The Power of Three Blondes (in which Chris can't quite hide his disgust)

Author's note: Thanks everyone for all of the reviews and follows/favourites. I'm still so blown away by how many people still read Charmed (and Chris) fanfiction. I'm so sorry for this being so much later than I said. Like I said, I really struggled to strike the right balance of acceptance and animosity between Leo and Chris (which is also why it's a bit shorter than the others). Hopefully I've got the balance right. I haven't even started working on the next episode yet, so this may be a longer wait, however the next four episodes are written or mostly written, so I should be able to update a bit more regularly after that. Regardless, I am committed to eventually having a one shot for each episode up to 'The Courtship of Wyatt's Father' (because after that, basically everyone knows or finds out in the next couple of episodes, so there's really not much to change).

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

This has gotta be up there as one of the worst days of my life, Chris thought with a shudder, watching the women he now knew to be his future mother and aunts knock out the three blonde women who had stolen their identities.

Already, he could feel his memories righting themselves, though mercifully, his interactions with the other witches remained unchanged. Likely a side effect from Chris being able to see through the spell before it was broken. It was one he was endlessly grateful for, because otherwise he would have had to live with the memories of Phoebe and Paige being all flirty and touchy feely with him, and worse, the memory of actually kissing his aunt.

Of his own accord.

His skin still crawled, even now that he knew that all of his strange interactions with his future family over the course of the day had actually been with the imposters. He thanked his lucky stars, not for the first time that day, that his mother, or the woman posing as his mother, hadn't joined in on the flirting. That would have been a little too Back to the Future for Chris, and would have inevitably seen him revealing his identity, if only to put a stop to all of the disturbing, and quite frankly traumatising, behaviour.

"I take it this was all your doing," Paige said to Chris, smiling gratefully.

"Hey," he shrugged, "You're the one who got me here."

"How did you know they weren't us?" Piper asked curiously.

"In all my life, I have never seen you take the bait the way that witch took it from you," Chris replied automatically as he reached for the Book of Shadows, wincing inwardly when he realised what he'd given away.

He was almost being as sloppy as the blondes had been. Only he knew he had to be careful. The imposters had had no way of knowing how difficult fooling Chris would really be.

All three sisters noticed Chris's slip of the tongue, though it was Phoebe who said, "In all your life? You've only been our whitelighter for two months."

"Let's just reverse the magic," Chris suggested, opening the Book to the spell that would allow them to reclaim their powers and passing it to the sisters.

They each looked at him suspiciously for a moment, but to his relief, accepted the book and recited the spell. Immediately the familiar white orbs of light that were their powers flew out of the blondes and sunk a moment later into their respective owners.

Phoebe reacted instantly to the return of her powers, her face turning into a grimace.

"Okay, why do I feel like I just made out with my cousin?" she asked with a shudder.

Chris stiffened, but did his best to keep his face neutral. With her empathy returned, Phoebe was tuning into his lingering revulsion at kissing her double. Sure, he'd known at the time that the blonde wasn't really his aunt, but it hadn't helped that all of his memories of Phoebe had shifted to the other woman's face, and he hadn't really been able to shake the disgust he'd felt as a result.

Phoebe looked at Piper and Paige, who both shook their heads. Simultaneously, the three sisters turned to look at Chris, who was trying, and failing, to look innocent.

"That one hated her sisters," he gestured to the sister who had impersonated Piper, "Maybe that's what you're picking up on."

Phoebe shook her head, "It's not her. It's you. What did they do to you, Chris, to make you feel so disgusted?"

Chris suppressed the groan that was forming in the back of his throat at the concerned looks on the sisters' faces.

"Nothing," he said as convincingly as he could.

He could tell the sisters didn't believe him, but thankfully, he was saved by the bell. Or the imposters making noises as they regained consciousness, as it were.

"You should probably bind their powers," he suggested, grateful for the sudden distraction.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes at the obvious change in topic, but didn't say anything. Chris breathed a small sigh of relief as the sisters flicked through the Book in search of the power binding spell.

"Witches you shall be no more,
No spells or potions forevermore,
Your powers I'll forever bind,
From now until the end of time."

Unlike the Charmed Ones, the other witches' powers crept out of them like grey smoke, which slowly rose to the attic roof and then suddenly vanished.

"What did you do to us?" the Piper-impersonator cried, pulling herself up to stand beside her sisters, who were also getting up.

"We bound your powers," Phoebe said with a very satisfied smile, closing the Book and handing it back to Chris.

Piper flicked a hand at the imposters, freezing them before they had a chance to complain or try to retaliate.

"Now what?" Paige asked.

"I'm pretty sure they killed whoever lives across the street to spy on you guys. Maybe you should just turn them into Darryl and let him deal with it?" Chris suggested.

The newly reinstated Charmed Ones exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. Paige stepped towards the women, but was stopped by Phoebe grabbing her arm.

"Wait! We still don't know what they did to Chris," she pointed out.

Seriously? Can't you just let it go already?

"They didn't do anything!" Chris said insistently, placing the Book back on the podium behind him, "I swear."

Phoebe narrowed her eyes at Chris, who realised too late that she was trying to get a read on his emotions.

"You're freaking out," she said, "I can tell something happened. And if you won't tell us, maybe they will. Unfreeze them Piper."

Piper looked at Phoebe like she was crazy, "And let them try to escape? I don't think so!"

"Just unfreeze their heads then," Phoebe replied.

"This is ridiculous! I'm telling you, nothing happened!" Chris insisted, hoping to god that Phoebe wasn't picking up on any of the panic that was running through him at her suggestion.

His reaction was enough to convince Piper that maybe Phoebe was onto something. So she flicked her hands at the blondes again, unfreezing only their heads.

"What is this? Why can't we move?" the Phoebe-impersonator asked, eyes wide.

"Your bodies are frozen," Piper said dismissively.

"Why?" the Piper-impersonator asked, her eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"Because we want some answers before we turn you into the police," Phoebe replied.

The three frozen women reacted immediately, panicked expressions falling across all of their faces. Curiously though, the Phoebe-impersonator looked to Chris hopefully.

"Come on, Chris, you wouldn't let them do this would you?" she asked flirtatiously, "I mean, that kiss. You clearly like me."

Chris kept his face neutral, but the disgust flared up inside of him again. Though his memories had righted themselves, the thought of kissing someone who felt like his aunt made his stomach churn.

"Kiss?" Piper repeated astonishedly.

"There it is again," Phoebe said with a grimace, "You're completely creeped out. Sick-to-your-stomach creeped out."

In the back of her mind, she knew she should probably feel offended by the reaction Chris was having. He hadn't kissed Phoebe, but he'd thought he was. Not that Phoebe was remotely attracted to him either, but disgust was taking it a bit far.

Only Phoebe wasn't offended. She was too focussed on trying to put the pieces together in her mind.

Chris knew them. That much had been obvious the moment they'd met him, what with his familiarity with the Manor and the Book. And the way he'd spoken about Piper after the identity theft spell broke, he'd obviously known them for a very long time.

"In all my life, I have never seen you take the bait the way that witch took it from you."

And then the feelings of disgust Phoebe had sensed when she regained her empathy power. She'd said that it felt like she'd kissed a cousin. Or an aunt maybe? He orbed, so however he was related to them, it had to be through Piper or Paige.

"You can take them now Paige," Phoebe said, interrupting whatever excuse Chris was trying to give them.

Chris swallowed hard at the knowing look in Phoebe's eyes.

Shit.

He said nothing, hoping that maybe she'd come to the wrong conclusion and would give him a way of out this. The chimes that came with orbing sounded as Paige and the blonde con artists disappeared in a flurry of blue lights.

"You don't just know us Chris, do you?" Phoebe asked, "You're a Halliwell, aren't you?"

"What?" Piper cried beside her incredulously, "What gave you that crazy idea?"

Ouch, Chris thought, though he tried not to react to the hurtful words from his future mother (Piper, he reminded himself, Gotta keep that straight).

"It took me a minute to put all the pieces together. But it's the only logical explanation," Phoebe explained, "Think about it Piper. He knows us, knows the house, knows the Book. And why else would he come back to save Wyatt if he wasn't family?"

Piper looked at Chris, whose heart sank as he watched the realisation in her eyes.

"How- how are you…?" she trailed off, not sure how to even ask the question.

Phoebe, on the other hand, had no such dilemma, asking, "What she's trying to ask is whose kid are you? Piper's or Paige's?"

Oh for fuck's sake, Chris gritted his teeth to keep from screaming the words in frustration. He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to prepare himself to answer.

Only the words wouldn't come out. He knew there was no way out, no way to deny it. He was well and truly busted. But he couldn't bring himself to say it, couldn't bear to see whatever their reactions would be.

What if they don't want me? a tiny, scared voice whispered in his mind.

"Chris?" Piper prompted, when he didn't answer them.

His heart thudded hard in his chest. Green eyes met brown ones.

"Yours."

The word came out as barely a whisper.

Before Phoebe or Piper could respond, Chris closed his eyes and orbed away.

"Leo!"

Piper couldn't be sure how long she'd stood there dazedly staring at the spot where Chris had been. It must have been a while, because when she finally snapped back to herself, Phoebe had left the attic. She was all alone.

Jumping into action, she did the first thing that came to mind, the first thing she always thought of doing when something went really wrong, or really right, or when she was sad or lonely or scared. The thing she hadn't let herself do for some time now.

She called Leo.

Seconds later, orbs filled the room, quickly reforming into the shape of Leo and Wyatt. Piper suddenly realised that with all of the drama with the blonde fraudsters and finding out Chris was her son, she hadn't even wondered where Wyatt was. Guilt washed over her as she realised that the imposters could have done anything to him, and she wouldn't have even noticed.

"Everything okay?" Leo asked when Piper didn't immediately explain why she'd called him down, "Are you feeling better?"

"Huh?" Piper blinked in surprise.

Leo tilted his head in confusion, "You told me you weren't feeling well when you asked me to take Wyatt?"

Piper suddenly realised what he was talking about.

"That wasn't me, Leo," she said, launching into a quick recap of the blondes' brief interlude as the Charmed Ones.

As she spoke, she realised disappointedly that Leo hadn't even thought to question her strange behaviour. From what he'd said, it sounded as if the fake-Piper had just palmed Wyatt off to Leo the first chance she got, and Leo didn't seem to have thought much of it. It made her realise how far they had fallen from the couple they used to be. From the two people who knew one another better than anyone else and never would have been fooled by imposters.

"I should have realised she wasn't you," Leo said as Piper reached out to take Wyatt from him. He was clearly thinking along the same lines as Piper.

"Well, luckily, Chris was able to figure it out, so no harm done," Piper said carefully, wondering how exactly she was going to tell Leo what she'd learned.

"Chris?" Leo said, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

How had Chris been able to recognise the impersonators so easily after only knowing the sisters for a few months? Leo wondered if maybe he had been too hard on the whitelighter. He was clearly dedicated to his job and his charges, to have gotten to know them so well in such a short amount of time.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," Piper hesitated for a moment, then decided to just rip off the band aid, so to speak, "Chris is our son."

Well that would explain it.

Leo reacted pretty much exactly as Piper expected. He stood, frozen in place, his mouth opening and closing as he tried and failed to find the words to express the inner turmoil he was experiencing. Piper could understand his reaction. After all, her own reaction to the revelation had been much the same.

Piper gave Leo a couple of minutes to process this admittedly shocking new information before she spoke, "Leo? You still with me?"

He blinked, seeming to come back to himself. His eyes focussed more, as if he was actually seeing his surroundings again.

"Yeah, I'm still here," he said, though there was a dazed tone to his voice, "Where is he?"

"I don't know," Piper replied, frowning, "He just admitted it and then took off. And I have no idea where he could be."

Leo closed his eyes, trying to sense for Chris. He was surprised to find him in a park. Actually, he was surprised to find him at all. Leo had figured that Chris would have blocked himself off from whitelighter sensing. Had he not expected Piper to call Leo to find him? Surely he knew Piper, his mother, better than that. Or had he not expected Leo to look for him? He had to know his father better than that too.

Or maybe, he wanted to be found. Leo hoped that was the reason. But he had a feeling if it was as simple as that, Chris probably wouldn't have taken off in the first place. In fact, if that was it, he probably would've told them who he was at the start.

"I found him," he told Piper, opening his eyes again, "We should go."

She reached out and grabbed Leo's hand. Immediately, the attic faded away as Piper felt that same weightless feeling she always felt when being orbed. As quickly as she'd broken apart, she found herself solidifying and suddenly standing in a park.

Piper's eyes fell on Chris straight away. He sat on a stone bench, hunched over, his back to his parents. He didn't seem to notice that anyone had joined him, or if he did, he didn't acknowledge them.

Piper was moving towards him before she had time to even think about it. She sat down beside Chris, placing Wyatt on her lap. Leo was only seconds behind her, taking a seat on the other side of Chris, who stiffened but did not raise his head from his hands.

No one spoke at first. They sat, in almost complete silence, listening to the sounds of the wind and the occasional noises that came from Wyatt, who seemed unaffected by the tension the rest of his family felt.

"What are you doing here?" Chris asked finally. He lifted his head, but kept his gaze fixed firmly in front of him, not looking at either one of his parents.

"We just wanna talk," Piper said gently.

"Well I don't," Chris said insistently, annoyance colouring his tone, "Why do you think I left?"

"Chris, please," Piper reached out, placing a hand on his arm.

She tried not to take it personally when he flinched and recoiled from her touch. He hasn't even looked at us yet.

"Don't. I- Knowing who I am doesn't have to change anything."

"It changes everything!" Piper cried.

"Well I don't want it to!"

With that, Chris stood up. He began to walk away, only to be stopped by someone calling him.

"Chris."

Leo.

"After my father, right?"

"What do you think?" Chris asked in a tone that was dripping with sarcasm and bitterness. He turned back around to face Piper and Leo, looking at them for the first time since they'd arrived.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Piper asked.

"I couldn't," Chris replied defensively, folding his arms across his chest, "There's only so much I can tell you about the future without changing it in worse ways."

It was an excuse. Both Piper and Leo recognised that. But neither of them pushed it, for fear of pushing him further away.

"Tell us something else then. Something that won't change the future," Piper insisted.

"Like what?"

"Like why you came here. Is this place important to you? In the future?" Leo asked.

Chris cast his eyes around the arboretum. It was one of the first places he'd visited when he'd returned to the past. He remembered being struck by its beauty. It had been beautiful when he and Bianca had first discovered it in the future, but even then it had been tainted by the death and destruction happening all over the city.

And then…

"This is still our spot, Bianca. No matter what he's done to it."

The words he'd spoken to Bianca echoed in his mind and made his heart ache for the woman he loved, the fiancée he'd left behind in his time. He tucked his hand into his pocket, touching the engagement ring he always carried with him. He was overwhelmed by the sudden urge to speak to her again, to share how burdensome his mission was becoming and ease the guilt he felt from kissing not one, but two women who were not his fiancée. A necessary sacrifice for the mission. He knew it and so would Bianca. But it didn't make him feel any better about it.

It didn't matter though. Talking to Bianca, seeking her forgiveness, it was impossible. He hadn't been able to talk about Bianca, much less to her for months now. Visiting the arboretum was as close as he could get.

"I have a fiancée, waiting for me in the future," Chris spoke so softly, Piper and Leo could only just hear him, "This is our spot. This is where I proposed."

Shock coursed through both Piper and Leo at that. It was one thing to learn they would have another son, to meet him already grown before he'd even been conceived. It was another to find out that not only was he already grown, but he was already preparing to start a family of his own, before they'd even had the chance to have him be part of theirs.

He's still so young, Piper thought, studying Chris. She'd never thought about that before. None of them had. They'd noticed Chris looked young but thinking he was a whitelighter, they just figured he'd died young. They'd always assumed he was much older than he looked. He'd always acted older than a…

"How old are you?" Piper blurted out the question.

"Why?" Chris grew defensive again, "Are you gonna tell me I'm too young to be engaged?"

"Is that what we told you in the future?" Piper asked.

Chris looked away, swallowing hard against the lump that was forming in his throat. He'd often wondered what his mother would have thought of Bianca. He had lost Piper so young, he'd never had the chance to bring any girl home to meet the family, much less bring the girl home. He liked to think that despite her heritage and despite his age, that Piper would have liked Bianca. That she would have been happy when he told her he was going to propose, and even happier when Bianca said yes.

But he'd never know.

He couldn't very well tell Piper that though, so instead he said, "Twenty-one. I'm twenty-one." It was as close to the truth as he could get without getting into the whole 'time travel's kinda screwed with my age' thing, which quite frankly just didn't seem all that important right at that moment.

Chris sat back on the bench, in the space between Piper and Leo where he'd been sitting before. He felt awkward standing up, towering over the people who would be his parents in the not-so-distant future. He still found it strange that he was taller than the woman who would one day be his mother. He hadn't had his growth spurt yet when she'd died, and had only just reached her shoulders.

Twenty-one, Piper mused. It was, in her opinion, far too young to be engaged. But there was something in Chris's eyes that told her that he'd had to grow up quickly, and felt far older than he actually was. Maybe that was why they'd all so easily believed that he was a full whitelighter.

As she was thinking, Piper found herself reaching out to touch Chris's face. She stopped herself mere inches from his cheek, remembering how he had recoiled at her touch earlier.

"You probably can't tell us anything about her, huh?" Leo asked.

Chris shook his head, "Can't risk it. I'm hoping that meeting her's one of the things that will stay the same, even if I do manage to change the timeline."

"And what exactly are you trying to change?" Leo asked, "What's so important that you'd risk your existence for?"

Piper gasped softly. She hadn't even thought about that. He could've erased himself. If we hadn't found out…

"It didn't feel like much of a risk at the time," Chris shrugged, "I figured I had plenty of time to work out how to get the two of you back together long enough to… you know."

"But there was a chance you wouldn't," Leo pointed out, "Why would you risk it?"

Chris looked ahead again, clasping his hands together and letting his elbows rest on his knees. He hoped that if he didn't say anything, maybe Leo would drop it.

"Come on, Chris. If we're going to help you, we need to at least have an idea of what you're trying to change."

Chris closed his eyes momentarily. When he opened them, he found his gaze drifting to Wyatt. As strange as it was to be taller than his mother, it was even stranger to be so much bigger than his big brother. Wyatt had always towered over Chris, for as long as he could remember, and even as adults when that gap grew smaller, Wyatt remained the bigger and stronger brother, in every way possible. Seeing him as a baby threw Chris off a lot of the time. It was why he tried to avoid being around Wyatt as much as possible, although that was complicated by the fact that he needed to be around Wyatt to protect him.

He opened his mouth, prepared to tell them everything, in spite of his better judgement. And then he looked from Wyatt to Leo, and all of the history between them came flooding back. Leo had always put Wyatt above Chris. Always. He'd never believe that his precious firstborn would one day become, in all but name, the Source of All Evil. Especially not if the news was being delivered by Chris, of all people.

So he stuck with the same line he'd been using since the Titans had been vanquished.

"I told you, I came back to save Wyatt."

Leo's disappointment was written all over his face. It was an expression Chris knew all too well, one he'd seen on his future father's face a million times. He looked back down at Wyatt again.

Still oblivious to the tension, Wyatt was smiling. Typical, Chris thought. Wyatt had never been on the receiving end of Leo's disappointment.

"Save him from what? What happens to him, Chris?" Piper asked, a pleading tone in her voice.

Chris's eyes were still locked on Wyatt. He wondered, not for the first time, how this innocent little baby could ever turn into the evil overlord of the world. This Wyatt, though still impossibly young, radiated goodness and constantly reminded Chris of the big brother from his memories. The brother who loved him unconditionally, who taught him all the coolest games, and protected him from bullies and demons, and teased him mercilessly as all older siblings were prone to.

How did you go from this to the leader of the Underworld? Chris wondered sadly.

"Do you want to hold him?" Piper's voice broke him from his thoughts.

Chris shot her a surprised and slightly alarmed look in response. Piper suddenly realised that she couldn't remember Chris ever holding Wyatt. In fact, she couldn't even really remember Chris really interacting all that much with Wyatt. This was probably the longest she'd ever seen him even look at his brother.

"Or not," she said, when Chris failed to answer, "Are you guys not… close in the future?"

That felt wrong, even as the words left her mouth. How could Wyatt and Chris not be close in the future? If they weren't, why would he risk his own existence to travel back and save Wyatt from… well, whatever evil's after him?

"Uh, no, it's not… that. I just- it's weird," Chris replied.

Piper raised an eyebrow at that, "Weird?"

"Yeah. Imagine if you were in the past and Aunt Prue was a baby. How weird would it be to hold her?"

Piper wrinkled her nose as she considered that.

"I guess it would be a little weird," she conceded, "Although, probably not as weird as when we went back in time to when we were kids and kidnapped our younger selves. Just carried 'em right outta the house."

"When did you- oh, you mean when Grandma made that pact with that warlock?" Chris remembered.

"We told you about that?" Piper asked in surprise. And then she remembered Chris's comment from earlier that day (God, was it really only a few hours ago?) about recalling a story that started with the Book being found on the floor. "What did we tell them as bedtime stories or something?"

Chris chuckled, "It wasn't like that. But there were so many things about being witches that you had to learn as you went. You were just trying to make sure we were better prepared than you were."

"Right," Piper replied, not entirely convinced by Chris's explanation. She had a sneaking suspicion that one or both of her sisters were the culprits behind regaling her children with their younger exploits. She'd definitely have to watch that in the future. Still turning it over in her head, Piper looked down at Wyatt again, "So, how 'bout it? You wanna try holding him?"

Chris blinked in surprise, not expecting the question. He looked down at Wyatt again hesitantly.

"He won't bite," Piper said, gently nudging Chris with her arm.

"Not yet anyway," Chris retorted, a small laugh escaping him at the alarmed look on Piper's face, "Okay, you've convinced me. Give him here."

Piper smiled and a moment later, Chris found his baby-big brother sitting on his lap. It wasn't as weird as he'd expected, so long as he didn't actually think of the baby as Wyatt. And the cheesy grin on his Mom's (Piper's, he reminded himself) face didn't hurt either.

"Not as bad as you thought, huh?" Piper commented.

"No, it's definitely weird," Chris replied, "But I guess weird is kinda normal in our family. Just know, if he starts drooling on me, there is no way I'm ever letting him live it down. And I'm definitely gonna need some photographic evidence."

Piper laughed at the teasing tone Chris had adopted. It wasn't one she'd ever heard from him before, but she could just picture him using it on Wyatt in the future, bringing his big brother down a peg or two in a way that only a younger sibling could. In fact, it was a tone she remembered using herself with Prue once or twice.

And then she remembered that they still didn't know what had happened to Wyatt in Chris's future. That there might not be a Wyatt in his future to tease. The laughter stopped suddenly.

"Chris, please, you gotta tell us what happens to him."

The words were out of Piper's mouth before she could stop them. Chris tensed beside her, the amusement falling from his face.

"She's right, Chris," Leo said, "We can't help you if we don't know what we're trying to change."

If it was even possible, Chris tensed further at Leo's words. With the Elder's silence, he'd actually managed to forget he was even there.

"I can't."

"You can," Leo replied, "You have to."

Chris bristled at the words, indignation coursing through him. Who was Leo to tell him what he had to do? He'd lost his right to act like a father to Chris a long time ago.

"I don't actually. I don't have to tell you anything," Chris shot back hotly.

Both Piper and Leo flinched at the sudden bite to Chris's words. For a second, Piper wondered if maybe she should take Wyatt back, though even as angry as he suddenly was, she doubted Chris would take his emotions out on Wyatt.

"Chris-" Leo began.

"Don't, Leo. You don't get to demand information from me," Chris retorted.

Leo swallowed hard, "I wasn't trying to demand-"

Chris cut him off again, "Yes. You were."

"No, we're not demanding anything from you," Piper jumped in, sensing the beginnings of an argument between the two men and silently wondering if this was the first of many times she would have to play peacekeeper between the father and son, "We're just asking you to trust us enough to tell us."

No one spoke for a moment. When Chris broke the silence, there was less bite to his words, "It's not about not trusting you."

"What's it about then?" Piper asked.

Chris was quiet again, casting his eyes back on the content baby on his lap.

Where'd it all go wrong, Wy? he wondered.

"C'mon Chris. What are you afraid of?" Leo asked, gently but urgingly.

That you won't believe me.

"Why wouldn't we believe you?" Piper asked, making Chris realise he'd actually said what he was thinking.

"I-" Chris didn't have an answer to that.

"We're your parents. Of course we'll believe you," Leo vowed.

"Don't do that!" Chris cried, "Don't pretend like you haven't been suspicious of me, second guessing everything I say and do from the moment I got here! Knowing that one day I'll be your son shouldn't make me anymore trustworthy!"

"Except it does. We trust you, Chris. Whatever it is, we'll believe you," Leo replied.

"But you won't! You won't because you never do! Never mind that Wyatt literally grew up to be the overlord of all evil, no, Chris is the one who lies. Chris is the one who can't be trusted. Chris is-"

"What?" Piper asked tightly, interrupted Chris's agitated rant.

Chris's eyes widened in horror as he realised what he'd said. This is why I didn't want them to know. The more they try to act like parents, the harder it is to keep this shit from them.

"That's what happens to Wyatt?" Leo asked so softly it was barely audible.

For a moment, Chris considered denying it. But just as he had known in the attic with Piper and Phoebe, he knew that now that the truth was out there, it couldn't be taken back.

He closed his eyes and said through gritted teeth, "Yes. That's what happens. What I came back to stop."

Chris felt Piper pulling Wyatt away from him. He let her, hanging his head wearily as he waited for the inevitable denials and accusations against him.

Only they never came.

"How did it happen?" Leo asked.

Chris's head snapped up, his eyes flying open. He looked at Leo in disbelief. Then at Piper, who held Wyatt protectively against her chest. Then again at Leo.

"You believe me?" he asked incredulously.

"Why would you lie about something like that?" Leo asked.

"Bu- I-" Chris stammered, "I just- I thought-"

"We don't want to believe it's true," Leo interjected, "But that sounds like the sort of thing you'd risk your existence for. So it must be true."

Chris really didn't know what to say to that.

"How did it happen?" Leo asked again.

"I don't know exactly. All I know is that something gets to him when he's a baby."

"And we didn't know? We didn't do anything?" Piper asked, wondering how they could possibly not have known.

"There weren't any signs until he was older. And by then, it was too late," Chris replied softly.

"So, you came back here? So you could change it?" Leo asked.

"That's the plan," Chris said.

"But you don't know what it is," Leo said.

Chris shook his head, "No, no one ever worked out who got to him."

"That's why you've been so gung ho about demon hunting," Piper realised, "You're trying to stop whatever gets to Wyatt before it can even try."

Chris sighed, "Emphasis on trying. It's basically like trying to find a needle in a haystack. In the dark. Using robo-arms."

"Robo-arms?" Piper raised an eyebrow.

"Future thing," Chris shrugged, "Not important. What I mean is, I'm essentially working blind here. I've got no real, concrete leads, and no way of knowing if or when I've stopped it."

Leo and Piper exchanged glances over Chris's head. As hard as it was to hear that they'd let evil infect their son, it was harder to hear how difficult it had been for their other son to try to fix their mistake.

Never one to dwell when she could take matters into her own hands, Piper stood suddenly, eliciting a look of surprise from Chris.

"Consider us your flashlights then," she said, "We're here to help. Whatever you need."

"Absolutely," Leo vowed, standing up as well.

Chris looked at them both, wide eyed, but with a hint of relief in his expression. He went to stand up, but stopped when the sound of his name and the phrase "oh, dear nephew of mine" being repeated over and over again filled his ears suddenly.

He shot Piper a curious look.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Uh, by any chance, did you tell Paige before you came here?"

"Paige, no, she was…" Piper trailed off in realisation, "Oh my god, Phoebe!"

Chris rolled his eyes, "She never could keep a secret."

Paige's voice still sounding in his ears, he stood and took a step towards Piper, Leo and Wyatt.

"Guess we better start with filling in your sisters," he said.

With that, he placed his hands on his future parents shoulders and orbed them all back to the Manor to face the rest of his future family.