Disclaimer: I own nothing, I just really, really wish I did.

Ch. 31:

The three sisters closed in on Chris and Meredith as Leo stood to the side, watching.

"Listen to me." Chris told them. "What are you doing?"

"The pheromones wore off…" Phoebe told him.

"Right after they took my son!" Piper shouted.

"You don't seriously believe this is my fault, do you?" Chris demanded.

"Oh, right." Paige said. "So it's just a big coincidence we all fell under Mr. Right's spell?"

"And then suddenly we all want to bind Wyatt's powers?" Phoebe added.

"You see, Chris," David said, "what they really want is-"

"For you to leave." Paige finished.

"I knew that." David said, startled.

"This is crazy." Chris said. "Leo, tell them."

"Tell them what?" Leo asked. "I'm wondering the same thing myself."

"Okay, everyone calm down." Meredith said. "Yes, Chris is an idiot, but he was only trying to protect Wyatt."

"By tricking us?" Piper demanded.

"I had to." Chris insisted.

"Why?" Phoebe demanded.

"Because the only reason I came here is to keep Wyatt from turning evil." Chris shouted.

They all stared at him and Meredith closed her eyes.

"Turning evil?" Leo repeated.

"Don't you mean stopping evil from hurting him?" Paige asked.

"I didn't think you'd help me if you knew the truth." Chris said, sighing. "I knew you wouldn't. The evil from the future that I came back to stop, Meredith's husband, it isn't a demon. It's Wyatt."

"You're lying." Piper told him.

Meredith walked forward and angrily lifted up her shirt to reveal a long white scar down her side.

"Wyatt gave me this when I refused to burn New Orleans to the ground." She told Piper angrily. "Wyatt's gonna grow up and terrorize people with his powers, take over…kill, even. He's going to grow up to leave my daughter's mangled body impaled on our bed. He's going to grow up to be a monster."

Piper looked away. Chris reached over and gently touched Meredith's arm. She turned back to him and took his hand in hers, holding it tightly. He gently reached up and brushed her hair back, and she leaned into his touch, closing her eyes.

"I'm sorry." He whispered to her.

She nodded and took a deep breath before turning back to the others.

"I don't agree with the way Chris went about this, but he was just doing what he thought he had to." Meredith told them quietly.

"Why should we believe you after all the lies?" Leo asked.

"Because you have to." Chris said.

"No, Chris." Piper said. "We don't actually."

"Fine." Chris said. "Then, don't. Either way, we need to save Wyatt now, and I'm the one who knows how to do it."

"Oh, really?" Phoebe said. "How?"

"The Order." Chris told her. "They used their powers to turn him, to reverse his morality. See, he thinks bad is good now and good is bad. That's why his shield repelled you."

"So?" Leo demanded.

"So Wyatt brings his shield up around me." Chris said. "He thinks I'm a threat."

"Yeah, so do I." Piper said harshly.

Meredith saw the hurt flash across Chris's face and she squeezed his hand.

"Listen to me." Chris pleaded. "They reversed his sense of morality. That means his shield will protect him from you, but not from me. Please, I'm the only one who can save him. Let me help."

"Chris, we don't need your help." Piper told him. "I will get my son back and when I do, I don't want to see you anymore."

Chris looked at the others before looking at Meredith.

"Go." She told him softly. "I'll follow in a minute."

He nodded and she reached up and kissed him gently.

"I love you." She told him softly.

He nodded and looked back at the other.

"I'm sorry." He told them.

He orbed out, leaving Meredith alone with them.

"We're not mad at you, Meredith." Piper told her. "We know you didn't-"

"I don't' give a damn if you're mad at me." Meredith said, spinning around and glaring at them. "That man…everything he's ever done has been for this family. He's try so hard over and over again to make you proud of him only to be disappointed again and again. Yes, what he did was wrong. He shouldn't have tried to get you to bind Wyatt's powers, but he would give up his life to keep this family safe. I don't care if he's lied to you, you have no right to doubt him. After everything he's done since he got here, you should be ashamed of yourselves."

She glared at them for a second longer before disappearing into the shadows, leaving the others staring after her.

The thunder rumbled as the lightning flashed. The High Priest held Wyatt high above his head.

"Nihil curo…" he chanted. "De ista tua stulta."

"Radix lecti…" the Acolytes replied. "Radix lecti…"

"Behold, he has returned to us," the High Priest announced.

Behind him , the sisters orbed in behind him.

"…to his rightful place, to one day lead us back to-" he continued.

Phoebe stepped forward and began the attack on the Order. Paige threw a potion and several members went up in flames. Piper just blasted any members who got in her way. The High Priest carried Wyatt away from the fighting and Piper followed. He set Wyatt down on the altar and the boy immediately put his shield up around him and the High Priest. Piper stepped forward, but was repelled by the shield.

"He protects me now…" the Priest gloated, "not you!"

He summoned a fire ball as Chris orbed into the field and Meredith stepped out of the shadows, sending several Acolytes up in flames. He knocked the High Priest to the ground, where he landed on his fireball and was killed.

The scepter clattered to the ground outside the shield.

"Chris!" Meredith said, stepping forward as the man got to his feet.

"I'm okay." He told her.

He looked around at Wyatt, who simply stared up at him as his shield kept his mother and aunts out.

"Piper, pick up the scepter and point it at Wyatt." He ordered with taking his eyes from Wyatt.

Piper stepped forward and picked up the scepter, but hesitated.

"Trust me." Chris said simply.

Without a word, Piper did as Chris said. The beam shot out from the scepter and hit Wyatt's eyes. They glowed for a moment and then returned to normal as the shield dropped. Piper and Meredith both moved forward, Piper picking up Wyatt as Chris stepped aside, and Meredith moving to Chris' side.

Piper looked at them and slowly backed away.

"How come he didn't raise his shield back up for you?" she asked.

"I don't know." Chris said. "Looks like he trusts me now, at least."

Chris sat on top of the Golden Gate Bridge Tower, while Meredith stood across from him, leaning against the tower as she watched him quietly. Leo orbed in and looked at both of them.

"Little you is back at the manor, if you want to go check on her." Leo told Meredith.

She looked at Chris for a moment before nodding and disappearing into the shadows. Chris didn't even acknowledge Leo's presence.

"Good place to think, isn't it?" Leo said finally.

"What do you want?" Chris sighed.

"Just to talk." Leo replied. "You know, Chris, trust is a precious commodity. Once you lose it, it's pretty hard to get it back."

"Where'd you read that out of, a fortune cookie?" Chris sneered.

"Don't be a smart ass." Leo told him strictly. "It doesn't help your cause."

"My cause?" Chris scoffed. "Pretty much screwed that up, don't you think?"

"I don't know." Leo admitted.

"Are you saying you still trust me?" Chris asked him.

"It's not my trust that matters." Leo told him. "It's the sisters'."

Chris sighed.

"I know." He said. "So what do I do?"

"Just be straight with them, that's all." Leo said. "Don't manipulate them…even if it is for the right reason. And for what it's worth, yes, I do trust you. And Meredith, too. After all, you did save my son from turning evil, didn't you?"

Chris nodded slightly.

"For now." He added quietly.

The grandfather clock showed that it was a minute to midnight when Piper found David sitting on the stairs.

"Hi." She said. "I was just coming up to find you."

"I know." He told her.

"Yeah." She said, smiling. "See, that's still kind of weird to me."

"I know that, too." He replied.

Piper laughed.

"Listen, thanks for cleaning up the mess." She told him. "You really are a perfect guy."

"My pleasure." He said before sighing. "Well…"

He got to his feet and walked down the stairs to stand in front of Piper.

"I already said good-bye to your sisters." He told her. "Now it's your turn."

"I feel like I should apologize or something." Piper said.

"Why?" David asked. "I'm okay with what's about to happen."

"Really." She said.

"I was made that way." He told her.

"Weird." Piper said, nodding.

"Did you at least have a good birthday?" David asked.

"Um…"Piper replied. "It was interesting to say the least."

"Hmm…" David said. "You can't live without love, Piper. We both know that. That's all your sisters were trying to tell you."

The clock began to strike midnight and he sighed.

"Don't ever stop dreaming about me." He told her softly. "And never stop looking for love."

He stepped forward and kissed her gently.

"Happy Birthday, Piper." He whispered.

And with the last chime, he was gone.

Chris orbed to the willow tree and found Meredith sitting under it with her knees drawn up to her chest.

"Hi." He said softly.

She sniffled and wiped at her cheek.

"Hi." She replied.

He sat down next to her without a word and they sat their quietly for awhile.

"This isn't going to work like this." Meredith whispered eventually.

"Mer…" Chris said.

"No, I need to say this." Meredith interrupted. "Wyatt treated me like a subject, ordering me around. With him, I wasn't in control of my life. Before tonight, I never felt like that with you, but I can't do this if you're going to ignore me and shut me out. I can't go back to living like that. I just can't. I told you what would happen, Chris. I told you not to do this, and you did it anyway. I didn't even get a say."

"I was wrong." he told her softly. "I'm sorry."

"I won't help you depose your brother." She told him. "We're supposed be saving him, not leading a damn coup."

"I know." He said. "It won't happen again. I promise."

Meredith wasn't done, though.

"You seem to have this constant idea that you're somehow inferior to your brother." She said angrily. "But guess what, I chose you. No matter how great you may think he is, how powerful he may be, in the end you were the one I wanted, not him. Doesn't that count for anything? I could've had either one of you and I chose you. Isn't that enough?"

"It's more than enough." He told her heatedly.

He reached over and grabbed her chin, making her look at him.

"The fact that you chose me means everything in the world to me." He told her. "I love you, Meredith, more than I can ever say. I'm so sorry I hurt you, that I made you cry, but I promise I will never do it again if I can help it."

Meredith let out a sob and wrapped her arms around his neck. Chris wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"I love you." He whispered.

In the darkness, her lips found his and they fell back into the grass. As her hands found their way under his shirt, Chris orbed them back to P3, where they spent the rest of the night in each other's arms.

Piper tucked Little Meredith, who was fast asleep with her thumb in her mouth, into her bed with a kiss and moved over to Wyatt.

"You go to sleep." She whispered, kissing him goodnight.

She turned to leave and spotted the brightly wrapped birthday present from Leo still on the dresser. She opened the box and took out a long jewelry box.

Inside was her missing charm bracelet.

Happy Birthday, Piper.
Always,
Leo

A/N: Prince Charmed is over! Finally! Let me know what you thought.

Abbey