DISCLAIMER: I can't own this thing, I'm barely on the verge of adulthood.

True Lies

Chapter 7

Chris Crossed (MY VERSION)

The next few months passed by and I began to start dealing with my grief on a conscious level. Things got busy and complicated, but would then go back to everyday normal occurrences. It was almost frustrating, just when things became like they were before they would change again. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige definitely have their hands full dealing with me and they don't even know my secrets yet.

There were times that I wished so much that I could be back at home. Mary and Eb would know how to handle me. They would have forced me to deal with this a long time ago. They knew what all Jerry had done to me. Let's just say he wasn't the ideal father figure. I'm not ready to talk about that yet though, unless it would've been with one of my two best friends of all time.

So, I was trying to handle and juggle a lot of things at the same exact time. I wanted to do it on my own, but Chris just wouldn't seem to let me. He really likes to deal with the freaky demons and then try to get me to talk.

He's pretty good at it too. If I hadn't known before I would've figured it out by the way he knows me so well. I don't let people see me for who I am very often. Paige was starting to get suspicious, but that's okay. In a way, I wished that I could've told them. Piper taught me how to cook and bake, but then I cooked one of my mother's recipes and blew them all out of the water. It's amazing what a down south stew with Whitt's BBQ will do to the senses.

Months went by with plenty of demonic activity. Truth was that Chris kept sending us after these things. He could be rather annoying and frustrating when he wanted to be.

Some things became more and more evident. The hints he was dropping that they didn't get. He could manipulate Piper so easily it was scary, considering even Phoebe hadn't figured that one out yet. He knew where everything in the house was, including things that had been hidden.

I walked in from a vacation to a friend's house for the last few days when I heard loudness coming from the attic. Just great and I had a chemistry test to study for.

"I'm fine. No bruises, no scars. What's the big deal?" Chris sounded a little too much like a whining child.

"Someone tried to kill you Chris, that's the big deal." Phoebe was next to speak, exasperation plaguing her voice.

Cautiously, I asked, "What happened here?"

"Some demon tried to kill Chris." Piper said flatly, turning the pages in the book so furiously that someone who didn't know her would think that she was worried. Truth was, she was worried, even I wasn't stupid enough to believe that it wasn't true.

"It's no big deal," Chris stated glaring at me as if begging for help.

"You've got the book, could he really be in that much danger? Did you know who it was?" I've never been good at helping.

The frustrating conversation went on for what seemed like forever although it could only be classified as a few minutes. Then Chris orbed out just as suddenly as always, and per ritual Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo yelled for him to come back.

The whole situation perplexed me anyway, since when had they cared what happened to the boy. I know it hurt him, but it was true.

I went to my room, and called Chris. Initially, he ignored me. So, I yelled again more authoritatively, "Christopher, now."

When he didn't show up, I tried again, "Unless you want to be grounded from the day you are born, get your butt down here now."

That was when I realized something was seriously wrong. Chris was a lot of things, including surprisingly obedient to those he respected and cared for. "Leo" I heard myself shriek.

Blue and white lights appeared in front of me and dropped the ever familiar family member. I wasted no time, "Can you sense Chris?" He started to argue, but a simple 'please' stopped him.

His sensing powers worked, but only after Piper called for Leo from the living room. Chris seemed to be writhing in pain as he rolled on the floor.

He was picked up and taken to the couch where Leo began to try to heal him. "What's wrong?" Phoebe's concern shown through.

I caressed his hair away from his cheek, as I heard a simple whisper, "Bianca."

They discussed the identity of aforementioned phoenix witch, before quickly deciding to execute a plan to help their poor white lighter. Phoebe had gotten a flash of emotion off of him that turned out to be love.

For an hour or so afterwards I was unconscious and woke up just in time to follow my ever-nerve-wracking cousins try to fix the Chris situation.

I walked in to see a blue portal illuminating the room in the form of a triquetra. Next to enter my vision was a very self-aware and confident brunette, whom I assumed was Bianca. (Correctly I might add.)

Angry conversation ensued until Piper froze the room. "I get why she didn't freeze, but…how…" she trailed off.

Phoebe took it from there, "unless he's a…"

Chris finished in her place, "I'm a witch. Half-witch half-white lighter. Just like you Paige." Okay, I know there had to been a better way to handle that.

"You lied to us." Paige's voice came through loud and clear.

"It was the only way I could get you to trust me."

Phoebe had to ask, "Trust you?" I know that had to sting. It was high-time for me to step in. "Is that really the issue?"

"You're staying here." Piper authoritatively took control.

"I can't. Bianca stripped my powers."

Bianca was angered that these people were trying to prevent this. It was the best way to keep him safe. She wasn't going to allow him to be hurt because of her selfish pride. She threw an athame toward Piper, which was frozen in mid-air. Quickly she shimmered behind the knife, grabbed it, and held it toward the woman's throat.

Paige and Phoebe were ready with the potion, attempting to threaten the assassin. Bianca then spoke to the younger pair of sisters, "I can kill her in half the time it takes you to even think about it." That shut them up.

Chris's pleading voice cut through the fog that seemed to take hold of the room. "Don't. You kill her and neither one of us will have a future to go back to and you know it."

"What do you mean?" Paige inquired.

"You'll find out, if you live long enough." Bianca and Chris walked toward the portal.

"Chris," I spoke out but didn't get to finish seeing that he had already gone through the portal.

Hours were spent trying to figure out a way to bring the boy back to us. None of us seemed to be able to produce anything and I was growing increasingly worried. Paige came up with the idea that we needed to send him his powers through the floorboard from a coded message he gave Piper before he stepped through.

Not a full minute later, Chris came barreling out of the portal. It was all I could do, not to run to the boy and make sure he was okay. He knew this and acknowledged it by sending me an apologetic glance.

He answered all questions, as honestly as he could before orbing out. I realized at that moment that was about to become a war, and that I better brace myself for the affects.

Later, we actually got to talk, which I found to be something that he needed. He tried to orb out to the bridge to be alone, but I grabbed his hand and ended up going with him. It was REALLY tall. REALLY tall. I watched as he rested up against one of those things that hold up the bridge. He began to cry like he did the last time.

I did the only thing that I knew to do. I sat down beside him and let him cry into my shoulder, gently caressing his hair and pushing it out of his face.

We sat there for hours like this, and neither dared move. Chris cried until he couldn't cry anymore. Then he opened his eyes and looked at me. His eyes were sagging and red, and once again I wished that I could take away his burden. I reverted back to blaming myself. Why had I let the boy turn out this way? How did I deserve to be his mom anyway? Even if I wasn't, won't be, am not, WHATEVER, his real mom.

He must have known what I was thinking, because his shaky voice cut through the silence like a scissor through hair, "You were great. Don't think that."

"You know that's a little more than creepy." I said with a sly smile slipping onto my facial features, which he quickly caught.

"As creepy as the fact that I know what's going to happen in your future." He shot back. I bit back my laughter, and immediately went back to my ever-serious exterior.

"You know what kid, I love ya." I stated with a smile on my face.

"I love you too, but I'm not a kid. I'm older than you." A small smile made its way onto his face, and I knew that it had worked. I had successfully released his mind of Bianca for the time.

"Do you want to get technical? I mean, you're not even a fetus yet." He glared at me, knowing that I had him there.

"I'm sorry…about everything." I was trying to get to the point of what an awful mother I had to have been. Sometimes, I get really insecure.

He seemed to understand what I was saying, and we both stood up. He took my hands, and looked me straight in the eye. His eyes showing no deceit, "As far as I'm concerned I have two mothers that I love and care for deeply. Please quit doubting yourself. Other than mom, no one could have done better than you did."

I let a tear of happiness stream down my face, as I looked at this great boy standing in front of me. This boy that I helped raise and would jump off a bridge for without a second thought. A simple smile and a single tear of joy reared their heads as I spoke, "Thank you, Christopher."