Charmed Fic: Made Weak by Time and Fate: Chapter Two

[jesterladyfic]

Chapter Two

This wasn’t working out the way he’d thought. If only he had more information! But there had never been any to begin with. The whole thing had happened with too much mystery. But at least he was working the real mission now.

Piper was feeling exhausted. What kind of a life was this, anyway? All she did was work and sleep and work and sleep. If she didn’t have a capable manager at P3, the place would have fallen apart. Basically, it boiled down to Leo being away too much and Chris being way too driven, to prove himself, or for what reason she didn’t know. All she knew was that she was so tired she could barely see straight.

Right now she was supporting Paige who was limping from a demon’s fireball to her foot.

Leo was away on some big Elder conference and so Chris would have to do for the post-vanquish patch-up. She had not been happy when Leo had explained that one of the conditions of him remaining on Earth was that Chris would become their new Whitelighter. She liked the kid when he wasn't being a cryptic smartass, but he wasn’t Leo. But he was all she had at the moment so she called him as soon as they got back to the house.

“Uh, I can’t,” he said.

“Can’t?” Paige asked. “Foot hurt. Whitelighter heal. That’s the deal.”

“I don’t…know how.”

“What kind of Whitelighter can't heal?” Paige said contemptuously.

Phoebe put her hands to her head.

“Guys, I’m getting so much conflict in here. I’m gonna go get some burn cream.”

“For the record, you can't heal either,” Chris said, turning back to Paige.

“I'm only half-whitelighter. How come you didn't tell us about this before we hired you?”

“Because you didn't hire me. I was assigned by the Elders.”

“Technicality,” Piper said sharply. “Now, can you tell me why you’re driving us so hard? Any other little surprises you would like to share with us?”

“No. Look, I haven't been a Whitelighter very long, okay? And healing, it's big, and takes a little while to learn how to do.”

“Great. Student-lighter,” Phoebe said, coming back into the room.

“Okay, you could've told us about this like, I don't know, maybe a month ago,” Paige said as Phoebe dabbed stuff on her foot.

“Well, I know one thing for sure, we're gonna stop all this demon fighting for a while,” Piper said.

“Wait, why?” Chris asked.

“Because you’re not answering my questions and I get testy when that happens,” Piper said, grabbing Wyatt from his pen.

“Fine,” Chris said, throwing up his hands and sitting down next to Phoebe. She winced and Piper frowned. “I have to tell you something.”

“Now we’re talking,” Piper said, shifting Wyatt.

“Look, I didn’t just come back for the Titans. I know from future knowledge that a demon is gonna come after Wyatt. These are all pre-empted strikes.”

Piper’s world stopped working.

“Pretty sure that’s something you needed to mention the moment you dropped into our attic!” Piper said sharply.

Phoebe put her hand to her head.

“There’s a lot of anger. Yes, much anger. Please stop with the anger.”

“What is going on with you?” Paige asked. “You’ve been jumpier than a toad.”

“It’s just…I don’t know. People are always so angry or happy or anything and I…well, I’m feeling it.”

“You’re becoming empathic,” Chris said simply.

“What!” they all said.

“Empathic. It’s her new active power. Empathy, feeling other people’s emotions. Channeling them. That sort of thing.”

“Why does no one bother to ask before shoving new powers into my body?” Phoebe demanded.

“At least it’s good news,” Piper said, “now back it on up to demons after my son.”

“Yeah, that is more important,” Paige agreed.

The three sisters turned expectant faces to Chris who blanched.

“That’s all I know,” he protested. “I just know a demon’s going to come after Wyatt. I don’t know when, I don’t know who. So I’m just going after every demon I can. Makes sense, right?”

Piper fought growing panic and put a hand to her forehead.

“Chris, in the future, if you want to remain un-blown up, you will kindly tell me all pertinent information about my son whether you think I should know or not.”

“Sorry, I didn’t want to accelerate anything. I have to be careful about the timelines.”

“Screw your precious timelines,” Piper snapped. “This is my son.”

Phoebe flinched again.

“Sorry, I just can’t. I have to…have to go.”

She practically ran from the room.

“Will she be okay?” Paige asked. “Should we call Leo?”

“I promised Leo we wouldn’t call him unless it was a real emergency,” Piper said. “Chris, will she be okay? And can I trust your answer?”

“She’ll be okay,” Chris said. “It will just take awhile to adjust to it. She’s gotta learn to control it just like every other power. Focusing on Wyatt is a better use of your time.”

“Living my life is a better use of my time,” Piper said. “Paige, you’ve got that temp job, you’d better get to it. I’ve gotta get Wyatt to daycare and make an appearance at the club. Chris, you find out which demon wants my baby and you do it now.”

“Three more demons, then we can talk about taking a little break,” Chris pleaded. “That’s all we can do.”

“Okay, look, Chris, we like you a lot. But we have been doing this a lot longer than you have. Trust me, you have to pace yourself and you gotta let us have a life,” Paige said. “It will work better if we’re not so exhausted when the real evil comes we can’t fight it.”

Chris sighed and orbed away.

Piper turned to Paige.

“Is there some reason my husband decided it would be okay to let the Junior Future Patrol be our Whitelighter?”

“Chris isn’t that bad,” Paige said. “He’s all earnest and new like I used to be.”

“Just go to work,” Piper said. “Your foot gonna be okay?”

“Yeah, peachy keen,” Paige said. “We can try to help Phoebe later?”

“Of course,” Piper said.
Piper sighed as Paige left and took care of her morning duties.

She knocked on Phoebe’s door.

“Phoebe, you okay?”

“Go away,” Phoebe said. “No more emotions. I’m working from home today. I’ll be okay; I just need to be alone.”

“Call if you need anything,” Piper said, deciding to pick her battles.

***

Well, he’d lost the element of surprise. But maybe it worked better this way. After all, there was nothing like the threat of danger to get people worked up about things. Still, he’d have to be very careful from now on.

Leo didn’t know how many people knew it, but the Elders were a lot more organized than people might think. They held different positions, worked regular hours, coordinated with each other. One of Leo’s new jobs was assigning charges to people. They were on a break from the Council and he could either pop home or do some of his piling up work. Despite how much he’d like to do the former, he chose the latter. He’d told Piper he wouldn’t be home and though he’d like to surprise her, he knew she would be disappointed by how little time he could spare.

So he orbed to the backroom of P3 where Chris was lounging on the couch in his boxers with a bottle of beer open in front of him.

“Hey.”

“Hey, Leo!” Chris said, jumping up. “Hey, I didn't know you were coming here.”

Unfortunately, Chris didn’t appear to be taking his work as seriously as Leo took his.

“I can see that. Are you drinking beer?”

“I was gonna pay for that.”

“Chris, what are you doing sitting around here? Aren't you supposed to be getting to know your new charge?”

Yesterday Leo had introduced Chris to Natalie. He’d hoped Chris would take an interest in something else other than, well, other than whatever else Chris had been taking an interest in. Certainly didn’t seem to be much of anything.

At Leo’s words Natalie appeared in the doorway wearing only a shirt.

“Oh, hi, Leo,” she said, looking embarrassed.

Chris got up and held out a preemptory hand.

“Okay, look, before you get mad, you were the one who wanted me to have a charge in the first place, remember?”

“Chris, are you out of your mind? Besides from this being out of line, it's completely against the rules.”

“Yeah, you're one to talk,” retorted Chris.

Leo’s head shot up at that. He may have fallen for Piper, but he would never have…

“Oh, I don't think that's his point,” Natalie put in. At both of their faces, she continued, “Why don't I just, um, leave you two alone?”

Natalie left and Leo turned an expectant face back to Chris who shrugged.

“Look, I was just having a little fun. What's the big deal? It's not like I have anything pressing to do anyway.”

“You don't have anything pressing? Then why exactly did you come back from the future in the first place?”

A question Leo had been wondering for at least a month. Initially it had been to help with the Titans, but ever since then Chris had been lounging around in the back room of P3 and resisting Leo’s every attempt to get him to help out.

“Ah, I don't know. I forgot.”

“You forgot.” Leo was feeling seriously parental today. Someone needed to take this kid in hand, because future knowledge or not, he was obviously lost. Chris laughed derisively and Leo opened his mouth when suddenly he heard something and turned around. “You hear that?”

“What?”

“Never mind. We'll talk about this later.”

Something felt wrong, something was off. Leo had been feeling itchy and weird but had put it on stress and lack of being at home lately. But now…now he was hearing things and he had the strangest pull to go back to the house and make sure everything was all right.

***

There really wasn’t a point to anything, was there? Why had he given up his entire life for absolutely nothing? Another day, another pointless day.

Piper couldn’t shake the feeling that she was forgetting something. All day long she’d kept bending down to pick something up that wasn’t there. She’d found herself humming lullabies and automatically buying diapers when she didn’t need them. It was really disturbing. She was probably just extremely stressed out. This morning Phoebe’s new empathic power had exploded all over breakfast. It had been a few days since they’d found out about it and while it was really useful in some ways, it was super annoying in others. Phoebe had decided to hide in the basement, apparently for the rest of her life, but Elise had called her in to work in a rage and Piper still hadn’t heard why.

All in all, she really wished Leo wasn’t at some big Elder thing and could just give her a back rub. But back rubs had been few and far between since he’d been promoted, as it were.

He’d promised to make it work, but sometimes she wasn’t so sure it could. He was gone more than he was home and, other than her, there really wasn’t anything else to keep him on Earth. He said she was enough, but she didn’t always feel like enough.

So why was he standing in front of their closet looking at it like it contained the answers to all of life’s questions?

“Leo, what are you doing?”

He started and turned which was unusual because it was very hard to sneak up on a Whitelighter, let alone an Elder.

“Um, uh, I just… I guess I should be somewhere else.”

“Well, that’s what you told me. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Today has just been…weird.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Why, what’s going on?” he asked, worry evident in his voice.

“Nothing we can’t handle. Phoebe’s got some odd empath-y problems and I’ve been… Well, I’ve been hearing something.”

“What?”

“Something that sounds like…”

“A baby?” he asked.

“You too?”

“Yeah, why do you think that is?”

“Maybe we just regret never having children,” she said, suddenly feeling melancholy. “Which, why didn’t we?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “We both wanted to. Maybe, maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.”

“I guess there’s not really much of a chance with all the…” she flung her hands around, “…Elder stuff you’ve got to do.”

“Maybe,” he said. She opened her mouth to speak but then Paige called to her from the attic. “Charmed One stuff?” he asked.

“We’ll figure out if there’s anything weird going on.”

“What if it’s a demon?”

“You’re not our Whitelighter anymore,” she said sadly. “Chris is. Besides, you’ve got a big thing this week.”

“Yeah, I’ve actually been ignoring them for the past ten minutes,” he said sheepishly.

“I’m honored,” she said and gave him a quick kiss before heading upstairs.

To a spell, a spell that apparently rewound the day, and Piper absolutely could not believe that she’d forgotten her baby boy.

“I’m a mom,” she said, clutching Wyatt to her.

The day just went downhill from there. Phoebe had to go to work to see how she’d caused a riot. Paige had to go to work to see why she’d let a co-worker down. Piper had to sit and page through the Book and freak out about somebody making her forget her son.

It wasn’t until later when the dragon appeared that she realized how bad it could get.

***

This was a lot harder than he’d imagined. How did you treat someone who you knew so well and who didn’t know you at all and who you had apparently never really known at all? Someone who insisted on treating you how you should have been treated and never were before? It was a little bit ridiculous.
Leo orbed into P3 and waited for Chris to get up. He was going to do something about the kid and now. The Elders were concerned, all of them, including him. And Chris needed something to occupy his time besides obsessing over demon-hunting.

“You're kidding, right? I don't have time for another charge,” said Chris.

“Why not?” Leo asked calmly.

“Because I just don't. Why do you want me to oversee another witch, anyway?”

“Because I wanna see what you can do, what you can handle. You say you’re here to help us, well, here it is.”

“Oh, please, you just don't want me around the sisters all the time because you don't trust me.”

“What reason have you given me to trust you, Chris?” Leo said quietly. “You popped into my life, manipulated me into becoming an Elder, and positioned yourself within the most powerful magical household there is. Now, when I ask you to do your job - protecting charges is what we do, after all - you try to worm your way out of it.”

“Fine, I told the sisters this a few days ago, but I’ll tell you too.” Chris breathed in deep and let it out. “Leo, I didn't come all the way from the future to protect and oversee other charges. I came for one reason and one reason only. To protect Wyatt. Sometime in the future a demon will attack him, but I’m not sure which one. That’s why I’ve been trying to get every demon I can.”

“Are you kidding me?” Leo asked, white rage suddenly flooding him. “You didn’t tell us this from the beginning, why?”

“So you wouldn’t freak out like you are now,” Chris said.

“I would have been concerned for my son. I’m always concerned for him. Now, now I’m just even more convinced I can’t trust you.”

“Hey, man, fine, whatever, don't believe me. I already told the sisters this. If you’d been around I’m sure you would have known sooner.” He got up and began to walk out. “All I'm saying is there is no way I am taking on another charge and that's final.”

Natalie walked in just at that moment. Leo introduced them, a little annoyed to see how stiff Chris was acting.

"Chris here was just telling me how delighted he was to be your new Whitelighter," Leo said.

"I'm excited too," said Natalie, extending her hand to shake.

Chris gave Leo a death glare and shook Natalie's hands.

Leo rolled his eyes. This was ridiculous. But either way, he had to get back to the Elders. There was a lot of work to do. Hopefully some time spent with Natalie would help Chris feel better about the situation. But Leo had way too much to do himself without worrying about what Chris could handle on top of that.

Leo had only been back for about an hour when he suddenly heard Piper calling him.

“Leo! Leo, I know you can hear me. I know I told you I wouldn’t but I really need you. Wyatt's in trouble.”

“I have to go,” he said, interrupting one of the older Elders.

“But we aren’t finished,” he protested.

“Piper needs me,” Leo said and vanished. “What do you mean? What happened?” he asked immediately upon returning.

“There's no time. Just tell me how to stop the Cleaners.”

Leo froze. No. No. No.

“The Cleaners? Are they after him?”

“Yeah,” she said guiltily.

“What the hell happened?” he asked, a little bit irritated and irrationally afraid.

“Well, he conjured a little dragon.”

How was that even possible?

“Piper, how could you let that happen?”

He knew he’d said the wrong thing then because she glared at him.

“How could I let that happen? You take off and suddenly I'm responsible for every little thing?”

“This is not a little thing.”

“Yeah, well, where the hell were you? Why weren't you watching over his every move Up There on your lofty perch?”

“Okay, that's not what I meant,” Leo said, trying to calm down.

“Then don't say it because I'm beating myself up enough already about this and I don't need you beating me up too.”

He moved toward her and wrapped her in his arms.

“Sorry, I'm just scared.”

“Yeah, so am I,” she said, muffled into his chest. “That's why I called you. Because I'm about to lose our son and I don't know what to do. So please help me.”

Her plea broke his heart but he was coming up with nothing. The Cleaners were just…the end.

“Piper, if I could...”

“No,” she said, pushing away from him. “Don't say it. Don't say anything about Elders or rules because you know what? He is your son, Leo. There are no rules.”

“I don’t know what rule to break,” he said desperately. “I'm telling you, the Cleaners are empowered by both good and evil, you can't stop them.”

“There has to be a way,” she said determinedly.

He had never felt so powerless.

“You don't understand, there isn't. Cleaners have the power to rewrite history, you can't fight that.”

“No, you don't understand. I can't do this! I will not lose Wyatt! I’ve lost too much. Mom and Grams and Prue. Don’t you dare ask me to lose my son!”

“What did the Cleaners say exactly?” he asked, something sparking inside his brain. She detailed their encounter for him and he spoke slowly. “Piper, you weren't put in this position to lose Wyatt, which means there is a way; you just have to find it.”

“But how?”

“I don't know. But if anybody can find it, you can. And maybe it's not a magical solution, maybe it's maternal. Deep down inside you can find it. I know you can.”

“Why can’t you just wave a magic wand and make it all go away?” she asked, leaning against him. “What good is all this magic if it doesn’t help?”

“I wish I could,” he said. “But there’s nothing I can do. I’m sorry, but this is up to you.”

She straightened up and that old fiery obstinacy was back on her face.

“You go do your Elder thing,” she said. “But you come if I call, got it?”

“I don’t want to leave,” he said.

“Go,” she said. “I’ve got this one.”

“But, Piper-"

“You just told me I can do this,” she said, “now let me.”

He smiled.

“I love you.”

“Yeah, you do,” she said, but her smile was strained when he left.

Leo spent the rest of the day with one ear firmly trained to the house.

***

He was forgetting something again. Something important. It felt like a moment ago he’d been full of drive and passion. Now…nothing. What the hell was going on?

She’d been riding on a certain triumph when she’d taken Wyatt out to meet the dragon. Her son had not disappointed her, protecting his mother and un-conjuring the dragon with barely a sweat broken. But then the Cleaners had appeared again and she’d failed. Failed so miserably. She wanted to break down, to simply claw at the floor and weep, but instead a cold rationality had swept over her. Like she’d told Leo, Leo who she’d called out for helplessly at the moment of truth and who’d been able to do nothing, she could do this.

Leo was pacing near the wall, practically wearing a tread through it. Not her calm husband at all. It made her feel a sliver better. He felt it. He cared.

But then Piper came up with the best idea ever and it involved sweet, sweet revenge.

And making the Golden Gate Bridge disappear. That was fun. When they got back to the attic she’d been ridiculously satisfied. Soon they got a visit from the Cleaners.

“What do you think you're doing? Are you out of your minds?”

Maybe a little bit.

“Oh, hey, hi. Did you see our little magic act?” asked Piper casually.

“How is it you still have your memory?” asked one of the Cleaners.

“Oh, I think we still have a few surprises that you don't know about,” Phoebe said, surprisingly chipper despite all the emotions running high in the room.

“Yeah, and if you don't return our nephew, you might find out about just a few more,” Paige said triumphantly.

Naturally, they threatened to erase everything, yadda yadda, but Piper had an ace up her sleeve.

“You can't. Not if you're truly neutral, that is. Cause, you see, if you get rid of us, you'll tip the balance of power from good to evil and now that's hardly being neutral, now, is it?” She stepped forward threateningly. “You will give me my son back or I swear to you the only thing you'll be doing for the next fifty years is cleaning up after us.”

“If we do return him, how do you know you'll be able to control him?”

“I'm his mother. If anybody can, I can.”

And then Wyatt was back. Oh, thank God, Wyatt was back. Piper picked him up and his heartbeat sounded reassuringly in her ear. Leo walked across to them and kissed the top of Wyatt’s head.

The Cleaners left after fixing Phoebe’s emotion riot problem and Phoebe swooped over to Wyatt.

“I'm so happy to see you.”

“Don't smash him,” Piper told her.

“I'm just so happy to see you. I can't help it, this is just very exciting. He's back, we're back. Everybody’s well and happy and gets to keep their job. There’s a little bit of joy floating around in here. Yup, definite joy.”

“You might want to stay in the basement for a day or two,” Paige said.

Phoebe’s smile disappeared.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I don’t think I’ll make out with the delivery men anymore, but I am a little over emotional.”

“No kidding,” Leo said.

Piper had forgotten that Leo hadn’t been there to witness Phoebe’s melodrama madness over the past few days. Repeated or not.

“I’ll be okay,” Phoebe said. “We’ll all be okay.”

“You wanna help me put him to bed?” Piper asked Leo.

“Uh, sorry, honey, but I’ve gotta get back. I’m home tomorrow again though.”

“Right.” She tried not to let her disappointment show, but it was hard. “Go on.” She forced a smile on her face. “Safe orbing.”

He kissed her cheek and smoothed Wyatt’s hair, his hand dissolving into orb lights as he did.

“Piper, I know you’re disappointed,” Phoebe began, “but-“

“No!” Piper said, putting up a hand to stop her. “No emotion-analyzing. I’m putting Wyatt to bed.”

And, despite herself, it was happy. Because even if Leo stayed Up There forever, Piper couldn’t trade being with her son.

***

He didn’t know what he’d been thinking. For some reason he’d been really lethargic and directionless. He’d even been losing himself in pointless company. Now he felt guilty. What would she say about that? Oh well, even she didn’t compare to the mission. And she knew it too. He had to go on.

Leo orbed into P3 again.

“Hey,” Chris said. “I didn’t know you were coming here.”

“What are you still doing here? Shouldn’t you be out with your charge?”

“Yeah, about that. I'm, uh, going back to what I originally said. I don't have time for her.”

“Chris,” Leo began.

“Leo, I mean it. Because whether you believe me or not, I'm here to protect Wyatt, not other charges. Other than the sisters, of course.”

“I know,” Leo said.

“You do?” Chris asked, looking puzzled.

“Yeah, I’m going to reassign Natalie. That’s not really why I’m here.”

“Why are you here?” Chris asked warily.

“We’re gonna have a little pow wow with the girls,” Leo said, grasping Chris by the shoulder and orbing them to the house.

Chris shrugged away the minute they got there.

“What are you doing? Leo, what's going on?”

Leo gestured to Piper, Phoebe, and Paige, sitting in the living room.

“We are gonna get the truth out of you one way or another.”

“I’ve already told you the truth.”

“But not everything,” said Leo.

“I can’t tell you what I don’t know. Frankly, I’m getting a bit sick of all the mistrust.”

“Why are you so defensive, Chris?” Phoebe asked. “There’s a huge wave of hostility coming off you.”

“That’s the world I come from,” he said. “Get used to it or not, but it’s not going to change until what I’ve come here for is done.”

“Do I have your solemn word that you are not withholding any information that could endanger Wyatt and that you will do everything in your power to protect him?” Piper asked. “Look me in the eyes.”

Chris swallowed and Leo blinked because for a moment it was like looking in a mirror. That was exactly how he felt when Piper looked at him like that.

Chris looked her in the eyes.

“I swear that I will do whatever it takes to stop anything from hurting him. I will tell you anything and everything that will help to do that.”

“Phoebe?” Leo asked.

“He’s sincere,” Phoebe said. “Righteously so. He really believes that’s what he needs to do.”

“Okay,” Piper said. “Then you can stay. But you will be honest from here on out. And don’t ever forget what I’m willing to do for Wyatt.”

Chris suddenly grinned.

“Okay, Piper.”

Paige smiled and patted him on the shoulder on her way out the door.

“Welcome to the family. Don’t mess up.”

“Can I go now?” Chris asked sarcastically, looking at Leo.

“Just come when they call,” Leo said. “Take care of them like a Whitelighter should.”

Chris rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, Dad, whatever.”

He vanished.

Phoebe laughed.

Piper carried Wyatt out to the kitchen and Leo followed her.

“I’m still worried,” she said.

“Me too.”

“Will you be there with me when it happens?” she asked.

“If I’m not just call,” he said.

She smiled wanly and got Wyatt’s bottle before leading them both up to their bedroom. Leo followed. He swore he always would.

Well, that could have gone better. But he’d meant every word. He’d do whatever it took to stop the future from happening. He also knew that protecting someone, even from themselves, was sometimes the only option. An option he would take if necessary.