Chapter 9- An Unexpected Revelation
After a restless and dream filled night, LEO finally managed to enter into a deep sleep some time around dawn. Taking full advantage of the luxurious bed he was sleeping in, he allowed himself to sleep away most of the morning. When he finally decided to rise from his much needed slumber he saw that it was almost noon.
Taking it upon himself to borrow some more of the present Leo's clothes, he dressed quickly and then went downstairs to find the others. LEO was about to enter the kitchen when he heard the conversation that was going on between Piper and Paige. Curious, he hid on the other side of the wall and listened.
"What are you saying?" asked Piper, sounding irritated.
"I don't know," said Paige. "I just get the feeling that something more is going on with Chris that LEO isn't telling us."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, when Chris got angry that LEO was going to tell us about our deaths and was trying to leave, LEO said to him, 'Don't do anything because you're upset with me.'"
LEO felt his heartbeat quicken and wondered how much Paige had actually figured out.
"So?"
"So… when he got back I saw LEO take him to the corner and ask if he was alright," Paige explained.
"So?" Piper said again, not following her sister's line of reasoning.
"So, he was holding Chris by the arms…and it seemed like it meant something," she said. "And then Chris said 'Don't worry, I'm stronger than that now.' "
There was a long pause and it was clear Piper didn't know what to say in response.
"Don't you get it…?" Paige said in an annoyed tone. "I've seen this kind of thing before when I was working as a social worker."
"You're going to have to spell this one out to me because I really don't understand what you are getting at."
Paige sighed in frustration. "I think whatever happened to Chris when we are attacked in the future really affected him badly… I think he used to hurt himself… "
"What? Why?" Piper asked, her voice laced with concerned.
"I don't know… maybe to help cope or something. Whatever happened to him… I think it's bad," Paige said softly.
"That's awful," Piper replied. "I had no idea."
"I know. Should we ask LEO about it?"
"I don't think so… at least not right now. He's seems to have enough to deal with at the moment."
LEO nodded at her comment, but then realized the girls couldn't see him nor did they know he was eavesdropping on their conversation. He was sure that Chris didn't want them to ever know what he had been through or how he had handled it. And he was positive he didn't want to have to explain any of that himself. It was much too painful to go through the first time around.
* * *
After a nice long shower, Leo knocked lightly on the door of the room Chris was staying in. When he didn't hear his son answer, he opened the door and peered inside. He was surprised to find the bed vacated. Chris hadn't left his bed in the days since they had found him in the underworld. The last tray of food Leo had brought was left untouched on his bedside table. Chris hadn't been eating very much lately and Leo was growing more and more concerned about his youngest son. He had become painfully thin and his near catatonic state signaled the emotional turmoil that was raging inside of him. He had even refused to attend the funeral services for his mother and aunts, which really hadn't surprise his father. Leo had hardly been able to go himself.
Chris hadn't spoken a word about what had happened to him, but Leo was able to determine a little of what he had gone through from having healed his numerous injuries. He had been horrified to discover how thoroughly his little boy had been abused, and he was at loss as to how to help his son.
When it was clear after an emotional breakdown that Chris couldn't handle staying in the manor, Leo decided that they needed to leave. Victor's apartment was too small to accommodate the three of them so they had moved into the Mitchell's place. Henry, who was still grieving himself, had taken the twins upstate to a cabin he was renting from a friend. He had allowed Wyatt, Chris, and Leo to move in temporarily.
The Elder had hoped and prayed that a change in environment would eventually help Chris come to terms with what had happened, but that notion was looking less and less likely. He knew Chris probably needed professional help, but it was rather complicated. They couldn't exactly explain that it was demons that had murdered his mother and aunts and had tortured Chris.
Leo felt his chest constrict in panic and began to search the house one room at a time feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. He even tried sensing for him, but couldn't feel Chris anywhere. Although he feared his son could have been taken to the underworld again, some part of him felt that Chris could simply be blocking him. When he was unable to locate Chris, Leo called for Wyatt.
"Yeah Dad, what is it?" Wyatt asked tiredly, once he had orbed into the living room.
Leo didn't even bother to question where Wyatt had been. His eldest had been rather absent lately, and he was pretty sure that the teenager was on a demon killing spree in an attempt to deal with his pain. Leo knew that he had to deal with Wyatt eventually, but he had enough on his own plate to handle. His grief over losing the sisters was just too great, and he was sad and frustrated trying to help Chris deal with the anguish he was facing. There was simply only so much one angel could handle.
"Do you know where Chris is?"
Wyatt seemed surprised. "He's not in his room?"
"No, I searched the house and I can't sense him either."
Wyatt seemed to think about his for a moment. "Did you try the basement?"
Leo shook his head as he started moving. "No, I didn't even think of it," he answered.
The two quickly headed toward the kitchen and found the door to the basement stairs to be slightly ajar. Opening the door the rest of the way they called out to Chris as they descended the stairs in darkness. There was no reply.
At the foot of the stairs, Leo felt along the wall for a light switch. He found it and flicked it on, bathing the Mitchell's unfinished basement in an odd yellow glow. At first he was disappointed that they hadn't found Chris.
But then Wyatt sucked in his breath and whispered, "Dad…"
Following the direction Wyatt was pointing, Leo saw his youngest son lying in the far corner, partially hidden in darkness. Chris must have cloaked himself for some reason so that he wouldn't be found. Leo ran to his side only discover that his son was covered in blood and it was beginning to pool on the concrete floor. Memories of discovering his wife in such a condition only a couple of weeks ago filled Leo and he feared the worst.
"No, no, no… Chris, No!" he said mournfully, taken in Chris's pale face.
He quickly checked to see if his son had a pulse and with relief found that Chris had a very weak one. His breathing was rather shallow as well. Thankful that he had made it here in time, Leo raised his hands to heal his son.
A yellow glow emitted from his hands, but for some strange reason the odd looking cuts that marred his sons' arms weren't healing. "Why isn't this working?" he asked himself, willing Chris's body to start stitching itself back together.
Wyatt knelt down beside him and picked up something that had been lying beside Chris. "Dad, look…"
Turning his head, Leo saw that Wyatt was holding a kitchen knife, one that Chris had obviously taken from his uncle's kitchen. Tears filled his eyes as he realized what his son had attempted to do.
"These are self inflicted," he said aloud, mostly to himself. "I can't heal him."
"Why not?" asked Wyatt irritably.
"I don't know… those are just the rules… I have to get him to the hospital."
Remembering his days as an army medic, Leo ripped off the sleeves of his shirt and used them to tightly bandage Chris's arms. He would have like to make tourniquets as well, but figured there wasn't time. He carefully lifted his son and orbed away to a location inside the hospital, just out of view of anyone who might see them. He then ran to the emergency room and flagged down one of the residents, his heart pounding. Unable to heal his son himself, Leo knew that time was of the essence. There was still a chance he could lose Chris.
He set Chris down on a gurney and watched as the doctor quickly began to assess the situation. Tears began to cascade down Leo's tired face and a deep pain began to fill his chest.
Wyatt suddenly appeared beside him and he reached out to embrace him, holding onto his son for dear life. They had both been through so much; Leo wasn't sure how much more they could take.
Unfortunately, this suicide attempt was only the first. Chris was suffering so much more than any of them knew…
* * *
LEO heard a pause in their conversation and was shaken from his memories. He wondered if they had heard him on the other side of the entryway. Not wanting to be discovered, he quickly moved away from the door and around the corner. He passed the dining room and inadvertently entered the conservatory. Realizing where he was, LEO quickly turned to leave only to discover Wyatt in the play pen.
He smiled as he watched his infant son play with the brightly colored foam blocks Piper had left him with. Any lingering thoughts over unpleasant events in the future began to dissolve as he watched the pure innocence playing before him. It was easier to try and pretend that none of it had ever happened then to dwell on the inevitable.
"Hey little buddy, what do you got there?" LEO asked as he sat down beside the play pen in one of the white wicker chairs.
Wyatt smiled up at him and happily babbled a string of nonsense in response. LEO decided to pick him up and cuddle his son close. Holding the small child and hearing Wyatt laugh, he could almost forget the horrific events that would occur here in fourteen years. But he allowed his eyes to linger for a little too long on the center of the room where Piper's body will eventually lay so lifeless and cold. Finally deciding that he couldn't handle sitting in there anymore, LEO carried Wyatt into the kitchen to find Piper.
"Hi, did you sleep well?" she asked, as he walked into the room.
"I did," he said with an affectionate smile. "Thanks for the bed."
"No problem," she said, screwing a nipple onto the top of a bottle. "I was just fixing Wyatt a bottle. Do you want to feed him?"
"Sure," he said, taking the bottle from her and sitting down at the kitchen table.
He sat Wyatt on his lap facing outwards. LEO still remembered that this was the way his son liked to sit when he drank from his bottle. For whatever reason, Wyatt never cared to take his bottle lying down at this age and much rather sit up and see what was going on. LEO brought the formula to his son's lips and heard him slurp happily in response.
"You're good with him," Piper commented as a wide smile crossed her face.
"I hope so," he said. "I am his father."
"I just thought that after what our son does to you in the future, you might not want to even hold him," she admitted.
"I thought so too at first," he said. LEO looked down at Wyatt and then leaned his face into his soft blond curls, smelling his sweet baby scent. "But it wouldn't be fair to hold a grudge against him for something he hasn't done yet. Right now he's still my little boy."
Piper nodded and turned towards the refrigerator. "Can I fix you some lunch?"
"If you don't mind, that would be nice…"
"Of course, I was just going to eat myself," she said, grabbing a few things from various shelves and piling them into her arms. "Is chicken salad on wheat okay?"
"Still my favorite," he commented.
She smiled once more and he was amazed how much he was at ease with her even after all these years. It was still very surreal being here in the past and there were times he felt that he might lose it completely. But he was beginning to adjust to the notion that he might be able to help change the future and that was all that mattered to him now.
"Where are the others?" he asked, while he watched Piper move effortlessly around the kitchen.
"Hmm?" Piper said, having not heard him while she worked.
"Where are the others?"
"Oh…Phoebe is at work and you just missed Paige. She got a call about a job from the temp agency and decided to check it out," she explained as she fixed the sandwiches. "Our Leo checked with the Elders but they didn't know of any demons that might hold a grudge against us, so he is doing some research or something."
"At magic school?" he asked.
"Yes, how did you know? I never heard of it until today," she said, setting a plate of sandwiches down on the table and sitting beside him.
LEO gave her a smirk and then she realized her error. "Right- you are him so of course you would know- so why didn't you tell me about magic school before now?"
LEO shrugged and grabbed a sandwich. "Probably never came up," he said, before taking a large bite. He was amazed that he still knew how to feed Wyatt with one hand and feed himself with the other. It was a skill that all parents come to know when they raise a little one.
Piper sighed in frustration and took a sandwich herself.
"Where's Chris?" asked LEO, remembering that his son had left last night to check out a few leads in the underworld.
"I'm not sure. He hasn't returned yet," she admitted.
"Really? Is that normal?" he asked, feeling himself begin to panic.
"Oh sure," Piper said casually. "He does this sort of thing all the time. Don't worry about it."
LEO nodded but her comment had not made him feel any better. If anything, it probably made him feel worse. He was still amazed at the lengths Chris was willing to go to save his brother even after all that he had suffered.
They sat in amiable silence while they each munched on their chicken salad sandwiches. So lost they were in their own thoughts that they were taken completely by surprise when a demon shimmered into the kitchen and conjured a fire ball.
"Wyatt, demon!" Piper shouted.
The little boy quickly raised his shield and surrounded both he and LEO with the bright blue glow of his protective ward.
Piper quickly stood up and tried blowing the demon up, but found she could only move him back a few inches. She then raised her hands in a gesture to freeze him, but again nothing happened.
"Uh-oh. That's not good," she commented, just as a fire ball whizzed past her head. "LEO orb Wyatt out of here."
"I can't," he said in frustration. "I don't have my powers anymore."
"Shit, that's right," said Piper as she stood behind the pair's protective bubble.
The demon looked rather human dressed in all black. He had an evil grin on his face and seemed rather amused. He conjured another fireball and began circling around the kitchen looking for an opening in the boy's shield.
"Wyatt, sweetie, orb to Daddy!" Piper commanded, trying to keep her voice calm.
Wyatt looked up at her with confusion and she realized her mistake. As far as Wyatt knew he was sitting on his Daddy's lap. He had made no distinction between the two versions of Leo yet.
"Um, Piper…" LEO began to say, as he stood up with Wyatt in his arms.
"Yeah, I know, I know," she said, trying to blow the demon up once more.
They slowly backed out of the kitchen with the demon looming ever closer. "What is it you want?" she asked the demon.
"An eye for any eye," he said, throwing another fireball their way. It rebounded off Wyatt's shield and for just a moment the shield seemed to falter. Wyatt began to cry in response. "One of you killed my brother, so now one of yours will die as well."
"Oh great," Piper muttered. "A demon with a vendetta."
"You need your sisters," LEO suggested, clutching the crying baby closer.
"Paige!" Piper called, ducking from another fireball as she dived behind the couch. "Paige! I need you."
Piper tried repeatedly blowing up the demon, knowing that it wouldn't work, but hoping she could impede his assault. When her youngest sister didn't appear for several moments, Piper called for her whitelighters. "Chris! Leo!"
The pair orbed in separately and quickly saw the dire situation. Using his telekinetic energy Chris threw the demon into the wall, hoping that it would slow him down long enough for them to escape.
LEO quickly handed the baby to his past self and said, "Take Wyatt up there! Quick!"
Leo nodded and orbed away with Wyatt in his arms. The demon quickly righted itself and was now throwing fire balls in their general direction. All three of them dived out of the way. Chris rolled to the side and jumped up only to see the demon throw a fireball at LEO.
"Dad! NO!" Chris shouted without thinking. He then pushed the man out of the way and tried to deflect he fireball, but it was too late. It struck him in the shoulder, knocking him back several feet.
Through his pain, he looked up and saw the demon smile as he readied another flaming ball. This time Chris was ready and just as the demon threw it at him to make the kill shot, he redirected it straight back at the demon using his telekinesis. The fire hit him square in the chest and the demon erupted in flames, screaming manically.
LEO ran to his side. "Chris, are you alright?" he asked, as he helped the younger man up.
"I think so," he said, wincing at the pain in his shoulder. "It isn't fatal at least."
Piper stood there just staring at the two of them with her mouth wide open.
"What?" asked Chris, faltering under her scrutiny.
Her face was a mixture of emotions and he couldn't make out what she was thinking. She turned her face upwards and yelled, "Leo! Get back down here right now!"
Leo quickly orbed in with Wyatt still in his arms. "Is everyone okay?"
"Heal your son," she ordered.
Leo looked at her with confusion and then at the little boy he was holding. "He's hurt? I didn't notice…"
"Not Wyatt. Your other son," she said pointing to Chris, who was staring at the floor.
"What are you talking about?" Leo asked, handing a much calmer Wyatt off to Piper.
"Yeah, what are you talking about?" asked Chris in a nonchalant tone.
"You need to heal Chris," she said simply.
Leo nodded and raised his hands towards Chris's shoulder. A warm yellow glow spread beneath them, patching the burned flesh beneath.
"But you said-" Leo began.
"I know what I said."
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Chris, putting up a good front while Leo healed him.
"I heard you. You called him Dad," Piper said softly, gesturing now towards LEO.
"Dad?" Leo asked, as he finished healing the witch lighter.
Chris swallowed thickly and looked away.
"So it's true?" she asked in disbelief.
Chris didn't say a word in response, but seemed to sway on his feet slightly from his exhaustion.
"Yes, it is," said LEO, steadying his son with a hand on his shoulder. "Let's all just sit down."
"No, I need to get going," Chris said, making a move to push his father away and orb out of there.
"Not this time, you won't," said LEO, keeping a firm grip on his son. "We're going to talk about this whether you like it or not."
The group moved towards the couches and sat down in stony silence. No one seemed to know what to say. Suddenly the sound of orbs filled the room.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry…" Paige began to say before her orbs had even fully materialized. "I was at my temp job and it was nearly impossible for me to leave and find some place to orb away. I swear that place is just packed with people."
She saw the damage in the living room and everyone looking as though they were in shock and said, "What happened?"
"A demon attacked," said LEO.
"Don't forget the important part," Piper commanded.
"And Chris revealed that I am his father," LEO awkwardly added.
Paige's mouth opened in shock. "What? Really?"
LEO nodded and Chris looked away. There was a moment of silence as Paige began to put the pieces together.
"Huh… well that's certainly not what I expected when I orbed here," she said with a shrug. "I know you two are separated and all but I just can't see you having a son with another woman, LEO."
"I didn't," said LEO. "He's Piper's son as well."
"Oh… Oh!" Paige said, her eyes bright with realization. She was quiet again for a moment, not quite knowing what to say at to this shocking revelation. As she thought it over she stared at Chris and wondering why she hadn't seen the familial similarities before. "Well that makes a lot of sense. So you came back to save your brother?" she asked Chris.
Chris could only nod in reply, unable to meet her gaze.
Piper, who was still holding baby Wyatt and had been staring off in space all this time, finally raised her eyes to meet her sister's. "Can you please get Phoebe? I think it's time we had a family meeting."
Paige nodded and quickly orbed away, leaving the group behind to wait in awkward silence.