Chapter 6

Chris's POV

Chris sighed as he made his way slowly down the stairs, feeling a nauseous twist of anxiousness at leaving Mel alone upstairs, as she had a bath. He had almost lost her, his sister, the only person he had left in the world now that Bianca was dead and Wyatt was evil. He had lost his mother and his aunts, had never had his father, and had lost Wyatt to the dark side. He couldn't handle anymore loss.

You keep worrying you're going to get grey hair and wrinkles, Mel whispered softly in his head, her voice so weak and feeble it broke his heart.

Chris frowned, running a hand down his face as he stopped and took a seat halfway down the stairs, not ready to face his mother, father and aunts just yet.

Why didn't you tell me, Mel? I would've helped you. I would've heal…I would've done something. Chris told her, frustration evident in his voice at his inability to save her.

Chris, listen to me. It's not your fault, you can't pick and choose your powers, she told him, stern despite how fragile she was. And the reason I didn't tell you was because I knew how you'd react, and despite everything he's done you can't kill Wyatt, Chris. You just can't. Promise me you won't try.

Chris didn't respond, burying his head in his hands, groaning. It was just….too much. First months and months of distrust, and dislike bordering on hatred from his parents AND his aunts had taken their toll and now….this!

He could handle his parents and aunts not trusting him, but there was no way he would have been able to recover from losing Mel. She'd been all he'd had, except for Bianca, for almost ten years.

Chris? Mel asked him, sounding more tired and weak by the minute.

Chris sighed and lifted his head. I promise I won't do anything. Now relax. I'll be back up later, okay?

Hmm…okay. What are you going to tell them?

The one thing he hadn't missed about Mel was that she was just too perceptive for her own good.

The truth, he promised, before getting up from his perch on the step and walking towards the kitchen where his aunts and parents were waiting for answers.

Piper watched as Leo ran a face down his stunned face, looking so pale and drained that she felt a twinge of guilt for telling him. He knew how guilty he would be feeling for the way he had treated Chris, because her guilt was eating away at her insides.

"I can't believe it. Chris is…our son,' Leo said, his eyes wide as he stared at Piper and her protruding stomach, "that's him…your pregnant with him right now?"

Piper nodded, smiling sadly, rubbing her stomach lovingly with one hand and reaching out to squeeze Leo's hand with her other.

"I know, it's pretty hard to believe."

Leo just shook his head. "How didn't we see it? How blind could we possibly have been? He knew so much about us, and the book. And that girl…she's…"

Piper bit her lip, looking down, tears prickling her eyes as she pictured the violent slashes on her daughters back for what felt the hundredth time that night.

"Yes, she's our little girl," she told him, her voice husky from unshed tears.

"Melinda, Mel I think she prefers," Phoebe told him, her brown eyes wide, and her face still pale from the shock of what they'd seen.

Leo buried his face in his hands, groaning. "I've treated Chris horribly. I beat him, for god's sake. Not to mention almost killing him in Vahalla. He's never going to forgive me. And what happened to her back? Who would do that to someone?"

Paige reached out and rubbed Leo's back soothingly. "It wasn't only you, Leo. I wasn't exactly welcoming to him either, and he saved my life."

"Neither was I," Phoebe added, her eyes shadowed with guilt.

"We will fix this, Leo. We will," Piper promised, as Leo looked at her with tears shining in eyes like their son's, "we will fix our relationship with Chris and we will vanquish whoever dared to hurt our daughter."

A sudden cough made Piper's head snap towards the doorway of the kitchen where Chris stood, awkwardly, his hands buried in his pockets of his ratty, holey jeans that hung off his body like a second skin.

Piper stared at him, drinking him in hungrily.

He had been in the future for so long, almost six months, but she had never noticed how much Chris was like them. Maybe she hadn't wanted to see it. But now, knowing what she now knew, she couldn't get enough of looking at him.

How had she not noticed how much he was like her? Not just in looks but in personality as well. His dark brown hair, the shape of his eyes, his sarcastic half smile, as well as his neurotic nature and his need to protect everyone around him all came from her.

"Am I interrupting? Cause if I am, I can just go," Chris said, stiffly, pointing his head towards the door, his expression hopeful.

"NO!" Piper cried loudly, causing everyone including Chris to jump. She blushed and said, more calmly than she felt, "No, stay, please…I…ah…we want to talk to you."

Chris studied her expression for a minute before reluctantly taking a seat between Paige and Phoebe.

Phoebe, anxious and impatient as always, jumped straight in and asked, "Where is Melinda? I thought she'd come down with you so we could….talk about what happened."

"She's upstairs, having a bath. She needed to…" he flinched, "get the blood off."

Piper sat up, glancing anxiously at the ceiling, worried about her new found youngest being upstairs, alone and vulnerable. She went to stand but was restrained by Leo's hand on her arm. She looked down at him, and saw him shake his head.

She glared at him, but took her seat again. She glanced up the table at Chris to see if he'd noticed but he either had or he was a very good actor, and they all knew he was.

"Who did that to her, Chris? Did she say?" Paige asked him, reaching out to take his hand but quickly brought it back when she saw him flinch.

Chris's eyes hardened and he stood up and began pacing across the kitchen. "She didn't tell me, but I can harbor a pretty good guess."

"Who?" Leo asked hesitantly, speaking up for the first time since Chris had entered the room.

Chris swung around and glared at Leo. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Yes, we will," Piper told him, getting up awkwardly to go to see side. She took his hand, ignoring him trying to pull away, "Tell us."

Chris stared at her face for a moment, struggling, before saying stiffly, "Wyatt."

"WHAT?" Leo stood up, his face white as he stared at Chris, "No, he couldn't have. Wyatt wouldn't do that."

"Of course he wouldn't, because Wyatt is perfect. Just like he was perfect when he stole Mel's powers when she was three, and when he tortured me and killed millions of innocents before and after becoming ruler of the underworld. He could never do anything wrong in your eyes, could he Leo?"

Chris turned to storm out, and paused only at Piper's cry, "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving."

"No, please, Chris don't go. Leo's just in shook. He's sorry, we all are…" she begged him.

Chris swung around, tears in his eyes and a look of so much hurt and betrayal on his face that it stopped Piper in her tracks.

"I don't want your apologies and I don't want to be loved because you feel obligated. You didn't like me when I was just me, so why should that change when I'm family."

With that said, he orbed out.

Piper started to sob as she wrapped her arms around her belly. Suddenly two sets of arms wrapped around her and hugged her to them, rubbing her back soothingly as Leo stood at the table, regretting his words completely.

"What have we done?" Piper sobbed.