Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed
Gift
Chris smiled as he watched his mother potter about in the kitchen. In the future, he would often help her, but sometimes he and Wyatt, before he went evil anyway, would take delight in sitting back and watch her go for miles just by going back and forth to cupboards.
"You could help you know." She said, smiling slightly.
"Nah, I used to enjoy watching you faf about, I think it's funny, especially when you get to the pot and realise you've forgotten to pick up a herb. Like you're about to do." He said, grinning, as he watched her read the recipe with a scowl on her face.
"Ok smart alec, I'll throw you over the room again." She said sternly, and he winced.
"You do know I'm sorry for that don't you sweetie?" she asked nervously.
"Yeah, and you were pretty pissed. It still hurt though." He said ruefully.
"Thats why you don't piss off an earth Goddess." She said.
Chris got off the stool and handed her the herbs she needed, knowing them off by heart.
"How do you know what herbs to give me?" she asked curiously.
"Like I told you, we cook all the time in the future. We have to, Wyatt's useless in the kitchen, he got dad's genes." Chris said.
Piper smiled slightly as she made her Moroccan stew. Chris cut everything the way she needed it, and put it in when it started to bubble.
"I taught you well didn't I?" she asked happily.
"Yeah, you did mom. Mom, it seems to me like we don't have a pudding for tonight..." he said suggestively.
Piper smiled slightly.
"I suppose I did promise you we could make the chocolate cake. Alright, get the stuff." She said, clearing away the stuff from the stew.
Chris and Piper made the cake in record time, him happy to show off how much she had taught him before she had been killed. Piper enjoyed watching her son cook, and was delighted when he told her of a new way to make the cake even more chocolaty than it normally was, which she had apparently taught him.
"I didn't do badly with you did I?" she asked uncertainly, and Chris hugged her slightly.
"No mom, you didn't." He said, smiling.
Piper cleared away some of the stuff as she put the cake under a cover.
"You don't have to be so nice sweetie. I..."
Chris shook his head.
"Mom, I've already told you it doesn't matter, ok? I forgive you. I did as soon as the bruise vanished. You are my mom. Besides, family shouldn't bear grudges. Not even when you find out what really happened to that leather jacket you like." He said with a grin.
Piper looked at him curiously.
"What did happen to that?" she asked, interrupted from feeling guilty by the question that vexed her in lax moments.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" he teased, sticking his tongue out.
Piper flicked some water at him and he retreated from the kitchen, giggling, knowing that question would annoy his mother for the rest of the day.
Chris went into deep thought as he walked through the house. He wanted to do something nice for his mother, to let her know that he forgave her for her earlier coldness, her and his aunts. And he also wanted to thank them for helping him through his nightmares, and convincing him to open his heart to them again, as he felt loved, and that he was making up for everything Wyatt's evil had taken from him in the future. And then, the idea came to him. It was soon going to be the anniversary of the death of his aunt Prue, and he knew they still hadn't seen her. As such, he wanted to give them something nice, and he knew Phoebe and his mom would love to see their big sister again, and she knew Paige had always wanted to meet Prue too. Smiling, he decided to get to work.
He orbed upstairs, as he had to find out if the ban the Elders had imposed on them being able to summon Prue had lifted.
"Chris, what are you doing here?" Leo asked curiously as he saw his son.
Chris looked at his dad. Their relationship had certainly taken a turn for the better since he had vowed to protect and love his son, when Chris' nightmares had come out and it had revealed that in the future he and Melinda had been wanting to kill him.
"Hi...dad. You cant be here." Chris said uneasily.
"I'm an Elder. How cant I be here?" Leo asked in confusion.
Sandra, one of the other Elders, was watching the exchange between father and relatively estranged son with an amused glance.
"I need to ask the Elders something, and you cant be here. So...home!" Chris said, orbing him to the manor, over his protests.
Sandra smiled slightly as Chris came up to her.
"That wasn't very nice Chris." She said, mock sternly.
"You know who I am?" Chris asked.
"Yes, your father was booking his paternity leave for when you're born. This is very confusing." She said, looking slightly strained.
"Hey, you don't have to live it. Imagine what will happen when I'm born." Chris said, and Sandra nodded, conceding the point.
"So, what can I do for you? As your father apparently cant know what you're up to. If this is to do with a demon, son or not, your dad may not be appreciative of being kept out of the loop." She warned.
Chris shot her a dirty look.
"Look, they know why I sent them after all those demons now. And why do all of you assume that's all I want? Is it such a stretch of the imagination to think I might want something else?" he asked, sounding uncertain.
Sandra looked apologetic.
"I apologise Chris. It was wrong to assume. So, as you clearly don't have another demon you want to send your family after to protect your brother, what can I do for you?"
Chris didn't respond, and Sandra clasped his shoulder.
"Chris, I spoke out of turn. And your family doesn't think that's all you do, especially now. Piper wouldn't have tried to help you if she didn't care a lot for you in the first place would she? So don't worry. Your family understands why you send them after demons and don't think you're just someone who drops in every now and again in order to ask for things, trust me." She said, assuaging his fears slightly.
"Thanks. Anyway, I want to do something nice for them, so that's why I need your help. And dad out of the way." He said.
"Really? And how can I help?" she asked curiously.
"By telling me if the ban on them summoning aunt Prue is lifted." He said simply.
"Oh, you want to conjure your aunt to see your other aunts and your mother? Oh that's so sweet." She said, going off on a tangent.
Chris rolled his eyes, then cleared his throat suggestively.
"Oh sorry. Yes, we lifted it when Cole was vanquished for good. I forgot to tell Leo, that's all. You can summon her any time you wish. But I advise against Thursdays, she, Penny and Patty go to a spa on a Thursday." She advised, before walking off.
Chris looked at the departing Elder in confusion. They went to a spa despite being dead? Weird. Happy with the answer, he orbed off.
XX
Leo looked longingly at the chocolate cake.
"You touch that I'll blow your fingers off." Piper warned as she made up a bottle for Wyatt.
"I think Chris orbed me here as a test...to see how long before I crack and go for the cake."
Piper smiled.
"At least you two are talking, it makes a change from that dream where he and his sister wanted to kill you. And I doubt it, he helped me make it." She said, warming the milk.
"He did?" Leo asked curiously.
"Yeah. He's very good in the kitchen." She said.
"At least we raise another cook." Leo said.
"Apparently Wyatt doesn't cook much, he's yours definitely. Chris is mine." She said.
"Is there white chocolate in this too?" Leo asked, looking lovingly at the cake.
"Yes, it was Chris' idea. Paws off you. So why did he orb you here?" she asked, as she started to feed Wyatt, who was laughing in his chair.
"He wanted to ask the other Elders about something." Leo said sitting beside his other son and watching Piper feed him, while keeping an eye on the cake.
"Probably another demon hunt he wants us to go on." Piper said.
"Probably. He has a habit of that doesn't he?" Leo asked worriedly.
Piper sighed as Wyatt yawned.
"Yes, I think he does. I know he's doing it for us but..." she said, and then went pale as she heard a noise.
Chris was standing in the door, looking hurt.
"Oh Chris honey..." she began, but he orbed off.
"Oh not good." Leo said in concern, trying to follow him, but looking worried.
"What?" Piper asked, feeling horrible.
"I cant track him, he's blocked me." Leo complained.
Piper looked at where her son had vanished, feeling terrible.
"Please come back sweetie..." she said.
She had done a lot to make sure that her son opened up to her and enjoyed being with his family again, so she could try and make up for what had been taken from him. And now she was worried that she had just added another emotional wound to her troubled son.
XX
Chris orbed into the temp agency, his thoughts troubled. Did they really think that was the only reasons he came by? To get them to go demon hunting? Did they think he didn't enjoy seeing his family, or his brother? Being there to help his mother cook or look after Wyatt, or deal with whatever mess Phoebe or Paige had gotten themselves into most recently?
Miserably, Chris waited outside the office where Paige was, and she walked out a few seconds later.
"Hey sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked curiously.
"Aunt Paige, do you think I only orb in because I want you to go demon hunting?" he asked, sounding unhappy.
Paige looked at him in confusion.
"Of course not honey, why?"
Chris didn't answer.
"Chris, come on, talk to aunty Paige." She wheedled.
Chris shook his head.
"It's nothing. How soon can you get home?" he asked, still sounding unhappy.
"As soon as I can orb, why? Is something wrong?" she asked.
Chris shook his head.
"No, I just think you should get home soon." He said.
"Chris, you're scaring me, whats wrong?" Paige asked worriedly.
Chris hugged her.
"Nothing. Just go home." He advised and orbed out.
Paige looked worried. Something had upset him, and he didn't want to talk about it. Concerned, she orbed home.
XX
Piper was worried that she hadn't heard from Chris. After going through so much emotional hardships, hearing his own parents think he only came when he wanted to fight a demon wouldn't help. She had promised to protect him, and now she had hurt him herself. Wracked with guilt, she was pacing about the house, while Leo tried to sense him, but he had blocked his father out. Piper felt terrible. She knew why he sent them after demons, and hadn't he orbed in just this morning to help her cook? She knew it wasn't true, she had just been worried that he had gained her trait of obsessing...but it hadn't come out that way.
She heard someone orb behind her.
"Chris?" she asked hopefully.
Paige shook her head.
"No, he sent me here though. What's up?" she asked, seeing her sister was upset.
"Chris overheard Leo and I talking, and it came out as though we think he only shows up when he wants us to vanquish a demon. Of course we don't think that, but thats how it came out, and he heard, and now he might not talk to me again..." Piper moaned sadly, while Leo looked guilty.
"Oh Piper! You might as well have crowned a new Source!" Paige said angrily.
"I know!" Piper said exasperatedly, then sat down looking upset.
"Isnt that a bit dramatic?" Leo asked quietly.
Paige smiled.
"Yes, but I wanted to use that line on her ever since she used it on me." She said.
Leo rolled his eyes and Paige sat beside her sister.
"Look, Chris is a big boy, and he loves you to bits Piper. Of course he'll come back, trust me. And at least this explains why he looked miserable." She said, lost in her own train of thought.
"Did you hear that? We've made our own son miserable." Piper pouted.
Leo looked guilty, and Paige smiled.
"Look, he'll figure out eventually that it came out wrong, and you're just worried about him having picked up the obsessive gene, okay?" she said.
"I hope so." Piper said sadly.
Paige smiled. She knew Chris was a bit hurt by what he'd overheard, but she knew he'd come back. The only thing that worried her was why he had wanted her back here, as there were apparently no demon threats, so what was he up to?
XX
Chris orbed to the newspaper and entered the main room, heading for Phoebe's office.
"Hey aunt Phoebe." He said as he entered.
"Hey sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked in concern, feeling that he was unhappy.
"Um...how soon can you finish here?" he asked, trying to avoid it, though wanting to know what she thought too despite himself.
"A couple of minutes after I proof read my column. Why?"
"Well go home afterwards ok?" he asked, turning to go.
"Not so fast there mister. What's wrong? You don't seem happy, and as you've been quite happy, I want to know whats upset my favourite nephew." She said.
Chris sighed.
"Do you think I only appear when I want you to go demon hunting?" he asked sadly.
Phoebe looked at him in shock.
"Well, you do drop in when you want us to fight demons, yeah, but..."
"So that's a yes then?" Chris asked sadly.
"I didn't say that." Phoebe protested.
"Doesnt matter. Just go home ok?" he said and orbed out.
Phoebe looked at where he had disappeared from sadly. She hadn't meant to upset him, and clearly something had already set him off. Sighing, she just used spell check, hoping that there were no major problems, and posted it. She then headed out.
"Phoebe, where are you going?" Elise asked curiously.
"Home to unupset my nephew I hope." She said, hoisting up her bag.
"Wyatt?" Elise asked curiously.
"No, Chris, I'll explain later." Phoebe said and left the office.
Elsie looked at Phoebe's assistant.
"I thought she only had one nephew?" she asked.
"Dont ask me boss, you're as confused as I am." The assistant said, throwing her hands up in defeat.
"Bizarre woman." Elise commented, going back to work whilst contemplating her friend's many oddities.
XX
Phoebe entered the house and was immediately beset by Piper.
"Have you seen Chris?" she demanded.
"No, he told me to come here. Why?" she asked worriedly.
"He overheard me and Piper talking, and we said something wrong, and we upset him." Leo admitted, looking forlorn.
"Oh, did you say something about him appearing when he wants us to vanquish someone?" Phoebe asked, the situation becoming clear.
"Yes. Did he ask you too?" Paige asked.
"Yeah." Phoebe sighed.
"And how did you answer?" Leo demanded.
"I said sort of..." Phoebe muttered.
"Phoebe!" Piper yelled.
"Phoebe!" Leo scolded.
"Phoebe!" Paige berated.
"Alright, don't all 'Phoebe' me at once, I feel really bad now! I said sort of and he orbed out before I could explain." She said sadly.
"Phoebe! You might as well have crowned a new Source yourself!" Paige said exasperatedly.
"Oh." Phoebe moaned, holding her head in shame, as Paige looked slightly happy.
"You're mean to your sisters." Leo whispered.
"I know." She said happily.
There was then a noise from upstairs.
"Demons?" Leo asked in concern.
"Chris?" Piper asked hopefully, and they all headed upstairs.
They entered the attic to find Chris at the book, with a pentagram of candles. He didn't look up.
"Chris honey..." Piper began.
"Hear these words, hear my cry
Spirit from the other side
Come to me, I summon thee
Cross now the great divide."
She was distracted as shimmering white orbs appeared within the centre of the candles. A beautiful woman appeared, with long black hair and piercing green eyes. She smiled.
"Prue?" Piper asked, gobsmacked.
"Well it's about time you lot summoned me." She said, stepping out of the circle and embracing her little sister as she became corporeal.
Chris looked on happily as Prue hugged her sister.
"Oh I've missed you so much." Prue said, standing back from Piper.
"I've missed you too..." Piper said, tears of happiness in her eyes.
"Prue!" Phoebe cried happily and Prue hugged her little sister.
"Hey Pheebs. I love what you've done with your hair!" She said happily, hugging her.
"Oh we've both missed you so much." Phoebe said as they broke apart.
"Oh I've missed you too sis." She said, standing back from her sisters, and turning to Leo.
"Hey Prue." He said, smiling.
And she then flicked him from the room irritably.
"Ow!" Leo cried from outdoors.
"Prue!" Piper exclaimed in shock.
"You deserved that Leo! You bastard! Walking out on my sister!" Prue scolded.
"Very sorry, wont happen again." Leo said from outside.
Chris was happy that he had made his mother and aunt so happy, and despite them fixing their relationship, he had to admit it was fun seeing his dad getting thrown around by a dead lady.
Satisfied that she had dealt with her big sisterly duties, she turned to see her strawberry blonde half sister.
"And you must be Paige." Prue said.
"Yeah...thats me." Paige said uncertainly.
Prue walked over to her and took her by both hands.
"Then I want to thank you Paige. You kept this family together when I couldn't and I'll be forever grateful. You're just as beautiful as I imagined. And I couldn't think of a better witch to take my place." Prue said, smiling and embracing her littlest sister.
"Thanks." Paige said, eagerly embracing her big sister.
Prue stood back and surveyed her three sisters, tears of happiness clouding their eyes.
"Oh it's wonderful to be back, I've been wanting to meet you for ages Paige. We've got so much to catch up on!" Prue said.
"Welcome home Prue." Piper said fondly.
"So, who finally summoned me?" she asked curiously.
"That would be me." Chris said quietly.
Prue turned to face him, and looked at him curiously.
"And you are?"
"Chris...from the future." He said, giving his usual elusive answer, and saw regretfully that he had hurt Piper slightly.
"He's our nephew from the future." Paige said, smiling at him.
"Well hi then. I'm your aunty Prue." She said, and hugged him.
"Hey aunt Prue. You're great you know that?" he asked.
"Really?" she asked in confusion.
"Yeah. Every time my telekinesis goes wonky you're always there to help me." He said, and she touched his cheek.
"That's sweet. So, are you Piper's?"
Chris nodded, and Prue smiled.
"Oh great, another nephew. Speaking of which, where is my baby nephew?" Prue asked eagerly.
"Here he is." Leo said, coming in with Wyatt in his arms.
"That's low Leo, using your own son as a shield." Phoebe said sardonically.
"Oh I've finished with him, he's lucky it wasn't Grams who came down, she's furious with him. Hey baby." Prue said, holding her nephew for the first time.
"Chris..." Piper said, looking at him tearfully.
"I'll see you later." He said, and orbed out before she could stop him.
"Will I...?" Leo asked, and Piper nodded.
Prue then reached out as she rocked her nephew.
"No. Dont you see it yet Piper? Who he's like?" she asked, smiling slightly.
Phoebe's eyes widened.
"Oh, I've just noticed...he's like you Prue!" she exclaimed.
"Exactly. You've upset him somehow, and now he's going to cool off. I'll talk to him later." Prue promised handing Wyatt to Leo.
"Really?" Piper asked worriedly.
"He'll be fine Piper. And something makes me think summoning Prue is something he wanted to do before we upset him..." Leo said, looking guilty.
"Aw crap, now I feel worse." Piper complained.
"I wonder who taught him how to do that?" Prue asked, sending Phoebe a suggestive look.
Phoebe shot her a dirty look.
"Why're you blaming me?" she asked.
"Because you used to do that to Grams remember?" Piper asked, recalling the memory.
"Doesn't mean I taught him!" she said, heading out of the attic.
"Just once second missy! Dont think you've escape a talk about Cole!" Prue called, following her sister.
"Did you not trust him either?" Paige asked delightedly.
"No I didn't. You should have listened to us Phoebe!" Prue called.
"Yeah yeah yeah." Phoebe complained as she went down the stairs.
"You should have listened to us! Want to say 'I told you so'?" Paige asked happily.
"You've no idea." Prue said with a wide grin and the two of them headed down after their sister.
Piper looked up at the ceiling.
"Now I'm beginning to understand why we were raised in different places." She said, as she followed her sisters.
XX
"We told you so." Paige teased, to Prue's grin.
"Excuse me missy Paige, but you dated the Source too." Phoebe reminded her.
Paige shook her head.
"No dice, he was possessed. Your one actually was the Source." Paige said.
"Oh thank you for getting Shax by the way. I was rooting for you." Prue said, smiling.
"Youre welcome." Piper smiled.
"It was so hard..." Phoebe said sadly.
"I know. And I'm so sorry I left you all alone. But, look on the brightside...you discovered Paige." Prue said.
"Thank you." Paige said, smiling.
"And I was watching you all through your other big battles, especially with the Source. Well done on getting him." She continued.
"So..." Paige said hesitantly.
Prue shook her head.
"No. Dont you believe a word of what Barbas says. And you two shouldn't have been so mean to her when she brought him back. It was an accident." Prue reprimanded.
"God, you've gotten lenient being dead." Leo said as Wyatt giggled slightly.
Prue stuck her tongue out at him, and Piper smiled as she observed the scene, her entire family together. Now if she could only find her other son...
The doorbell rang, and Prue headed to get it. Piper was still pondering Chris' whereabouts as Leo went pale.
"Piper! Prue's gone to answer the door!" he hissed.
"Oh, not good!" Phoebe cried and the three ran through the hall.
Prue was already at the door and opened it, to reveal Victor.
"Dad, hi!" Prue said.
Victor's eyes bulged in shock, and then they rolled back into his head and he fainted.
"Prue! You're dead remember!" Phoebe scolded as she and Paige carried Victor into the house.
"That's right, I forgot." She said guiltily, shutting the door.
They put Victor on the couch and he slowly came to, then started when he saw Prue.
"Right, who brought my dead daughter back from the dead and didn't tell me?" he demanded.
"Your grandson. Hey dad." Piper said, hugging him.
"Wyatt?" Victor asked as Phoebe hugged him.
"No, Chris. You can meet him when we find him." Piper said, looking suggestively at Prue.
"Chris? Ok, confused." He said, looking perplexed.
"Her son from the future. He hasn't been born yet. Oh it's good to see you daddy." Prue said, and Victor hugged his eldest daughter.
"It's good to see you too sweetie, I've missed you. How're you doing?" he asked, looking uncertain.
"I'm fine dad. Being dead isn't so bad." She said with a wink.
Victor smiled as his eldest sat down beside him.
Piper looked at Leo, slightly concerned.
"Has he dropped his block yet?" she asked.
"Who?" Victor asked.
"Chris. He came from the future to save us, but he overheard me and Leo talking this morning and we upset him a bit." Piper said guiltily.
Prue rolled her eyes.
"Alright, I'll go talk to him then. What did you say?" she asked.
"He heard us say that he always seemed to come when he wanted us to vanquish a demon." Leo said, looking depressed.
"And I sort of agreed." Phoebe admitted.
"Aw, Phoebe!" Prue scolded.
"Why does everyone always 'Phoebe' me!? You're dead and you're doing it!" she complained.
"You three might as well have crowned a new Source yourselves!" Prue scolded, and astralled out, while Paige started to giggle.
Piper sighed.
"We didn't mean it." She said to her father.
"I guessed. Right, who's going to catch me up before I meet my grandson?" he asked hopefully.
XX
Chris was sitting on top of the bridge, looking down at the streets when his aunt flashed into existence beside him.
"Hey." She said, sitting down beside him.
"Hi." He said curtly.
"Want to talk?" she asked, looking nervously down at the street below.
"Do I really come across as someone who just appears when I want something? Do they think I'm just a user?" he asked sadly.
Prue put her arm around her nephew and brought him close to her, and he leaned his head against her shoulder.
"Look Chris...I don't know you very well but I can already tell that you're a lot like me. As such, you're just driven to protect your family, just like I was. Now, I know what you overheard earlier. And I know they didn't mean it. The thing is, your mother's just worried you've picked up the family gene for obsessing, and it came out wrong. That's all. Your mother knows why you keep them focused, and she loves you all the more for it. And don't listen to your aunt Phoebe, after all, she was silly enough to fall for the Source." She said, grinning.
"True." Chris conceded.
"She didn't mean it, it just came out all wrong, that's all. And I'll let you in on a little secret, because I know my sister...no matter how much she loves Wyatt and whatever other kids she winds up having, you will always be her favourite, I can tell you that now." She said, kissing his head.
"I've missed you aunt Prue." Chris said.
"So, you see a lot of me in the future?" she asked.
"Yeah...my telekinesis goes wonky a lot, and you're the one who understands me best after..."
"Your mom told me. Now, what do you say to going home, as I really don't think much of heights." She said worriedly.
Chris however didn't move.
"Chris?" Prue asked.
"I'm fine, its just...maybe I do really only appear when I want something, like when I want them to fight some demon or other." He admitted miserably.
Prue looked at her nephew sadly. She had had this problem herself, when she heard people say things about her, she began to wonder herself if they were actually true. And she knew of only one person who could bring him out of this self doubt. Kissing his head, she flashed out while Chris looked miserably down at the city.
XX
Prue came back to her body, and saw that Leo was busy talking to Victor, most likely catching him up on the entire Chris saga. Piper was pacing about nervously, while Paige looked after Wyatt and Phoebe looked guilty.
"Did he talk to you?" Piper asked urgently.
Prue nodded.
"Yeah...but something makes me think that however much he may love me, there's only one person who can fix this." She advised.
Piper smiled slightly.
"I figured. It occurred to me after you left that he's got all your traits and all of mine. Family means the most to both of us, and what he heard, after all he's been through, seems like his family is turning on him even though thats wrong. And I forgot that, and after he's had his brother turn on him, and lost his sister, and already has inferiority issues because of his brother, so us coming across in what we said as thinking hes only using us will make him feel useless and abandoned. Does that make sense?"
Prue looked at Piper with a slack mouth.
"I'll take that as a no. I know I'm right though." Piper said confidently.
"No the worst of it was the fact that it did make sense. And I'll tell you something Piper...he lives you to bits, trust me. You're the only one in his life who never turned on him, and you raised him. I reckon losing you really knackered him up." Prue consoled her sister, squeezing her hand.
"I know. Right, I'm going to go and talk to him. Leo, orb me to the bridge." Piper ordered.
Leo, who was with a befuddled looking Victor, nodded and orbed her away.
Prue smiled. She now realised that there was another reason she was here...to help her nephew and his mother communicate.
"Prue, take Wyatt for a second, he needs changed." Paige said.
Prue took her other nephew and laid him down.
"You know about babies?" Paige asked interestedly.
"Phoebe and Piper obviously didn't tell you about the little baby Phoebe brought home once." Prue said with a smile.
Prue then began changing Wyatt, then opened his nappy.
"Oh god! What the hell does Piper feed him?" she shrieked.
Paige laughed.
"We've been wondering the same thing trust me." She said, smiling.
Prue changed him, then Wyatt began to cry.
"Oh don't cry! I'm your aunty! What did I do?" Prue wailed.
Phoebe came in as Wyatt raised a shield.
"Demons. Leo! Bring dad in here and get him with Wyatt!" she ordered, as she and Paige stood at the bottom of the stairs.
Victor dashed through and reached through Wyatt's shield and took his grandson, rocking him gently.
"Ready to prove yourself Paige?" Prue asked with a grin.
"You mean ready to show you up? I reckon so." Paige grinned.
"Aw, look at you two bonding, that's so sweet!" Phoebe said happily.
There was then a horrible scream, and fur clad demons leapt down the stairs. They were covered in short, grey wiry fur. Their faces were deep brown, with narrow, yellow slit like eyes. One of them had two red stripes leading from his face to his fur. Then another group of the same demons arrived, though one now had blue lines. They gestured at the sisters and Leo, who glared up at them.
"Any clue?" Paige asked.
"Not a one." Phoebe responded.
The demons then opened their mouths as one and a terrible screech came out. They all staggered as the room distorted, and several of them leapt in to attack, kicking the four of them backwards so that they slammed against a wall. Prue rubbed her back as she sat up, then scarpered away from the wall.
"Oh, its that wall." She said, glaring at it as the others got to their feet.
"Prue!" Phoebe cried.
Prue turned and flicked an oncoming demon away from her. Phoebe levitated upwards, kicking two of the demons away from her. Leo then blasted two backwards with jolts of lightning.
"Impressive Leo." Prue said.
"Cheers." He said, as he held them off.
"Demon!" Paige yelled and orbed one back into a wall.
"Very good little sis." Prue complimented as she flicked another one away.
"Thank you. You're not so bad yourself, despite the fact you're dead." Paige grinned.
"Guys..." Phoebe gasped.
Another demon, this one clad in a deep grey cloak that shrouded his face, had arrived and was directing the other demons to attack them. It was floating on a dark stormy cloud, and a long, thin red claw was sticking out from its hand. It pointed at the three of them and Leo gulped.
"Guys...something makes me think that thing is from the future." He said worriedly.
"Meaning?" Prue asked.
"That there's a good chance that it was sent for Chris." Paige supplied.
"What do we do?" Phoebe asked as the demons, who were barely scratched, regrouped.
"Hold them off, and hope Chris knows how to vanquish these things." Prue responded, as the demons leapt.
XX
Chris was looking down at the traffic when Piper was orbed in. Looking at her son, she realised just how much like she and Prue he was. And she also knew from the expression on his face that what he had heard had upset him, most likely due to the trauma he had been through with his family in the future. And Piper could tell that she was the one he loved the most, more so than his brother even, most likely because she'd been killed and taken from him, the only parent he had known. She realised that he was very vulnerable to what his family thought about him, since he had revealed who he truly was. Now that he had opened his heart to loving them again, and they to him, he could no longer pass through how he had been, and could no longer use his coldness as a defence. As such, Piper had some work to do. She walked over and sat beside him, and without even saying anything she wrapped her hands around him and hugged him close.
She didn't say anything and just held him, and he moved up to curl up around her, feeling safe with her. She kissed his forehead gently.
"I'm sorry Chris." She said eventually.
"It's alright mom. You were right, I do..."
Piper pushed him up slightly and held his chin in her hand, making him look into her eyes.
"No you don't. Listen to me, look at me. You do not use us. You never did, and you never will. What you overheard earlier came out all wrong. I didn't mean it that way ok baby? Yes, I was worried that you were coming to get us to chase another demon. But I never really grasped why you do that. It's for Wyatt isn't it?" she asked gently.
Chris shrugged, still looking quite downcast.
"Partly. But a part of me keeps hoping that if I send you after enough demons, I'll eventually find the one who kills you...and then I'll be able to stop him so little me..." he broke off, tears choking him.
Piper was taken aback. She had thought that every demon he had had them chase had been solely for Wyatt's protection. It had never even occurred to her that he would be trying to find a way to ensure that the other him would grow up with a mother.
"You did all of that...for me?" she asked quietly.
Chris looked sadly at his mother and nodded.
"I've done most of it for you..." he whispered.
Piper felt a wrench in her heart as she realised how much her youngest son really loved her, enough to risk everything to make sure her firstborn son would not become a tyrant, enough to risk his own existence just to make the future just a little bit safer. And now she came to think of it, if she hadn't found out who he was before hand, there was a very high chance he wouldn't have been conceived at all. He had risked everything to save his family, his own existence. And she knew that she could never ask for a better son.
"Oh Chris..." she said softly and gathered him up in her arms and held him, his head on her shoulder.
She rocked her son gently, realising how much he'd gone through in order to keep his family safe, how much he'd risked...and how badly their indifference to him must have affected him. Her heart swelled with so much love, and she hugged him tightly to her, stroking his hair lovingly as he nuzzled into her.
"I...I am so sorry for what I said to you baby. And I love you...so so much. You've been through hell to get this far, and I'm sorry for all the times we've made it worse for you. And you were only doing it to protect us..." Piper sniffed.
Chris pulled away and smiled at her through his tears.
"Mom...the entire idea of my summoning aunt Prue was so you would stop feeling so guilty about how you treated me, I wanted to do something nice for you." He explained.
Piper kissed his cheek.
"You are sweet. But I'm going to kill your aunt Phoebe. Apparently she will eventually teach you the trick she used to use on Grams to get her to talk to her again. And you already know it, and you didn't even do anything bad." She said, cuddling him.
Chris grinned.
"Yeah...that's not the only thing she teaches us..." he said, grinning mysteriously.
She looked at him, and hundreds of Phoebe's bad habits sprang to mind that she could teach her kids.
"I need to find a decent babysitter." Piper said exasperatedly, and Chris snorted.
The two of them sat there, on top of the bridge, Piper just holding her son, when he suddenly tensed up.
"The others..." he said, and orbed her home.
XX
Prue flicked another one away, as Paige orbed another one backwards. Leo was holding them off with his electricity and Phoebe was kicking several of the furry things backwards. Victor was protected by Wyatt's shield, and Wyatt was screaming bloody murder as the demons repeatedly tried to get to his family. Meanwhile, the cowled figure was still directing the furry demons from the stairs, looking down on them imperiously.
"We're running out of places to retreat to Prue..." Phoebe warned as they were forced against the wall in the living room.
"Doesnt bother me, I'm already dead." Prue said cheerily.
"Yeah, but we aint!" Paige cried hysterically.
"And we'd rather not be." Victor added eagerly.
The demons were surrounding them, and the cloaked one was floating down the stairs to watch their demise.
"We're dead." Leo muttered, ready to orb Wyatt to Piper.
"Oh, more company!" Prue said happily.
"Not helping sis!" Phoebe retorted angrily.
"Oops, sorry." She said meekly, and Paige and Victor couldn't help but snigger.
There was then a glow and a furious looking Chris and pissed off Piper appeared in the living room, and Chris flicked several of the demons over the room, while Piper blew them backwards.
"About time!" Leo said grumpily.
"Need some help?" Piper asked as she and her sisters started blasting the furry demons back.
"It would be these things. Bloody beasts." Chris cursed, throwing another one across the room.
"What are they?" Leo asked as he fried another one.
"Screamer drones. We need to vanquish the Screamer Leader, they have stripes on their fur. Book of Shadows!" Chris exclaimed, orbing the book into his hands.
"How does that help? If you need a power of three, you'll be picked off by the other pack!" Victor said worriedly.
Chris smiled.
"Dont worry grandpa, we can pick and choose. Ready to reform the original power of three?" he asked.
Prue, Piper and Phoebe looked at each other, smiled, and nodded.
"How does that help us?" Paige asked as she orbed another one backwards, and feeling slightly left out.
"Dont worry aunt Paige, you're with me and Wyatt." He said, taking his brother from his grandpa.
The demons retreated slightly, and both groups reformed, and crouched down, ready to pounce.
Prue, Piper and Phoebe joined hands, while Paige joined hands with Chris, who was holding Wyatt. He floated the book in front of them, as the demons sprang, claws and teeth flashing.
"Now!" Prue yelled.
"Wrecking cry slice through the night
We banish these sights of terrible fright
Take them from this place and zone
And restore peace to this our home!"
The two powers of three magic worked. Prue, Piper and Phoebe's group leader fell to the floor, gave a piercing cry and exploded, taking his pack with him. Chris and Paige's one fell to the floor, rolled around and gave a final scream before blowing apart.
"Oh its good to be back." Prue said happily, as her sisters hugged her.
"Where's the other guy?" Victor asked in concern.
"Other guy?" Piper asked, as the cloaked demon came into the room.
Chris turned and froze up as the demon fixed its gaze on Piper. Not again...
Chris stepped forward, generating electricity from his hands, and swirling telekinesis around it. He gave the demon a look of pure hatred as he glared at it.
"Aunt Paige, cover Wyatt's eyes." He hissed.
He then fired the electro ball he was conjuring, and powerful electricity coursed through the demons body as it was thrown back from his family, slamming against the wall. Chris poured eight years worth of hatred into his electro ball, fully intending to kill the demon. Paige, shocked by the transformation of her nephew, had placed her hand over Wyatt's eyes, but he had pulled her hand down so he could see. Victor and Leo were watching in shock as Chris savagely electrocuted the demon, and Prue and Phoebe were looking at each other in surprise.
"Well, he definitely has Piper's temper." Phoebe commented.
Piper was looking at her son, and figured out who it was.
"I'm going to venture a guess, but I reckon thats the demon that killed me." She said quietly.
Chris continued to pour savage bolts into the demon as his family watched in shock as the demon writhed in pain. Chris advanced menacingly upon the demon and growled down at its shaking body as he continued to fill it with electricity.
"Is the portal closed?" he spat.
"YAAAS!" the demon cried in pain.
"Will Wyatt send anyone else after me?" he demanded, increasing the voltage.
"NOOOO!"
"Good."
Chris increased the voltage one last time and the light of the lightning was so bright that they couldn't see as Chris electrocuted the demon beyond recognition. Piper eventually paced forward, the flashing lights slowing her progress, and she took Chris arms and pulled him away slightly, turning his head towards her.
"Chris...honey!" she cried as he continued to pour hateful electricity from his fingers.
"Chris, it's ok...he's long gone." She said into his ear, turning his head away from the demon.
The electricity stopped, leaving only a blackened skeleton which was charred into dust in many locations. Chris stood there panting, as Piper wrapped her arms around him, holding him close as he calmed down. Leo looked at the skeleton with Victor.
"He definitely has his great-grandmother's temper." Victor commented, impressed.
"Yeah...combined with his mothers." Leo said, looking at the charred bones in shock.
"That's definitely my nephew." Prue said proudly.
"God...I've never felt so much hate from anyone before..." Phoebe said, looking frazzled.
"Now thats one hell of a power." Paige said, and in her arms, Wyatt nodded in agreement.
Piper rubbed his back lovingly as he returned to normal.
"I'm sorry mom, but that..." he said, his voice shaky.
"Was the demon who killed me? I figured." She said, kissing his cheek.
"You did well buddy." Leo said, hugging his son.
"And never apologise for protecting your family." Prue said, ruffling his hair fondly.
Chris took a deep breath and steadied himself.
"Hey there son." Victor said.
"Grandpa!" Chris exclaimed happily, hugging him.
"Nice to meet you." Victor said, slightly taken aback, as Paige orbed the skeleton to the underworld.
"Do you think Wyatt sent him back for you?" Phoebe asked as Chris and Victor separated.
Chris nodded.
"Yeah, but he wont send anymore. He wont have expected his best assassin to have failed, and even if he does, he knows that no one else will get close to killing us." He said confidently.
Phoebe then hugged him.
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier." She whispered, and Chris hugged her tightly.
"And so am I." Leo said, also hugging his son.
"Oh its been so much fun being back here!" Prue said happily.
"You know, you're a pretty cool dead lady." Paige said, and Piper nodded and hugged her two sisters.
"And you're very cool too Paige. You're a fantastic witch." Prue said with a smile.
Piper smiled.
"So, can you have something to eat before you go back upstairs?" she asked.
Prue grinned.
"Depends, what've we got?"
Chris grinned at his mother.
"Oh a little something we whipped up..." Piper said happily.
XX
A few hours later, after everyone had raved over the improvements to the chocolate cake, they all gathered to say goodbye to Prue.
"Bye Prue." Victor said, hugging her tightly.
"Bye daddy." She said happily.
Prue then took Wyatt from Leo and gave him a hug.
"You be good for your mother. And don't pick on your little brother. Or anyone else for that matter." She warned as her little nephew smiled happily.
She then kissed Leo's cheek, before flicking from the room again.
"And that's for Chris! I know your sort!" Prue yelled as she gave Wyatt to his grandfather.
"Very sorry! Wont happen!" Leo promised in a dazed voice as the others giggled.
"It was a pleasure to meet you Paige." Prue said, hugging her youngest sister.
"It was great meeting you too. Come back soon."
She then turned to Phoebe and squeezed her tightly.
"Bye Pheebs. Be good." Prue said happily.
"Aren't I always?" Phoebe asked.
"Never." Prue teased as they broke off.
She then hugged her adult nephew.
"It was great meeting you too Chris. Thanks for summoning me." She said.
"That's ok aunt Prue. It was great seeing you." He said.
Prue then hugged her sister.
"Look after him sis." She said as they embraced.
"Oh I will." Piper said, hugging her sister.
"Visit again soon!" Phoebe said as Prue stepped into the circle of candles.
"Oh I will, I'll be wanting more of this cake." She said.
"Have you got some to take to Grams and mom?" Piper asked.
"Yes Piper, don't worry." Prue said, showing them the bag she had the two slices of cake in.
"Bye Prue." Leo said as he limped back in, looking winded.
"Bye Leo. You know what'll happen if you don't treat them right don't you?" she asked dangerously.
"All too well." He groaned and the rest laughed.
"Bye guys, and I'm just a spell away if you need me." She said, and with a flashing of lights she was gone.
"Thanks for summoning her sweetie, despite us being mean to you." Phoebe said, hugging Chris.
"That's ok aunt Phoebe." He said, and she patted his cheek as she headed out.
"Thanks for letting me meet my big sister." Paige said, kissing his cheek.
"You're welcome. And thank you for not saying 'yes'." He said, smiling.
"Anytime." She said as she too left.
"Well I have to go. It was great meeting you Chris." Victor said, hugging his grandson.
"It was great seeing you again too grandpa. And cut down on the fags, please." Chris pleaded.
"First thing I'll do is throw them all out." Victor promised, and patted his shoulder as Piper walked him downstairs.
"Bye grandpa!" Chris called.
That left Chris with Leo, who was watching him intently.
"What?" Chris asked defensively, fearing he'd upset him.
"Did you know your aunt would throw me around?" he asked suspiciously.
Chris shook his head adamantly.
"No!"
"But you enjoyed it anyway?" Leo asked, a grin on his face.
Chris shifted guiltily.
"Maybe just a teensy bit." He admitted, smiling.
Leo chuckled and passed Wyatt to his brother.
"Well, I'm away to give the Elders some of the cake you and your mother made." He said, picking up a Tupperware.
"What good will that do?" Chris asked in confusion as he rocked Wyatt.
"Give them proof that letting me and your mom getting married was a good idea after all." Leo said with a wink, and he started to orb out.
"Dad..." Chris started.
Leo stopped and looked at him curiously.
"Sorry aunt Prue threw you around a bit." He said sheepishly.
Leo smiled and clapped his shoulder.
"That's alright. And thank you for stopping that demon." He said, then hugged his sons.
"Dad..." Chris began uncertainly.
"Yeah?" Leo asked as he headed to orb again.
Chris decided he may as well say the thing that he had never said before.
"I love you."
Leo smiled and genuine warmth spread through his entire body.
"I love you too son. And I'm sorry for before." He said.
Chris smiled as Leo orbed up. As he did so, Wyatt let out a wet squelch, and Chris wrinkled his nose.
"Thanks for that dad!" he called grumpily.
He heard Leo chortling as he vanished.
XX
Chris screwed up his nose as he deposited the dirty nappy in the bin.
"You're a stinky so and so." He told his brother as he laid him down in his cot.
Wyatt giggled up at him and Chris shook his head. He felt a presence behind him, and knew who it was before he'd even turned.
"I wish you'd stop feeding him whatever you feed him because it aint pretty." He complained.
Piper smiled as she smoothed Wyatt's hair and tucked him in.
"I cant stop feeding him that stuff, because the milk is all he eats." She said with a grin.
"Well at least stop me changing him! It's not right that his little brother should have to change his nappy! He never does it for me you know!" Chris protested as he headed to the sofa where he and Piper had slept together a few weeks before.
Piper grinned and sat down beside him and cuddled him.
"Thank you for summoning Prue. She made me realise something I should have figured out long before now." She said.
"You're welcome." He said as she stroked his hair.
"Even if I didn't deserve it..." she said sheepishly.
"Mom, I did it to stop you feeling guilty! It's alright I told you!" he intoned.
She hugged him, and she knew he was giggling slightly.
"And if its any consolation for upsetting you, your aunt Paige said I may as well have crowned the Source myself." She said, smiling slightly.
Chris laughed.
"Yeah, every time you do something bad to upset one of us or one of their kids, she uses that on you. She said you originally used it on her, so its really your own fault." He said with a grin.
"Oh she does does she? I'll get her for that." She said, thinking up evil ways to get back at her sister.
"And there's one she always uses on aunt Phoebe too, when she knows she cant win an argument with her. Her stand by is 'at least I didn't marry the Source of all Evil'." Chris laughed.
Piper laughed.
"Ooh Phoebe will love that."
"Yeah, aunt Prue and her tag team her when we summon their spirits before Wyatt gets her too, they get on well." He explained.
"Thank you for letting Paige meet Prue. She always wanted to."
"I told you, its ok. And besides...she deserved something nice, as she didn't say yes." Chris said petulantly, but with a smile.
Piper tapped him gently on the head, then settled down onto the bed, and he willingly curled up beside her.
"You know I feel guilty." She moaned.
Chris hugged her.
"It's ok mom." He soothed, cuddling her.
"You are sweet." She said.
"Mom." He moaned as she combed his hair with her fingers.
She smiled slightly as he pulled his covers up on top of himself. He had been sleeping here ever since she'd found out who he was, as she refused to let him sleep in the club when the manor was his home. And most nights, Piper had wound up there, because either he or Wyatt had made a noise and she'd come through to check, and had just slept in the chair or had curled up beside Chris, being there when his nightmares had started. She knew that there were other traumas that she hadn't seen, but they weren't nearly as bad as the ones had been that she'd seen with him.
"I love you mom." He said as he pulled the covers up so she wouldn't get cold.
"I love you too sweetie." She said lovingly, and looked at her two sons with affection.
Outside, Phoebe and Paige peered in and saw Piper, with Chris in her arms again, and both her sons sleeping soundly.
"She didn't do badly did she?" Paige asked happily.
"No she didn't. I always knew she'd do fine." Phoebe said, viewing the scene happily.
"And it was nice of him to conjure Prue for us...despite you being horrible to him." Paige said, rubbing it in.
"Oh, don't remind me, I feel bad as it is. But, yes, it was. What did you think of her?" Phoebe asked.
"She was cool, even cooler than you and Piper." Paige said happily.
Phoebe smiled and beckoned to her sister, and they headed for bed.
There was a jingle, and the door to Wyatt's nursery shut. Piper looked up and smiled.
"Thank you Prue." She said.
There was another jingle, and Piper smiled. Chris then snuggled into her tightly, bringing the covers up to cover them both. She kissed his forehead, and blew a kiss to Wyatt, who was sound asleep.
"I love you babies." She whispered as she settled down to sleep herself.
"We love you too mom." Chris whispered.
Piper smiled as she and her boys drifted off to sleep.
Ha! Finally finished it, but I have been reading some very good Piper/Chris stories, feel free to browse my favourites if you're interested!
I think this one is basically a sequel to Nightmares with aspects of Missing and Admission thrown in, because I felt that Chris and Prue should have some time together, and I wanted to preview a power that Chris will have very soon in Season Nine (which I will start the next chapter of tomorrow by the way.)
So hope you enjoyed this little fic series, and I think that should be us, but you never know!
Hope you like, and please read and review!