Serena sighs as she rolls out of bed, Chris hadn't come home the night before. She knew it wasn't unusual for him to stay away during the day, but he at least came back for part of the night. He'd been here for five months now, and Piper's attitude was seriously starting to wig her out. She knew Chris had sent Leo to Valhalla. It was the only way for him to get positioned where he needed to be, but still, couldn't he at least check in. She really didn't know how she'd fallen for him or when, but it worried her when he disappeared for this long. Of course, she could sense that he was alive, if she were to even get one sense of him being hurt she'd go to him in a heartbeat.
" Chris, either get back here now or I'm cooking! "
A flurry of orbs answers her call, " You in a kitchen is a huge disaster, no offense. "
Serena's eyes take on a hard cast, " Where have you been? "
Chris winces, she somehow always knew when he didn't make it back home at night, at least for a little bit, " Sneaking around the demonology section of Magic School. "
Serena sighs at this, " Just make me some food, and none of that healthy crap your mother makes, I need sugar, my metabolism is way different, and I need all the sugar energy I can get. Oh, don't just look at the evil side, there has to be some good beings that fear what would happen if Wyatt were to turn. "
Chris blinks and groans as he orbs them downstairs, " How the hell didn't I think of that? "
" You don't want to think that a being of good could go corrupt but look at what happened with the girls in the future. " Serena reminds him.
" So, Sammy here? "
" No, he has several Hot Pockets stashed away to eat, so he can head off to school. I'm not allowed to touch his Hot Pockets though and he isn't allowed to touch my chocolate, so we're cool. "
Chris nods and mixes up chocolate chip pancakes for himself and his girlfriend, if not for Serena he doubted he would eat at all, " How would you like to head out to P3 tonight, just have some fun. "
" No alcohol for you, Chris. You're the designated Orber. I reserve myself one night a month since I turned twenty-one where I can get smashed, which takes a lot. " Serena states.
" In other words I have to keep you from doing something stupid. "
" Basically, after everything I have been through in two lifetimes I think I'm allowed one night a month to cut loose. "
Chris grins at this, " Oh, so meeting me, good or bad? "
Serena shakes her head at him, " Good, definitely good. You know what my childhood was like, you know what being Sailor Moon was like for me. You've probably observed some of it yourself, you've been the one to wake me from my nightmares, not even Sammy comes near me then. "
" I could say the same for you, Serena. You let me do whatever I need to, which includes going on a demon killing spree to work out my anger. "
Serena smirks, " You let me use you as a punching bag if I feel the need to, but before you only Sammy and Hotaru saw me for who I was and accepted me fully. I had to put on an act to protect Sammy from my enemies, but I can pretty much retire, though Sammy and I are now both black belts of the highest degree in several disciplines. "
" Plus, with my help you two have mastered athames and I'm getting you up to speed on crystals, as you have an affinity for crystal magic. Sammy has powers to, I'm working with him as well, I make sure the kid keeps an all-around vanquishing potion on him at all times and transportation potions. "
" God, you're like a male version of me, constantly thinking of others, I used to patrol at night just so the girls could sleep and I still somehow made it through school and the major fights. Plus I suffered through my parents abuse, which really, really sucked for me, but I had to take it, for myself and Sammy. " Serena says softly.
Yeah, Chris knew that, though he also knew exactly how big of a jerk Darien had been to her. She'd suffered abuse at his hands too. " You deserved none of that, " Chris says, sitting two stacks of pancakes in front of her.
" Sometimes I know that and other times… well, it's hard. I was abused pretty much from the cradle on. Told I was worthless, useless, an idiot, and other things, it takes a toll after a while. "
Chris finishes the pancakes and goes over to her, " Yet you still found the strength to face each day and to get away. Your courage knows no bounds, Ren. "
Serena quietly eats her pancakes, she can feel the belief he had put behind those words, he truly believed that. Someone thought she was strong, had been strong all along, " I survived, nothing more, nothing less, Chris. "
Chris waits until after they've eaten to respond to that, " At least I had a decent childhood, sure there were the occasional demons, but my mother and aunts loved me deeply. Your life was hell from the onset and you and Sammy survived it, Ren. Your strength makes mine look pale in comparison. "
Serena lets him scoop her up, if he was in a pampering mood she wasn't going to deny him. She felt completely safe in his arms, something she had never had before. It figured that her soulmate hadn't even been conceived yet, talk about star crossed lovers. The instant he orbed upstairs she knew what he had in mind, he had told her that he was going to give her a full body massage one day, and it seemed as though that day had arrived. The next second she lost all ability to think as his hands set to work.
Chris smiles as he can hear Serena's mind shut down, she had definitely needed this and he temporarily put his charges on mute, Serena needed him more right now. " That's it, when you finish your mission I'm going with you, won't be too hard for me to do so either. "
" We can discuss that later. " Chris states.
Serena rolls over and pulls him down, her eyes twinkling mischievously. Chris grins at this, so, she wanted to play, huh? He could play. In fact, he might just decide they could skip P3 altogether. For the first time he had something worth fighting for, someone he was willing to give his all to protect, and he would be damned if he didn't save his big brother, save the world so he had a good future to show Serena and Sammy, because he knew Sammy would come with his sister.
Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed or Sailor Moon.