Chapter Thirteen

Matt sat cross-legged on the attic floor in the Halliwell manor flipping through the Book of Shadows. He could hear yelling from the floor below. He was pretty sure that it was Leo and Chris that were doing most of it. Nowadays his newfound parents seemed to be spending most of their time yelling at his younger brother. Not that he didn't bring most of it on himself. Chris had been staying out late most nights, he had even rolled in hung over a couple of days ago without even an apology for his parents who had been up all night worried sick about him. Matt had noticed a change in Chris attitude as well as his behaviour. He always seemed angry and would snap at every little thing. Chris had also shut himself off from the rest of the family, Matt especially. He had gone from being his confidant; to someone he hardly ever spoke to anymore.

They had started to get close after the initial shock of being brothers had sunk in. Matt had hoped that with him spending a great deal of his free time with the Halliwell' s that he and Chris would hang out more, but that didn't seem to be happening. Chris didn't seem to want to spend anytime with him, in fact Chris seemed to be avoiding him at all costs.

The yelling got closer as he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. "I don't believe this," he heard his brother yell as he entered the attic followed by both Leo and Piper.

"You are grounded for a month," Piper told him "I'm putting an anti-orbing spell on you, so don't even think about trying to orb out,"

"This is so unfair," Chris whined "All I did was stay out late,"

"Stay out late! Chris you didn't come home till the next morning and you were hung over,"

"You might think this is unfair son," Leo answered trying to appease the situation. He had done enough shouting today; he really didn't want to do anymore. "But we were really worried about you the other night when you didn't come home,"

"Well I suppose there's a first time for everything isn't there Leo!" Chris spat sarcastically.

A look of hurt flashed across his father's face making Chris momentarily regret what he had said. But that soon vanished when he thought about how much of his life his father had missed.

"CHRIS!" his mother yelled at him surprised "Don't talk to your father that way. You will treat him with respect,"

Chris snorted, "Why should I? He's never given a crap for me. Plus you don't. You talk to him like shit!"

"That's not true," Piper retorted.

"Chris I do care about you," Leo insisted.

"Yeah, well it doesn't matter. It really doesn't matteranymore," Chris answered making his way back towards the door, not even acknowledging Matt's presence.

"Chris please," Piper began making her way to follow him.

Paige sat at the kitchen table drinking her coffee when Chris came storming past her and out the back door without so much as a hello.

"Where's Chris?" Piper asked coming into kitchen with Leo seconds after Chris had left.

Paige just pointed at the back door. "CHRISTOPHER!" Piper screamed at the ceiling "CHRISTOPHER PERRY HALLIWELL YOU GET BACK HERE NOW!"

Piper truly expected Chris to wander back in through the back door. But he didn't. She joined Paige at the table and dropped her head down on it and groaned.

"Don't worry sis," Paige sympathised "It just a phase. It'll only last four or five years," she grinned. Piper turned her head to give her baby sister a look that said thanks for the support.

Paige laughed "Sorry, just telling you like it is,"

Piper groaned again and dropped her head back onto the table.

"Good afternoon," Phoebe chirped excitedly coming into the room followed closely by Matt.

"Why are you so smiley today?" Piper asked lifting her head up off the table.

"Well Martin's trip has been cut short so he'll be coming home soon,"

"When?"

"The twentieth," Phoebe grinned, "Four days till my wonderful boyfirend is on his way home,"

"WHAT!" Piper exclaimed "Then today's the sixteenth,"

"Yeah," Phoebe confirmed "Why?"

A realisation settled in the pit of Piper's stomach. "We forgot Chris' birthday," she whispered, hoping that if she said it quietly enough it wouldn't really be true.

"No," Phoebe uttered in surprise "No we wouldn't,"

"We did!" Paige confirmed looking in her diary. "It was Thursday," she held the page up for everyone to see. "God, now wonder he's been so…"

"...Pissed!" Matt finished.

"Matthew!" Piper couldn't help but reprimand her son. "Language,"

"What! It's true," Matt answered "Man if my mom and dad… Sorry I mean my other mom and dad," Matt corrected himself for their benefit, knowing that it saddened them that two other people had more rights to call themselves his parents. "If they forgot my birthday, I'd be so making them pay right now. Major guilt trip!"

"But he hasn't said anything," Piper reminded them "Not a word," The guilt Piper felt in the pit of her stomach was nearly too much to bear. Now could she forget her baby's birthday, what kind of mother was she.

"How could we forget his birthday," Leo asked no one in particular.

"Well it wouldn't be the first time for you would it," Piper spat.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leo asked defensively.

"What's that supposed to mean," Piper repeated sarcastically "It means, that's what you do. You're the one who screws up and is never around. I'm the one who's there for him. I'm the one who picks up the pieces,"

"Well you've really been there for him lately, haven't you,"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not the only one who forgot his birthday Piper,"

"Guys cut it out," Paige snapped.

"Sorry," Leo answered embarrassed.

"Yeah, sorry," Piper repeated. She turned to Leo "I'm sorry I had no right to say the things I did. I'm just as bad. I of all people should of have remembered his birthday. I mean I was there on the day he was born, after fourteen hours of labour that day should be etched in my mind. How the hell did I forget such an important day?"

"It's alright Piper, there's no excuse for what we've done, but we have had a lot on lately,"

"We still should have remembered. There no excuse,"

"Maybe not, but wallowing in guilt and self pity isn't going to fix things with Chris. We need to find him," Leo answered.

"But where do we start looking. Can you sense him?"

Leo closed his eyes and concentrated. "No, nothing," he sighed. He may not have been able to sense his son but he could definitely sense that there was trouble ahead.