AN: Hey guys :) Sorry it's been forever guys...you know how it is. Life gets in the way, as well does a lack of interest ;) I would like to say something about reviews. I really appreciate feedback in any form, constructive criticism or no. Up to this point, I have the reviews and have taken better care to address proofreading/grammar issues. I'm a college graduate, I have a full time (overtime lol) job, and I have a social life, so this? Is something I do for recreation. It's fun. I'm not a professional writer, I don't beta because frankly, I don't care enough and i'm lazy. More so lazy, as I care enough to publish the stories with hopes SOMEONE will enjoy them :) but really, I'm not going to go back and fix those chapters (altho I do read them from time to time and think of what I could've done better; but again, I'm really busy & really, really lazy) :) so if you have comments on THIS stuff? Bring it on. Other than that, it's cool, i'm down, i gots it. I appreciate all the readers though, and reviews I get. So I hope you guys enjoy this. On with the story ha ;)
Disclaimer: Not mine. 'Dur.
At the bar, Leo's lips pursed as he fumbled to begin. He didn't really know what to say, but he knew it had to be put delicately; the sisters still shouldn't know too much. His eyes darted around the group at all the expectant stares that had fallen on him. He sighed.
"I don't even know really where to begin..." He ran his hand over his head. "I guess...with Wyatt."
He turned his attention to the sisters, and when it became apparent no one else would be speaking, he started again. "I'm sure you've been dealing with attacks constantly. Started even before he was born, but you had the shield, I know." He leaned forward onto his forearms against the bar. "It's not going to get any easier. Not too much worse, but no easier, especially since he became quite a handful as he began to use his abilities."
"Understatement of the millenia." Chris muttered under his breath, drawing soft giggles from his cousins. Leo shot him a look only a father could give, one where a smile hid below the scolding. He continued.
"Well, when Wyatt came into the world, the entire magical community understood the significance of it. And when we were surprised with the news another Charmed one was on his way, well...there were many skeptics. Many that argued on how so much power should not be a concentrated into one being in the first place, and with a second child coming, many feared he would be just a powerful if not more. And that such a concentration would allow for a greater possibility of corruption."
"Don't have to worry about that from me." Chris again offered, low and self-deprecating with a grin. Unlike before, however, Leo shot him a more serious look.
"Says you." He corrected. "But we know what you did in the Manor the other night; did you know you could get to that level?"
Chris shrugged and said nothing, all the while averting his eyes to Parker in the corner of the bar, who looked about to burst. Don't even think about it!
The truth was, Chris had known his limits for awhile, as he had been constantly pushing them in the privacy of his own place. Parker helped him keep it quiet, and had kept watch in case anything went out of control and they needed help. So far, Chris had sweated and exerted himself to limits that had, frankly, made Parker nervous, yet hopeful. Chris was far more advanced than anyone had ever experienced, because he was pushing himself so he could face Wyatt with some hope of surviving.
"Another time, another place. Can you please continue?" Piper asked suddenly, waving her hands to get Leo's attention. Chris smirked a little, thankful for his mother's enthusiasm for her eldest son, but masking a tinge of hurt and jealousy that she wasn't at least a little interested in him. He swallowed though, and returned his attention to his father, who had begun speaking again.
"...well, what we didn't know was there wasn't only evil opposed to it. Of course, evil would be opposed; could you imagine two brothers of equal power fighting on the side of good? The underworld wouldn't stand a chance! But then, you had those on the side of good who saw the possibility of corruption and thought it their obligation to the greater good to eradicate it..."
"Eradicate it? Eradicate?!" Piper flamed now. "Eradicate my sons? You eradicate disease, a problem, but these are human beings, these are my children---!"
"Piper, can you let me finish so you can let all your indignation flow after the story's over?" He asked, his face a mix of sad amusement. Piper, for her part, huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Okay then. Anyway." His face screwed up in thought, knowing he was getting to aspects he would have to tiptoe around. Looking back on everything that had happened over those few months before Chris was born was tortuous-it was obvious in so many little aspects that Gideon was being very off about some of the things he was doing, but at the time, the family was too distracted enough by pregnancy, current attacks and other issues to notice. It was shameful, especially since Leo blamed himself solely for what happened.
"Are you going to continue?" Chris asked impatiently; his father's mournful expression made him jittery. He knew he needed to know, but unlike his cousins, this was going to hit really close to home and his nerves had begun to work on him.
"I was trying to think how to tell it, but I guess I'll just let it flow." He shrugged. "The pregnancy was...difficult, to say the least. You didn't have the shield, for one." Chris sighed, and rolled his eyes. Leo continued. "Plus, the attacks increased, since you were vulnerable and no one wanted to risk two Charmed children of equal power under one roof. Not to mention, it was just tough..." He voice faded off. "It was just tough for awhile there. Especially the labor."
Chris' interest piqued. He saw the Aunt's and his mother, focused and intent on Leo, who hadn't taken his gaze from Chris, and he suddenly realized he'd never really heard any stories from a time before he was around 8 months old. Which, come to think of it, was weird. He had plenty of friends-at least, before the war had started-whose mother's loved to torture them with tales in front of their friends of their marathon births, and embarrassing baby pictures. His mom never really did that, and grateful as he was at the time, he now began to wonder if this was all connected.
"The labor was...long. And bad. The baby was in distress, they didn't know..." He trailed off again, finding Chris's face with an expression that Chris couldn't even place.
"I've never heard this story." Chris stated quietly. Leo's eyes became tender and loving.
"Of course you didn't. Neither of us wanted to ever tell you. I think we were too afraid too." He turned his attention to Piper, trying to push the memories of those feelings from his mind. "It was just tough. I wanted...I wanted to be there, but Wyatt was still so young-not yet 2-and the NICU wasn't a place for him, so I decided to leave him with your Dad. The apartment was charmed, Wyatt had his shield, it should've been safe..." Leo swallowed, looking away, hiding his face.
"The NICU?" Piper asked softly, her gaze to Chris, who was pale with surprise. How bad had it been? He wondered, and what had it caused?"And what do you mean, should've been safe?"
Leo looked up, swallowing again, his face somber. "We guarded it with evil in mind. Warned Victor for demons and warlocks, but he knew Gideon. He thought Gideon could be trusted..."
"Who is Gideon, Leo?" Chris asked now, pressing since it was the second time the name had come up within their short time together. Leo seemed to deflate.
"Gideon was an elder...my mentor, actually." He replied before looking back at Piper, trying to explain why they so blindly trusted a man that would have such a devastating effect on their family. "He was in support of our wedding, one of the only ones who argued in our favor. But, in hindsight, terribly self righteous, and had secretly always thought that Wyatt, with all of his twice-blessed abilities, was too much of a threat to be allowed to exist."
"He's just a baby." Phoebe whispered.
"But baby's grow up." Prue interrupted coldly. Piper shot her a scathing look, but didn't speak a word. Leo chose to rush on, trying to avoid conflict within a group that had to stay united for this.
"I got back to the apartment after the baby arrived and was stabilized to find Victor on the floor, half dead, and Wyatt...gone." Leo swallowed hard, his throat rough, so he cleared it and continued. "From what I could tell, Gideon arrived at the apartment, attacked Victor and took Wyatt. Down to the underworld, but Wyatt was able to get away and stay away from him...until we found him."
He seemed finished. Rehashing the story had hurt worse than he had expected; he kept getting flashes of images from those weeks surrounding Chris' birthday, from Piper on bed rest, to the bleeding, the elevated heart rates, the doctors hurrying about, making him leave the room...walking into Victor's apartment to find his father in law on the floor, almost gone, and Wyatt nowhere to be found. It was one of the worst, and one of the best days of his life at the same time.
He looked up to see Chris in shell shock, staring at the bar top, swallowing. Bianca grabbed his arm, her eyes sad as she saw Leo's concerned glance, and she pulled Chris closer as she began muttering to him softly.
Piper's eyes were full of tears. "How long?"
"What?"
"How. Long. You said until you found him. How long did that take?"
Leo averted his eyes. "I don't think..."
"Obviously, being down there has something to do with this! I mean, can you imagine being a toddler, having to dodge demons and god knows what else! And your family not being around to protect you..." Phoebe interjected. "I mean, it couldn't have been more than a few hours though, right?"
"You're right about something. Being alone down there is what we think affected his perspective on good, evil and absolute power. Wyatt's credo is that good and evil is irrelevant; power is all that matters. When you three died, the idea was reinforced, and that's when he began to really go down the wrong path. When you are all powerful, you can keep those kinds of bad things from happening."
"And in the process, kill the rest of your family." Parker remarked scathingly, drawing further sharp, confused looks from the sisters.
"You didn't answer our question." Piper spoke evenly, leveling Leo with her eyes. "So what? Was it...days, then?"
"Piper, I really don't think that matters."
"It matters to me! I want to know how long he was down there!"
"So do I." Chris spoke softly, drawing the stares. Leo looked at his son and saw the tortured look on his face; he sighed.
"This is not your fault, Chris."
"Just answer the question."
Leo paused, weighing the options, and when he realized he wasn't going to get away from this, he gave in. "6 weeks."
The sisters gasped. "Six weeks?!?" Piper exclaimed. "How...how is that even possible? How did he...how did we...."
Chris peeled away without a word, heading toward his room with Bianca tailing close behind. Leo sighed. Exactly what he didn't want to happen...
He turned to face the sisters, Phoebe and Paige who were around their sister, trying to comfort her. He looked at the others, each looking guiltily at each other; they all could easily say they hated Wyatt, or at least what he had become, but with this piece of information, it seemed almost as if they had to cut him some slack, even if it was just a little. At least they seemed to have a reason.
"So...so if we stop this...Gideon," Piper spat the word acidly, a scowl of a magnitude Leo had never seen making it's way onto her face. "We stop him, we stop this?"
"It's what we think. That and keep him safe from other kidnappings and the like at such a young age. The only reason Gideon was able to get to him because we didn't suspect him at all."
"So we trust no one with him? Wonderful."
"Trust no one, with either of them. With any of your children." He directed the warning at Phoebe and Paige as well. He then turned back to Piper, who stood with her hands on her hips, glaring. "They come after Chris too. But after Wyatt...you were a bit overprotective of Chris..."
"As if you could blame me!" Piper snapped. She looked around suddenly. "Speaking of..."
Chris had left the bar immediately, Bianca close on his heels as he tried slamming the door. She caught it and let herself in, closing the door behind her before sitting on the bed as Chris began to pace in front of her, agitated and tempered. He shook his head, not looking at her.
"This is what that little pow wow was about, wasn't it?" He hissed.
"Chris, your dad was just worried about how you'd react. I thought he was overreacting but apparently, no, you both share that trait..."
He stopped in his tracks and glared at her suggestion that he and his father were anything alike-mostly because it was true. "You can't tell me that it doesn't make sense. I mean, come on-if i'm not born, if I don't cause those problems with the family, a little accidental inconvenience from the get go---"
"Don't even finish that sentence, Christopher." His father's voice was icy and stern, and for the first time in a long time, was in a tone that brooked no argument. Chris looked up, surprised to find Piper standing next to Leo, hurt shining in her eyes that her future son would even consider suggesting the elimination of his existence for something she believed could so easily be fixed. Leo's gaze was similar, but filled with pain at the very idea.
"If I'm not born...if I don't cause this...mess, none of this happens." He supplied, although his voice was smaller now. He looked at Piper, his face serious. "It would save you a lot of trouble."
"I like trouble." She replied, and he rolled his eyes. "Hey. Seriously, look at me. There's no way this," -She motioned between the three of them, mother, father and son- "is not happening. No. Way."
"You wouldn't even really be sacrificing anything if I didn't exist in the first place..."
"Chris!" Bianca interrupted now, rising with tears in her eyes. "Don't even talk like that."
"Even if they change this, who's to say we meet in a different future?"
"I'll make sure you meet." Piper interrupted sternly.
"Was it really so bad that you wouldn't want to exist?" Leo asked quietly, his own grief on his face at the realization that his son was truly insisting that his mother erase his own existence.
Chris looked at him, swallowing hard. "She died in my arms. And that's just the tip of the iceberg."
"I know, but we can stop it all with Gideon."
"Or you can just prevent it. Sometimes, the sacrifice of one must be made for the good of hundreds-and in this case, it could be millions." He looked at her, his eyes decided, and emotionless. "Just slip on a rubber and you're good."
He spoke so crudely, so harshly and simply of his own nonexistence that Piper gaped. "That is ENOUGH. It's not an option Chris, so you can forget it!" She snapped. "And I don't want to hear another word, do you understand?"
It was quiet then, the family at a standstill as Bianca stood on the sidelines. Chris, Piper in the middle and Leo near the ajar door; Chris just gaped at her.
"You yelled at me." He spoke finally, the silence ending.
"You needed to be yelled at. Someone had to do it. You were talking complete nonsense. There is no way I would have even considered that, Chris. We're going to keep Wyatt safe." Piper began. "And at no one else's expense."
"So...you don't blame me?" He asked, almost in surprise, his gaze shifting from Piper to Leo.
"Never." Piper answered quickly.
"In a million, billion, trillion years." Leo insisted. "If you're looking for blame, it falls on me. It's my fault."
"Our, fault. We both should've made sure he was safe." Piper corrected. "But this next time, it won't happen. This is why we're here, Chris. Let me fix this. That's what we do."
She stood close to him now; he hadn't even noticed her close the distance. She looked as if she wanted to grab his hands, to hold them firmly, to make him believe. "We?"
"Mom's, Chris. We fix this stuff. Parents. Family." She emphasized each word pointedly, feeling as if she finally could assert herself in this role for once. If he wanted to request that she, as his mother, take action to ensure he didn't come to be, she was damn well, as his mother, going to make him realize how hard she was going to work to make sure either of her kids had to ever suffer like this again.
He just stared at her, her warm eyes and concerned face turning him warm inside. But the fluffy, happy feeling kept escalating, until it was replaced with anger. Didn't she know how hard this was? How hard it was to have her look at him like that, and tell him she didn't blame him, it wasn't his fault, that she was going to fix it and make it all better? He scowled.
"This isn't a knee scrape, Piper." He started coldly, standing up. "You can't just put some band-aids on the situation. You can't even let it get on the damn bike."
"Taking the analogy a little far there Chris." Bianca began, trying to calm him down, but the look he gave her shut her up. Leo grabbed Piper's hand.
"We should go." He whispered. Confused, she rose, following Leo out as Chris turned his back to them. When they were outside the room, Piper spun on him.
"What the hell was that?"
"You got too close, Piper. You can't do that to him." Leo replied calmly. "You can't be his mom."
"What the hell does that mean? I am his mom!"
"No, you're not. You're Piper; you're his mother, but you're not necessarily his mom." Parker interrupted, stepping close to her and Leo. "Can't you understand how hard this is for him?"
"Of course I do! Phoebe, Prue and I ended up back in time with our mother..."
"Where you already existed, so that bond already existed." He insisted, then shrugged. "Well, except for Phoebe, but Patty was at least pregnant. He's not even a thought to you. In our time, you thought you were having a girl again. You have no connection with him, other than genetics. But to him? His mom was his world, Piper. You grow into one of your sons favorite people, and having you show up like this...it hurts, Piper." His voice was strained, the shadow of grief evident on his face. Prue watched her brother as he controlled the emotion then shot a look at Piper, and the sisters. Her stomach churned at the narrow look Phoebe had trained on her brother, and she looked away as the woman's gaze turned to her.
Piper had gone pale, her brown eyes wide. "I...I didn't think of it like that." She replied softly, looking from the ground, to Leo's grim face.
Parker sighed. "I'm his best friend Piper, and he won't tell you, so I will. He'll be pissed, but you need to understand this. You're only here for one more day, and while he'll want to be around you, you can't be too...mom-ish."
She nodded sharply. "I...I get it."
Parker pursed his lips. "Okay, well. In that case, Phoebe, Prue and I wanted to get together with you and Paige or Piper and try and figure out a spell to get you back to your time. We assume since you said something wrong there, there's something we can say right that will get you back. Is that okay?"
Phoebe nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Yeah, i'd love to help you guys out. Paige, you want to....?"
"Yeah. Let's head to the office and get this started before it gets too late. I'm already kinda tired."
"Cary, Callie, how about you guys head to the two other centers and brief everyone on what happened here so rumors don't run rampant?"
"Sounds good, Park. We'll probably stay wherever we end up, but we'll be here bright and early tomorrow to help plan out everything." Cary replied, grabbing his sister's hand. The twins smiled at everyone in the room, then dissipated into blue lights.
Parker, Prue and the two sisters headed off in the direction of Chris' office, where most of the magical information lay, leaving Piper and Leo alone. They stared at one another.
"This is a little weird." Piper offered.
Leo scoffed. "A little? Piper, your sister said a spell that sent you 20 some odd years into the future, in which your present son is pure evil, and your other son, who you didn't have a clue you'd have, is the head of the resistance against him. You're dead here, along with your sisters, and my relationship with our sons is less than perfect, among other things. I'd say a little weird is an understatement."
She smiled wryly at him. "How is it you can make me smile when I want to cry the most?"
"We're still the same people, Piper, even if we're in different times of our lives. We still fit, like we've always done."
He was looking at her intensely, his love for her unwavering and she looked into his eyes. In that moment, everything seemed to not matter, even time, and she stepped up to him, drawing his head down as she kissed him hard. He was stiff for but a moment, unsure, but as she relaxed, so did he and he grasped her firmly, letting his hands rake through her soft hair. They stood there, making out like two teenagers, so immersed they didn't hear a door open.
"Ah-EM!" Chris cleared his throat after a few moments, his eyes narrowed. Bianca stood a few feet behind him in the doorway, trying her best not to grin.
Piper and Leo jumped apart, suddenly like two teenagers being caught doing something they really shouldn't be, smoothing their hair and clothes as they awkwardly tried to recover. Chris just stared at Leo, with a strong look of disbelief on his face then shook his head.
"Yeah, I really didn't need to see that but whatever..." He sighed and pushed his hand through his hair. "Leo, I need to talk to you."
Piper and Leo exchanged looks, then looked at him in uncertainty. When it was apparent he was offering no more, Piper sighed.
"I was gonna go anyway...help with the spell with my sisters. I'll leave you guys alone." She smiled tightly between the two men, then slid away towards the room where they were figuring out the spells.
The father and son stood awkwardly with each other. Chris looked back to Bianca for an excuse, but she had mysteriously disappeared. He frowned.
"Was that really necessary?" Chris finally asked.
"Was what necessary?"
Chris flustered, rolling his eyes. "Was what..." He motioned furiously. "Was that necessary!"
"Oh." Leo grinned sheepishly, flushing pink. "Yeah, we didn't realize that...I mean, she kissed me."
"Ugh. You sound like a teenager." Chris grumbled. "You could've been more discreet. The last thing I needed to see during this was you and her going at it like you were behind the school bleachers. Just don't, please."
"Don't worry, Chris. We won't." He sighed. "What about you, how are you holding up with all of this?"
Chris shrugged, shaking his head. "I mean...it's nice to know something. It just sucks to know that I had something to do with this."
"Chris, it was not..."
"I know, it wasn't my fault, Leo." He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Look, the reason I came out was because I need to know more. I know you feel like you need to protect me," He rushed as Leo opened his mouth to deny the request, "but you don't. I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been running this for awhile. I have to know everything, details, or people die. Do you understand?"
Leo stared at him, blinking owlishly. He wanted to tell him that he was only in his early twenties, that he shouldn't be running this, or worrying about people dying, but Leo had known for awhile that his son had unfortunately been forced to grow up much sooner than he deserved, and that he himself was one of the people to blame for that. So instead of arguing, of forcing the issue or trying to be the dad, he sighed. "Okay. I'll tell you what I can."
"What you can?" Chris asked.
"Yeah, Chris, what I can. There are some things I'm not going to tell you because I don't want you to know. And on that front, i'm pulling the Dad card." His tone brooked no room for argument, so Chris just rolled his eyes and decided to cut his losses.
"Okay. Whatever happened to Gideon? I mean, I've never heard of the guy before today, but he was an Elder? And your mentor? But you know what he did?"
"Well, it took us awhile to figure out exactly what had happened. We thought it had been a demon, or someone else that had taken Wyatt, but there were little clues throughout the next few years that pieced things together. And eventually we had enough evidence to try him in a magical court."
"How long?"
Leo frowned. "Too long. Years. You were a teenager by the time it was wrapped up. But it doesn't matter; we know what happened, we know that this has to be what needs to be prevented. Years of deductive reasoning has brought us to this."
Chris bit the inside of his cheek in thought; he wanted to ask more about Gideon, but being as what had happened to the Elder wasn't as important as what was necessary to prevent him from taking baby Wyatt in the past, he didn't press the issue. "What about you and the other remaining Elders? How long have you guys been watching and working on stuff?"
"How long have you been in the Resistance?" Leo countered. Hurt flashed in Chris' eyes for a moment, but Leo caught the glimpse. So you just couldn't be bothered to help me. He could hear Chris' voice in his head, what he probably wanted to say or think but didn't. Instead he just turned away, his head hanging.
"How did you find things out?"
"Well, by not being directly connected to the Resistance, we were able to infiltrate Wyatt's defenses." He pointed out. "I still visited him, talked with him, although it rarely did any good. But through that, we were able to research and study things. Behaviors, words or things that would set him off in a particular way. And sometimes in his anger, he would say things, confusing things. And those things, those things that weren't connected to anything in particular, that's what helped piece the puzzle together. I can't think of anything off hand, but I mean, it's taken 5 years to figure it out."
"And what would've happened if the aunts and Mom hadn't shown up?"
Leo shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. I was leaning on time travel, but it would've been an awfully big risk. One, however, I don't doubt we would've needed to take."
Chris nodded. "Is there anything else I should know?"
"Honestly, I don't think you really need to know this stuff. I mean, we'll brief the sisters before they go back and then it's all them." He stepped closer to Chris, resting his hands on his shoulders. "Hey, look. I know you feel like you need to be in control of everything, but you don't. This is one of those times you just have to have faith in your mother."
Chris just stared at him for a quiet moment, before dropping his head and nodding. "Yeah...I guess." He shrugged his father off softly, not wanting to offend him but not wanting him touching him any longer either. Leo stepped back obligingly. "Hey, I do have something else. Why didn't I ever hear about any of the other stuff? Like...all the dangerous stuff you were talking about earlier? About me?"
Leo shook his head. "I think your mom just didn't want to think about it. I think it scared her, the thought of you not surviving all of that. That, and she didn't want you to feel bad about it. She loved you Chris."
"I know she did." He shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to get so personal or emotional with his father. "Whatever, you know what, I'm going to bed. Um, you can...we have a spare room. I'll show you to it."
As they headed to one of the many charmed corridors, Leo began to speak. "You know, it may not be a bad thing to let her in Chris." He pointed out softly.
"She's here for one more day, Leo." He got to a door and opened it. "There's not much to let in. Plus..." He shook his head. "It's just better this way. Easier."
Leo stared at him for a moment, then swallowed, deciding not to push the issue. "Yeah. Well...thanks. For letting me stay here. I know the risk."
"It's a bigger risk to have you outside of here." Chris pointed out. "Can't have you getting yourself killed too." He smiled then softly, his own way of telling his father he was scared for him, of what Wyatt would do. Leo smiled back and touched his shoulder.
"Right. Well...goodnight, I guess." Chris nodded and turned to leave, but Leo spoke again quickly, wanting to say something to him. "Hey, um...I'm really happy we got to talk. I've really missed you."
Chris nodded, eyes flicking to the floor and back, a way to offset his discomfort of letting his emotions show. "I've missed you too. G'night."
Leo swallowed, his throat thickening with emotion he couldn't understand. He smiled at him. "I'll see you tomorrow kid."
Chris nodded and kept walking, throwing a hand up in a lazy goodbye gesture, and Leo just watched him until Chris' door closed behind him.
-----
The morning came too quickly for all involved. The sisters were able to figure out the wording of the spell, something that would hopefully send them home. Chris awoke, smells filling his nostrils of spices and home. His eyes flew open.
"What is that?" Bianca asked wondrously. "That smells amazing!"
"No way." He muttered, sitting up and rubbing his head. He looked at his clock and swore softly to himself. "Is it really noon?!"
"The alarms must've just not gone off...seriously, what is that smell?"
He sighed, throwing the covers back and getting out of bed. "That smell, is my mother."
When they made their way to the common area, it was obvious. The swinging kitchen doors were held open, and there was Piper, bustling back and forth between pots and pans, her hair held up as cooked. She looked up and saw them gawking. "Hey! Good morning...or good afternoon!" She joked.
"What are you doing?" He asked pointedly.
"And can I have a taste?" Bianca followed. Piper laughed.
"Uh, cooking. And sure Bianca, come on in."
"It's like, 12:30 Piper. Why are you cooking so early?"
"Well, we figured everything out, so we were going to leave later this afternoon, around 6, but I thought it would be nice to have a dinner with everyone before we went. Even if it means we have dinner at 3 pm."
He opened his mouth to argue, but stopped and shrugged. "Sounds good, I guess. Even if I said no, it wouldn't matter right?"
"Right." She nodded with a grin. "It's roast..."
"Chicken, with potatoes and a wine sauce. Coupled with all the fixins, I know. Classic, Piper." He smiled. "How did you get the food?"
"Oh I have my ways." She winked at him, smiling slyly and he chuckled. Paige and Phoebe appeared from their room, hair tousled and eyes tired.
"Ohhhhh I thought I smelled something goooooood....you haven't cooked like this in awhile Piper!" Phoebe exclaimed, hoping in to explore the surroundings.
"She hasn't?" Chris asked.
"No, busy you know. A newborn takes a lot of time. Lots of takeout and such." Phoebe dipped her finger in some of the sauce, licking with fervor, to which both Chris and Piper glared as if she had committed a far worse crime than she had. Phoebe smiled, finger still in her mouth as her eyes darted at Paige, then Bianca. Paige seemed to nod slightly.
"Hey, um...Bianca. We wanted to go over some stuff with you about today, could you come with us?"
Bianca met Phoebe's gaze questioningly, and Phoebe stared more intently, shifting her stare at Chris and Piper. Realization dawned. "Oh yeah, of course! Yeah, let me just...." She looked around a little, then started toward the room. "Let me get something and we'll head out to the uh...the Wharf center, to iron out some stuff. I think Callie went there last night, so yeah." She nodded and was off before Chris could say or do anything, and his aunts followed her quickly. Not long after, they heard the twinkling of orbs as Paige left with them in tow.
Chris shifted awkwardly, alone with Piper. He thought about turning and following the girls, but decided that would be rude and stayed in place. Piper, still stirring, looked up at him, eyebrows raising. "Well, this isn't awkward." She sighed. "They're about as subtle as a bull in a china shop."
He smiled despite himself, and she smiled back. "Who are you cooking for?" He asked, although the answer was rather obvious. Realizing he was trying to make conversation, she set the spoon down and moved to something else.
"I figured it may be nice to eat a good meal-something I suspect you guys haven't had in awhile-before we go back to fix this. Is that alright?" She was serious now, and he nodded quickly.
"No, yeah, of course..." He shoved his hands in his pockets, hanging back, just watching. She finally stopped and looked at him, hands on hips.
"You may as well get used to it for the next few hours. I'll try not to be overbearing, but you know I love to cook for everyone."
That he did. She had gone to fetch some other spices and when she turned around, offered a raised eyebrow, her head bent as if to ask the obvious. "Well? Are you going to help me, or do you not know how to cook?"
He scoffed as if insulted. "Please. Do you think Wyatt was your right hand man? Give me the spices. Rosemary, if I'm correct?"
She handed it over, impressed, and hid a smile. He rolled up his sleeves and added the ingredient as needed, then stirred ever so much. He tasted the sauce, shrugging as if to approve, then laid the spoon down, moving to the unpeeled potatoes on the cabinet. Her face lit up.
"Well aren't we just a little Rocco Dispirito."
Chris smiled. "It helped that I had a good teacher."
It was a genuine, happy smile and it hit her suddenly how much he was enjoying this. She wondered if they cooked a lot when he was a child, if maybe this was reminding him of better times. She decided against asking though, and moved onto other vegetables that needed to be chopped.
However, curiosity was getting the better of her and she soon moved past the small talk they'd been sticking to for most of the process. As many of the side things were soon done, Chris just finishing up the potatoes as the chicken stayed in the oven, Piper sat with a cup of coffee and spoke. "So. Just curious...Wyatt's not really into this?"
Chris stiffened slightly, but then shrugged. His father's words from the night before echoed in his head. "It wasn't so much that. Wyatt was always more a doer, an action kind of kid; you know, use what you have." He picked up some chopped potatoes and dumped them in a boiling pot of water.
"And you weren't?"
A shrug again. "I mean, I exercised my powers and stuff, but I was always into school stuff like potions and spell writing, while Wyatt was more into extracurriculars at the school, outside of learning."
"None for you?" She asked, wanting to know more. He shook his head.
"A few. I was always more into mortal extracurriculars. You know, baseball, stuff like that. It gave me time to..." He faded off. "I just wasn't as demanding. I could do other stuff, you know?"
"Yeah." She replied, even if she really didn't, but sensed that she may have had something to do with it. "So that's how you became such a good cook."
He flushed, and it was confirmed. She couldn't help enjoy the pleasure it warmed within her. He was hers, that was for sure; it was all she could do to not walk right over and kiss him on the head.
When he raised his eyes to hers, he saw a maternal glint in her eye he hadn't seen in so long. His eyes filmed over and he quickly looked away toward the small oven they had managed to get working in the club. He cleared his throat. "Chickens almost ready."
Moment gone. She nodded, understanding the change in conversation signaled the end of his tolerance for sharing.
"Where are your plates and stuff?" She asked. He walked to a cabinet and pulled it open to reveal plates, glasses, all different colors and shapes, completely mismatched as it had been salvaged for the strictest of purposes. He pulled them out, balancing them on his hip.
"I'll set them out on some of the common tables. See if I can move them together." He offered, walking out of the kitchen area, letting the now free doors swing shut behind him.
Well that went well, she thought grumpily, realizing that maybe she had pushed too much, had asked too much of him and now he had closed off. She stirred the sauce, adding the finishing ingredients. They had been alone for awhile and the meal was almost done. She had to focus to finish.
He came back in to grab more, tossing a glance at her focused expression with the stray hairs hanging around her head as she measure the perfect amount. For a moment, he finally saw the mother he'd always loved in her natural state. A familiar ache sprang to life in his gut, but he realized he was grateful for this and that his father had been most definitely right.
"Piper," He spoke softly, balancing silverware in glasses and on plates as he leaned against the double doors. She looked up at him expectantly. "Those days...I never missed out on anything because of the time I spent with my mom. And I treasure every moment of it, to this day. She was the best I could've ever asked for."
He quickly pushed through, his throat quickly thickening, and he didn't want to see her expression. He just wanted her to know, in a roundabout way, that he loved her. And that was enough for the both of them.
-----
The meal was devoured quickly. The remnants left behind were evidence of how much they missed a good, home cooked meal by Piper Halliwell, and the dishes were removed from the table as the Charmed progeny prepared to clean the kitchen. Leo led the sisters to a spare room and closed the door, intent on briefing them on what should be done when they arrive home.
"You're going to have to fight yourself, Piper, because I know you. You can't attack him outright." He warned soon after he started with the run down.
She scowled at the future version of her husband. "I know that!"
He nodded. "I know you know that, but when you actually are introduced to him in a few months, I fear your reaction will be different."
Her eyes narrowed at him, but she shrugged, knowing he may be right. "So what do I do? Just wait to let him try and kill my son?"
"Of course not, Piper. You know that's not what I'm suggesting." He sighed. "You're going to have to convince me. Which is going to be near impossible," He rushed as she opened her mouth. "But I NEED you to do this. Here," He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket, so small and wrinkled it was apparent it had been toyed with a million times. He handed it to her.
"It's a letter. To myself. You...you can read it, if you like, but it's necessary that your Leo see's it. He...I. I need to understand, and I know my handwriting. The way I speak. You telling him...me...it won't work. I need to read it from me."
"About Gideon?" Piper asked, looking at Leo oddly. Not that she didn't believe him; she knew how stubborn he could be. But there was a desperation in the way he spoke, a glint in his eye and she wanted to know. Phoebe and Paige stood back silently, watching. He sighed.
"I know I shouldn't...I know it's personal gain. But he deserves better than what I've given him." Leo spoke softly, his eyes glancing to the door for a moment. "Shitty father's don't usually get a second chance; emotionally neglected kids don't get a second chance. I'm taking advantage of the situation."
"You're not a shitty father." Piper replied softly.
"I'm not a good one." His head snapped back to her, his eyes hard and serious. "And that kid out there? He deserves the very best." He replied. "Just...make sure I get that letter."
"I think I can handle that. Anything else?"
"Yeah." He looked around at the three of them, and smiled. "Good luck. I love you." He looked more sharply at Piper. "I love you." He spoke to her in such manner that the skin on the back of her neck prickled, and she swallowed. His words seemed a lifeline almost, to the woman that had come after the past self he was addressing, a last chance gasp to let her know what he could no longer tell her, words even for himself as a way to placate the guilt that would always plague him for playing such a part in her early demise.
His words made her heart flutter, and she knew he had spoken them partially for himself, so he could know that she knew, almost as if it were penance for what had happened to his Piper. She swallowed. "I know."
He stared at her fondly for a moment before clapping his hands together and addressing the sisters as a whole again. "Now. Lets get out there before the natives get restless."
It amazed the sisters that anyone would want to see them off, but as they exited the office, they were met with a small crowd abuzz among themselves. A hush fell over the small group as they became aware of their presence. The sisters smiled uncomfortably.
"Guys, these are some of our top officers in the Resistance. They wanted to meet you, chat with you for awhile, be able to take back word to the rest of our members and refugees. Kind of a morale booster in a way." Chris explained quickly, motioning to the 20 plus guests in the room.
"Hi everybody." Phoebe greeted, smiling brightly in an effort to hide the slight discomfort she felt at the attention. While they'd been witches for the past few years, all they'd done was everything in their power to go undiscovered and unknown for fear of the fall out; they weren't used to gratitude, and certainly not admiration. But it shone on each of the men and woman's faces that looked back at them; their hearts clenched. Some of them didn't even look old enough to be out of high school.
They began to mingle and simple greetings were exchanged-hello's, good luck's, and thank you's. Soon though, it was just the Charmed One's, Leo, Chris and his closest associates-Cary, Callie, Parker and Prue. The other Charmed children-unknown to the sisters for sure, but the suspicion was there-hugged the sisters, wishing them well and stepped back. Leo took his turn, hugging each of the sisters, pecking them on the cheek until he came to Piper. He stood in front of the past version of his beloved wife, hands taking a hold of hers.
"You can do this." He began, squeezing her hands, his eyes shining. "You are strong. You and your sisters are capable of so much more than you know. Be patient. Take care of our boys." He took a deep, shaking breath. "I love you."
She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips, drawing slight gasps and titters from the crowd that was gathered. Leo smiled as he pulled back, squeezing her hands once more before stepping away.
Leaving only Chris. He stepped up to his aunts, exchanging soft words and hugs before he got to his mother. He breathed in deeply, tears pricking his eyes as well as he gazed as his mother's face, smooth and young, a sad smile on her face. She sighed as well.
"We're gonna fix this Chris. Everything will be okay." She assured quietly, her hand touching his face. He stiffened.
"Piper, my people..." He whispered back, a little more forceful than he intended. It wasn't that he didn't want her touching him, but he couldn't show some sort of weakness in front of so many people that depended on him. She smiled tightly, as if she understood and drew her hand back.
"Of course. Sorry." She seemed to curl into herself, stepping back, rebuffed, but understanding. His chest tightened, and he knew, people be damned, that he needed to let her know that this was not something that he would regret. He had to make sure letting her go without telling her something real, that that wouldn't have to be something he'd someday regret.
"Piper, wait." He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Look, it's not that I'm not...happy to have seen you. It's just...it hurts." He admitted. "I told you...what my mother was to me. And you...you are her. Just...not the one I knew, totally." He sighed. "But while it may have hurt to see you, cooking today with you showed me how good it was as well. To get to talk to you, and hug you."
"We haven't hugged, I don't think."
Chris smiled and she put his arms around him, as he returned it heartily. "I love you." He whispered, so softly only she could hear.
She smiled at him as she pulled away, unexpected tears springing to her eyes. "And I am looking so forward to loving you." She replied just as softly, her hand unwittingly brushing his hair back from his forehead. He smiled back.
"Aw, now isn't that sweet?"
Chris's face went stark white, and he swore his heart stopped. Stepping in front of his mother, in front of the whole group, he turned to find himself within twenty feet of Wyatt, and a mini army of his men. He felt his father appear at his side, just as staunchly, and glanced quickly to meet his eyes, a silent thank you on his face. His father smiled tightly, and when they looked back at Wyatt, he smirked.
"Well if it isn't a family reunion. It's actually good that everyone's here." He sneered, beginning to walk forward, causing the small crowd to slink back as he neared. "Mother, aunts; Come with me. Or they all die."
AN: Hope you guys enjoyed, it's pretty long since it was such a LONG time :) Thanks for all your support and reviews; I do really appreciate it, and hope I didn't come off too...meh, above. Thanks all :) Hopefully it won't take forever for a new chapter to get posted again, it should be a little bit of a doozy.