Getting to know you

Summary: One-shot. The missing scene in "Midnight rendezvous"; Piper-Chris interaction when she finds out Chris is her son. Overly done, I know… but it's just one of those moments that authors leave blank so fan fictionist can write about. Please Read and Review.

Disclaimer: I still don't own charmed and I seriously doubt I'll ever will.

Getting to know you

Chris heard her yelling… he sighed…well it was expectable…it had to be a shock for anyone to find out she was pregnant in such an unexpected way, right?

"And worst with ME" he thought. "She must want to kill herself… god she hates me…and this news is going to kill her! She won't believe it… she will tell me I am lying again… God Chris, get a grip!" He yelled at himself when he realized he was hyper ventilating, he breathed deeply twice trying to calm himself "This is Piper, not mom, remember that… this is PIPER and you are here for WYATT, anything is worth the sacrifice… even seeing your mom… NO PIPER…even seeing Piper's abhorrence look on her face when she finds out she is pregnant with you."

He walked into the room fearfully…

"Is this a bad time?" He barely managed to say, the fear and tension obvious in his face and tone of voice.

"Come on Christopher, you are tough… you can do this!" He scolded himself, but he barely could! He felt like a five year old again, staring at his mom whenever she caught him lying, but now, the punishment was worst than with any lie… I mean, you are always scared your parents will stop loving you, but… this time… she might… she might tell him that she doesn't want to see him again…like she did before "It's as easy as an abortion, mom…" he thought trembling.

She was looking at him, in awe… she didn't say a word… and it was killing Chris.

"She hates me I know it!" He pretended not to care but he couldn't, he cared… this was MOM, it wasn't Piper… Piper was always mom…

And she kept on looking at him… not a word… she started walking to him, slowly, oh so slowly. While Chris' heart was racing…he could actually see it pumping out of his body… tuputum tuputum… and she was walking slowly, oh so slowly.

Chris leaned on the door frame to keep his balance…her eyes still fixed in his gaze and he couldn't managed to look away…

"Mommy, please don't hate… please don't hate me…" the childish side of his brain was screaming "Shut up, you weak nuisance." Another part of his brain was yelling in response.

Her eyes got watery as she walked towards him, she was almost there… and tears started streaming through her face.

"OH GOD, MOM PLEASE DON'T CRY!" He thought to himself, though he didn't realize he had thought it out loud. When he did, he covered his mouth "Sorry…I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to!"

His face couldn't hide how heart broken he was, how scared he was, even if he was trying not to show it.

Piper could see he was trying, and she felt bad about it; her baby shouldn't feel obliged to hide his feelings… and she wanted to tell him… she wanted to tell her how proud she was… how happy she was to know her baby was going to grow up to be such an splendid human being…how proud she was to know her son was going to risk everything, even his own conception to save his brother. Still she couldn't emit a sound…She didn't even realize she was crying until he talked. Her heart stopped for a second and an electrifying, yet amazingly pleasant sensation ran through her body when she heard him calling her mom.

"Please don't cry…you can get rid of me… just let me live so I can save Wyatt… that's all… just let me save Wyatt and then…"

He was fighting against the tears and Piper forced herself to snap out of her trance, her baby needed her… how could she let him say things like that? "Are you just going to stare at your baby while he suffers? While he thinks you want to get rid of him… Do you know how painful that must be?" Her own offended voice dinned in her head.

She raised her hand and touched his cheek lovingly, Chris closed his eyes when he felt the physical contact. Piper could feel he was shaking.

"Shhh" she managed to say.

"I am sorry…" He said looking at her…his eyes were glassy too.

She reached up and kissed his cheek, then put her index finger over his mouth "Shhh…just let me look at you…everything is going to be alright now Chris, ok?" She whispered and he swallowed hard.

She combed his bangs out of his face and gently grabbed his hands, leading him inside the room. She gave her sisters a significant look and sat beside him on the bed.

"Just call us if you need something, we'll be right here!" Phoebe said with a huge smile.

"Yeah, right outside the door ears dropping!" Piper answered.

Phoebe just closed the door.

Piper looked at her son; really look at her son for the first time. What always seemed like a tough, rough, apathetic, unemotional, cold, neurotic, distressed young man now suddenly turned into a scared, hurt boy that was forced to pretend not to care in order not to get hurt, to keep on going. Not neurotic but worried about a cause that could mean saving or dooming the world. Someone that was forced to be detached and emotionally unavailable because his feeling were confusing and hurting him more than he could bear. He wasn't even a young man, he was almost a boy… and so brave… and now he was shaking… she had seen him face the most scary demons without even flinching, but looking at her… he was scared to death, and she could see it, and felt moved… the boy cared soo much about her, she could see it now… and she had been so cruel to him…

So cruel with him…she'd never felt worst in her life… and the little boy in front of her was trembling and she could even hear his heart racing. Yet she couldn't even articulate a word? "Piper…you better make sure his pain and fear stops, RIGHT NOW!" She ordered herself.

"I am sorry!" She said putting his hand on hers and smiling at him "It's just so hard to articulate the words right now… I guess it was quite a shock you know? I really…"

"I know…you must be disappointed and you must be wondering how such an awful person could come out of your body, and that you hate me and that you don't want me to be your son and…" Chris said staring at the wall.

Piper tried to stop him at least three times while he was talking, finally she grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her and then proceed to cover his mouth.

"DON'T YOU EVER, EVER, EVER say something like that about yourself in my presence again, you understand, young man? Nobody speaks about my son like that!" She said scolding him, but still lovingly. Chris nodded since her hand was still covering his mouth. Chris was still shaking "Calm down, Chris, everything is going to be fine, I promise." She stood up and caressed his hair and kissed his forehead. "Just calm down baby, mom is here now!" She said, half because she meant it, half because she was hoping that's what he wanted to hear. And apparently it was, because Chris automatically relaxed a little. Piper put her hand on his scalp and gently leaded him to rest his head on her abdomen. She was standing in front of him; he was seated on the bed, resting his body on hers. She caressed his hair systematically.

"Much better now" She said with a small smile. "What I wanted to say before you interrupted me with all your nonsense was that I really never expected for you to be my son… you are just too good, too heroic, to altruistic…I donno… I think I could never do what you did, and I am so proud of you. And I know I was hard on you a LOT of times, and I was mean and I feel SOOO HORRIBLE ABOUT IT… I didn't mean to hurt you…not even when I didn't know who you were, you know that, right? I was just scared… you were telling me that my son was evil… and that's a hard thing to deal with…"

"I know…how do you think I felt when I realized MY brother was evil? You have known WY for a year…I knew him for a LOT LONGER" He mumbled sadly in her belly.

"I am sorry, baby." She said broken hearted.

"Me too… I love Wy … I love him a lot… that's why I am going this… I would never hurt him… I promise… I would never… it's like if you hurt one of the girls!"

"Well… my sisters are not the source of all evil!" She chuckled sadly.

"My brother won't be… not any more… I am going to SAVE HIM" He snapped.

"WE are going to save him" She said softly "Touchy subject, uh?"

"Well try being the son of a charmed one and an elder and the brother of the evil ruler of the world in my world!" He chuckled uncomfortable and shrugged.

"Not easy, right?" She smiled lovingly and sympathetically "You are remarkable you know?" She said caressing his face "And not just cuz you are my son… I always thought you were remarkable… well… not always, but when I could look at you objectively I thought you were remarkable… I never told you, because… well… I am not the sort of person that does that, besides, you were always so emotionally unavailable that I thought if I told you that you would yell or smack me." She snickered.

"I would never smack you! But yeah… I wouldn't have reacted nicely."

"Why? Why you had to always be so distant and unapproachable? I can see now that you are not like that."

"I had to…I couldn't let it affect me… you know how hard it was… to live with your mistrust, with you hatred even… I am not as strong as everybody believes I am! I am not… I am not remarkable!"

"Of course you are, my boy, and the fact that you don't realize it, makes you even more remarkable!"

Piper kneeled in front of him and kissed his forehead.

"I am sorry, I am so so so so so so so so sorry and I know you'll probably never be able to forgive me for hurting you like that…and I am not going to use a lame excuse like I didn't know who you were, cuz that's no excuse… but I was always proud of you, I always thought you were hard worker and committed, maybe just too committed, but I didn't know anything about you, and I was being protective of my son… I will do the same for you once you are born… I bet you already know that."

"Nothing is more important than my sons… yeah I think I heard that a couple of times!" Chris finally smiled at his mom and she was glad. "I know mom… no need to apologize, you did what you thought it was best with the information you had."

"And I hurt you in the process, my sweet boy." She caressed his cheek. "My son… my adorable… unbelievable… amazing son." Their eyes met and there was a sparkle in Piper's that Chris hadn't seen in years.

"It doesn't matter." He said coldly backing away from her touch.

Piper saw the fear masked in his eyes and decided to try a different approach, she wasn't planning on torturing her son any more than necessary, if he needed time, he was going to give it to him; it was the least she could do.

"So how long ago Paige and Phoebe found out about this?" She said sitting down beside him.

"A few weeks…"

"You told them?"

"THEY BUST ME!"

"Figures…" She chuckled.

"Well sort of…" He shrugged uncomfortable.

"Tell me…" Piper smiled happily, being uncomfortable was at least showing something some feelings.

"Well Phoebe had a vision…I don't know what she saw…but she asked me…and…I don't know I guess she caught me in a weak moment and I confessed… see I told you I wasn't remarkable."

Piper tried to touch him but he backed away slightly, she didn't show him how hurt she was. "Why not? Because you had a weak moment? Or because you told your aunt she was your aunt? You are allowed to have weak moments Chris! That doesn't make you less remarkable, that makes you more human!" Piper saw Chris shifting uncomfortable. "And Paige?"

"Well…" he blushed "Let's not talk about that one… ok?"

"Why not?" She smiled "Mr. Superhero is embarrassed?" She laughed.

"You are NOT going to like it!" He said a little bit more cheery.

"Hmm I'll get to scold my second son for the first time… I am already exited!" She teased.

"MOOOMM…" He slipped without realizing it. Piper smiled broadly, he shrugged uncomfortably "I am sorry!" He said.

"Why? For making me happy? I am your mom, Chris, and nothing makes me happier than hearing you saying it!" Piper said lovingly and Chris smiled happily and shyly. " I know it's hard baby…" She looked at him in the eyes "and I am not going to push you to do anything, or let anybody force you to do things at someone else's speed, you take the time you need, sweetie, and we'll be here waiting with open arms. But no need to restrain yourself either… I know it's scary…but I am not going to let anything or anybody hurt you anymore… I promise, ok?" Piper could see the fear in his eyes, he wanted to look away, but she wouldn't let him. "Ok?" He started trembling again. "You are scared of getting close to us?" He shrugged "Aren't you?"

"Sometimes." He whispered barely audible.

"It's understandable, baby!"

"I am really scared of getting close to you, mom…it's harder than you think."

"Poor boy!" She caressed him, he didn't back away this time "I'll wait…and if you takes a little longer…I'll keep on waiting… and I'll wait till I don't have to wait anymore…FOR YOU… I have all the time in the world"

"Piper… I know you… I grew up with you…and you have hundreds of good qualities… patience is not one of them!" He arched his eyebrows and smiled.

"Well… I guess I'll have to develop it then… right?"