Piper was a few months pregnant and wishing the morning sickness would go away. It seemed like she spent her in the bathroom now. She could hear Paige in the next room, singing at the top of her lungs. Phoebe was at work once again. Leo hadn't shown up since he left to go become an Elder.
She went down to the kitchen to satisfy her latest craving, peanut butter and cheese with a side of ice cream. Maybe I should call the baby peanut. It was only half finished when she heard a loud crash coming from upstairs.
"Paige," Piper yelled as she ran up the stairs, as fast as her body would take her.
"I'll get Phoebe," Paige said while orbing out.
Paige and Phoebe materialized in front of her as she reached the top of the stairs. The first thing they saw as they walked in was the prone form of Christopher Perry, their neurotic whitelighter, with a darklighter arrow embedded in his back.
Chris had heard them coming up, and tried to open his eyes. The poison was coursing through him, killing him. He could feel it in his bones. Forgetting that Leo was staying in Elder land, Piper yelled for him. Meanwhile Phoebe took off his shirt so that she could pull out the arrow. She slowly took it out of his skin, so that he could be in as little pain as possible when Piper started yelling at him.
Piper looked at Chris's back with Phoebe, while Paige yelled for Wyatt's father. That was when Piper noticed it. Slightly below the wound, the triquetra was stationed on the boy's hip. That's not possible. That's our family's birthmark.
Phoebe's voice drifted to Piper, as she tried to figure out what it meant. "Do you see what I see?"
That was all the confirmation that she needed, for the moment. "LEO WYATT, GET THE HELL DOWN HERE NOW!"
The tone in Piper's voice made Paige jump, before she quickly made her way to the three huddled on the floor. "What's wrong?"
At that moment, Leo chose to appear, finally. "Blessed be."
Piper shot him a look that quickly shot him a look that said be quiet. Then, he noticed her belly protruding slightly, indicating that she was pregnant. He opened his mouth to ask but was cut off, "HEAL, NOW. Ask later."
It was all starting to click for Piper. All the things he had said and done. He disappeared the day that she and Leo had reconciled, somewhat. Other subtle clues came to her, when they faced off with the blonde bimbos and he had said, 'I've never seen you take the bait like that, ever.' He had practically told them that he knew them. When Bianca had tried to kill her, he had told her that the future wouldn't exist without her. A flash flew through her mind of her telling him she never wanted to see him again. He looked so broken, lost. For once, he had looked like a child.
She then realized just how young he was. He had done so many things that never made sense to her: making Leo an elder, allegedly sending him to Valhalla, hating the fireman, telling her she could never give up on love, pushing for her and Leo to get back together, stood up to Grams, and protected Wyatt. He came back to keep Wyatt from turning evil. How could she not see it? Only family would risk everything like that. He had known his way around the manor immediately, and had the book memorized. He had Leo's eyes. He had her mom's smile. He had Prue's ferocity when it came to protecting Wyatt. She realized, with a smile, that he had her cooking abilities from the once or twice that he had relaxed a bit.
FLASHBACK
Something smelled good, and I had to know what it was. I went into my kitchen to see our neurotic whitelighter buzzing around it, obviously cooking something. I wasn't used to people cooking in my kitchen, but I watched. I had never seen him looked so relaxed. He seemed to be having fun. Was Chris just humming?
A few minutes later, when he was finished with the cookies, he turned around. He jumped at seeing Piper there and quickly became his normal self. "So, there's a Trok demon on the…"
"Were you just cooking?"
"Yes, now about the…"
"Where'd you learn to cook? These are amazing."
"I learned from the best, my mom," he had a sad smile on his face, "Now about the Trok demon…"
End FLASHBACK
Piper vaguely remembered hearing Leo mumble something and Paige asking what happened. She then realized that Leo was standing next to her wanting some kind of explanation, but he didn't deserve it, not right now.
Chris's voice was the next one she heard, as she started to pull herself out of the initial shock, "Sorry, I thought I had it under control. I have to go. So many demons, so little time." He quickly began to orb out.
"Stop right there, Christopher." Piper's voice left no room for discussion.
Chris reformed, he knew that tone of voice, and knew not to defy her when she used it. He let himself slip, and momentarily looked like a deer caught in headlights, but it didn't last long.
"You are a Halliwell." Piper knew that she was right. Leo looked at her, perplexed, but she didn't care. Her focus was on her son. Her brave boy that had traveled through time and been mistreated by his own family.
Chris was actually caught off guard. He hadn't let anything slip; he was sure of it. How could she know? How was that possible? He was frozen to the spot, staring at his mother with love and fear. He just about had it shook off, so he could make up another lie. He had wondered so many times if he could just tell them the truth, but they shouldn't know. He didn't want them to know. He didn't want them to care. Their caring attitudes would be his end. He wouldn't be able to separate them from his family. He was about to begin on another lie, when he heard his Aunt Phoebe. (No, Phoebe. He mentally corrected.)
"You're Wyatt's little brother." Phoebe said remembering her vision of the green eyed boy, asking for help. Why hadn't she seen it then? Why hadn't she felt it? She had felt it, somewhere in her she had known. She had pushed it aside, ignoring the possibility. She had felt when he was so sick after Bianca. The moment when Chris had defended his mother, she had known it. She had ignored the feeling. She hadn't wanted to believe it. There was another time too. She had felt it strongly. She had been in the closet, getting some extra burdock root for their 'perfect man'.
FLASHBACK
"What did you think about what I just said?"
"About what?"
"Binding Wyatt's powers."
"No."
"It would be the answer to all our problems. He would be safe and you could go have a life."
"Chris, I get it now. Wyatt is important. What could be more important than protecting him?"
Piper had walked out when she heard the words that caught her so off guard. "Maybe your second son."
End FLASHBACK
Her next thought horrified her, I hit on my nephew.
"How…What…How…Is…How'd…" Chris stumbled and Paige cut off his ramblings.
"Piper and Leo's second son, how could I have not seen it?" Paige vocalized his inner dialogue. Chris looked over to Aunt Paige, no Paige, looking even more defeated. Paige could see it, the family resemblance. She was overcome with pride. She had another nephew to spoil. Her heart ached, though, as she realized just how many times she had missed it though. Memories played through her mind and she felt so horrible at the things that she had said and done to him. He had never done anything.
FLASHBACK
"Oh my God, please don't; tell me they're dead." Paige asked as Phoebe flipped through the book, looking once again for the portal to take her to Leo and Piper.
"They're fine. I wouldn't be here if they weren't." Chris said as if on automatic response. How many times had Aunt Paige or Aunt Phoebe asked that in the last hour? It was getting annoying. Maybe if he'd answered they would search and leave him alone. He never even noticed he had slipped, but Aunt Paige, no PAIGE, did.
"What do you mean?" Her eyes narrowed, and he realized exactly what he just said.
"Umm…Future Consequences can't tell you." He said way too quickly, and Paige made a mental note to ask later. Right now, getting Leo and Piper back was more important.
End FLASHBACK
She had never asked, in fact, she had forgotten about it. The answer was clear now, though.
Chris stuttered through questions, while trying to formulate a believable lie in his head, but it wasn't working. Wyatt would find this entire situation hilarious. He would think of it as some old, funny movie. This was real, though, and he had to find a way out. He loved them…
"It's not possible." Leo looked utterly confused.
Well, he loved most of them. Leo's answer angered him. His emotions were flying out of control, and his brain had stopped working the moment his mother had stopped him from orbing out. He didn't think; he just reacted.
"No, Leo it's not. That's why I'm here to save Wyatt, because I have to no connection to you whatsoever." Chris didn't think about what he said until afterward. "Can you just forget I said that, please?"
"No," Man, Aunt Paige, no PAIGE, cut me some slack here.
"Why didn't you tell us?" She continued.
Chris had no choice, "Yeah, because you trusted me so much when I first came here. Leo still doesn't trust me. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT?" A half-truth is better than a lie. He really needed to know how they found out. When did he slip up?
"Would you like your shirt back?" Phoebe asked. Chris took it. Angry that they still hadn't answered his question.
Then he noticed that mom, no PIPER was making her way to him. He suddenly felt very self-conscious as she looked him over. It felt as if she was scrutinizing him. Her small voice made his heart cry. She seemed so much like mom, but he had to keep the distinction. "I'm sorry Chris."
Chris's head snapped around. What did she have to be sorry for? It was him who had lied and been deceitful. His face contorted into confusion, as he asked, "What do you have to be sorry for?"
"I must be such a terrible mot…"
"Don't finish that sentence." A tear threatened to fall from his eye as he faced his mother. She was his mother. Every movement she made was her. The only thing she lacked was the experience, and he would not let anyone talk bad about her, especially not herself.
"But…"
"NO!"
"My baby boy," She spoke as she gently touched his face with one hand, and her stomach with the other. "Baby Christopher." She pulled him into an embrace, and he couldn't refuse his mother. He was stiff at first, but it didn't take long before Piper could feel him relax, as if it were the only place he wanted to be.
Leo had paced as he listened to the entire thing. He wanted to believe it wasn't possible. He wanted to so badly, but everything said that it was. He could feel it in his heart, and he could see it in the boy's eyes, his eyes.
Of all of them, he had been the worst. He had distrusted his intentions from the beginning, even though he proved himself over and over again. Sometimes, his methods had been questionable, but what would he have done in the same situation? He had said horrible things to Chris. There were times when he had seen just how fragile the boy was and completely ignored it. He had even straight out called him dad once. How could he not have seen it?
He saw Chris several times look like all he wanted was his approval, and other times he seemed to despise him. He had even said the most hurtful things he could think of, so many times.
FLASHBACK
"Looks like we're one big happy family again."
"You're not family." Leo said in a hateful tone.
End FLASHBACK
He had abused him, even tried to kill him after Valhalla. Chris's face flashed through his mind, from that moment. It was like he couldn't believe it, like he was a lost child. He looked like he was truly scared, and that had been what Leo had wanted. Beneath it though, his face showed surprise. Even if he didn't call him dad, he had to have seen his father coming at him with a sword. How could he do that to his son?
Chris's voice cut through Leo's thoughts as easily as that sword could have killed his son, "No one has answered my question. How?"
Piper gently pressed her cold fingers onto his back as she spoke, "You have the Halliwell birthmark."
Chris turned to his mother, his cheeks blushing slightly, "Wait a minute, you saw that?" Chris asked first, and then whined, "Mom!"
Phoebe stepped up to Chris and pinched his cheeks like grandmothers do to little kids, "AWW… that's so cute. You're embarrassed."
Chris rolled his eyes, "Do you ever stop that?"
"I can't help it that I have the two cutest nephews to ever walk the planet."
Chris shook his head. He had to get out of here, so he used his most trusty excuse, "As great as this is, I have a meeting and a couple of demons to vanquish." He began to orb out.
Once again, though, his mother yelled in that tone that he knew better than try her patience with,"Stop it right there, young man."
He put on his best innocent face, "What did I do?"
"You are going to have dinner with us, a family dinner."
"Okay, so, I'll be back by then."
"Not happening mister. You're talking to the woman who can ground you until you're fifty."
"I can orb." Chris said smugly.
"Not if your powers are bound." Her voice was just a little too cheery.
"You wouldn't."
"Try me."
"Um... so, what's for supper, mom?"