Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed

Past Mistakes

Dan smiled tightly as Chris stopped breathing. He wouldn't interfere with him and Piper anymore. He had her all to himself, at least for now. All he had to do next was force out Paige and Leo, and he would have the perfect family, the one Piper deserved, with her perfect husband.

Dan looked down at Chris' body, not feeling anything but satisfaction. The boy had tried to take Piper away from him, and had paid the ultimate price. Dan surveyed Chris' sprawled body smugly, savouring his red face, protruding tongue and his closed eyes. Chris was gone, and wouldn't bother him anymore. He had enforced his rules the only way he could: force. Chris had refused to follow his rules, and had died for it.

Dan let go of Chris' neck, standing and was just about to grab the files from the table when he heard the door opening, and Piper and the sister's voices carrying down the stairs. If he went to get the files, they would spot him, and Paige could turn the other two against him if he was found standing over Chris' body. He had no choice, he had to flee. Swearing at his carelessness, and fearing Chris would somehow manage to interfere from beyond the grave, he made good his escape. He couldn't allow Chris to mess up his relationship with Piper. Not when he was so close. And if he had to force Piper not to grieve, then so be it.

XX

"Chris? Are you still here?" Piper called softly as she headed down the stairs.

And froze as she saw what lay on the floor.

Chris, half naked, not breathing, his legs sprawled and his hands at odd angles, his eyes closed, his face red and his tongue hanging out. His long hair pooled around his head. And vicious bruises on his neck.

"Chris!" she cried in shock as she and her sisters ran down the stairs, looking frantic.

"He isn't breathing." Phoebe said worriedly, skidding to her knees to his right as Piper took his head into her lap.

"Leo!" Piper hollered, and Paige looked worriedly at the bruises on his neck.

"He's been strangled, Piper, we need to get him breathing again." Paige said, and she nodded, lying his head back onto the floor and breathing air into him.

She looked at him desperately, while Phoebe pushed on his chest, trying desperately to elicit a response.

"Come on sweetie, don't give up on me, wake up." Piper pleaded, trying again.

"Leo!" Paige screamed, tears in her eyes as she feared their whitelighter would never wake up.

Piper was looking at Chris in a panic. Who could have done this? No one else could have gotten into the club, not before her and her sisters got here. And now, poor Chris was dying...if not dead already. Chris, the kid who had only been trying to protect her. The kid who was worried about her, trying to protect her son, and she had forced him away time and again, when all he wanted to do was help. What sort of person did that make her? If he died, she would never forgive herself.

"Please Chris, come on honey, wake up." She pleaded, tears in her own eyes as Paige took his hand while Phoebe continued to press on his chest.

Piper couldn't believe it. She'd forced him out, cast him away, when all he wanted to do was help. A horrible feeling was in her gut. This was her club, and very few people could have done something like this. And she could automatically rule out a demon, strange though that sounded. After all, a demon would have thrown fireballs, there would be a lot more mess, and Chris would probably be the triumphant one. No, this was different. She couldn't lose him, not now. She had to make things up to him, apologise, start treating him properly. She should never have let Dan turn her against him. The look in his eyes when she had said those things was haunting her. She couldn't let that be the last thing she had said to the boy. She wouldn't.

"Come on Chris, wake up, please! Leo!" Piper screamed, and breathed air into the boy once more.

And Paige's heart leapt for joy as Chris suddenly squeezed her hand in surprise, and he jolted upwards, inhaling heavily, gasping for air, while Piper sighed in relief, hugging the boy to her tightly, running her hand through his hair as he did so.

"Piper?" he asked, coughing weakly, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

He was alright, he was alive. And then, she felt herself strangely pleased as he returned the hug in relief. Sighing in relief, she rocked him gently, vowing not to let anything like that happen to him again. How odd, that she should feel so maternal all of a sudden.

She was disturbed from her musings as Phoebe and Paige also hugged him in relief, trapping him safely in between the three of them as Piper held him protectively.

XX

"Hear you are honey. Strong tea, two sugars." Phoebe said in her baby voice, sitting beside him on one of the couches, as he shivered.

"Thanks." He said weakly, feeling a little better after he took a sip.

Leo had finally appeared. It turned out he had been in the middle of bathing Wyatt and had been drying him off enough to come to their aid, which Chris seemed to accept with relative good grace. But he strangely wouldn't allow Leo to heal his neck.

"Buddy, are you sure you don't want me to heal you?" Leo asked in concern, sitting in the table facing the boy.

"Yeah Leo. You can heal me later, after Darryl gets here and does his thing." He said, and Leo's eyes widened in relaxation.

"Oh now I get it. So it was a mortal?" Leo asked, and Chris nodded, not looking at Piper, who was sitting next to him stroking his hair absent mindedly, while taking in the state of the hoodie he was wearing with a critical eye. He could do with some new clothes.

"Did you recognise him?" Phoebe asked in concern as she sat down beside Leo, having caught a flicker of something from the boy.

Leo looked at the look on Chris' face, and frowned. By the looks of things, Chris had recognised his attacker, but didn't want to say. But why wouldn't he? Surely he wanted his attacker caught. Paige, on Chris' other side and searching his face with round eyes, suddenly narrowed them and looked at Leo significantly, bouncing Wyatt on her knee. And then, it clicked.

"Chris, if you know who attacked you, you have to tell us." Piper wheedled quietly, and Chris sighed.

"I don't want to tell you." He said sadly, and fury flooded Leo.

Dan. Dan had tried to kill Chris. And because Chris was afraid of how Piper would react, he didn't want to say. Leo snarled. Dan. The so called 'perfect man'. He was going to rip his head off with his bare hands.

With Dan unavailable, Leo glared at Piper, who wasn't looking but was looking intently at Chris, a concerned expression on her face.

"Chris, listen to me. I should never have said the stuff I said to you. It was cruel, and totally unjustified, you haven't done anything to warrant me treating you like that. And least of all, I don't want you to think that we don't care what happens to you, because we do. You were nearly murdered Chris, and we want to stop the person who did it to you, we care about you. If you know who it was, you have to trust us so we can help you. And I'm so, so sorry for what I said to you. Please don't keep this to yourself because of what I said to you." She pleaded, and Chris looked at his shoes.

He'd nearly been killed, here in his mother's club where he was meant to be safe. And it was her boyfriend who had done it. But she had just said that she was sorry, that she didn't mean what she had said. Despite what he'd been told when he was a kid, sorry didn't make everything better. She'd hurt him, but unknowing as she was as to who he truly was, she couldn't even begin to guess how much she had hurt him. But she also wanted to help him. And he wanted to tell her, but yet he didn't. While he wanted to tell her, because it would be proof that Dan was trouble and hopefully protect her, he also didn't, knowing how much it would upset his mother and he didn't want to be the cause of that again. He sighed sadly. What was he meant to do?

"Piper?" Darryl called as he entered the club, scene of crime officers in tow.

"Hey Darryl." Leo said, and their policeman friend narrowed his eyes as he took a look at Chris' neck.

"Hey pal, you don't look too good." He said worriedly, but Chris waved him off.

"I'll be fine." He assured him, though everyone was giving him a sceptical glance.

"I'll handle the kid, you gather the evidence." Darryl said, and the other officers went about their business while Darryl sat down in front of Chris.

"Chris, I need you to tell me what happened, and seeing as how you called me, I'm assuming it wasn't a demon." He said, and Chris nodded.

"A demon I could have handled. It was...I'm sorry Piper, but it was Dan." Chris said, and the others went silent.

Leo and Paige looked at each other darkly, Leo's fist clenching in anger. Phoebe looked at their whitelighter in shock, as though about to deny what Chris had said. But Chris was focused only on his mother. Piper's eyes were full of hurt, full of betrayal and then full of anger, and her hands flexed as though she wanted to blow something up. Chris flinched, fearing she was angry at him and backed closer to Paige as he saw the furious, blazing expression on his mother's face.

"Dan did this?" she asked in a cold, deadly voice, and still terrified, Chris nodded to his mother.

Leo was looking at Chris worriedly, he had never seen Chris cower in front of Piper before, usually he was fairly open to the idea of opposing Piper, and weather her temper much better than most would, and far better than he did. And then Leo noticed that she was flexing her hands, and he gently pushed them down, giving her a pointed glare before indicating Chris, and her face softened as she relaxed.

"Yeah. He thought I was out to ruin you and his relationship, that I was trying to drive you away from him. He kept saying that he was your perfect man, that he was perfect, that he was all you would ever need, and he was insistent that he was the man of the house now, and that he would make all your decisions for you. And because I didn't see him as the perfect person he thinks he is, I had to go." Chris explained softly, and Piper let out a growl.

"I'm going to kill him." She vowed in a deadly voice, and Chris looked up at her with a hopeful expression.

"You believe me?" he asked in shock, and she closed her eyes, as though pained by the question, but then again she couldn't blame him for asking.

'Yes. When he left, he was having a temper tantrum, trying to stop me coming here to see you. And he was furious that Leo was there. And he did turn me against you, and like an idiot I let him. And if that idiot thinks he can order me around he can think again. Who the hell does he think he is? What was I thinking?" Piper wailed, and Chris suppressed a grin of triumph as Leo got up and held Piper to him. Maybe he wasn't down and out yet.

"So what, Dan's become a believer of medieval treatment of women? And here we thought he was a good guy. Chris, I feel awful, we should never have let him turn us against you." Phoebe said, and he looked at her in surprise, that was the first genuine apology he'd gotten from Phoebe.

"Wait, Dan as in your ex boyfriend Dan?" Darryl asked, scribbling furiously in his notepad.

"Yes. He was saying all that stuff, saying it was his club now, his home now, his family now. I turned around to get away from him and he attacked me, then he started to...strangle me." Chris said, massaging his neck self consciously.

"So, he came back and started dating you again, and now he tries to kill the kid?" Darryl asked Piper and she bared her teeth.

"Apparently. But that was only after the bastard manipulated me into throwing Chris out of my life, and moved into my home. I'm going to kill him!" she stormed.

"Piper, I'm sorry." Chris said miserably, and she was stopped in mid rant by the sound of his voice, as though he were about to cry, and she sat down on the couch beside him and pulled him into another hug.

"No Chris. I'm the one who's sorry. I never should have let him make me doubt you. This isn't your fault. All those horrible things I said to you, I never should have said them to you sweetie. You didn't deserve any of it. You were only trying to protect me, and I threw you out, forced you away. This isn't your fault, ok?" she asked, and Chris nodded, the urge just to tell her who he was overpowering him slightly, but he forced it down brutally.

"Charming, the guy moves in and makes you kick him out. So what were you doing, why did he attack?" Darryl asked, a frown on his face, looking at Chris, who's eyes did look a little watery.

Chris frowned, not wanting to cause his mother any more pain. Despite what she seemed to believe, he actually wasn't out to make her miserable.

"I was trying to protect her. I kept warning him that if he attacked Piper, I would kill him. I also didn't respond well to his methods to deal with me, trying to make himself out as more powerful and more clever than me, treat me like dirt, act all superior and like I was a disobedient kid, which was always going to piss me off. I guess I didn't show him proper respect for a man as perfect as he was, and he attacked me." Chris said bitterly.

Paige smiled slightly at his treatment of Dan.

"That's my boy." She said proudly, and he grinned ruefully at her.

"But why didn't you orb out?" Leo asked curiously, and Chris averted his eyes.

He didn't want to tell them. It would only cause pain, it would only hurt them and probably turn them against him all over again, and he didn't think he could cope with that happening a second time.

"Chris?" Darryl asked, just as the door opened again.

"Piper?" Victor called, descending the stairs, his eyes going wide as he saw the police.

Chris smiled ecstatically as he saw his grandfather, but then forced away his smile. Victor didn't know who he was either, why should he? Once again, here was someone else he loved, who he couldn't tell anything to.

"Dad, hi." Piper said in surprise as he hugged her, then received one from Phoebe and Paige.

"What's going on?" he asked, nodding at the police as he gave Leo his customary cold look, making Chris grin slightly.

"Oh nothing, only a man who I fell for because I thought he was decent and normal turns out to be an insane, jealous psychopath with a medieval approach to women, who thinks he can control me, and then murder the poor kid he manipulated me into throwing out!" she raged, and Victor looked at Chris, his face a picture of concern.

"Wow, Piper, you've picked another stinker." Victor commented, and Leo glared at him while Phoebe, Paige, Darryl and Chris quickly hid their smiles.

"Alright Chris, come on. We know why he attacked you, the mess on your neck is pretty obvious as to how he attacked you but, why didn't you just get out of it?" Darryl asked, and Chris saw the look his grandfather was giving him, a look of encouragement, and he relented. But he didn't think it was going to be pretty.

"Because of Wyatt." He said miserably, and all of them looked at him, the atmosphere suddenly very tense.

"What's Wyatt got to do with it?" Piper asked, wondering if at long last she was going to find out anything about her son in the future.

"Everything. He's why I came back from the future. But I didn't tell you the truth. I didn't come back to protect Wyatt from evil. I came back to...stop him turning evil." He finished in almost a whisper.

Piper looked at him, angry shock filling her, and she was about to open her mouth to give him a tongue lashing when Leo caught her eye and shook his head slightly, his eyes narrowed at Chris, but not in anger, not in suspicion, but just wariness.

"Wyatt wouldn't turn evil." Phoebe said confidently, and Chris snorted derisively, and Darryl was beginning to regret taking the conversation down this road. First off, he didn't want to know about anything in any future, and he certainly didn't want to be part of this when the kid from the future tells them all that the little kid he babysat was evil when he was all grown up.

"He does. You know how when I first got here I told you the world was destroyed by the titans? It wasn't. It was destroyed by Wyatt." Chris said plainly, and all of them looked at each other, anger growing at him, but Darryl's money was on the kid with the bruises on his neck.

"Wyatt's the epitome of all good magic, he wouldn't..." Phoebe protested, but Chris cut her off with a sharp look.

"Yes he would, and he does. When he's fifteen, Piper...dies," he said, choking over the emotions that always brought with it and ignoring the horrified looks on the others faces, "and Wyatt is left all alone. He's angry at the world, and because something happens to him around this time, something twists him in all the wrong ways, he becomes evil. By the time he was fifteen, he had united the underworld under his leadership, and he was more powerful than any Source that's ever lived. Phoebe and Paige didn't have a clue, they thought he was just lashing out because he was angry about his mom dying. But Wyatt was already very twisted. He manufactured a crisis for the magical world. He went after the Cleaners, he didn't like any beings that could be powerful enough to stop him, and by this time he had some serious juice, and they were getting worried about him and were planning to stop him. He got to them first. He convinced the Elders that the Cleaners were plotting to subvert the Grand Design, and take over. So, while the Elders, Phoebe and Paige went after the Cleaners, he was waiting to take over. And as soon as the Cleaners were gone, he attacked.

He set the demons loose on the world, exposing magic. He then stormed into a press conference and killed the President on live TV, and proclaimed himself Emperor. The entire magical community was exposed, and because they were afraid, the humans started killing magic users, but good ones, not the demons that were helping him. Good magic users were forced into hiding, and Wyatt kept up his offensive. He attacked the Elders, the streets were full of their falling bodies. And then he killed Phoebe, forcing Paige onto the run. And it just got worse. He kidnapped me, and I promised I would serve him if he let Paige go, but he betrayed me and killed her. With no Charmed Ones left, the world was pretty much doomed. Thousands were dead, no one could stop him. Everyone who could pose a threat, witches, whitelighters, hunters, slayers, all of them were hunted down and killed, brutally and publically. I was the only one left, and I came back to stop him." He explained, tears in his eyes as he saw just how horrified his family were at the news of what their eldest child became.

"My god...Wyatt...I'm a terrible mother." Piper said weakly, sitting down on the table, and Chris knelt down in front of her, looking up at her pleadingly, shaking his head desperately.

"No! Don't you dare say that! You're a good mother, you're what kept him good for so long, it was only when you died that we lost him." He explained firmly, and Piper gave him a weak smile.

"God...he killed us. He's not getting any Christmas presents from me this year." Paige said as she strolled past the police and poured them all something considerably stronger than tea.

"That's why I didn't want to tell you. I was afraid, well I was afraid you wouldn't believe me, that you would hate me. And then that if you did, you would change your treatment of Wyatt. He's not bad, there is good in him. I came back here to stop him being hurt enough to do what he did." Chris said sadly, and Leo closed his eyes.

"I can't believe it...but then, it makes sense, why you're the way you are. Chris, I'm so sorry for what he's done to you. He messed with your powers too didn't he?" he asked, and Chris nodded.

"It was when he caught me and Paige. He insisted I betrayed him, and was pleased he had caught me, so he screwed up my powers, so that if I were dying I couldn't escape myself, because I would have done, just to deny him the satisfaction. So now if my life is in danger, I'm trapped at their mercy." Chris explained and the Halliwells and Victor all looked vaguely sick.

"What went wrong?" Phoebe asked softly, tears pouring down her face, and Chris hated himself for doing this to them.

"So you came back to save him, even after what he did. You must really care for him." Victor said with gratitude, and Chris blushed a little.

Darryl, who had been too shocked by hearing the future wasn't all sunshine and roses, was suddenly struck by a curious thought.

"Thank you. And no matter what, you have our help all the way now." Piper vowed firmly, and the sisters, Leo and Victor nodded.

"And while you shouldn't have been trying to protect us, thank you for that too. Finding out your nephew is the future of all evil doesn't do much for your mood." Phoebe said nervously, looking at the baby cooing on the couch.

"And we will help Chris save Wyatt, but first we need to deal with Dan." Leo growled, and Piper nodded.

"Too true. Darryl, your boys got everything you need?" Piper asked, taking charge, and he nodded.

"Yeah. We'll need photos of Chris, and videos if you have them, but other than that we should have everything we need to secure a conviction." Darryl said cheerfully.

"Guys, Wyatt..." Chris protested, but Leo shook his head, cutting him off.

"Wyatt isn't the one who was nearly murdered. You were. You matter too Chris. And if your parents ever favoured your brother over you, they were pretty lousy." Leo said condemningly.

Chris looked at him in surprise. Yeah, his mother had always treated him better than Wyatt, but here was his hated father, once more taking his side, and Chris smiled a little.

"Thanks." He said.

"But how did Dan think he was going to get away with this? I mean, surely he knows Piper would notice a dead body in the middle of her club." Paige said, but Chris shook his head.

"If he had killed me, you wouldn't have known, my body doesn't belong here, it would have faded away." He explained sadly, and Piper snarled, suddenly feeling the urge to wrap the boy in cotton wool.

"I'm going to kill him."

Chris thought about it for a second, and it hit him.

"He'll go back to the manor." He said, and Leo looked at him doubtfully.

"He just tried to kill you Chris, he's probably making a run for it. Speaking of, how didn't you die?" he asked, and Chris shrugged.

"I assume my brain didn't die, so I didn't die. Someone else, Phoebe for example, probably would have died straight away after that." He said, smiling a little.

She smiled at him.

"Thanks...hey!" she said as she realised what he was implying.

"Make for the manor? It doesn't make sense." Paige said, but Darryl shook his head.

"He might be on to something. Dan thinks he's perfect, thinks he alone can decide what you lot should do. He thinks he can control Piper, more fool he. I'm willing to bet he would go and show himself as the perfect man during such a crisis, all the while delighting over the fact that he caused Chris' death." He reasoned.

"And probably while trying to force out Leo and me." Paige added darkly.

"Sir?" an officer asked, and Darryl went over to talk to him, his brow furrowed.

"Chris, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault." Piper said in despair, but he shook his head.

"No it isn't, it's not your fault your boyfriends a nutter." He said, and she smiled softly.

"You are sweet. And from now on, you won't hear a single complaint about how many demons you make us vanquish." She said, to the nods of agreement from her sisters.

"Yeah anything to save this guy. I'm Victor by the way. Thank you, for trying to protect him and the girls." He said, extending his hand, which Chris awkwardly shook.

"It's ok."

Chris looked at his family, an odd feeling running through him. It was like they were just short of knowing, and he didn't know whether he wanted to tell them the truth or not, he didn't have a clue. His mother's hugs, his father's approval, his aunt's affection, his grandfather's support, all taking his side suddenly, it made him feel the happiest he had been in a while.

But, Dan was out there, and he had business to settle with him. He had to be stopped before he hurt anyone else. He once more massaged his neck nervously, the thought of confronting Dan again making him nervous. It wasn't that he was scared of him, it was he was scared of how much Dan had forced his mother to change. His mother, the stubborn, powerful, opinionated matriarch of the Halliwell family, and he was trying to change her into some meek housewife with no life and no thoughts of her own. No, he wouldn't let that stand.

Suddenly he became aware of someone taking his photo, and swore a second later as he was momentarily blinded as the police filed out. All except for Darryl, who was looking as though Christmas had come early and he practically skipped over to them all.

"What's got you so happy?" Paige asked, and he grinned.

"I am finally the one in the know! I know something that all of you don't! Well, other than Chris anyway. Most of it is guesswork, but the entire thing makes sense, and it feels great having the shoe on the other foot!" he crowed happily, and they all looked at him as if he were mad.

Except Chris, who saw what he was holding. It was Dan's file. Surely Darryl wouldn't believe Dan's theory? But no, he was smarter than that, and Chris wondered. Had Darryl possibly used his policeman's mind to figure out the truth? He froze slightly, watching him warily as he felt a warm glow rush over his neck, his bruises gone a second later.

"Thanks Leo. Could you fix this too?" Chris asked softly, lifting his tshirt and allowing Leo to heal the bruise Dan had given him, which made Piper hiss when she saw it.

"He hit you too? I'm going to kill him. Alright Darryl, do you have a plan for how to get my bastard ex in jail?" she asked, and he smiled.

"No, but I do have a way to make you feel lousier than you already do. Can I?" he pleaded, and they shrugged.

"Great! Now, this is Leo's old war file." Darryl said, showing them, and Piper rolled her eyes.

"For god sake, he doesn't give it a rest! That was years ago!" she snapped, and Chris glowered at the mention of it.

"Yeah, he was probably going to bring it into the house and leave it as a reminder of him being right and you being wrong. The perfect man was right, and the perfect woman is put in her place." He sneered, still looking warily at Darryl.

"Did you meet Dan in the future?" Paige asked curiously, but he shook his head.

"No, I could tell he was a wanker in this time. But I did remember him getting arrested in the future. His wife cheated on him with another man, and he was furious that she dared sleep with someone less perfect than him, do something that made him look stupid and weak. Nearly killed her if I remember rightly. Losing you screwed up his marbles." He said to Piper, who looked sickened at the thought.

"Great. I dump him, he goes nuts, tries to kill some woman in the future and tries to kill you now." She lamented, and Chris longed to hug her to make her feel better, to stop her feeling so guilty, but he couldn't, she didn't know who he was.

"Anyway," Darryl said loudly, drawing their attention back to him, "he went a little mad with his red pen on it. Turns out Leo's dad was called Christopher." He commented idly, and Chris froze.

Darryl was on to him. He had to be. How else could he make them feel lousy, except by telling them that the kid they'd been mistreating had been family all along? Piper in particular. He couldn't decide what to do. Part of him wanted them to know, to find out who he truly was. For loads of reasons. Because a small, savage part of him, the part that still stung over his mother's brutal rejection, wanted to see their faces when they found out the truth. In the hope that it would make his job easier. That they would finally accept him for who he truly was. That he could perhaps try and build a relationship with his father for the first time.

The other part didn't want them to know. He didn't want to see how upset they would be. How revolted. He was afraid they would hate him, and he didn't think he could take his mother's rejection a second time. He didn't want the positive feelings he had for Leo to disappear. He was afraid everything would become about Wyatt again as soon as they found out. It was selfish, he knew, but he had always been in Wyatt's shadow.

What was he going to do? Did he stop Darryl, or did he let him go on?

"So?" Piper asked, uninterested.

"Well after he told us about the future, I got to wondering. Wyatt is really evil, really powerful, utterly unstoppable. Right?" he asked Chris.

And then he mouthed 'do you want them to know' at him, while everyone looked to him for his answer.

"Yeah." He said, and shrugged his shoulders at Darryl as everyone turned back to face him, and he nodded.

"Exactly. So, why wouldn't Chris just come back and kill him? He's a smart kid. He's powerful too. Why not just get you lot out of the way, kill him, then go back to a happy future?" Darryl asked, and Victor frowned.

"I figured it was some magical law thing we wouldn't understand, but it doesn't make sense."

Darryl smiled, and Chris felt his stomach start to flutter, nervousness creeping in. He didn't know what he wanted. Well he did, he wanted to bolt, but with Piper and Paige flanking him protectively, and Phoebe and Leo blocking the way, he had little chance of escaping.

"Well, how about I put it to you that Chris cares about Wyatt? More than he ought to, considering what he's done." Darryl said, and Chris blushed and shot him an exasperated look, then glared pointedly at Phoebe, and Darryl looked a little sheepish.

"He's Wyatt's boyfriend!" Phoebe exclaimed, clapping her hands.

"I knew you were going to say that. No. Ew." Chris said firmly, and she pouted slightly.

"Consider. Chris comes from the future to save Wyatt. Wyatt has sent the whole world straight to hell, killed everyone Chris cares about, so why not just kill him and be done with it? No, he comes here determined to save Wyatt. To aid in this, he's part witch, part whitelighter, which means he can relate to the ones he needs, the Charmed Ones. But despite being able to relate to them, they bitch and moan about him every day when he's just trying to save their kid and protect his future, and is just doing his job. The poor kid has the fate of the world hanging on his shoulders, a future that's wrecked, and his life in the present is nearly as crappy." Darryl said, clearly enjoying the looks of guilt on the faces of the girls and Leo.

Chris did have to smile a little. Yeah, he had had a crappy time of it recently. Especially in the last two weeks. And part of him did want to see the looks on the girls faces. And Darryl was clearly enjoying himself, bless him. Must be nice knowing something he could use against the girls for a change.

"So why put up with it? Why not just kill Wyatt and go home, tell some girl he saved the world, settle down and have a kid or three?" he asked, and they all shrugged.

"Because I love Wyatt too much." Chris said quietly, and Darryl nodded.

"Despite what Wyatt's done, he still loves him and wants to save him. Why would that be?" Darryl asked, smiling broadly.

"Come on then, explain it then if you know everything, we have to stop Dan." Leo said irritably, wondering what was taking Darryl so long, and Darryl bowed his head obligingly.

"Let's look at the evidence. Leo's father's name was Christopher. Chris was determined to protect Piper from Dan. He came back to save Wyatt from turning evil. He has Prue's power, telekinesis. He's part whitelighter. He's a little obsessed with getting you to vanquish demons, to protect Wyatt. He thinks Wyatt is more important than he is. He's pretty good looking. He has daddy issues, something of a family trait, no offence intended. He was with Paige when he died, and he surrendered to evil to try and save her. He was really hurt when Piper kicked him out, and he ran away because he thought it was what Piper wanted, and didn't come back until he was persuaded to by Leo. He came to help save Paige and has been guiding the girls, putting up with their crap when he didn't have to. So, why would poor Chris subject himself to this, when he can come back, kill the baby and be back in time for supper?" Darryl asked, clearly enjoying being the one in the know for a change.

Chris thought about everything Darryl just said. Wow, I deserve a medal, he thought irritably.

And then, the penny dropped, and Chris knew his secret was out, as Victor turned and stared at Chris, a huge smile appearing on his face and he repressed the urge to go and hug his new grandson, who was smiling at him, as though uncertain of his response.

"Oh! I know! It's brilliant! I know!" Victor said excitedly, acting like a kid, making the others stare at him as if he'd sprouted another head.

"It's great knowing something they don't isn't it? I love how it feels, being the one in the know, having all the power!" Darryl said with a grin, and Chris rolled his eyes.

"Great. I come back to stop Wyatt turning evil, and I turn Darryl into the new Source instead by getting him drunk on power. Typical." He said wryly.

And then it finally clicked in Piper's head as she looked at Phoebe by accident, and suddenly, a nova went off in her head as everything Darryl had said, her father's reaction, and everything Chris had done all finally made alarming sense. Chris looked at her with his beautiful green eyes, looking at her nervously, the expression on his face making it clear that if they didn't tread very carefully, he was going to bolt, and she would be lucky to ever see him again. He was shaking slightly in trepidation as her mouth opened in shock, and her hand fell to her stomach.

He was hers. He was her baby boy. Wyatt's baby brother.

Everything made sense now. Why he was so determined to protect Wyatt, to save him. His unwillingness to allow Dan to date her. Why he didn't let himself get close to them. His exasperation with the girls all the time. His issues with Leo. His witchlighter nature. His telekinesis. His orbing. His green eyes. His traditional Halliwell good looks. Why he had been so devastated when she had turned on him. And her and Leo's own protective instincts towards him that were developing suddenly.

"You're my son." She breathed in wonder, and the others all looked at her in shock.

Leo quickly turned to stare at him, and he could see Chris hurriedly building up emotional armour. The boy he had mistreated, made life a misery for, threatened with death...he was his son.

Chris looked up at Leo, then sniggered as Leo promptly keeled over and fainted.

"Hmm, he took that better than I expected actually." He commented wryly.

"You're my son...my little boy." Piper said facing her son directly and laying her hand on his cheek gently.

"Ew!" Phoebe exclaimed, breaking the silence, and Chris flinched, and Piper turned on her sister, maternal protective instincts kicking in.

"I hit on you!" she wailed, and Chris rolled his eyes.

"Hey I can arrest her!" Darryl said cheerfully, enjoying the looks on the others faces, and gently poking Leo with his toe.

"You risked your own existence..." Paige said in awe, taking in every aspect of her nephew.

"Wyatt's more important." He said, as if by rote, and Piper shook her head fiercely.

"No he isn't. You're my son too. And you're the bravest man I've ever met. And I am so very proud of you." She said, proud of her boy.

"Thanks mom." He said, blushing, and she looked at him in surprise.

"Mom?" she asked, taken aback.

He cast his eyes down nervously, looking upset.

"I'm sorry, I meant Piper, I didn't think..." he babbled, but she smiled softly, and turned his face to her so she could look into his eyes.

"You can call me mom if you want." She said quietly, and he looked at her searchingly, and she reached over and wrapped her son in a tight loving hug, and was delighted to feel him return it.

"Move over you, I want to hug my grandson." Victor said, hugging Chris and making the kid smile.

"Thanks grandpa. You're awesome." He said, and Victor grinned smugly at the girls.

"Hear that? I'm awesome." He said proudly.

"Oh sweetie...please don't let Darryl arrest me, I didn't know I was hitting on my nephew!" Phoebe pleaded hugging him tightly, and Chris was so surprised that he didn't initially return it.

"I'll think about it." He said, and she looked at him worriedly while Paige hugged him too.

"To think that bastard nearly stopped us finding out about our nephew..." she said, hugging him tightly.

"Thanks aunt Paige, for taking my side." He said fondly, and she smiled, stroking his hair gently.

"Ha! Suck on that Jessica Fletcher!" Darryl crowed and they all laughed, except Victor, who looked most affronted.

"Hey! I like Murder She Wrote!" he protested, earning him some strange looks.

Leo groaned and sat up, looking at Chris worriedly.

"I'm your father...and let me guess, that's the thing that repeated. I was a lousy dad to you wasn't I?" he asked nervously, and Chris nodded coldly.

But then to Leo's delight, his son's eyes softened a little.

"But you've done pretty well today." He admitted, and Leo smiled broadly and hugged Chris, who awkwardly returned it.

"I kicked my own son out of the house, told him I never wanted to see him again." Piper whispered to herself, looking at the hurt look that she knew she had put there.

While it seemed like she was forgiven, she knew it would take a long time for him to get over the betrayal she had wrought upon him. Feeling sick with herself, she looked to Darryl.

"How do we stop Dan?" she asked.

It had been bad enough when she thought he had tried to kill her whitelighter. Now she knew he had tried to kill her son. He was in for a world of pain.

"We don't. I do." Chris said firmly, and Leo smirked slightly.

"Um, you realise your mother is going to fight that plan all the way?" he asked, and Chris nodded, rolling his eyes as he did so.

"Damn right I am. Chris, he nearly killed you! And it's my fault you got hurt. You're not going anywhere near him." Piper said firmly, and Chris narrowed his eyes.

Piper knew the truth instantly. Here was the only living Halliwell who could outdo her. He was probably the only one in the family who could go up against her and hold his own, if not win. But then, to her surprise, Chris' eyes softened and turned into a pleading expression.

"Please mom. I need to do this. I need to be the one to deal with him. Besides, I want to see the expression on his face when he sees I'm still alive. Let me deal with him, please." He asked, his voice not quite pleading.

Piper looked at him, and had to admit, the look he was giving her was adorable, and she knew she would only be able to say no to him a limited number of times as he grew up. The others were all watching with fascination, Leo grinning slightly. Yep, this kid was going to have his mother and most likely his big brother wrapped around his little finger.

"He has to Piper. He needs to face his fears." Leo said sagely, and Chris smiled at him.

Piper sighed irritably.

"Alright fine. But we're all going to be there, and if he so much as looks at you funny, he goes boom. Got it?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Got it mom." He said fondly, and Darryl, still ecstatic that he had known something before the girls for once, and confident in his belief that he was now better than a TV detective, turned to Chris curiously.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked, and Chris gave a grin that sent shivers down all of their spines.

XX

Dan entered the manor, confident. He'd taken the long way home, so as not to be connected in any way with the crime. He couldn't have Piper suspecting anything was amiss, that simply wouldn't do. But there was still the fact of the files. He would think of something. And if that didn't work, he would simply tell Piper to forget them. He couldn't have her believing anything bad of him, no matter if it she felt it was justified. All he'd done was facilitate their relationship, gotten a distraction out of the way. Nothing wrong with that.

Now he could focus on Leo and Paige. Once they were out of the way, nothing would stop him and Piper from being together, happy in the house, with him the ideal husband and she the dutiful, obedient wife.

"Piper?" he called, entering the conservatory, and saw something that made his heart stop.

Chris was sitting in the armchair, perfectly at ease, his green eyes narrowed dangerously, his fingers flexing in anticipation, and he didn't have a mark on him.

"What the..."

"Hello Dan. What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost." Chris said coldly.

Dan couldn't believe it. He had killed him! And yet he still came back to try and ruin his relationship, he was still determined to turn Piper against him!

"You can't be here, you're dead!" Dan spat, and Chris bared his teeth in a predatory fashion.

"Yeah, I nearly was. But Piper got to me in time. She knows all about you now Dan. It's over." He teased smugly, and Dan flexed his gloved hands, eager to wrap them around this throat and snap Chris' neck like a twig.

Dan smiled, sure of himself.

"She chose me over you once before boy. She'll do it again." He said confidently, and Chris gave a bark of laughter.

"No she won't. Trust me Dan. Now she knows who I really am, she'll never side with you against me again. She feels bad enough for doing it last time. Now, it'll always be me before you." Chris said smugly.

In the cupboard under the stairs, Leo grinned at Piper.

"Confident isn't he?" he whispered, and she smiled fondly.

"Mommy's boy." She said proudly.

"Piper will do what I tell her. I told you, I'm not going to have you interfere in my relationship. Now, get out of my house!" Dan yelled angrily, and Chris rolled his eyes.

"You don't get it do you? This isn't your house, it never will be, and what's more, your relationship is over. You manipulated her into getting rid of me once before, it won't happen again." Chris sneered.

Dan snarled and took a step towards Chris, but the boy held his ground and looked at him in contempt.

"You're pathetic." He said simply, and anger coloured Dan's cheeks.

"I am not! You are! I'm Piper's perfect man, I will protect her and keep her safe from the likes of you, and nothing will ever interfere in our relationship again!" he roared, taking another step towards Chris, who refused to back down.

"There's nothing perfect about you Dan. You're jealous, possessive, a bully and a fool. Piper could date a turd and still do better than you. You're abusive and dangerous, you aren't perfect, and I'm not going to let you hurt Piper. You don't have any authority here." He said firmly, and felt stronger considering he was back in his own home.

Dan was close to losing control.

"How dare you question me? I am the master of this house, and you will treat me with respect! I will not have you filling Piper's head with lies about me! I'm who she deserves! She should never have taken up with Leo, I warned her what would happen, and he proved me right! She can't manage without me to protect her, and when I get my files back I will explain to her in exacting detail how much of a fool she was, I'll show her how right I was!" he roared, and Chris felt fury unlike he had never known pulse through him.

This mortal scum thought he could dictate to his mother, belittle her, take over her life? He wouldn't allow it.

"But you weren't. She loves Leo more than she'll ever love you. You know, its curious how quickly love can change to hate when you try to kill someone a person cares about." Chris said cockily.

"You're working with Leo aren't you? I won't allow it, and I won't allow you in my home! Piper will do what I tell her, and you will get the hell out of her life like I told you to! She needs me to think for her, to protect her, and you will not endanger my relationship! I am her perfect man, and I won't have your lies in my house!" Dan roared, apocalyptic with rage, and Chris glowered at him, bored.

"It's her house, not yours. Never will be either. She will never marry you and she certainly won't do what you tell her. And it's too late for your relationship, because it's over. She knows everything and knows how much of a jerk you truly are. Now, get out." Chris sneered, and Dan clenched his fist.

"I will not be spoken to like that! You won't take Piper away from me! I won't allow you to ruin my perfect family! Now get out of my house, get out of my life! Piper will never know what happened to you, and that's just the way it'll have to be. You won't ruin my life anymore! Get out of my life! I am perfection! She will have perfection, and for once she will do as she is told! I own her, she will do as I tell her and when I tell her to forget about you, she will! It's over boy! She chose me, not you! We will live happily together, she will never see you, Leo or Paige again, even if I have to kill them to make sure of it! She will be my wife, she will do what I tell her when I tell her, and you will not stop it!" Dan roared and sped at Chris, hands going for his throat.

And Chris flicked him backwards with his telekinesis, his anger and hatred for the man coming full force, determined to sotp this man who wanted to turn his mother into something she wasn't. Dan gave a cry of started horror as he flew back through the air, and crashed into the coffee table in the sitting room, and went still. Chris flexed his hand, ready to strike again, when Piper came out and took his hand gently, calming him.

"It's over honey. You got him." She said softly, kissing his cheek.

Blood was still thundering in his ears as Darryl came down from upstairs, and cheerfully placed handcuffs on Dan's wrists, and Dan looked at him furiously.

"Get off me! Arrest him, he's a threat to Piper!" he yelled, gesturing with his head at Chris.

"The only threat he will be is sickness and worry. Dan Gordon, you are under arrest for attempted murder." Darryl said, dragging him to the foyer while reciting his rights.

"No! You can't do this! She deserves someone like me, someone as perfect as me! Let me go!" he shouted, and at that moment Piper came and glowered at him.

"You're not perfect Dan. Given a choice between you and Paige, I would take her any day. Given a choice I'd much rather love Leo than you. And the choice between you and Chris...its a no brainer. I choose him all the way. And I deserve so much better than you. I'm dumping you. And if you ever try to hurt Chris again, I will kill you." She said, and Dan's face fell in horror.

"But Piper..."

"I hate you. I don't want to see you anymore. So get out of my life and never come back." She said, cheerful with her savagery, and Dan looked at her pleadingly, ignoring the look of triumph on Chris' face.

"But Piper, I'm perfect for you!" he protested.

"No you're not. You never were. And you never will be. Now get out of my life once and for all." She said, then froze him.

"Piper, you just froze the criminal. You can't just freeze the criminal." Darryl said, his voice stressed.

"I can when he nearly murdered my son." She said, and with great gusto, swung her foot into his groin, then unfroze him.

Dan howled in pain, and Darryl suppressed a smirk as he dragged a whimpering Dan to the door.

"Wait." Leo said, and Piper froze him again.

And Leo then punched him in the face.

"That was for my son." He spat viciously, and this time, when he unfroze, Dan was howling and crying in pain, blubbering like a pathetic baby while Darryl dragged him down the stairs and forced him into his car.

"Bye Dan! Don't bother to write!" Piper called cheerfully.

"Yeah, enjoy prison!" Leo called.

"And my paper is going to do a huge expose on what a scumbag you are!" Phoebe shouted.

"Oh, and we're getting your brother fired too!" Paige added cheerfully.

"Good riddance." Chris said triumphantly as the car disappeared, Darryl honking happily.

"Now...we've got a lot of explaining to do." Piper said, and took Chris' arm and led him through to the sitting room with the rest of his family.

XX

A week later, the report was all over the news that Dan Gordon, subject of an attempted murder charge, was now being transferred to a secure facility due to mental health problems, as he continuously claimed to being haunted by three malevolent spirits. Little did he know that the three said spirits were the one he'd tried to murder's incredibly angry and unforgiving aunt, grandmother and great grandmother, who took great delight in torturing him mentally, driving him to the edge of insanity, all the while with him claiming he was 'perfect' and didn't deserve it.

"Thanks guys." Piper said, looking to the heavens.

The family was sitting at the table enjoying a late breakfast, which Chris had made, which, after a week, she supposed was his way of letting them know he forgave her for what she had said to him.

"Ooh pancakes." Paige said in delight, stacking several onto her plate.

"Nah, homemade bagels. Made all the sweeter because I am now two grand richer." Phoebe said, delighted that the lawsuit had come through and had won her a payout for libel.

"Nah, give me sausage, bacon and egg any day." Victor said, tucking in with reckless abandon.

"Chris, this is great." Leo said, tucking into his omelette.

"I learned from the best." Chris said with a smile as he opened up the poached egg over his kedgeree.

"She must be very good." Piper said with a small smile, feeding scrambled eggs to Wyatt with one hand while tackling her eggs Benedict with another.

"Mmm, Chris, you need to tell Sheila how to make this, she never gets it just right." Darryl said as he tucked into his own fried bread with an egg in the middle, with homemade waffles.

"You almost feel sorry for Dan, with Prue, Grams and Grandma terrorising him." Chris said as he looked at the paper.

"You don't feel sorry for him do you?" Victor asked, chewing on a bit sausage.

"Hell no. He deserves everything he gets and more. That'll teach him to piss off a family of witches." Chris said, and Piper looked across at her son.

He'd done so much, trying to protect his family, trying to protect his brother, and even her from a lousy guy. And she had continually pushed him away. But that was changing now. They knew who he was, he was her little boy, and as they got to know him, it became more and more apparent how like she and Prue that he was. And the fact that he was a great cook made her heart swell with pride. He was a true Halliwell, and he was her son, a mini male version of her. She couldn't be more proud of him, she thought, as she watched him give Wyatt some of his poached egg, which of course he took an immediate liking to.

Piper smiled. Yeah, he had some problems, and it was clear that what she had said to him all this time and when she had thrown him out still haunted him. But those wounds were healing, and they were becoming a true family.

And it was as close to perfect as she could ever want, she thought, her eyes fixed on her little boy, happy that she could get to know Chris at last.

The end!

Good to know I still have it in me, I quite enjoyed writing that. Enough for another story? Perhaps, I will see.

So, the evil Dan has been dealt with and is now at the mercy of Chris' dead relatives, everyone knows who Chris is, and everything is good again. I wouldnt really kill Chris, i think he's cute, and least of all would I let someone like Dan kill him. Ugh. Only thing worse would be Dan's niece or Billie.

Kudos to Darryl, finally getting the upper hand for once (I felt he deserved a break, he's usually the last one to find anything out), and well done to Leo proving himself to Chris.

Anyway, i hope you enjoyed this story, I enjoyed writing it, and thank you for all your lovely reviews!

But this is the last chapter, so please and review, and if you havent told me what you thought of the story pic, please do so! Remember, I like to wake up to reviews! Thanks for reading!

Oh and P.S, I meant to say, I reckon Chris' hair should look much the same as it did in either I Dream of Phoebe or in Spin City, I like it sort of long. Thanks again!