The Root of All Evil (updated 8/2/04) Happy ending

[Nite Owl]

Author: Aurora Nightstar

This is a story a friend who wishes to remain anonymous and I have been talking about for a while and I finally got it started and she helped edit it.


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The Root of All Evil

Chris was firmly scrunched up like a ball with his head in his lap and crying. He had just witnessed the apparent disintegration of his mother and his two Aunts.

Leo orbed in. “They can still be saved, Chris,” Leo said.

“How, you can’t heal dust!” Chris replied back without even looking up.

Leo stepped over to his son and put his hand on him. Chris pulled away.

“They can’t be dead,” Leo reminded him. “You are still here and Piper is still carrying you.”<br>
“Why am I still here?” Chris said. Chris heard nothing. He finally looked up and saw his father frozen. “Mom?” he called out hopefully.

“You still have a chance to save them, Chris,” the Angel of Destiny appeared before Chris. “It is your destiny to do so.”

“But how? It is impossible,” Chris answered.

“Just remember, time is on your side,” the angel critically answered. “The Root of All Evil has vanquished the Source of All Good. You must bring her back!!”<br>
“Wait, there is another Source?” Chris asked.

“The Root of All Evil is above the Source,” the Angel of Destiny answered. “The Root of All Evil created the Source of all Evil. The Source of All Good must be restored or all hope is forever lost.” The angel disappeared and Leo unfroze.

Leo noticed Chris stopped crying. “Glad to see you are pulling yourself together, son,” although his own face was still ravaged by grief of the loss of his soulmate.

“Ever heard of the Source of All Good?” Chris asked.

“No,” Leo answered. "I can't say I have."

“What is it, an Elder?” Chris wondered.

“I said I don’t know,” Leo was becoming annoyed; especially since it didn’t seem his son was listening to him at all.

“What about the Root of All Evil?” Chris asked.

“The Root, you mean the Source? They already vanquished him,” Leo said.

“No, the Root,” Chris said.

“I will check with the other Elders,” Leo answered.

“Sure, if you like wasting your time,” Chris said, sarcastically. Leo shot Chris a dirty look. “Seriously, they never know anything!”<br>
“They did come up with the idea how to clean up last time magic was exposed,” Leo said. "That may be what happened again this time."

“Yeah, pure genius; they had you seeking demonic help instead of just asking The Cleaners!” Chris said sarcastically. “No, thanks, I don’t want that kind of help. I don’t want to end up like Prue!”

Leo was shocked at that statement.

“Time is on my side,” Chris mumbled only semi-audibly.

“What was that?” Leo asked.

“Of course! The spell!” Chris said. He jumped up and grabbed some chalk. He drew a triquetra on the wall.

“Hear these words. Hear the rhyme.
Heed the hope within my mind.
Send me back to where I'll find
What I wish in place and time” Chris read aloud.

Chris turned to Leo. “Wish me luck,” Chris told him, then he walked through the portal.

“Good luck, son,” Leo murmured, then he let his own devastation over Piper’s death sink in, and he began to cry. He had put on a strong face for his son, but now that his son had left, he let the emotions sink in.

[Nite Owl]

“Yeah, I mean, look, I told you, you have nothing to worry about today, all right? It's going to be a demon-free day.” Prue said.

Cole shimmered in. “Hey! Sorry I'm late,” Cole declared.

Piper turned to Prue. “You were saying?” Piper mocked.

Cole walked over to Phoebe. “Near miss with a Zoltar,” Cole said. He kissed Phoebe. “Almost spotted me. Oh, don't worry, I lost him. I think.”<br>
The girls all saw someone orb in. “Leo, I said not until the wedding,” Piper said.

But as the orbs turn into a person, all four people stared at the person in astonishment. This was a handsome young man none of them had ever seen before.

“Who the hell are you?” Piper demanded.

“Zoltar!” Cole cried. He lit up an energy ball.

”Demons don’t orb,” Phoebe reminded him. She pushed his hand down.

“I came from the future,” Chris said. “I need your help. Your lives are all going straight to hell!”

“See? No matter what, a demon will attack today. It's just the natural order of our universe,” Piper declared.

“No, Piper, a demon is not going to ruin your wedding,” Chris said.

Prue looked over at this very cute stranger and looked him up and down with interest. “Whoa, and you are?” Prue repeated Piper’s question. She smiled approvingly at him.

Cole instantly recognized the expression on Prue’s face. It was the same way Phoebe looked at him the first time they met. He turned to Phoebe. “Can you believe she is actually attract--" The words died in his throat as he realized that Phoebe’s expression was much the same. Cole turned to Chris. “Look, in case you didn’t know, there is a wedding going on, so why don’t you orb back to the future or whereever it is you came from--" Cole started in.

“Don’t be rude,” Phoebe cut him off. She looked at Cole’s hurt face. She kissed him.

“I think I will go check on Leo and Victor,” Cole muttered. “Oh and before I forget...” Cole tossed Piper a gift.

“Young man, whatever it is you are here for will have to wait till after the wedding,” Piper told Chris.

“What did you say your name was again,” Prue asked.

“Oh, Chris,” Chris answered. “Chris Perry.”<br>
As Piper, Phoebe and Prue continued to talk; Chris disappeared off to the attic.

[Nite Owl]

Prue went up to the attic to check on her dream. She was surprised to see Chris looking through the Book of Shadows.

“Get away from that Book!” Prue warned.

“Funny. Piper said the same thing the first time she saw me looking at it,” Chris told her, smiling fondly at the memory. “I've been through this thing plenty of times.”<br>
“I mean it,” Prue warned.

“You are looking for stuff on that dream you had. right?” Chris asked. “Well, it wasn’t a dream. It is nothing more then your astral self acting up!”<br>
“And how would you know?” Prue demanded.

“Like I said, I came from the future!” Chris reminded her.

“Ok, Future Boy, what do you see in my future?” Prue asked.

“Believe me, you don’t want to know. Your lives are all going straight to hell!” Chris exclaimed. “I need your help to prevent it!”<br>
“I heard enough of this nonsense,” Prue said as the pulled the Book away from him. “Save it to till after the wedding! Nothing is going to be allowed to stop this wedding. We'll do what we have to do. For Piper!”<br>
“Ok,” Chris agreed with a smile. "For Piper."

[Nite Owl]

Everyone was down stairs except Piper and Patty. “Places, everyone,” Grams said, smiling.

The door bell rang.

“Don’t answer that,” Prue cried.

“Oh, that is Darryl." Chris told her, matter-of-factly. "He is here to warn you that you are wanted for murder!”

“What?” Prue exclaimed. "That was just a dream!"

The door bell rang again.

“Will someone answer that?” Piper yelled down the stairs.

“I will get it,” Prue and Chris both said at the same time.

“No, I will get it,” Prue insisted. Prue went to answer the door.

Chris looked over to Victor. He so much wanted to hug his beloved grandpa, but he knew he shouldn’t. “And you are?” Victor asked Chris.

“Oh, this is Chris,” Phoebe said. “He is another whitelighter.”<br>
Victor pulled Leo to the side. “Hey, another whitelighter! Be careful of him, he is probably here to steal your girl!”<br>
“What!” Chris exclaimed as despite Victor’s attempt to be quit he heard every word. No way he'd want to steal his mother away from his father before he was born!

“Police have your picture. You're wanted for murder. They said you fled custody this morning,” Darryl was explaining to Prue.

“How did you know?” Prue looked over curiously at Chris.

“Oh my god, that was your dream!” Phoebe sounded shocked.

“She didn’t murder anybody,” Chris declared. "Neither did her astral self or TJ. Leo and Cole will figure it out later."

"How do you know about TJ?" Prue asked, becoming more and more confused.

"I told you. I'm from the future. I know what's going to happen."

"Maybe," Grams declared, "But let's sort this out later."

"Yes," agreed Phoebe. "Let's get the wedding over with for Piper’s sake"

"For Piper," said Prue and Chris at the same time, although Chris only managed to say "Pi" when he saw who had just entered the room.

Grams had asked Victor to make room and in walked his ex-wife, Chris' grandmother, Patty. Chris lost all sense of what was going on as he stared. He had summoned his grandma many times growing up as a ghost. He loved her very much and wanted nothing more then to go and give her a hug since he had never been able to do that before.

[Nite Owl]

Suddenly he snapped back to reality as he realized a disaster was just about to occur. With a flick of the wrist, Chris forced the front door open, moments before it would have been demolished by the onset of a motorcycle. TJ came through the front door. Everything seems to move in slow motion as TJ knocked over the flowers and then knocked over the table and all the glassware smashed on the floor. He stopped in front of the table the cake was sitting on.

Chris knew the cake would be destroyed. He knew how much that would hurt his mother. He couldn't have that happen. So he raised the motorcycle in the air. Then he telekinetically pushed TJ and his motorcycle out the door.

He watched as Prue’s astral self went after him. “Prue, you get your astral ass back here!” Phoebe demanded.

In the background, Phoebe and Paige were peering around the door frame. “Who is that guy?” Paige asked Phoebe.

“I have no idea,” Phoebe replied. “He wasn’t there, I swear. He is cute.”<br>
Chris started to walk toward them. Phoebe and Paige ran to avoid being found.

“Oh, come on, Phoebe, Paige. I know you are here,” Chris said quietly.

“How do you know my name?” Paige asked as she and Phoebe came out of hiding.

“What are you guys doing here?” Chris asked.

“Answer our question first,” Paige declared. “Do you think he is a warlock?” she asked her half-sister.

“No, I am not a warlock, I am part witch and part whitelighter, just like you, Paige,” Chris replied.

Just then Kit walked in and meowed. Phoebe and Paige picked her up and started petting her. A warlock blinked in and was surprised to see Phoebe, Paige and Chris. He blinked out just as quickly.

“Good job saving the cake, by the way!” Phoebe said.

“The cake was supposed to be smashed?” Paige asked.

“Yeah, he just changed history,” Phoebe answered.

“That is why I am here,” Chris stated.

“To save a cake?” Paige asked.

“No, to change history. Somebody is coming,” Chris said. He was about to grab Phoebe and Paige to orb them elsewhere, but they both mysteriously disappeared.

[Nite Owl]

Chris returned to the living room, just as astral Prue returned to her body. “Oh, Prue, you are back, good. No, wait, not good! The power is about to go out, and the police will be in here any minute!”<br>
“Yeah, right,” Prue said, sarcastically. Her tone dropped just as the power did, in fact, go out. Chris grabbed a hold of Phoebe and Prue and orbed out.

“The first officer on the scene looked around and asked incredulously, “Where did everybody go….?”<br>
“Oh, great, you mean you don't know? What are you gonna do? Ask him?” the annoyance in Darryl’s voice was obvious.

Just then the biker walked past them. He stopped and stared, then continued to walk.

“That's a good idea. Why don't you meet me out front in five?” Cole asked, rubbing his hands together expectantly.

Chris, Phoebe and Prue stepped around the corner. “Cole, don’t bother!" cried Chris. "You have the right killer, Darryl--just book him!”<br>
“Excuse me and you are?” Darryl asked.

“A royal pain the…” Cole stated coldly.

“Cole!! Darryl, this is Chris,” Phoebe cut off Cole and made the introductions herself.

“Chris are you absolutely sure?” Darryl asked.

“Positive,” Chris answered.

“Well, that ‘pain in the butt’” Prue looked mockingly at Cole, “has been right about everything else!”<br>
“The Manor is crawling with cops. We can't go back there," Chris reminded the others.

"I will get Piper; meet us back at P3,” Chris told Leo. Leo nodded.

[Nite Owl]

Chris orbed to Piper. He found her clearly heart-broken and in tears. He hated seeing his mother like this. He just wanted to reach over and hug her. He would literally do anything for her.

“Please don’t cry,” he told Piper.

Chris fought back his own tears as the sight of his mother like this was enough to make his own heart shatter.

Piper looked over. “Oh, it’s you,” Piper looked away. “I can’t help it. All I wanted was a nice wedding. My big sister ruined it!”<br>
“She didn’t do it on purpose,” Chris defended Prue. "And it wasn't her. It was her astral self. She and Phoebe would do anything to make this day perfect for you. Prue couldn't help it."

“It doesn’t matter,” Piper sniffled. “My wedding day is ruined.”<br>
“Don’t talk like that,” Chris tried to put his arm around her in a consoling way, but Piper pulled away.

“Why not? It is the truth!” Piper blurted out.

“Oh, come on, you know this is going to work out. It's got to. Weren’t you and Leo once together? You saw that when you visited the future,” Chris reminded her.

That didn't help much. “Worked out, yeah right," Piper muttered. "We were divorced!” Piper shot back.

“Didn’t you see kids in that future,” Chris inquired hopefully.

“Yeah, yeah, I had a beautiful little girl,” Piper was starting to sound annoyed.

“Girl?” Chris questioned, surprised.

“Yeah!” Piper replied. "Melinda."

Chris sighed in frustration. “You need to get married.”<br>
“OK, but it won’t be today; the wedding is ruined,” Piper replied, tears filling her eyes again.

“Hey, a wise person once told me that if at the end of your wedding day, you manage to marry the person you love, then your wedding was perfect," Chris stated. "Now, come on, you need to get married today.” he cajoled.

“What idiot gave you that dribble?” Piper snapped back.

Chris smiled at the memory. “That would be you!”<br>
“We knew each other in the future?” Piper asked.

“Of course, you were” Chris hesitated and thought. He remembered the image of watching his mother and his aunts disintegrating right before his very eyes. He had tried the approach of not telling them anything and that basically blew up in his face. Now he would try a different approach.

“Well, were what? Don’t keep me in suspense here!” Piper demanded.

“You and Leo, see, well, this is kinda hard to say, but"

"Me and Leo are what?" Piper was getting annoyed again.

"You are my parents,” Chris replied softly.

“What!” Piper exclaimed.

Chris looked down feeling disappointed. “Not quite the reaction I was hoping for,” he muttered.

Piper was not sure he was telling the truth, but her mothering instincts took over. She went over and hugged him.

“I love you, Mom,” Chris whispered. There was something so natural and heart-felt in how he said it, that Piper just knew it was true. She was holding her future son.

[Nite Owl]

"Oh, son! Leo will be thrilled!" Piper exclaimed.

Chris was less then enthusiastic at that idea. "Oh, no need to tell him," Chris explained "The less that know the better. I don't want to mess up the future too much. Please just keep this between us, ok?"

"But he deserves to know," Piper insisted.

"No, he doesn't need to know, please, Mom!" Chris pleaded with her. Chris gave Piper those sad puppy-dog eyes that no parent can say no to.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Piper responded.

“Just let me tell him when the time is right,” Chris begged. ~ Which will be never ~ he thought to himself.

“Oh, ok,” Piper gave in.


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Chris orbed himself and Piper to the back offices of P3. "All right, let's get you two hitched!" Chris said, referring to Piper and Leo.

"Who put future boy in charge?" Cole uttered bitterly.

"Cole, put a sock in it!" Piper declared. "No, the wedding can wait!"

"What!!" Everyone else cried.

"But it will happen," Piper smiled as she kissed Leo, while Chris turned away.

Then Piper turned to Chris. "You come first!" and Chris smiled at his mother putting her son first. "Tell us again about this …. What did you call it?"

"Root of All Evil," Chris said.

"If you mean--" Leo started in.

"No," Chris interrupted. "Not The Source--The Root."

"I will--" Leo began again, now glaring at Chris.

"Don't waste your time checking with the Elders," Chris shot back, as he glared back. "The Root of All Evil is above The Source. He vanquished the Source of All Good. We must bring her back."

"Gee, this guy is being rude," Cole muttered under his breath.

"Cole!" Phoebe cried out in shock.

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" Prue snickered.

"Maybe, Prue, but Cole is right. Chris is being rude," Victor told her.

"Yeah, Leo is only trying to help," Patty added gently.

Hearing his beloved grandparents disagree with him and agree with Cole made Chris feel truly awful.

[Nite Owl]

Chris just felt like he couldn’t win. “Sorry Leo,” he said not particularly sincerely. “It is just we have already had this conversation, or will have," Chris shook his head in confusion. "Whatever, the point is I already knew what you were going to say!”<br>
Sensing his insincerity, Leo glared at Chris. “Right!” Leo said slowly.

Piper pondered for a moment the possibility that Chris simply did not like his father. She quickly dismissed it; nah, impossible; everyone loves Leo. So Piper, being the peacemaker she always was, decided to try to move it past this awkward moment.

“Getting back to the Root of all Evil?” she suggested. “Can we use a spell to find it?”<br>
“He is leading you to a trap,” Cole warned.

Chris was about to say something, but Piper cut him off, glaring at Cole and demanding, “Cole, shut up!” Chris smiled at Piper as if to say ‘Thanks, Mom.’<br>
“Phoebe, think you can get to work on a spell?” Prue suggested. “One that will take us to this Root of All Evil?”<br>
“I will try,” Phoebe replied. So she grabbed the pad and pencil she always had with her, even during Piper's wedding and began working on a spell. The others threw suggestions at her, even Patty, Chris and Cole, and eventually Phoebe had a spell put together that they all agreed should work.

“Magic forces, black and white,
Reaching out through space and light,
It is the Root of All Evil that we seek,
To stop the havoc that it wreaks
So wherever or whenever it may be,
Grant passage now straight to thee.”<br>
A portal appeared before them. “Thanks!” Chris told them with a smile. “Wish me luck!” and Chris headed straight for the portal and disappeared.

“Oh no you don’t!” Piper cried as she followed her son through the portal.

"Piper!" And both Phoebe and Prue ran after her.

“Phoebe!” Cole exclaimed. “There is no way I am leaving Phoebe alone with that guy!” and Cole charged in after them.

“Leo, you better go too, just in case they need healing,” Patty suggested.

Leo nodded as he too stepped through the portal.

Victor turned to Patty. “I guess we should go too,” he said. He started toward the portal.

But before he could step through, Patty grabbed his arm. She pulled him close to her. He turned around. She gave him a slow kiss.

“No, Victor, not this time,” Patty insisted as she watched the portal close.

[Nite Owl]

They all arrived in some kind of dark room, almost like a miniature theatre. One wall was a huge screen. On the screen, a video of Leo and Piper’s wedding was rolling.

As they watched Piper come down the stairs, Chris was the first to speak. “Looks like demons have hidden cameras all over the Manor."

Leo nodded. "We will have to do something about that.”

“That and find The Root!” Piper declared. Then she looked up at the monitor as TJ came smashing through the door. Her chin nearly hit the floor as she watched him smash into her wedding cake.

“Actually, that is the way it originally happened,” Chris admitted.

“Then thanks for coming and preventing that,” Piper smiled at Chris, although she was still very disturbed by the sight of the video rolling.

A man in black stood by the door talking on a cell phone. “I don’t care how you do it; just get Balthazor here now!” the man demanded. The man walked out the door, not realizing he was no longer alone.

Everyone suddenly turned to stare at Cole. “You know this guy?” Leo was the first to ask what everyone was thinking.

“I never saw that man before in my life,” Cole declared.

Everyone kept questioning Cole, but Chris headed for the door the man just left through. He pulled out his sun glasses. “Magic forces far and wide, Enchant these so those can't hide, Allow this witch to use therein, So he can reveal the evil within,” Chris recited a quick incantation.

Chris came to a doorway. Taking a quick peek, he saw the same man they just saw on the cell phone, now talking to three women who looked exactly like The Charmed Ones, even dressed in the same outfits--Piper in her wedding dress, Prue and Phoebe in their bridesmaid dresses.

Chris put on the glasses. A dark aura surrounded the man. He must be the head demon, Chris thought, and the women must be his assistants, he thought, as he put the glasses back in his pocket. He tried to remain in earshot yet out of sight.

“How is the rest of the world going to believe you are The Charmed Ones if you can’t even convince me,” he demanded.
.
Chris could not see who was speaking but he recognized that voice, exactly like Prue's. “Well all this stuff you are asking for is just ridiculous; no one is going to believe it! And I am not doing it!” she declared.

“You can be replaced, you know!” the man hissed.

“Wrong, it is all about the Power of Three!” the Prue look-alike declared.

“Right, like I can’t find someone else willing to be a Charmed One,” the man declared.

Another women, whom none of them had ever heard before, chimed in. “She is right and you know it!! Leo and Piper are soulmates; no one is going to buy it that they suddenly break up, just because Leo becomes an Elder! And Phoebe as Queen of the Underworld, you have got to be kidding! And Prue pregnant after a one-night stand! Come on!”<br>
“Yes, the eldest Charmed One will bear an evil child,” the man declared.

Chris was stunned. If Prue had lived, Wyatt would've been hers, he thought to himself. I wonder whose son I would've been. Mom said she had a girl in the future. Would she still had had only her?

The others caught up to Chris. Chris put his finger over his mouth, indicating for them to be quiet. Chris led them back a bit, so they would not be heard. “As best as I can tell, they have these demonic impersonators and they are planning on replacing you guys--right at your wedding, Mo-Piper! That's why I was sent back to your wedding!”<br>
“No wonder they have cameras all over our Manor,” Phoebe said, shaking her head in wonder.

“Yeah, they are studying our behavior!” Piper added.

“Exactly,” Chris declared. “I have an idea! If we can somehow get rid of those demons, and make them think you are them, we can find out what is going on here and how to stop them.”<br>

[Nite Owl]

Chris snuck off while everyone continued to discuss what to do next.

A few moments later, one of the imposter-demons, the one who looked like Prue, headed toward them. "Wow!" she cried. "You guys are the best yet!" and she continued walking. "Don't go anywhere--you'll be needed pretty soon," and off she went.

"She didn’t think anything of us all being here?" Leo questioned after he was pretty sure she was out of earshot.

"Weird," Phoebe and Piper said in unison.

"More than one set of imposters?" Cole suggested. "In case one set doesn't work?" and the others shrugged.

"Hold it!" Piper suddenly cried out, "Where did Chris go?"

"Who cares?" Cole shot back, and Piper glared at him.

They decided to split up. The girls went one way while the guys went another.


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Chris was still by himself. Going around the corner, he spotted his mother. Or was it really his mother or the demon? He wasn't sure, so he put his sunglasses back on, looking for a dark aura. He was relieved to see it wasn’t there. Smiling, he walked towards her. In case anyone else was around, he figured he better not call her Mom, much as he wanted to. "Piper," he started, wanting to thank her for standing up for him.

But she interrupted him. "Don’t call me Piper," What? She wanted him to call her Mom? But what if someone overheard?

Then he noticed that she was looking over him in a very unmotherly way! "What’s with the sunglasses inside?" she asked, as she took off his sunglasses. "Oh, you have the most gorgeous eyes!

"Hey," Chris cried. "Give me those!" and he grabbed for the sunglasses.

She pulled then away from him."You forgot to say please," she teased provocatively. Then she smiled at him seductively.

Chris took a few steps back, but found himself forced to stop because he was backed into a wall. "What are you doing?!" he cried in shock.

"You are so cute," she said. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him in close. She kissed him on the lips and tried to take the kiss deeper just as Leo and Cole rounded the corner.

[Nite Owl]

"Oh my god!" Leo flipped out. "Victor was right about him!"

"Son of a @#%$!" Cole glared at Chris. "You stay away from Phoebe, you hear!"

Chris was in such shock that he failed to notice Leo and Cole. He shoved Piper away "What do you think your doing?" he demanded, as he wiped at his lips in disgust.

"Did you happen to remember you were getting married today?" Leo asked Piper indignantly.

Piper laughed. "Sure we are! Catch you later!" and Piper winked at Chris.

"I think she is under a spell," Chris told Leo and Cole.

"Don’t be ridiculous," Piper laughed as she walked away.

"What were you doing, coming on to his bride like that?” Cole snapped at Chris.

"Let me handle this!" Leo demanded as he got straight into Chris' face. "What were you doing, coming on to my bride like that?" Leo grabbed Chris. "If she doesn't marry me today, it will be all your fault!"

"No! You got it all wrong!" Chris cried. "She came on to me! But I know she loves you! It has to be a spell!"

Chris orbed out of Leo’s grip. Leo grabbed threw the orbs, hanging onto them until Chris reappeared, then he threw Chris against a wall.

Cole's jaw dropped. "I thought you whitelighters were pacifists!"

Just then Prue, Piper and Phoebe rounded the other corner. "Leo what are you doing?" Piper demanded.

"Piper!" Leo looked over. "Didn’t you just go that way?"

"Maybe it was the imposter," Cole cut her off.

"Imposter? Sorry, Chris,” Leo apologized as he helped Chris up.

“But it couldn’t have been," Chris told them, very confused.

Cole scoffed at him and crossed his arms.

Chris pulled out his sunglasses again and looked at the three girls. He did not see any dark aura.

"What is with the sunglasses?" Leo glared at Chris.

Chris looked over at Cole and cringed at the sight of Balthazar, glad to see that the glasses were still working, but still confused.

"Nothing," he answered as he returned the glasses to his pocket

[Nite Owl]

Just then the man in black returned accompanied by a strange woman. "What are you all standing around for?" he demanded. "We got work to do," and he turned and walked away, obviously just expecting everyone to follow, The woman looking back at them apologetically, as she followed him, so the Charmed Ones and the guys followed to for now.

As they did, Chris put his sunglasses back on. Sure enough the man was still surrounded by his dark aura, but the woman did not.

The woman caught up to the man. "I was going over these plans you made for Cole," she started.

He grinned. "It will be so grand!"

"But you have Cole involuntarily becoming the Source of All Evil and taking Phoebe as his queen!" she cried, disapprovingly.

"Yeah, and if you don’t like it, you can leave, too!" the man grinned.

Cole ignited an energy ball. Chris feverishly shook his head no, and Cole put it out, before looking to Phoebe with fear in his eyes. "That is not going to happen," he assured her.

The man heard the comment and turned to glare at them. "You have no say in the matter!" he declared. "What I decide is what's going to happen!"

Chris thought for moment. He remembered what the Angel of Destiny had said. The Root of All Evil created the Source of All Evil. "Who created the Source of All Evil?” Chris asked.

"What do you mean?" the woman asked.

"That was another one of my brilliant ideas," the man replied proudly. Then he looked at Chris more closely. "Who the hell are you anyway! No one is allowed here! GUARDS!"

"It’s you!" Chris glared at the man.

[Nite Owl]

The three demon imposters returned. With the sunglasses still on, Chris looked more carefully at the imposters and realized none of them had a dark aura.

"We don’t have all day," the Prue imposter said.

"Yeah, hurry," the Phoebe imposter started to say as her eyes fell on Chris. "Whoa, who is that?"

"I saw him first," the Piper imposter declared.

The Phoebe and Piper imposters went to either side of Chris.

"I told you she hit on me," Chris glared at Leo.

"GUARDS!" the man yelled. Some big burly-looking men came running around the corner. "Get this kid out of here right now!" he commanded in a voice that was used to being obeyed.

"Nah, let him stay," imposter Piper said, ogling Chris.

Chris was disgusted as his mother was all over him wearing her wedding dress no less, even if it wasn't really his mother.

"To be with me," imposter Phoebe declared. She too was all over him.

Cole knew she was an imposter, but he still didn’t like this.

The real Phoebe saw the murderous look in his eyes, so she turned to him. "Sure this new stranger is cute, but you are the only guy for me," she kissed him.

"Get your skanky hands off my son!" the real Piper demanded. Piper through her hands in the air freezing all three imposters and the guards.

The man in black and the woman were not close enough to be affected. They stared in shock. "How did you do that?" asked the woman.

Chris cringed as Piper let the cat out of the bag. Everyone except Chris looked over to Piper in shock and simultaneously said "Son!"

Piper looked at Chris apologetically. "Yes, he is mine and Leo's," she told the others.

"Well, that explains that," Cole declared. "Now to take care of those imposters!" as he lit an energy ball in his hand.

"No!" Chris screamed "They are not evil!"

"How do you know?"

"I charmed these glasses! They must be innocents, under HIS spell," and he pointed accusingly at the man in black, who was still staring at them in shock. "He created the Source! He is the Root of all Evil!"

"Anyone got a vanquish in their pocket?" Piper asked.

"As a matter of fact," and Chris pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it and the Charmed Ones surrounded him. "May I join in?" he asked.

"Of course," his mother told him. "Without you, we never could have vanquished him and our future would have indeed gone to Hell.

So all four read aloud:

"Brianna, Penelope, Patricia, Melinda,
Astrid, Helena, Laura, and Grace...
Halliwell witches stand strong beside us,
Vanquish this evil from time and space!"


The imposters unfroze and watched in shocked as the man was burned and vanished.

"What the hell!" cried the imposter Phoebe.

The imposter Prue stared at the Charmed Ones. "“Looks like the stunt doubles just vanquished Brad Kern!" Shannen said it as if she was stating the obvious.

"What!" cried Holly Marie and Alyssa.

Constance Burge smiled. "Great! Then we can trash these!" as she tossed some scripts in the garbage.

[Nite Owl]

Chris pointed at Constance. "So she must be the Source of All Good, huh?"

Shannen looked at him strangely, "Whatever that means. At least I can enjoy playing Prue again and not worry about what was going to happen to her or her sisters."

No sooner did she say that than Chris was surrounded by a bright light, similar to the one that surrounded him when he first stepped through the triquetra.

When he could see again, he was back in the attic. He somehow knew he had returned to his own time, now changed. He could still remember everything that had happened and knew he would have to keep it to himself. But try as he might, he had no memory of the timeline he was now in. He wondered how much his life had changed.

A beautiful girl with long dark hair walked in. She was wearing a light-blue off-the-shoulder dress, her hair tied back in blue ribbon with lovely flowers in her hair. She hugged him like Chris was supposed to know her.

“Congratulations!” she told him. "I'm so happy for you!"

“Melinda!” A man walked in wearing a tux. “You look absolutely beautiful!” he told her.

Chris shuddered at the sight of him. Wyatt! Was he still evil?

“Andy!” Melinda gave him the warmest smile as she twirled around showing off her dress.

Andy? Chris wondered. Who's Andy?

Andy smiled pleasantly at Chris, a look Chris rarely saw from him if he really was Wyatt with a different name. “I can understand you being nervous about this, but relax, you are marrying the perfect girl, and if any demons try to wreck your wedding, they will have to answer to me!” He spoke with total strength and sincerity as he tapped his hand against the sword Excalibur which laid sheathed by his side.

We did it, Chris thought in triumph. The owner of Excalibur is now good, not evil!

“Yeah, I can’t believe Bianca is letting me be her maid of honor,” Melinda smiled.

"And I get to be his best man," Andy added.

Chris nearly fainted. Bianca is still alive?! His smile grew bigger as the realization that he was about to marry her finally set in.

The three walked down to the living room, and he spotted his mother, fussing with a large floral arch.

He smiled at the others. “Excuse me,” They smiled, so Chris raced to Piper.

“Mom,” he exclaimed. Piper hugged Chris. Melinda and Andy stepped up behind them, smiling.

She held Chris at arms-length away. “Look at you, my handsome son, all grown up and about to get married. This brings back memories,” Piper said with a smile.

“Of yours and Le… Dad’s wedding?” Chris asked. Melinda raised a brow inquisitively at Chris.

“Yeah,” Piper smiled at the memory. Piper’s smile disappeared.

“What is it, Mom?” Chris asked softly. “Did something happen at your wedding?”<br>
“Just trying to remember, that’s all,” Piper said. She smiled again.

“How was it?” Chris asked.

“Well, I managed to marry Leo, so it was perfect,” Piper declared. “Not everything went as planned, but it doesn’t matter!”<br>
Chris grinned. “Right, as long as you marry the person you love by the end of the day, the wedding was perfect.”<br>
Piper looked at him strangely. "Yes, exactly right."

Prue walked in, looking as fit as ever. Instead of any kind of Gucci bag, she carried her camera. “OK, pictures,” Prue said. “Oh, Andy, come here a minute.”<br>
“Ah, Mom,” Andy whined as Prue straightened out his collar and tie.

Oh, he isn’t my brother, he is my cousin, Chris realized. The oldest daughter had the twice-blessed child, so he's Prue's.

"Get your father," Prue told Andy. "I want him in the pictures, too."

"I think Uncle Bane in the conservatory watching football with Uncle Glen," Melinda told her.

Uncle Bane? Chris wondered. Uncle Glen?

Just then, in walked Paige from the kitchen. “Congratulations,” she told Chris, as she hugged him

“Paige?” Chris exclaimed in confusion. He looked back and forth between Prue and Paige, wondering how both could be there.

[Nite Owl]

“Chris, what’s wrong?” Paige asked.

“Ah, nothing, it is just that… Didn’t Mom meet Paige at Prue’s funeral?” Chris asked.

Everyone burst out laughing.

Prue laughed the hardest. "I sure hope not, since I'd have to be dead in order for them to have my funeral! And I'm no ghost!"

"Oh, we've told you this story a hundred times!!” Paige grinned.

“Go for a hundred and one,” Chris requested.

“One night at P3,” Prue began, “I overheard Paige telling her then-boyfriend about how she thought she might be our long-lost sister.”<br>
“Prue told me about it,” Piper continued. “At first I refused to believe that it could be true.”<br>
“But then we saw the triquetra she drew on her napkin,” Prue chimed in.

“So I froze everyone at the club," Piper laughed. "If she really was a witch and one of us, she wouldn’t freeze.”<br>
“I was just getting to that,” Prue glanced over at Piper.

"Sure enough, I didn’t,” Paige said proudly. "And then they took me to the Manor, where I got to meet the ghost of our Mom and heard the whole story." She did a mini happy-jig dance. Her eyes glistened. “And here I am today, charmed and dangerous!”<br>
Prue nodded. "So now we have the Power of Four, which is even more powerful than the Power of Three!"

"And," added Piper, looking at the children, "Raising you guys, we needed it!" and everyone laughed, while the children looked sheepish.

“Where’s Dad?” Chris asked.

“Oh, he is not coming,” Piper said with a smirk. "Elder business."

“Oh,” Chris said. Some things never change, he thought to himself, very disappointed.

“Yeah, right!" Melinda retorted. "Like Dad would really miss my baby brother’s wedding!”<br>
So Melinda is my older sister, Chris thought, just like Mom saw in that other future.

Just then Phoebe and Cole walked in, holding hands, wedding rings on their left hands, looking as happy together as Chris had just seen them at that other wedding, except now Cole was smiling happily at Chris.

“Hi, everybody,” Cole greeted. “Chris, I have something for you.” He handed Chris an envelope.

Chris opened and read it. “Oh, my! Thank you!” he cried. “Wow, that is only the finest hotel in Hawaii!”<br>
Cole grinned. “Phoebe and I wanted you to have a great honeymoon.”<br>
“Yeah, wait till you see what I got Bianca,” Phoebe snickered.

Cole also had a smirk on his face. Paige and Prue both laughed, too. Piper pretended not to be listening.

“What?” Chris was oblivious.

“You will find out,” Phoebe said with a grin.

“What? When?” Chris asked.

“Probably tonight,” Prue said.

“When you are alone with Bianca,” Paige added, sneering at Phoebe. "Wish I had thought about it!"

Phoebe stuck out her tongue at Paige, and everyone laughed.

"I just hope Sam doesn't outshine the bride," Phoebe declared, proudly, which Chris thought was impossible, no matter how pretty Phoebe's daughter was. "Although I was still arguing with her this morning about having to wear a dress!"

Paige grinned. "Not Trish. She couldn't wait!"

Just then Victor walked in and gave Chris a hug. Chris hugged him back tightly, so glad he was getting this chance to hug his grandpa again. Now if only…

[Nite Owl]

“Grandpa, so glad you made it!” Chris exclaimed.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” exclaimed Victor happily.

Just then two more people came down the stairs, a man and a woman. Chris recognized them both immediately. He just about panicked. There were Bianca’s parents, Antonio and Lynn.

“I have never seen Bianca happier,” Antonio said, smiling. “Well, maybe on her 18th birthday, when we gave her that Porsche.”<br>
“That just proves you have not been around enough,” Lynn also smiled. “She has been like that ever since she started dating Chris.”

“Yeah, and I can’t believe I have not even met Chris yet,” Antonio said.

Melinda ran over to Lynn. “Mrs. Perry, hello!” cried Melinda, as she hugged Lynn.

“Call me Lynn. We are family now!” Lynn declared proudly.

“Ok, Lynn,” Melinda smiled back. Lynn introduced her husband.

Just then someone began to orb in. “Dad!” Melinda ran over and hugged Leo before he even finished materializing.

Chris’ jaw dropped. “Le..Dad, you came,” Chris glanced over at Leo.

“Don’t tell me you thought I wouldn’t?” Leo looked just as surprised as Chris. “When have I ever missed anything important in yours or your sister’s life?”<br>
Chris was about to answer, but Melinda cut him off. “Never,” she declared firmly.

“Never?” Chris questioned.

Leo smiled at Chris. “Never,” and Chris continued to stare, trying to imagine his life with a father who truly cared about him and his sister, who always put them and their mother first.

“How did it go with the Elders?” Piper asked Leo hopefully.

“Great! They granted that surprise for Chris,” Leo exclaimed. He smiled as another orb began forming. “Here it is now.”<br>
As the orbs materialized, Chris saw an all-too-familiar face. “Grams!” he exclaimed as he ran to hug Patty, so very happy that he finally had this chance.

“Grams!” Melinda and Andy exclaimed too. They hugged Patty, too, while all of their parents smiled.

Then Melinda took Leo by the hand and led him to the other couple. “I don’t think you’ve met my father, yet.”<br>
“I haven’t even met Chris yet,” Antonio said.

“Plenty of time for that that the reception,” Melinda said.

“You havn’t met Chris yet?” Leo was surprised.

“No, I haven’t,” Antonio said, “But from everything Lynn told me about him, I definitely approve.” Piper walked over, too. “I must admit when I heard my daughter was marrying a whitelighter, I was thrilled!”<br>
Leo smiled. “I felt the same way when I found out Bianca was Phoenix.” But although he was talking to Antonio, he was looking right at his son as he spoke.

Chris tried to prevent the shock he felt from showing on his face. His father was happy he was marrying an assassin? How could that possibly be?

“Actually Chris is only half-whitelighter,” Piper interjected.

“And half-Charmed One,” Lynn said proudly.

“Yeah, I know,” Antonio said with a smile. “All the better!”

Then Leo and Piper brought the Perrys over to meet Chris. After the introductions, Antonio shook Chris' hand, "Chris, It is a pleasure to meet you.”<br>
“Likewise,” Chris didn’t know what to say.

Then Leo smiled at Chris. “I’d like to have a private father-son talk with you before the ceremony, son. Is that all right with the rest of you?”<br>
Antonio and Lynn respected that Leo wanted to talk to Chris and stepped back. The others also nodded, so Leo took his son’s hand and orbed them both to the attic.

Chris rolled his eye at his father. “You know, you don’t have to give me the birds-and-the-bees talk.”<br>

[Nite Owl]

Leo smiled. “No, it has nothing to do with that. I know why you are so confused, Chris.”<br>
I very much doubt that, Chris thought to himself. “Just wedding-day jitters, I guess,” Chris tried to sound convincing. He didn’t want to make a fool out of himself like he did when he asked about Prue’s funeral.

Leo laughed. “As an Elder, I get to see not only my past lives, but alternate time lines as well. I know about your trip to the past. I know how you went back to Piper’s & my wedding. And I know how you vanquished the Root of All Evil and brought the Source of All Good back into power.”<br>
Chris continued to stare, now not trying to hide his shock. “You know?”<br>
“Yes, I do, and I will try to make this transition as easy on you as possible. If you’re not sure about something, all you need to do is ask.”<br>
“But the Phoenixes? In my time--”<br>
“They’re assassins.” Leo nodded. “But, Chris, in the majority of stories, the Phoenix are actually very good. They usually symbolize resurrection and eternal life. The Chinese, for example, believe they are about virtue and grace. All of these peoples are correct. The Phoenix witches are elite--powerful and noble witches, whom we are proud to have as our allies, and to be connected with our family. A child who is both Charmed and Phoenix will be a child who will do much good in the world.”<br>
Chris stared at his father, unable to believe what he was hearing. “But, but, why was it different in the world I remember?”<br>
Leo smiled. “Chris, the only reason the Phoenix witches were consider evil is because the Root of All Evil said so and made it so. Once you vanquished him, the Phoenix witches were restored to what they should be.”<br>
“Oh,” Chris didn’t know what to say. He continued to stare, unable to believe it. This meant that Bianca had the full support of her family, just like he knew had the support of his. He couldn’t think of anything more beautiful or wonderful.

“So you see Chris, an evil Phoenix is about a ridiculous as an evil Elder,” Leo pointed out. Chris let out a nervous laugh as he remembered Gideon.

Melinda orbed into the attic. “Hurry up, you guys,” Melinda rambled excitedly. “Sam is trying to convince Bianca to elope.”<br>
“Pai-” Chris started to say.

Leo cut him off before Chris made a fool out himself again. “That Samantha, anything to get out of wearing a dress!” he declared with a laugh. “Now, come on; it’s time to get you two married,” and Chris smiled back, remembering him telling his parents the same thing.

No sooner were they back downstairs than the ghost of Penny Halliwell appeared in her place as high priestess. “Places, everyone!” she announced.

Chris and Andy stood under the floral arch and Prue waved her hand, and soon the music of Pachabell filled the room. Piper and Lynn both took a seat in the front row. Chris noticed several other people he didn't recognize, whom he figured must be friends and family of Bianca’s.

Soon a pretty young woman, who looked to be about Chris' age, came down the stairs, dressed like Melinda, although she kept tugging at her dress as she did. Chris grinned. That must be his cousin, Cole & Phoebe's Samantha, who was obviously a tomboy.

Following her came another lovely young woman, just about the same age. Chris decided that she must be his cousin, Glen & Paige's Patricia.

His big sister came down next, almost floating down the stairs; she looked so happy.

Finally Bianca came down the stairs on Antonio's arm. She was dressed in Piper's wedding dress and looked lovingly, happily at Chris. She looked even more beautiful than Chris had ever remembered seeing her.

Soon Chris and Bianca were reciting their wedding vows:

"Heart to thee,
Body to thee,
Always and forever,
So mote it be."

Suddenly everyone but Chris froze again. The Angel of Destiny appeared. "Congratulations, young Christopher Wyatt Halliwell, you have put both the Charmed destiny and the Phoenix destiny back on their proper courses. Now things are as they should be."

And as he disappeared and everyone began moving again, Chris took his beautiful bride into his arms and kissed her while everyone cheered.


The end

[Esmeralda]

I decided to bump this one forward just because I love it so very much and I hope the newer members of the Cafe will love it just as much, even if the formatting got a bit goofy when it was transferred over from the old Cafe.

[~B@MeLiSsA30@B~]

This was a wonderful story. Caught my attention from the beginning. I liked the story line and at the end, everyone lived happily ever after. The only question I had was Chris was talking about Wyatt, but when he went to the future again after destroying the root.
Chris didn't wonder what happened to Wyatt. Chris had an older brother, not an older sister. Even though, it was a very very good story. ;D ;D ;D