"
"I can't ask how school went?"
"Sure you can, but you usually don't. Not unless you already know the answer-- which means that whoever you're asking had a bad day that day."
Chris shrugged, fighting the urge to look away from those piercing dark eyes, "So sue me-- I'm bored."
That seemed like a good response, but the suspicion faded and she grinned at him, "Nothing to fill the hours with without Bianca, huh?"
"I can fill the hours just fine... I was busy all day... it's just now..."
Polly giggled, "That's because now is when your usually with her." She gave him a friendly shove, "School was boring, lunch was fun, practice was great."
"Practice?" the question slipped out; it didn't produce suspicion though, only annoyance.
Polly rolled her eyes, "I told you twice that I'm in Whiz..."
He nodded, trying not to look completely clueless, "Whiz, of course..."
"You forgot." It wasn't a question.
"I didn't."
And he hadn't.
You couldn't forget what you never knew. Of course this explanation probably wouldn't go over too well.
Her lips puckered in a wry twist, "Okay... what part am I playing?" she asked.
His eyes darted away from hers for a moment--only to be brought back by her laughter.
She was laughing at him, "Oh god Chris, if you could just see yourself... you look like you've been washed out to sea... I'm the Wicked Witch." She told him, good naturedly.
"The one that gets a house dropped on her?"
"No, the one that melts." She corrected, then rolled her eyes again, "You didn't hear a single word I said to you the other day did you?"
"I heard." And he had.
Probably.
She laughed again, "You're a shitty liar."
"That's the general consensus." Chris agreed, then scowled, "Don't say shitty... you're what sixteen..."
"Seventeen, jerk." she corrected, glaring at him.
Chris grinned, playing off the error as though he'd meant it.
Her glare cleared, "Can I borrow your car?" she asked suddenly.
"My car?" Chris parroted.
"Yeah, I wanna run over to see Whit really quick and I know Mom'll have a fit if I take hers."
"You're mom's here?" Chris asked, his mind whirling.
Phoebe!
Polly eyed him strangely, "Youweren't messing withher laptop again, did you?"
Chris didn't hear the question, his mind spinning with images of the one person he'd yet to see, "She's downstairs?" he asked, standing up.
Polly's eyes narrowed, "Uh… yeah…" she said sarcastically getting up with him. "What's wrong with you?"
Chris was already moving towards the door, "Nothing, nothing… I need to see her… I need to see Phoebe…" he muttered.
His progress towards the door, was halted by a surprisingly strong hand on his arm, "What's wrong with you?" Polly asked, almost harshly, "and since when do you call my Mom Phoebe… and why do you need to see her? And can I borrow your car or not?" she finished in one breath.
Chris blinked at her, "My uh… car's at the mechanics…" he stated, remembering Wyatt's comment, "I'm driving Wyatt's…"
Her face fell, "Oh," then lit up again, "Can I borrow his?"
"NO." Chris said firmly and pulled away. He wanted to see Phoebe.
"What's wrong with you?" Polly asked again.
"I'm fine." He said still heading for the door.
"Chris!" she called as he neared it; reluctantly he stopped and turned towards her.
"This is me your talking to." She told him, as she came to stand directly in front of him, "Your partner in crime-"
"Nothing. Is. Wrong." He told her with emphasis.
Polly rolled her eyes, "You let me borrow Wyatt's car all the time. So the fact that you don't want to let me borrow it, tells me you've already filled your quota of screw-ups for the day."
Chris frowned, suddenly remembering why she wanted the car…
"Is there a reason you wanna see Whit?" he asked, as causally as he could. Trying to make it seem as though he knew who the hell Whit was.
"Do I need a reason to see my boyfriend?" she asked him pointedly.
"Invite him to the party." Chris said simply and made a move to open the door.
"Puh-leeeease… so Mom'll have a cow, you know I'm not supposed to be seeing him…" she said cavalierly.
"Your not?" he asked, frowning. She wanted him to give her a car that wasn't his so she could sneak off to see a boyfriend she wasn't supposed to see? And he'd thought the other one was the troublemaker….
His question though, had that suspicious frown reappearing.
"I mean… yeah your not…" he corrected himself, "… so why are you going to see him again…?"
"Since when are you the boyfriend patrol that's usually Wyatt's spiel…" she hissed at him.
"This kid better be worth it." Chris hissed back, and then hoped he hadn't already met the kid.
"Whit's wonderful. He's in a band!"
"Oh, well then… please go ahead and sneak off to meet him; if he's in a band that makes all the difference."
"You're a freakin pain in the ass when Bianca's not around to distract you." Polly snapped.
A real smile pulled at Chris's mouth – who knew pissing off younger female cousins could be so much fun, "In case you didn't get it… that's a no… you can't borrow my car, Wyatt's car, or anyone else's car to go see the wonderful-in-a-band loser."
"Ugh! Move outta my way!" she growled and shoved past him.
Chris chuckled as he stepped back and watched her open the door and leave – slamming it in her wake.
Yep, having female cousins was definitely amusing.
The smirk turned into a grin as he re-opened the door... he was going to see Phoebe… and that was always amusing…
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