Next part is up.Hope you like it as much as the last ones...

Disclaimer: I still don´t own charmed

Keeping your innocence

Not much later Chris came to the living room and asked, "Are you ready?" Piper nodded, "Yes honey, table is set and we are staving."

"Good, then please somebody get Wyatt, go to the dining room and take a seat. I will be there in two minutes.", and with that he left the room.

The girls did as instructed and two minutes later the sat around the table with Wyatt in his high chair when Chris entered with a huge bowl in his hands.

"Well, it´s really nothing special, but I did the best I could with what you had in the house. It´s just some spagetti and tomato sauce." He put it down on the table with an apologetic look. But Piper smiled at him, " Don´t worry baby. I love everything you cook.". Everybody got something on his plate and Phoebe was the first to try. Suddenly she looked at him across the table and went, "Oh god Chris, what is in there? That is amazing... " Than Paige spoke, " Yeah, that is easily the best pasta I like...ever had..." And Piper said, " All the different flavours and herbs mix so perfectly, Oh you gotta give me that recipe!..." Chris smiled at that," I´m sorry mum but I can´t. You won´t develop the recipe till i´m like six, I think. And all the other things you made in the process...No way that I will risk that. That could change the world in such a horrible way!" , he said as if this was the worst possible scenario. They all loughed exept Piper who looked at him in "Careful mister" stile but then also broke in laughter.

"Well, the basic recipe is yours, you thought me when I was like twelve. And over the years I added my own little twists to it." They carried on eating and chatting. When they were finished Chris stood up to clean the plates and asked, "Who wants desert?" Phoebe and Paige immediately threw their arms up and screamed "I do,I do,I do,I do,I do..", while Piper looked at Chris dazzled, "You made desert?" He smiled and nodded and went to the kitchen. He returned with a trey with four little bowls on saucers. They had little chocklate cakes in them. Chris went around the table and handed them to the girls."You gotta be careful, they are quite hot.". Phoebe was astonished, "Not only can you cook, you can bake as well? You truly are Pipers son. If I had doubts before, they´d be gone with the wind by now!"

By the time they finished eating the girls were stuffed and felt like exploding. They thanked Chris for the delicious meal and Phoebe and Paige went to the kitchen to do the cleaning. Piper went to Wyatt to take him to bed when Chris asked, "Mum...?", She turned around to him, "What is it honey?" A little hesitant Chris looked at the floor and then at her eyes, "Do you mind if I do that?" For a second Piper was taken aback because she hadn´t expected that. But then she remembered her sons words from their conversation in the kitchen earlier and spoke softly, " No, of course not. You just go and take your brother to bed and I will rest a little on the couch. Because right now I feel like I was pregnant with twins!"

With a genuine smile on his lips Chris turned to the high chair to take Wyatt out and rested him on his hip. "Hey little brother, time to go to bed. Are you tired yet, hu? No? Sorry, but you unfortunately have no say in this. Come on, give mommy a good night kiss. Here you go..." Piper gave Wyatt a kiss on the cheek, "Good night baby, I love you. Sweet dreams.", and Chris left the room heading for the stairs.

In the bedroom he gently changed Wyatt into his pyjamas and put him in his bed. Then he covered his "baby" brother with his favorite blanket, the one with the triquetra symbol and looked into his eyes."Hey Wyatt, you´re a big boy now, right? So you can keep a secret. You know, I´m not going home tonight. I will go and try to save mum, so that she won´t have to leave us later. So don´t worry, everything is going to be ok. But I need you to promise me that you are going to take care of mum and the aunts in case I can´t make it back and that you are going to stay good. For me? Because I love you oh so very much. Oh, and little me. He´s just going to adore you. He´ll look up to you and do everything you say. So be good to him, because he´ll need you, always. Just like me. He´ll be lost without you, and feel like a part of him is missing when you´re not there. So we got a deal? Just in case? I promise I´ll do my best to be back in the morning when you wake up. I love you so much..."

A single tear rolled down his face. Chris looked down at his brother and gently stroked with his fingers from the boys´ forehead to the tip of his nose. He remembered how Wyatt always did this to him when he couldn´t sleep and a smile crept across his face. Baby-Wyatt closed his eyes and not long after he was sound asleep. Chris wispered, "Keep your innosence Wy, good night. See you tomorrow morning." And with that Chris kissed his forehead and left the room.

The rest of the night the Halliwells spent laughing and talking in the living room sitting or lying on the couches. They just enjoyed being together. Without pressure, without thinking about what the future might hold for them. But the later it got the more aware Chris became that his day wasn´t finished yet. That he had to go soon. And it was killing him...

When it was time, he turned to the girls and said "Well, I think it´s time for me to leave. I´m a little tired you need to rest too, cause you all had it rough today. There is still a lot to do...", and my time is running out, "... and I need you to be on full force when the time comes. So I´d say we call it a day and get some sleep."

And with that he stood up, it felt like the hardest thing he ever had to do. It took all his strength, but he wouldn´t let them see it, couldn´t let them know.

Piper looked like she was in deep thought , then took a deep breath and sighed, "Sometimes I don´t know who deserves the title mom more in this family, him or me...?"

Chris roled his eyes at that and then threw her an "That-was-oh-so-not-funny"-look, which soon changed into an "But-I-forgive-vou"-smile as he held a hand out in her direction.

Piper returned the smile and accepted his hand to help her up. Phoebe and Paige got up too and they all moved towards the stairs. When they got there they shared their good nights and Piper climbed the first steps as Chris looked at her. He knew that this was it. He had to leave now. He suddenly found it hard to breathe and felt his heart starting to hurt as it pressed the blood into his veins. Stop it. Don´t get emotional now or you´ll never be able to leave, he chastised himself. Keep yourself together and just leave before you start to cry. Not now! There will be time for being weak later, but not now! With that he took a last look at Piper and started to orb out.

Suddenly Piper felt an inner urge to do something. She knew she had forgotten something, but could´t quite say what . Then she realised what it was and cried out, "Chris, wait!"

He instantly stopped orbing and rematerialized on the same spot he had stood seconds ago. Chris looked at Piper as she made her way back down the stairs and over to him. He was shocked when she threw her armes around him and pulled him close like she never wanted to let go of him again. At first he didn´t know what to do, but then he couldn´t hold back anymore. He gave in to his inner longing and hugged her back.

"I love you baby and I´m so very proud of you."

Phoebe and Paige who were standing behind Piper saw the tears that shot into Chris eyes. At this heartbreaking sight they felt their own eyes watering up. Suddenly Phoebe had to grab Paiges hand to steady herself as a wave of some of the strongest emotions she ever felt rushed over her. Paige looked at her concerned, "Phoebe, are you ok?" But Phoebe silenced her lifting her hand and Paige followed her gaze back to Chris and Piper and then she understood what was wrong with Phoebe.

The two where still standing there, hugging each other. Then Chris whispered barely audible, "I love you, too." That was all he could say, before he moved even closer and hid his face in her hair, pressing it against her neck.

They remained that way, till a few seconds later Chris orbed out of his mothers arms. The now alone Piper turned around and faced her sisters with tears in her eyes. At the look of her sister she frowned and asked concerned."Phoebe, are you ok?"

"Oh god Piper, I think his emotions just overrun the empath blocking potion he took...I got a read of him, or better was bombarded with his feelings...anyway, Piper there was so much hurt and pain, sorrow...but at the same time...there...there was hope...growing inside of him...but the strongest that I felt, was...Piper it was...love. There was so much love...most of it bottled up and suddenly breaking free...and there was happyness...relief...like you saying that you love him and that you are proud of him was something he´s been waiting, longing to hear for so long...I think by saying that you just made him the happiest person he´s been in years...in many years."

The girls smiled at each other, till Paige spoke up, " Come on. Let´s go to bed. There is nothing we can do tonight. So let´s get some sleep. I know you are confused and upset. But Chris needs us to be fit and Piper all this stress is certainly not good for the baby. Do you want him to get even more restless than the current adult version?"

Piper chuckled and shook her head no. "See, that´s why we will all go upstairs now. Agreed?" , "Agreed.", came from both Phoebe and Piper and they all made their way upstairs.

Meanwhile, Chris had orbed to the bridge. It was cold, windy and it rained a little. He pulled his jacked closer aroung him after wiping his tears away with his sleeves. He waited until his emotions had settled down, packed all the stuff he had stored on the bridge for the vanquish into his pockets, took one last deep breath of the cold air to clear his mind and then orbed out. Ready to go on the vanquish of his life...