A/N: Firstly many thanks to
midnite-magic,
bunn2007,
hopemaster,
drama angel,
nikki14u,
amysthstpony,
the halliwell's little angel,
teal-lover
and all the other people who have taken the time to review, its nice to know that some people are reading this!
Secondly, apologies I have mixed up the dates of when things happened in the TV series, so that it suits my story. Also I probably have the whole American school grade system completely wrong, but I was assuming 5th grade was like the English "year 6" (ie you're 10 at the beginning of the school year, 11 at the end).
Chapter 9: His Father's son, Her mother's daughter
Leo Wyatt always thought of himself as a family man. He prided himself on it in fact, it was obvious to all who knew him how much he cared for his wife and son, that he would do anything and everything to make sure that they were happy, healthy and most importantly, safe. Why, therefore, would such a devoted family man, flee the at a time when his wife needed him most? Why had this devoted father spent the best part of 3 weeks hiding up in the white clouds of the so-called 'Elderland'? The answer was simple, Leo Wyatt was ashamed. For the first time in his life, he had panicked. Not even in the field hospital during World War I had he run away from his responsibilities, nor during his early years as a white lighter, or during his and Pipers' clandestine romance. Yet now, thanks to a 22-year-old boy, Leo Wyatt had run away like a coward for the first time. Chris. You see Leo had known the boy was his son from the moment that the words had left Piper's lips, for although physically Chris was the image of his mother, such as Wyatt was the image of himself, he knew instantly that Chris' sense of family duty, the need to protect of his loved ones, and his down right stubbornness had been inherited from Leo himself.
The guilt Leo felt about his treatment of Chris, was unbearable. He literally couldn't sleep at night, and wasn't entirely sure if he could look his son in the face again. Hence his prolonged stay "up there", his self induced 'sending to Coventry' as it were. However, Leo found that the longer he left it, the worse he felt, as the guilt was increasing the more he stayed away, until now it was threatening to consume him entirely. Thus he knew there was only one possible solution…he had to talk to Chris.
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Back on planet Halliwell, Phoebe's plan to get "answers" was progressing at the pace of an arthritic snail. In the time that had elapsed since Jo had moved to the Halliwells, fate and the universe seemed to have intervened to make sure that the two of them were never in the same room for longer than 20 minutes. Jo attended the exclusive St Francis de Assisi Academy on the other side of the city which meant she had often left for school by the time that Phoebe came down to breakfast, and a combination of computer problems, printing issues, and emergency meetings meant that Jo was often in bed by the time Phoebe came home. The weekends had also been unproductive, as Paige had insisted on taking Jo out for the day to try and cheer her up. Consequently, now 10 days since Jo had arrived, Phoebe had the perfect occasion to have a "chat" her. A family dinner. Piper had insisted on it, as she too had been fed up that she had hardly seen anyone for the past week.
"just like normal families do" she said as she took the potatoes out of the oven.
" I couldn't agree with you more" Phoebe said a glint in her eye
"what are you planning? " Chris asked his aunt as he checked on the vegetables.
"what makes you think I'm planning anything?"
"Phoebe,come on, I grew up in the same house as you, you're a terrible liar"
"maybe so, but I'm not no lying"
"yes you are, you.."
"Hi, Hello, Hey " Piper interrupted "Can we cut the banter, this is supposed to be a nice family evening and.." her words were drowned out by the kitchen door slamming open "Paige" Piper yelled as she whipped round " how may times do I have to tell you….leo?"
Leo stood in the doorframe looking slightly embarrassed. "uh hello"
"What do you want?" Chris shot him a venomous look
Leo held his hands up in a mock peace sign "just to talk"
"well its too late for that" Chris spat. He turned toward his mother "don't wait up" he told her as he orbed out.
"great" Leo sighed.
"did you expect anything less?" Piper asked. " you've been gone 3 weeks leo"
"I know, and believe me, I couldn't be feeling any worse right now. I just wanted to talk to him that's all"
"Go after him then" Piper urged. "you're the one who bailed on us, you need to start rebuilding the bridges, if you see what I mean."
"oh" a look of realisation spread across his face.
"and I haven't finished with you yet, either, I just happen to think that ist more important that you speak to Chris right now, not me"
"right, yeah, I'll uh be back later" he orbed out to follow his son.
"okay" Piper handed Phoebe a serving dish. "I'll bitch at him later, for now lets eat….PAIGE, JO, its on the table"
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High atop the Golden Gate bridge Chris sat breathing in the cold evening air. His mind was racing, seeing his father again for the first time since his identity had been revealed, the news, had once again stirred up his deep seated anger. His reverie however was broken by the arrival of the man in question.
"Brilliant" Chris drawled.
"look Chris..I" Leo began.
"I came up here to get away from you" Chris interrupted.
"then why did you come to the first place that I would come looking for you.?"
"Reverse psychology" Chris explained. " I thought, that you would realise that this is too obvious a place, and given that I really don't want to see you right now, that I wouldn't come here, and you wouldn't even bother looking here. But the you never were the sharpest tool in the box were you?"
"Chris, I am still your father and"
"biologically speaking"
"whats that supposed to mean?"
"exactly what I said. That due to the laws of nature, you are genetically my father…in all other aspects….well you're pretty much a non entity"
"I know I reacted badly, but I was shocked, I"
"So was mum, so were the aunts, did they jump ship for 3 weeks? No"
"As I said, I'm not proud, I"
Chris wasn't listening " can't expect anything more from you though,"
"what?" Now, Leo was confused.
"you, heard, for a man who made disappearing into an art form, I can't expect anything more."
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The remaining Halliwells had been sat around the diner table for 15 minutes, exchanging pleasantries , before Phoebe had the opportunity to turn the conversation towards Jo
"So, Jo, how was school today?" Phoebe asked when Piper had finished her mini rant about Leo.
"good" she replied through a mouthful of mashed potato. "Paige took me for a milkshake when she picked me up."
"that's nice" Piper commented.
"yeah well I'm nice" Paige quipped.
"anyway" Phoebe continued "it must be hard having to travel over to the otherside of the city ever day"
"hmmmmm, its quite tiring I guess, but when I lived in San Diego I went to a school that was an hour away from my house"
"You haven't always lived in San Francisco?" This was not what Phoebe wanted to hear, this had to be Paige's daughter, she had to be.
"No, well, I was born here, but then we moved to San Diego when I was 3, we only moved back again about 18 months ago."
Phew, still in with a chance, time to step it up a gear. "cool, so Paige tells me you're in 6th grade, that makes you 10 right?"
"yeah, but i'll be 11 in March"
"March" Phoebe raised an eyebrow, sending Paige a pointed look. "would you look at that."
"Phoebe" Paige said a warning tone in her voice.
Phoebe chose to ignore this and turned back to Jo "when abouts in March?"
"I celebrate it on March 11th"
"Hey that's the same day as me! So..do you..?"
"Phoebe" Paige raised her voice.
"may I be excused a moment?" Jo asked Paige. " I need to get some tissue"
"Go ahead" Paige smiled. As soon as Jo had left the room she turned back to her sister, her smile froze and turned into a glare.
"Stop, this right now, I know what you're trying to do , and I've told you before..i'm not going there. For one thing, if we were to suspend reality for a second, Jo was born on March 11th, my daughter was born on March 9th, I should know, I was there, and for another….hey Jo you're back, are you ok?" Paige asked.
"yes" Jo sat back in her place. "I think I have a cold coming that's all"
"so March the 11th" Phoebe attempted to get the conversation back on track. "all the best people have their birthday on that day."
"I guess" Jo replied.
"you don't sound too sure" Phoebe probed.
"Well", Jo explained, "it's complicated, I was adopted, I was found on the steps of a church when I was a couple of days old. The Reverend and his wife took me to the hospital and the doctors estimated that I was about a week old, so like I said, I celebrate it on March 11th, but in reality it could be a few days either side."
"Really?" Phoebe practically bounced in her chair, whereas Paige looked as if she wanted to strangle her older sister.
"More drinks?" Piper said a little too forcedly determined to cut off the conversation, before Paige punched Phoebe. "Top up Jo" she asked brandishing a pitcher of water.
"Yes please" she looked at the array of tumblers in front of her, " I can't remember which is my glass though"
Almost instantaneously a pink tumbler shot forward, skidded across the table and stopped in front of the pitcher.
"Wow, someone really needs to close that window, its awfully drafty in here" Piper said loudly, whilst Phoebes eyes bulged out of her head, and Paige looked as if she was going to explode. " Paige, Phoebe, could I talk to you in the kitchen a second please?"
Phoebe leaped from her chair and ran after her sister. Paige stood slowly, " we'll be back in a second ok" she reassured Jo.
Once in the confines of the kitchen Phoebe was beside herself. " did you see that?"
"It was the wind" said Paige firmly
"come on Paige, it's never the wind in this house" Phoebe cajoled.
"Piper" Paige turned to her oldest Sister
"I have to agree with Phoebe, that wasn't the wind, it was magic"
"No" Paige said stubbornly " For my sanity it has to have been the wind" tears began to well in her eyes, "it has to be" she repeated.
"Paige" Piper said softly
" Can I help?" Jo's voice came from the doorway. She looked at the puzzled faces in front of her. "with the washing up" she explained.
"No, no, we've got it under control" Paige wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
"Ok, I'll ACHEW" Jo closed her eyes, sneezed and orbed simultaneously. Fortunately she landed in the same spot, thus, unaware of what happened, she merely shook her head. "I guess I'll go to bed, I'm really tired" she wandered out of the room.
"Now that" said Phoebe, "was not the wind."
All eyes turned to Paige who looked as if she was going to be sick. " it can't be" were her last words before she fainted.
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Atop the Golden gate bridge Leo couldn't quite believe what Chris was accusing him of.
"Made disappearing an art form? I left for 3 weeks, but technically you aren't even born yet, so surely we can put that behind us, start again?"
" You really don't get it do you?" Chris snarled. " This little 3 week stint, is nothing, in fact for you, it's a relatively short absence. I should be lucky"
"short? But I would never leave my family for so long?"
"oh yeah? What about the past 4 months?"
"well that was different, Piper asked me to leave, but voluntarily I wouldn't have gone"
"right, ok, tell me this then, where were you on my 5th birthday, where were you when I broke my arm, where were you when I took the lead in the school play? I could go on…."
"so, I hurt you, but that was future me, I don't know why I wasn't there, I even begin to imagine why"
"….where were you when I started school? When I got the chicken pox? When I made the football team? When…" Chris continued oblivious to his fathers pleas.
"I'm sorry, on behalf of my future self, I.."
"where were you…" Chris began to raise his voice to block out leo's voice, he stepped toward him, his heart began to beet quicker, anger and hate were cursing through his veins, his face was twisted in pain "WHERE WERE YOU WHEN MY LIFE FELL APART?"
TBC