One More Time

By: shjohnso

Chapter 1

PG - 13

Summary: Future Chris risked his life to save his brother from a fate worse than

death—evil. But did it work? Or will he have to do it all over again?

This is actually a repost, because I took it out of the script format, and hey—I finished it;) I'm so sorry to anyone who had been reading & I just kind of left you hanging, but someone else had come up with a similar ending, so I had to change it. Then I got writers block, then when I finally came up with something else—it had been so long, so I wasn't sure if anyone wanted to read it anymore. But then I got a few wonderful reviews recently that showed that someone out there is still reading it—along with a nagging push from my friend stony angel:) so I decided to finish.

Also, I wrote this before any of the events in the 7th season, so I'm splitting off to AU after a Bad Bad World Part 2.

Disclaimer—I don't own charmed, or any of the characters from the show, so don't sue me because I get no money from this.

A few weeks after Piper was released from the hospital, she noticed that her family seemed to always be tip-toeing around her, as if they thought she would break or something. 'I would think that they would be happy to have a new baby around.' Things had also been going great since Leo had decided to quit his job

as an Elder and devote his time to his new family. Though she didn't quite understand why he also gave up his job as their Whitelighter, especially since they would need a new one now that Chris had gone back to the future.

She finally had enough and decided to ask Leo about why they were all acting so strange.

Piper was lying in bed with her husband just after she put Chris and Wyatt to sleep. Snuggling in his arms, she turned to him quietly, "You know, I miss adult Chris too. But at least he accomplished what he came for and got rewarded for it. When you took him back, was it just how he had imagined it? Beautiful?"

Leo knew that this moment was coming, but he hadn't yet thought of a way to tell her what had really happened to their son. She often wondered where he went late at night, silently grabbing the car keys when he thought she was sleeping. It had been quite an adjustment for him not being able to orb and having to use conventional methods of transportation. But during his late night excursions, he felt he needed to be alone and think about the events that transpired before his youngest son was born. More often than not, he would go to the hill that overlooked the city. It was after all, the highest vantage point that he could manage since being stripped of his orbing abilities.

He allowed the tears for the son that he barely knew, yet still had come to love, fall freely. He felt like a failure as a father because he allowed his fears to overwhelm him—leading to the murder of his youngest son. Taking revenge on Gideon for the act was the only thing that afforded him any comfort for his failings. Leo knew what he did was wrong, but would gladly do it again. It stands to reason that those very thoughts were the cause of the other Elders stripping him of all powers and making him mortal again. But he couldn't help it.

Ever since Phoebe had blurted out that Chris was his son, all he wanted to do was get to know him and protect him, as a father should. When Chris told him that he didn't think that he came to save their relationship, it hurt to know that his son felt abandoned by him. Leo hoped desperately that it was not true, but the look in Chris' watery blue depths told him otherwise. Every time he looked at the tiny bundle with shining green eyes, he vowed silently that he would be a good father to this version of his son.

Piper waved her hand in front of his face. "Leo? Did you hear me?"

Leo was lost in thought as he heard his wife calling his name. He closed his eyes dreading the truth that needed to flow from his lips. When he opened them again, they were full of unshed tears. He took a deep breath and sat up. His voice faltering, "Piper. There's something I need to tell you."

Piper immediately panicked at his words and sat up, "What is it?"

"I didn't take him back—because there was nothing to take back. I didn't tell you how Wyatt was taken. Chris was trying to protect him, but...but Gideon...he stabbed him. He called out to me—but not for himself, but because Gideon was taking Wyatt. Gideon's magic wouldn't allow me to heal him. And he died. I couldn't...save...my son, Piper."

Piper looked like she was in shock for a moment before his words hit her. "Noooo. No, no, no, no---my baby!" Leo tried to wrap his arms around Piper and comfort her, but she ferociously pushed him away and jumped up from the bed. Angry tears streamed down her face as she turned and blasted the dresser on the far side of the room. The destruction woke both children from the nursery, who immediately protested with simultaneous wailing. Piper heard their cries, but was too distraught with her own grief to attempt to comfort them.

Leo jumped off the bed and went to console the frightened children.

Phoebe and Paige came rushing in when they heard the crash. They stopped at the intense anger their sister was directing at them.

Piper hissed at them, "You. Knew. Didn't you? How could you all keep something like that from me. MY SON WAS MURDERED, and you thought it wasn't IMPORTANT enough for me to know!"

Paige was in tears by this point, but still tried to explain, "Piper, that's not why we didn't tell you. You were dying in the hospital and we didn't think you needed any more stress..."

"You had NO RIGHT to keep it from me. Just GET OUT! Leave me the hell alone before I do something I'll regret later."

Leo treaded timidly back into the bedroom after quieting the children. "Piper, please don't be mad at them. I asked them not to tell you because I didn't want anything to happen to you or the baby. But please—forgive me. I didn't do it to hurt you."

Piper glared at him, "Did you NOT hear me? I said leave me alone—now!"

Leo hung his head down defeated as he stepped over the broken dresser and into the hallway. He winced as he heard the door slamming shut behind him.

At the bottom of the stairs, he sat with his in-laws as they listened to Piper's frantic pacing before she succumbed to her own exhausted sobs.

Phoebe reached for his hand, "Give her time, Leo. We'll help her through this. We just need to give her some time."

Over the course of the next few months, the Charmed Ones endured their oldest sister's bouts of hysterical crying one moment, and uncontrolled rage the next. Though the rage seemed to last longer when she found out that Gideon was already dead. She wanted to resurrect him so that she could kill him again. And again. And again. And again.

Piper didn't seem to level out her behavior and return to her normal self until a special visit by Grams.

"Sweetheart, you've got to calm yourself. You have two beautiful children who need their mother to raise them. You can't go on like this."

"I know, Grams. It's just so hard because he gave up everything for his family, including his own life. And to know that he didn't even get to reap the rewards of his sacrifices? That he just ceased to exist as he was? That's not fair! And there's nothing I can do about it. You of all people know what it's like to be a mother, and not be able to protect your own child from harm. I feel so helpless. And you know how I hate not being in control."

Penny tenderly grabbed her chin to make Piper look up, "No, it's not fair, Honey. But you're right. You can't fix it. And the only way for you to be in control is to recognize the sacrifice he made for all of you. Honor him by living your life the way you always have. Be the mother that he knew and loved to those darling little boys you have."

Piper had been having difficulty adjusting ever since her husband had broken the news to her. But now as she looked into her Grandmother's eyes, she realized that she was right. She didn't want her boys to grow up hating her for her rash and unpredictable behavior. She knew that in order to give her boys the life they deserved, she would first have to learn to forgive herself for not protecting him. And then by forgiving her family for trying to do the same for her.

That night at dinner, Piper apologized for her uncharacteristic behavior over the past several months. She forgave, and was forgiven. But most importantly, she had begun to heal.

Nearly seven months after Chris' birth, the three Charmed sisters are in the attic fighting off a very unlucky demon.

Piper flexed her fingers and tried to blow him up, but he shimmered away too quickly.

Moments later, he reappeared on the other side of the attic with an athame in his hand. He swiped at Paige, but she managed to duck. She wasn't fast enough, and felt her arm go limp as the knife sliced through vital nerves and tendons.

As the demon was distracted with trying to finish off the wounded witch, Phoebe levitated and kicked the athame out of his hand. He spun around and backhanded her just as Piper got a fix on him and blew him to ashes.

Piper and Phoebe walked over to their sister and helped her over to the couch.

Paige grimaced at the pain in her arm, "Damn. I wish the other Elder's hadn't stripped Leo of his powers. I could do with some healing right now."

Phoebe examined the wound closely, "Sweetie, this is really deep. I think we need to get you to the hospital."

Piper sighed, "I'll call Leo and tell him where we're going." She turned and looked upward, "LEO!"

Paige looked at her oldest sister sadly, "Honey, that's why we got him a cell phone. He can't hear us anymore."

Piper rolled her eyes and blew out a frustrated breath, "Yeah right. I keep forgetting. I'm just so used to calling him that way. DAMN THEM!"

Even without being an active empath anymore, Phoebe knew that she would have to say something to placate her sister's fiery temper at the Elder's actions. "Piper, at least something good came out of the Elder's making Leo mortal again..."

Piper glared at her, "What?"

Phoebe tried to reason, "You've got your husband back—full time. Both of your children will get to know their father, and you'll get to grow old with him."

The oldest sister snorted angrily. "And they've also put him in more danger! He's completely human with no defensive powers or ability to orb—in a house full of demons constantly attacking no less!" Angrily, she flipped open her cell phone and hit the speed dial number for her husband.

Leo stared strangely at his new phone screen when it id' his wife's number, as she didn't normally call him during his bonding time with the boys. He answered on the second ring, "What's up, Piper"

Piper heard the worried tone in his voice and immediately tried to relieve him, "Don't worry, we're ok." Knowing that cell phone lines weren't completed secure, they had made up codes to inform the others of "unusual" activity. "Paige slipped on one of the "floorboards" in the attic, and got cut on a "nail." We're going to take her to the hospital to go get stitches."

From her coded words, he understood that to mean that Paige was injured in a demonic attic seriously enough to warrant medical intervention. Leo shifted the children in his arms as he replied, "I'm coming home right now."

Piper: "No, no. You keep the boys out and have a good time. We'll be fine. We're just gonna...Oh my"

Leo: "Piper? Piper? What's going on?"

Piper: "Uh, I'll call you back..." Without waiting for a response, she hurriedly ended the call.

In the park, Leo was starting to panic. He had heard the swooshing sounds in the background, as well as the sharp intake of Piper's breath just before his wife hung up the phone. He quickly bundled the youngest Halliwell in his carrier and reached for Wyatt's hand. "Come on buddy, your Mommy may need help."

Walking behind a bush where no one could see, he asked for Wyatt's help to orb. "Wy? Can you take us to Mommy and Aunt Phoebe and Paige? They need us right now..."

Wyatt looked at him strangely and snatched his hand form his father's, "Daaah!"

Leo let out a disappointed sigh as his son petulantly stomped over to the jeep, reaching for the door handle. "I guess that's a no."

Piper placed her hand over her mouth as she saw the glowing triquetra on the attic wall. A familiar figure stepped through grinning mischievously. "I heard you guys are in need of a Whitelighter?"

Piper gasped in shock before yelling out, "Chris!" She ran over excitedly and wrapped her arms around him, punctuating each word with a kiss, "Oh. My. Baby. I. Thought. you. were. dead."

Phoebe and Paige screeched when they saw him, but stood back to let his mother welcome him first. When Piper finally released him, Phoebe and Paige immediately grabbed to hug him as well.

Though Chris was just as happy to see them, he pried his aunts from him and reached for Paige's arm. He spoke as he held his hand over it, "Here. Let me get that for you."

Piper said incredulously, "You can heal! But, how? I thought it wasn't possible for you?"

Chris said proudly, "This time around, I had a father who cared enough to teach me." Looking around the room, he asked distractedly, "Speaking of, where is Dad, and me for that matter?"

Piper answered offhandedly, "He took the boys out for an afternoon in the park."

Phoebe ignored his question and gave him a playful punch on the arm, "I knew you didn't die. I knew you just went back after you faded away. Is it beautiful? How about my baby? Is it a girl or boy?"

Chris looked down and shuddered, avoiding his mother's eyes. "I did die." Walking over to stare out of the window, he absently crossed his arms. "I felt myself slipping away. Could faintly hear Dad telling me stay with him, but I just couldn't. When everything got dark, I was scared of dying. But mostly, I was afraid of failing in the one thing I came to do."

Piper felt her heart breaking at his admission. She padded softly over to him and took his face in her hands, "Oh, Sweetie, But you did it! You saved your brother and the future. I'm so proud of you."

Chris looked away as his eyes welled up, "But that just it, Mom. I didn't. Some things changed, but not Wyatt. That's why I'm here now—I failed. How can you ever be proud of me. I didn't accomplish anything. All I did was to let everyone down. "

"Chris, you could never let us down." Piper looked to her sisters who both nodded emphatically.

"You don't understand, Mom. It's my fault. I'm the reason Wyatt turned. I did this to him..."

"No Chris, I don't believe that. So you're right, I do NOT understand. I think you need to start from the beginning."

"When I died, I didn't feel anything anymore. I expected others to be waiting for me, but there was no one. And after a while of waiting, only Clarence came..."

Phoebe interrupted, "Wait, the janitor Clarence?"

"He was never a real janitor. He was an Angel of Death. He said before—you know when I almost erased myself—was because I was a special case and was going to die outside of my time. Well anyway, he said that I needed to go back to the future and see what I had done. He wasn't mad or anything, and he never really explained where I was during that time. Just that I had to go back. When I got there, nothing much had changed. I had some new memories, but that's about it."

Paige poked her chin out in confusion, "But you remembered both time lines?"

"Yeah. And that was really hard to reconcile both sets of memories with the other. It felt like I had two different people in my head all of the time. I thought I was going crazy. So if I don't get it right this time, I'll probably be pretty comfortable in a loony bin."

Piper recalled the incident when she herself was classified as insane. She shivered unconsciously, "Oh no. I know what that's like. I will not have you going through that."

The former empath scratched her head, still not getting the gist of his statement. "But how is Wyatt turning your fault?"

"Because," he began in frustration, "apparently—I've done this before. Did Dad tell you his theory of why Wyatt turned?"

Piper huffed, as this was still a sore spot for her. "Yes. Eventually."

"Well, he was on the right track when he thought that the trauma of Gideon trying to kill him is what turned Wyatt evil. But it wasn't quite accurate. It was actually the trauma of seeing Gideon--kill me."

Understanding dawned in Piper's eyes as she stuttered "But...But, that would mean..."

Chris interrupted her thought process, "That he has already started to turn? Yes."

"How do you know all this?" Phoebe asked with an air of suspicion.

"Because when I went back, I knew where to look this time. I still had my memories of my time here, and that Gideon was somehow responsible. When I was first here, Wyatt eventually came to like me. Trust me. Depend on me even. Look, Wyatt is "special". He is more perceptive than any other two-year old because he's twice blessed. And because of that fact—even at his age, Wyatt knew he was vulnerable because Gideon pierced his shield. He was depending on me that day to protect him. But then I got myself killed right in front of him and he lost faith in everything. Everything except that only the most powerful are the ones who survive. It wasn't real noticeable when we were kids, except for the occasional personal gain things. It wasn't until, well I guess you already know, but after Mom died, that he kind of lost it completely."

"What do you mean he lost it?" his mother asked hesitantly, almost afraid of the answer.

"He started with the power trip. He said that as powerful as you were, you still couldn't save yourself because you couldn't allow yourself to be "free", as he put it."

"Free?"

Though Phoebe posed the question, Chris answered Piper. "You never let the "evil" consume you. Didn't embrace both the good and the dark sides of yourself. He said that wasn't going to happen to him. So he did embrace them—and started terrorizing everyone and everything in his path that refused to be like him. And the rest, as they say, is history. Or I guess in your case, future?"

Paige finally spoke after digesting the information, "So what are we gonna do?"

Chris looked at her honestly, "I don't know. I haven't figured that part out yet." Just as he finished his sentence, Leo burst into the attic door prepared to fight if necessary. Chris smiled at him warmly, "Hi Dad. Long time no see."

TBC...