Chapter 4

"I hate it here!" the young boy yelled as he threw a glass full of orange juice across the room before stiffening his small frame and folded his arms across his chest defiantly. He hated this place and sometimes he hated his Dad for making him come here. He wanted to go back home to his aunts and all of his friends that he left behind in San Francisco. He missed having his aunt Phoebe pick him up from pre-school and having his aunt Paige sing him to sleep every night or playing with his best friend Autumn. Back home he had a big room filled with lots of toys and there was always someone around to play with him.

But not here.

Here he was lonely and didn't get along very well with the other kids in his pre-school and now that he was starting kindergarten with them he knew things weren't going to get any better. His Dad also has to work really long hours so he hardly ever gets to see him any more, even on Saturdays and now he even has a stupid babysitter named Katelyn who always looked at him funny and whenever she's around she always talks on the phone with one of her dumb friends about how stupid her husband was sometimes.

"Wyatt Matthew Halliwell this is unacceptable behavior" shouted Leo after taking a few calming breaths.

"I don't care! I don't want to be here Dad, I want to go home"

"Listen to me son this is your home…" the man spoke a little softer before being cut off by the agitated child.

"No it's not and I want to go back. I hate it here Dad. You're never ever home and I'm always with stupid Katelyn or at the pre-school and you're always at work and no one at the dumb school wants to play with me and I…I don't like it" the boy said through tears causing his father's anger to subside.

Leo knew this wasn't going to be easy. His child had suffered the lost of his mother and brother, the moral decay of one of his aunts while he watched the other lose a bit more of her self everyday, then to top it off he had come up with the brilliant idea of ripping the boy away from the only home he's ever known. But the move was necessary for them both to heal and have a normal life, just as his mother would have wanted; a life free from demonic attacks, the Elders and all the stress and torment that came along with the Halliwell destiny.

Unfortunately since their arrival in the small southern town his son's behavior had changed from kind and gentle to stubborn, surly and destructive. The man had tried his best to find work that would allow him to have more time at home with his son and help make the boy's transition into their new lives easier. Sadly things didn't work out that way and with his new boss down at Big Bill's Steel plant was in desperate need of help the man pleaded with him to start work right away; resulting in long hours and barely four hours of sleep a night. In fact he considered himself lucky that he found someone as responsible, reliable and trustworthy as Katelyn so soon after moving to this town. And to honest he wasn't quite sure how things worked out the way that it did. He was just drawn to her somehow.

"I'm sorry son" the man said walking over to the sobbing child and pulling him into a tight embrace. "I know you miss your Aunts and your friends and that it gets a bit lonely sometimes but after you get used to it and start getting used to the fact that this is our new home you'll learn to like it here, then you'll be in a better mood and you'll make new friends"

"No…I…wo…won't"

"Yes you will Wyatt. Trust me son, you're a good boy and you would make a wonderful friend. You just have to show people the side of you that doesn't pout or break things" the man said with a laugh forcing the young boy to smile.

"Do you promise?"

"I promise and once Mr. Scott has more help I can work fewer hours and we can spend more time together"

"Just the two of us?"

"Yes just the two of us but Wyatt"

"Yes"

"You have to be nice to Katelyn ok? It's not her fault that you don't like it here so it's not fair of you to take that out on her"

"Ok"

"Good"

"But Daddy can you stay home with me just for this one Saturday? Please"

As much as he wanted to say yes Leo knew that his boss needed his help and there was no way he could take off.

"I'm sorry Wyatt but I can't stay home with you today. But I will be finished with work by 3. So when I come home we could go out for dinner and go see that new movie"

"House of death!"

"No son you're a little too young for that one. We're going to see the other movie Hoodwinked"

"Oh, well Hoodwinked seems pretty cool so that's ok" the boy said giving his Dad smile.

"Good then go watch TV in the living room until Katelyn gets here"

"Ok" the boy said before walking to the kitchen door. He then stopped short and turned back around to face his father. "I'm sorry too Daddy. I won't throw anything else and I won't be bad"

"You were never bad son, just sad but it's ok now. Everything is going to be just fine"

If only Leo knew just how wrong he was.

"Hey Katelyn I'm sorry to bother you on such short notice but I really need you to watch Chris for me" Piper said as she watched Chris dance around the living room to his Barney tape. He had to be the cutest three year old she had ever seen.

"Oh I'm sorry Marie but I have to watch another little boy today and his father has got to work. I'm sorry but I just don't see any way out of it" the woman replied as she continued down the hall.

"Wait! Come on Katelyn you would really be helping me out. I picked up an extra shift so I can take Chris on that Disney cruise next month and I already promised him so I can't back down on the over time now. And if I did you know how Brian is, he'll never allow me to have any overtime again"

"I'm really sorry but I promised the boy's father that I would watch him today"

"Oh come on Katelyn, I'm sure he has someone else that can watch the kid I really need you here. Please do this for me Kate, Please"

"Look you know I would if I could but he doesn't have anybody else. Just like you and Chris it's just him and his son and I can not let them down"

As much as Piper hated to admit it Katelyn was right. After all she too knew what it was like to be a single working parent of a young child and knew that every bit of overtime counted. She just wished that there was a way to solve both their problems, then it hit her.

"Well you could take Chris with you"

"I don't know Marie"

"Oh come on Kate. Here" she said placing her cordless phone into the girls hand. "Call him and see if he would mind if you brought Chris along and tell him not to worry that my son is a very respectful and well behaved child and that I can pick him up at about 3 o'clock"

"Ok, ok" the woman said as she dialed the number while Piper stepped back inside her apartment to check on Chris.

"Hi Mr. Wyatt" the girl spoke into the receiver. "Hey it's Katelyn. I'm doing well. Umm, yes I'm on my way right now but I have a big favor to ask you. Well a friend of mine is kind of stuck in a situation similar to yours and needs someone to watch her son and I was wondering…What? I can? Thank you so much. I'm on my way, bye"

"Hey" Piper said getting the woman's attention and pushing a ready to go Chris in her direction.

"I didn't even tell you whether or not he said yes"

"Well what hard working parent would say no?" she replied returning the girl's smile. "Ok sweetie you be a good boy for Katelyn and have fun with your new friend"

"Ok Mommy"

"I love you" Piper said before giving the boy a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you too Mommy"

"Oh aren't you two sweet"

"Yeah, yeah now get going"

"You know for someone who has been holding me up all this time you sure are in a rush to get rid of me"

"Keep talking and you're going to be late for your job missy" Piper said as shut the door behind her. It was amazing how much this woman reminded her of her baby sister.

"Alright already, I'm going. See ya later and don't forget you so owe me for this"

"And I will repay you unless you keep talking and make me late which could lead to me losing my job or…"

"Ok, gees Chris I tell ya I don't know how you put up with her" laughed Katelyn as the elevator doors closed.

"Is he nice?" questioned the dark haired boy as he and his caretaker reached the front door of the small house.

"Is who nice sweetie?"

"The boy"

"Oh you mean Matthew"

"Is that his name?"

"Yep that's his name and yes he is, when he's not in a bad mood"

"I hope he's not because I don't want to give him a knuckle sandwich"

Katelyn was in a fit of full on laughter when Wyatt opened the door.

"Hey there Matthew, how are you?"

"I'm good. Daddy's going to take me out for dinner and then we're going to the movies"

"That's nice" the said as watched the boy take notice of the small figure standing next to her. "Oh yeah, Matthew this is Chris. Chris this is Matthew"

Wyatt didn't like many of the kids in this town but there was something different about this boy. Besides the fact that he was a little younger then he was there was something else, something familiar.

"Hi Chris" he said as he moved to the side to allow the two entry into the house. "Come on in"

Once the door was closed Katelyn took off Chris's coat and hung it up along with hers as Leo entered the room.

"Thanks for coming Katelyn I really appreciate it" he said handing the woman a fifty dollar bill.

"Oh it's no problem Mr. Wyatt. Thanks for allowing me to bring Chris along"

"No problem" he said before turning to the little boy. When Leo looked into the blue-green eyes of small boy he couldn't help but think about his son. The infant child that he lost and the man that had died in his arms

several years ago. His voice suddenly became lost in his throat and his balance faltered slightly as he looked further into the boy's eyes and becoming almost certain that this was him, that this Chris and his son were one in the same.

Get a hold of yourself Leo Chris is dead and so is Piper. You need to move on. This boy is not your son Leo, just let it go. Move on. Just let it go and move on.

"Are you ok Mr. Wyatt" the young woman asked as reached out a hand to help him steady him self.

"Oh…um… yeah I'm fine. I guess I've been working a little too much lately and it's all starting to catch up with me" Leo said while trying to recover from thee emotional blow. "I should get going"

"Are you sure Mr. Wyatt? I mean if you need a day off I'm sure my husband could talk to Bill they are friends after all"

"No Katelyn that's ok, but thanks anyway. I better get going" Leo said still unable to take his eyes off of the boy. "It was nice meeting you Chris"

"Bye Mr. Wyatt" the boy said with an uneasy smile. Matthew's father was a really weird guy. Not mean or anything, just weird and the weirdest part about it was he could have sworn that he had seen him somewhere before he just didn't know where.