Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed.

AN: Is there anybody out there? Hello?

This is unbeta'ed, and english still it's not my first language.

If anyone is still reading this, I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 9

*Three days later, december 21th, 2003. Saturday morning*

Piper put the screwdriver in the table, grabbed her husband's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Leo, we waited for you last night…" she started to say in a calm voice.

Leo sighed sadly and stared out of the window. "I know, Piper, but I couldn't come to eat dinner with all of you. I didn't want to make things uncomfortable, especially for him."

Piper lowered her eyes in understanding. Her sisters had managed to convince Chris to have dinner in the Manor last night. She had invited Leo, of course, hoping that father and son would have a chance to talk things and that her husband would be able to make some advance with their son. But Leo hadn't arrived in the entire night; he didn't want to have his heart broken again by his son's harsh words and hateful glares.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when he started to talk with a hoarse voice, she raised her eyes and saw his blurred eyes and felt for him. "When he told me all those things in the bridge, I broke down, Piper. I felt an incredible pain in my chest and thought that I was going to drown in it." She moved closer to him and pulled his head into her chest, offering him some sort of comfort. "He told me that I was a terrible father that had never been there for neither he nor Wyatt." He raised his teary eyes and locked eyes with her. "How could I, Piper? I always wanted to have a family and you gave me that. I love both my sons with all my heart and I-I can't understand how I could abandon them, how I could prefer being an Elder instead of a f-father." He finished and the bitter tears fell down his cheeks, dampening Piper's blouse.

Piper hugged him tightly and kissed the top of his head, making a huge effort to not cry alongside him, she had cried too much in the last week, now she needed to be strong for the man she loved. She raised her right hand and started to caress his hair. "Although it breaks me to see you like this, honey, you need to let it all out, so cry all you want." He hid his face in her blouse, cried harder and she rocked him a little like she did when she wanted to put Wyatt to sleep. "I don't really understand this, Leo. You're the most gentle and caring person I have ever met in my life, I don't get how you could possibly abandon your children."

"But that's what Chris said." Leo replied brokenly.

"I know, honey, I know. It's just that…" she shrugged, not knowing what to say exactly.

They stood in silence for a while, Piper offering her support and love and Leo basking in it. Finally Leo stopped crying and felt more control of his emotions. "At least you didn't abandon them in their lives." He said softly.

"I died, Leo. Of course I abandoned them." She managed to say.

Leo squeezed her waist. "Before that, Piper. You were always there for them. Apparently you were a wonderful mom." He let out a breath. "You only made mistakes in this time, unlike me."

She sighed softly. "Yeah, I made some huge mistakes." She took a pause. "I wish I could erase all my past actions and start again with him, but sadly I can't. I wish I could have the relationship that my sisters are developing with him. He hugs them and had even called them Aunt a few times." She smiled wistfully. "I wish he could call me Mom and talk to me, but deep down I know that I don't have that right, I have to earn it and I won't rest until I have his forgiveness and love. You shouldn't give up, Leo. Fight for him, show him that you love him and that you won't make the same mistakes that his father made." She kissed his head. "I know it's hard too see the distrust or resentment he feels for you. It's similar with me. He has only said twenty words to me in the last three days; he doesn't smile at me like he smiles at his aunts." She shrugged sadly.

"But at least he's civil to you." Leo said and broke the embrace.

"Yeah, he is." Piper conceded. She stared at him and smiled sadly at his unhappy stance. She kissed his nose softly. "I know this is still affecting you very much, honey. Why don't you go to try to get some peace? Maybe you will feel better."

Leo looked at her confusedly. "But you asked me to come and help you to fix some things in the house."

She turned to the disposal and scowled. "Yeah, I did." She turned to him again. "I want you to feel better and maybe being Up There or in the Bridge or in a cloud will help you. I will try to fix the things by myself, okay? She asked.

"But…" Leo started to protest.

She put a finger in his lips. "Let my try by myself first. If I can't fix them, I will call you gladly, ok?"

After a few moments he nodded and kissed her in the cheek. "Thank you, sweetheart. I love you." He said with heartfelt emotion.

Piper smiled broadly. "I love you too."

Leo stared at her with tenderness for a few seconds before orbing out.

Piper stood there for a couple of minutes, staring at the spot where her husband used to be. After a while she shook her head, grabbed the screwdriver again and turned to the disposal. She frowned when the disposal made a loud noise. Lately everything in the house was falling apart.

"Hey!" she was interrupted by Paige.

"Hi!" answered Piper and turned back to her work.

"What are you doing?" asked the youngest sister curiously.

"Trying to fix the garbage disposal. What are you doing?"

"I'm going to have brunch with Richard five blocks from here. Is that okay with you?"

Piper shrugged and put the screwdriver at the table. She sat and huffed frustrated. "Sure. I will stay here and try to fix the disposal that is not disposing, the washer that is not washing and the cable that is not cabling." She had let Leo go easily, but maybe she could guilt-trip Paige into helping her.

Paige winced in sympathy. "Don't forget the sink upstairs."

Piper rolled her eyes in a long suffering manner. "How could I?"

"Why don't you call Leo? He's very handy to have around."

Piper bit her thumb softly, stood up and started pacing the kitchen. "He just left, I sent him to the clouds or something to make him feel better. You know he has been devastated since Chris said all those things to him in the bridge. I have never seen him so sad, Paige."

"Maybe doing stuff around the house will help him to set his mind out of the hurtful things Chris said." She said softly.

Piper conceded. "Perhaps, but I want him to try the clouds first. Besides, I want to try to fix the stuff by myself. If I can't fix them I will call him back, ok?" Her baby sister nodded. "Can you help me a bit before you go to your brunch with Richard?"

"Sure, hon. I live here too, so I should lend a hand."

"Thanks. Let's go to the bathroom. I want to try with the sink." She eyed the disposal. "I surrender with that thing." She grabbed the toolbox from the table.

Paige smiled, grabbed her hand and orbed them to the bathroom. A second later they appeared in the bathroom and eyed the clogged sink.

Paige eyed it with distaste. "Maybe a little bit of magic couldn't hurt."

Piper put down the toolbox and looked closely at the water. Suddenly, the water in the sink bubbled and formed a face of a woman. The sisters stepped back, both with eyes wide open.

"Help me!" the face in water pleaded.

Paige stared at her sister. "What…?" she started to ask.

"Phoebe! Come here, now!" Piper yelled.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

*Twenty minutes later*

The three sisters appeared in a swirl of blue and white orbs fifty feet from some pond. Phoebe scrunched her nose and gazed at her surroundings. "Okay, so water lady pops up from the sink. Are you sure she's not a demon?"

"I'm sure she needed help." Piper said firmly.

"What else did she say?" Phoebe pressed.

Paige shrugged. "That was it. Pretty park, pond and poof."

The pond started to bubble and a sword rose out of the water.

"Over there!" Piper cried and signalled with her index finger.

The sisters gasped in surprise when a woman, made of water, rose out of the water holding onto the sword. After being completely out of the water, she floated over to the land, became corporeal and moved in the direction of the sisters. "The time has come again. Take it and protect it, please." The woman said urgently.

With those words the woman threw the sword over the trees and became incorporeal again, then disappeared into the lake.

The sisters stared confusedly after her for a few moments, not understanding completely what was happening. Finally, Piper was pulled out of her haze.

"Where is the sword?" Piper barked.

They started to walk and reached a clearing. There, in the middle of it, stood the sword, which was sticking out of a large sword.

"It's in the stone." Paige said wide eyed.

"The sword and the stone?" Phoebe asked awestruck.

Piper rolled her eyes and snorted. "Uh, you gotta be kidding me. Right?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

*Five minutes later*

"Paige! You broke the table! How could you?" Piper nearly shrieked and gave the evil eye to the stone sitting on the table's remnants.

The youngest sister winced but stood her ground. "I didn't mean to. I have never orbed something so heavy or historic before." She stared at the sword and it glowed. "It's glowing." She breathed and Phoebe walked to her, sharing her surprise over having Excalibur in their home.

Piper waved a hand dismissively. "No, it's not glowing. It's the sunroom, there's a lot of light."

Phoebe scowled at her. "It's five days to Christmas, Piper. There's no sun here."

Paige raised an eyebrow at her oldest sister. "What part of this reality aren't you getting? Sword stone, lady lake?" she asked acidly.

Piper rolled her eyes. "It was a pond."

"Do you think she's from Avalon?" Phoebe turned to her baby sister.

Paige smiled at her, happy that at least someone believed in the legend of Excalibur.

"Yeah, I think she was flushed out by whoever's after Excalibur. The maker of kings." Paige answered.

"Look, we're not talking about Camelot, right? Because that's not real." Piper said sceptically.

Paige raised an eyebrow at her sister and crossed her arms over her chest. "So you're saying you never believed in King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?" she challenged her sister.

"Yes, I did, when I was seven and then I grew up." She glared at the sword. "Besides, I have never, ever read about Excalibur in the Book of Shadows."

"The Sword predates the Book, Piper. That doesn't mean anything." Phoebe said, unwilling to believe otherwise.

"Whatever." She raised her arms in surrender. "I don't have time for this, I need to take care of Wyatt, fix the house, and worry about Chris and Leo. I don't have time for this."

Paige bit her lip. "I still have brunch with Richard, remember? I'm actually late."

Phoebe winced in sympathy. "Sorry, sweetie. Jason arrived last night from Japan, I'm going to see him so I need to prepare for the lunch date."

Piper planted her feet firmly on the ground. "So," she started to say slowly. "Besides all the things I told you I have to do," she glared at them and they winced. "Do you want me to baby sit the sword while the two of you go on a romantic escapade?"

Both sisters nodded angelically, blew her kisses and left the conservatory at a swift pace.

Piper stomped her feet on the floor and glared evilly at the glowing sword. "Darn!"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

*Two hours later*

Piper dried the last dish and smiled to herself. She had managed to fix the sink in the bathroom and prepared lunch for her and Wyatt. She turned to the table and saw the food she had saved for Chris. She hoped he would come that day, but wasn't very sure. She had already called him ten times in the last two hours and he hadn't answered.

She sighed and dried her hands. She put the small towel besides the sink and turned around swiftly at the sound of a voice. Big was her surprise when she saw one of the seven dwarves. She raised an eyebrow, this day was getting better and better she thought sarcastically.

"Hey, lady. We could really use an authority figure out there."

Piper crossed her arms over her chest and looked down. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" the dwarf asked incredulously. "I'm getting pushed around, I just lost my place in the line."

"What line?" Piper asked curiously.

The dwarf left the kitchen haughtily and Piper followed him. Piper's eyes widened comically at the sight that greeted her in the conservatory. Magical creatures of all shapes and sizes were standing in line beside the sword in the stone. One woman was trying to pull the sword out of the stone but it wouldn't budge. The woman gave up and the next in line tried his luck.

"What the hell…?" started to ask Piper.

"Natural selection. We all have a chance to be here and see if anyone of us is the next King Arthur."

Piper was speechless. After a minute or so, she raised her eyes to the ceiling and yelled loudly. "Leo! Chris! Paige! Come here now!" She got out of the conservatory and started pacing in the hallway, expecting the arrival of any of her family members.

A few moments later Paige appeared with a disgruntled expression. "What?"

"What?" Piper nearly shrieked. She peered at the conservatory and saw a fairy trying her luck with the sword. "That's what!" she pointed her finger at the creatures in her house.

Paige looked awestruck. "God, I had a feeling that something like this might happen."

Piper gave her a dirty look. "And you're telling me this now?" She waved the hand dismissively. "Look, I don't care. Bring Phoebe here as fast as you can. We have to control this situation, is getting out of hand."

Paige nodded and left the Manor in a flurry of orbs. "Leo! Chris! We have a situation here!" Piper yelled again and bit her thump again.

A few seconds later Leo appeared and Piper grabbed him by the shoulders. "Honey, I know I sent you to the clouds to help you deal with Chris' rejection. But we have a situation here. I need you." She said softly, hoping that the situation would get him out of his funk.

Leo sighed and smiled softly at her, feeling better by his wife's presence. "What's happening?" he asked.

Piper guided him to the conservatory and pointed her finger at the sword and all the creatures there. "That's what happening."

Leo's eyes almost bulged out in surprise. "Whoa, is that what I think it is?"

Piper huffed. "Maybe. Paige and Phoebe think that is Excalibur. I think not. The point is that I want all this creatures out of the house." Leo didn't move, too entranced with the sword. "Leo! Get them out of my house!" she exclaimed.

Leo reached for the sword but was cut off by a sprite. "Hey, no cuts buddy. Get in the line."

Leo stepped back and watched the proceedings. Piper rolled her eyes and stomped her foot angrily.

"Leo, do something!" she said to him.

"I can't, honey. They have the right to try and pull the sword out of the stone."

"Natural selection." Piper murmured under her breath. "Chris! Paige!" she yelled again.

Paige and Phoebe appeared and both became entranced with the happenings in their house. "Wow. This is awesome." Phoebe breathed. "I remember reading the story when I was a kid."

"Yeah, me too. Do you reckon we will be chosen as knights for the round table?" Her chest puffed. "We are the Charmed Ones after all." She smirked petulantly and Phoebe chuckled.

"Why are you calling Chris, Piper?" Leo asked softly, his eyes showing her his deep fear of another rejection.

Piper turned to Leo and grabbed his hand. "I know you are afraid of another rejection. But you can't run from him any longer, honey." She squeezed his hand. "Besides, he's from the future; he should know about this… this…" she signalled the sword with her free hand. "Pointy and ugly thing."

Phoebe shushed her. "It's not ugly." Her chin tilted up. "It's the maker of Kings."

"Whatever." She took a deep breath and admitted defeat, she turned to Paige. "Try calling for Chris, maybe he will listen to you."

The youngest sister nodded. "Chris! Come here right now, young man! I will not have you ignoring us! Chris!" she yelled and the persons and creatures closest to her covered their ears and winced.

She smirked at them and opened her mouth to yell for her nephew again. Thankfully the boy appeared with a petulant expression in his face. He appeared with his back to the stone so he didn't realize immediately what was happening.

"Thank God!" Piper exclaimed, feeling relieved to see her son safe and sound.

"Where were you?" asked Paige, her hands in her hips.

"I was busy." He said curtly. "What do you want?" He softened his tone.

"Were you in the Underworld alone, Chris? That's why you didn't hear Piper's calls?" Phoebe asked worriedly.

Chris frowned. "No, I wasn't." Seeing that all of them were looking at him curiously he relented. "I was in a meeting with Freya, if you must know."

"The valkyrie…?" Piper asked worriedly.

"Hey, back off fairy, it's my turn." Said a deep voice and Chris turned around.

His eyes widened and his mouth opened a bit. "What's with all the people?"

Paige waved her hand. "Natural selection. Excalibur is here. Do you think we will be chosen as knights?" she asked hopefully.

Chris didn't pain attention to his Aunt. His face blanched when he saw Excalibur and took a step back, almost colliding with Leo. "It wasn't supposed to appear so soon." He said lowly without taking the eyes of the sword.

Phoebe caught the worry in his voice and approached him slowly. "Are you okay, sweetheart? Is there something wrong with the sword?" she asked him softly.

Chris shook his head and stared at the sisters. All of them felt worried at his pale face. "That's sword is damned. You have to get rid of it. Burn it. Destroy it. I don't care what you do with it as long as is far away from here."

Paige looked at him confusedly. "We can't do that, Chris. That sword is historic and powerful and right now is in the process of natural selection. We can't destroy it." She said, trying to sound rational. She thought it would be absurd to destroy Excalibur.

Chris rolled his eyes and snorted angrily. "Fine! I will destroy it by myself, thanks for your help." He finished dryly and walked to the stone, ignoring the protests of the creatures. He was intending to orb the stone and the sword to a far away place, but when he grabbed the hilt of the sword something amazing happened. It slid easily out of the rock and Chris held it in the air. A bell like sound was heard coming from the sword and everyone present gasped.

"To be continued..."