*FINAL CHAPTER* ChrisFic Many Future Consequences

[charmingaussie]

My story is called Future Consequences. I see there is another story of the same name, so I will change it to Many Future Consequences.

Chapter One

It was the year 2027. Piper was in the kitchen cooking dinner. Her face had a few more lines and her hair was a little shorter, but other than that she looked the same as she did when she was in her early thirties. She smiled as she heard the familiar sound of her husband orbing in. She turned to him and looked at him lovingly.

“You’re early,” she said surprised.

“I wanted to make sure I was here in plenty of time – are they here yet?” Leo asked looking around.

“No, they’re not here yet,” she said mockingly as she walked over to him and gave him a kiss and hug, “you seem nervous.”<br>
“I’m not nervous,” he said putting his arms around her enjoying the moment, “it’s just Chris seems very serious about this girl – he’s never brought one of his girlfriends home before.”<br>
Piper smiled, “It’s great that in spite of everything he’s still trying to lead a normal life,” she said.

“Taught by the best!” Leo joked.

“What?” she said, playfully smacking him, “we’ve done okay.”<br>
“You’ve been amazing,” he said staring into her eyes.

She smiled back at him accepting the compliment, “Yeah?” but before Leo could reply their moment together was interrupted by something boiling over on the stove.

“Crap!” Piper yelled as she reached for the stove.

“I’ll go and clean up – I’ll be back soon” Leo said thinking it best to leave Piper in peace.

“Before you go,” Piper called to him, “I saw Phoebe today.”<br>
“Have the visions changed?” Leo asked before Piper had a chance to continue. He then answered his own question; “of course they haven’t otherwise you would have told me already.” Piper turned the heat down under the big pot and stirred it.

“No, they haven’t changed, but…” she turned to look at him, “she thinks they’re getting stronger.”<br>
“Stronger?” Leo exclaimed, obviously alarmed.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re ready Leo, make sure everything that can be done has been done … we’ll only have one chance at this.”<br>
“I have done everything possible, all the Elders and I have, you, Phoebe and Paige have as well. We are as prepared as we ever will be.” He paused as his mind wandered back in time.

“What is it?” Piper asked softly.

“He’s already died in my arms once, Piper … I know it was more than 23 years ago, but to me it is as clear as if it happened yesterday. I will not let that happen again – I promise.”<br>
She looked at him and smiled “I know,” she consoled, “the hard part is not knowing when it is going to happen. If only we knew exactly how old he was when he came to us from the future, we could work out his exact age when Gideon….” Piper trailed off, even after all these years she did not want to finish that sentence.

“We will be ready, Piper,” Leo reassured her, placing a consoling hand on her arm.

“We’re lucky we know at all. Phoebe’s powers have grown so much stronger. I would never have thought Gideon’s spell on the athame would have covered time travel.” Piper said.

“Well, it was meant for Wyatt, and Gideon was so obsessed with stopping him that he made sure we couldn’t just go back in time and prevent it from happening. As soon as he attacked Chris with that athame he was always destined to die at that age – it was powerful magic, but we’ve had a long time to come up with a counter spell.” Just then they both heard the front door open and a familiar voice call out.

“Mum? Dad?”<br>
“I’ll be back in a minute” Leo said as he orbed out. Piper took off the apron she was wearing and quickly tossed it in the laundry. She completed a quick check of everything on the stove and then headed out to greet her second son.

[charmingaussie]

Many Future Consequences

Chapter Two

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like some more dessert, Jeni?” Piper asked.

“No thank you Mrs Halliwell, I am so full! That was a lovely dinner though, thank you very much for inviting me.”<br>
“It’s our pleasure, we haven’t had a family dinner in a while. Chris is always so busy working, it’s hard to pin him down.” Piper said as she looked at Chris.

“I’m not that bad mum,” Chris said defiantly, but changed his tone after a look from his mum, “well, okay, lately I have been, but I’ve been really busy at Magic School with my students. So much to do, and so little time to do it!” As he watched the smile leave the faces of both his parents, he suddenly realised how what he had just said must have sounded. He quickly tried to cover up, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it came out.”<br>
Piper put her hand up, “Don’t be silly, I know what you mean, you’ve always been so motivated and focused – all your life – right from when you were just a small boy. If you put your mind to it you can do anything. And I’m very proud of how you’ve helped Paige at Magic School,” she looked at Leo, and then added, “under the circumstances.”<br>
“Your mother’s right Chris, we’re both very proud of you and everything’s going to work out, I promise.”<br>
“Thanks dad,” said Chris, then he looked at his mum, “and you too mum, that means a lot. And you don’t have to talk in riddles in front of Jeni, she knows.”<br>
“What do you mean?” asked Piper.

“She knows about the curse,” Chris looked at Jeni as he laced her hand through his.

She returned his look and smiled. “It doesn’t matter,” Jeni said looking back at a surprised Leo and Piper, “we’re just enjoying our time together now, we’ll worry about tomorrow when it gets here.”<br>
“Isn’t she amazing?” Chris gushed, as he looked lovingly into his girlfriend’s eyes.

“I’m not amazing,” Jeni said before Piper or Leo could say anything, “my parents were killed when I was very young, I was very lucky to find a home boarding at Magic School. Nobody knows what’s going to happen tomorrow. That’s just the way I am.” Jeni shrugged as she gave a half-hearted smile.

“I didn’t realise your parents were killed Jeni, I’m sorry,” said Piper.

“That was along time ago Mrs Halliwell, I hardly remember them, but it taught me to appreciate what I’ve got, and Chris has been a great friend, I owe him a lot” she said looking back at Chris.

“We owe each other,” Chris added.

Both Piper and Leo suddenly felt at ease looking at these two together. They seemed so well suited and it was nice to see their son so contented.

“We’re happy for both of you,” smiled Leo, “Chris how about we give mum a rest and you help me make the coffees.”<br>
“Sure dad,” he replied as he got up from the table and followed his dad into the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen Chris turned to Leo and whispered “Isn’t she great?”<br>
Leo looked back at him and chuckled, “Yes, Chris, she’s great, you’re very lucky to have found each other.”<br>
“I’m glad you like her, ‘cause,” he paused for a second as he looked straight at Leo, “’cause – I think she’s the one.” He stopped and shook his head, voice increasing in certainty, “No – I know she’s the one”.

Leo is surprised by this news, but doesn’t want to upset Chris by reacting negatively. “That’s great Chris, but you haven’t been going out that long, and you’re still very young. Just give it a bit of time.”<br>
“Dad, you know how you felt the first time you saw Mum, you’ve told me before that you just knew. I knew the first time I saw Jeni. I was just too shy to ask her out for months – we’ve been friends for ages, but when I finally did get the courage to ask her she said that she’d been feeling the same way. I have never felt this way about anyone before. You ask me to give it time, but I don’t know how much time I have.”<br>
“Chris…” Leo tried to interrupt, but Chris continued,

“I know you say that everything’s going to be fine, but you don’t really know. Aunt Phoebe can’t see past me collapsing, she can’t tell if the spell you and the other Elders have come up with will work. Nobody knows for sure. I have been living with this death sentence my entire life…”

“Sometimes I wish we hadn’t told you,” Leo said, eventually getting a word in, eyes downcast.

“Dad, don’t you see, you gave me so much by telling me. I have done a lot more with my life, because I did not know whether I was going to live past 23. And I’m not going to stop now. I am going to ask her to marry me,” a microscopic flicker of apprehension passed through his eyes, before his happiness and confidence returned.

Leo smiled at his son and he could feel tears welling in his eyes, “You do whatever you think is right Chris, your mother and I will support you, you know that,” he paused.

“Thanks dad,” Chris smiled appreciatively, and then as he saw Leo still staring at him, he asked, “what is it?”<br>
“Are you too old to give your dad a hug?”<br>
Chris laughed, “Maybe just a quick one.”<br>
He was used to them smothering him, what with their first son still turning out evil and him living with this death sentence, he had definitely gotten his fill of hugs over the years. Their lives hadn’t been easy and a hug every now and then was the least he could do.

“But we’d better get the coffees before the girls get suspicious,” He added.

They stood at the front door saying their goodbyes, Piper gave Chris a hug and kiss and said, “Take care of yourself, okay?”<br>
“I will, Mum, thanks for dinner.” Chris replied.

Piper then leaned over to Jeni and gave her a hug and kiss as well, “Lovely to meet you Jeni, we look forward to seeing you both again soon.”<br>
“Thank you Mrs Halliwell,”<br>
“Piper, please call me Piper”<br>
“Thank you, Piper,” she said smiling.

“And Leo,” Leo added.

“And thank you too Leo, I had a lovely evening.”<br>
Leo closed the door and the two of them walked into the sitting room and collapsed on the lounge together.

“She seems very nice,” Piper finally said, breaking the silence.

“She does,” Leo agreed, “and Chris told me he intends to ask her to marry him.”<br>
“What!” Piper yelled, as she sat abruptly upright, “When did he tell you that?”<br>
“In the kitchen, when we were making coffee,” Leo replied, calmly.

“And he was serious?” Piper asked, face still ashen with shock.

“Very serious.”<br>
“And what did you say?”<br>
“I told him that if that is what he really wanted then you and I would both support him,” Leo said confidently.

Piper thought about that for a second then smiled at him.

“They do make a cute couple, and as I said at the dinner table, once he’s made his mind up about something there is no stopping him.”<br>
“That is something both Chris’s had in common, their determination,” Leo said.

Piper sat thinking for a few seconds, her mind wandering back in time; “I still think about the other Chris, you know, everything he went through, everything we put him through, everything he sacrificed just to save our future. All for nothing!”<br>
“It wasn't all for nothing, Piper," Leo said gently to her and then continued, "we were sure at the time it was Gideon that caused Wyatt to turn evil. Nobody thought for one second it would turn out to be Excalibur. Chris wasn’t even born when that all came about, how were we to know it was really meant for him until it was too late. And he did change a lot of things – all three of you were dead in his original future, and he said Wyatt ruled the world. Well he doesn’t rule the world in this future."

"Yet …" Piper added. Leo started to say something but Piper continued, “It’s still hard thinking back, that’s why I try not to.”<br>
“I know,” Leo said as he kissed her on the forehead, “he also changed my future, because I made sure I was around this time, things are definitely better, just not completely fixed.” Piper snuggled into his neck and closed her eyes enjoying the moment of peace together. “I suppose you’re right” she said as she remembered what Jeni had said and thought to herself, ‘I’ll worry about tomorrow, when it gets here.’<br>

[CanadianHalliwell]

This sounds very good. Please keep on writing and update soon.

[charmingaussie]

Many Future Consequences

It was almost 2 months later when Leo heard a desperate cry for help from Chris, the same cry that had haunted him for more than twenty-three years. Piper was mixing some potions when she saw the look on Leo’s face.

“What is it?” she asked.

“It’s Chris,” he replied, breathless. The anguished expression on his face said it all and Piper immediately dropped what she was doing and ran to him, and together they orbed out. They arrived at Magic School to find Chris collapsed on the floor clutching his stomach, blood seeping onto his hands and fingers. Paige and Jeni were next to him and concerned students were standing all around.

“What happened?” Leo asked, as he moved over to Chris’s side.

“He just collapsed,” Jeni said, frantically, obviously feeling completely helpless.

Leo, remained as calm as he could and crouched down next to his son. “Chris can you hear me?” he asked, feeling a dreaded sense of familiarity to the events unfolding.

Chris, obviously in a lot of pain, struggled to whisper, “Yes” in between shallow breaths.

Leo moved his hands over Chris’s stomach and tried to heal him. Memories came flooding back of that horrific day twenty-three and a half years ago when he was in the same situation, desperately trying to heal his son and then helplessly standing by and watching him die. He was determined that was not going to happen this time.

It quickly became obvious that Chris could not be healed. Again.

“Okay, we don’t have much time. Paige can you get Phoebe and come straight to the attic. Piper, I’ll orb you and Chris there now and then I’ll get the Elders.”<br>
As he issued those orders Leo found himself finally living in reality what he had been dreading all these years.

“Can I come too, Leo…please?” Jeni pleaded.

Leo looked up at her with a mixture of sadness and respect, “Of course you can.”<br>
They all held hands as Leo orbed them to the attic.

“Hold on Chris, I’ll be right back with the Elders and we’ll have you fixed in no time.” Leo said to Chris as he kissed a frantic, but silent Piper and then disappeared in a cloud of orbs. Piper watched Leo go, and then she leaned over her son, feeling helpless seeing him in so much pain.

“It will all be over soon and then you two can get on with your lives,” she said not really knowing what else to say.

Chris looked up at her and managed a weak smile as Paige and Phoebe orbed in. Phoebe immediately walked over to Chris. She smiled at him and said, “hey, kiddo” before she touched him gently on the shoulder. She closed her eyes, as she was overwhelmed with a premonition, just as Leo arrived with the other Elders.

“Quickly,” Leo said, “everyone make a circle, just as we have practiced.”<br>
“Wait!” said Phoebe.

“Phoebe, we don’t have much time,” Leo said desperately.

“I need to talk to you both. Now!” she said as she moved to the other side of the room. They followed.

“What is it Phoebe?” asked Piper, impatiently.

“I just had a premonition, it’s not going to work,” she said, getting straight to the point.

“What do you mean? Not at all?” exclaimed Leo, starting to panic now.

“Oh, God, no!” Piper whispered, putting her head in her hands.

“There’s something missing Leo, that’s why it’s not going to work. I feel that the spell with the Elders is like…” she hesitated trying to think of the right words, and then continued, “the second piece of the puzzle. There’s something we’ve got to do first”.

“What?” Leo asked.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I’m sorry.”<br>
“Well we’ve got to try. We can’t just stand around and do nothing,” Piper said looking at both Phoebe and Leo hoping for an answer.

“The spell you have will not work by itself. Call the Elders over here and see if they have any ideas, but don’t waste time by trying the other spell first,” Phoebe said, firmly. “Trust me,” she added, looking at both of them.

They took Phoebe’s advice and quickly called Paige and the other Elders over, away from Chris leaving him alone with Jeni.

Leo explained what Phoebe just told him. One of the Elders stepped forward.

“Maybe if Phoebe and I join forces and touch the boy our combined power will lead us to the answer,” he suggested.

“Worth a try,” said Phoebe as she walked back over to Chris.

The two of them closed their eyes and reached out and touched Chris’s shoulder. Within seconds they both received a vision. Phoebe opened her eyes.

“Thank you,” she said gratefully to the Elder, and then turned to Leo and Piper, “we need to bring the Chris who died from the past here. The one who was actually stabbed twenty-three and a half years ago. He needs to join with this Chris, then he will be complete and we will be able to reverse the magic and heal him.”<br>
“Okay – fine – how do we do that?” Piper asked, frustrated.

“We have to write a power of three spell – it’s the only way.” Phoebe replied. “The wording has to be perfect. We only have one chance at this.” She added.

They both look at Paige.

“You’ve always been the best spell writer Paige, and you’ve worked at Magic School all these years, please do this for me.” Piper pleaded.

Paige looked at Chris still writhing in pain, then back at her sisters and Leo. “Great, no pressure here!!” she mumbled to herself. “Of course I will,” she said a little louder, as she walked over to a nearby table and grabbed a handy pad of paper and pen. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, but was in reality only about 3 minutes, Paige handed the spell to Piper. “What do you think?” she asked.

Piper looked it over quickly and then said, “It covers everything. I couldn’t do any better,” as she handed it urgently to Phoebe.

“Neither could I,” Phoebe agreed.

With the decision made, the girls surrounded Chris and held hands to recite the following spell:

“We call upon the power of three

To help us rewrite history

We summon you now, hear our call

Chris Halliwell who died in 2004

Travel to us through time and space

To settle here in your rightful place.”<br>

[charmingaussie]

Many Future Consequences

Chapter Three continued

Back in 2004, Leo was distraught as Chris took his last breath in his arms and then closed his eyes for the final time. Moments later his body disappeared. Leo didn’t know it then but Chris was being summoned to the future to be saved.

No one could quite believe what they were seeing, as a vision of Chris appeared above them and slowly settled down into the Chris lying on the couch. Everyone seemed stunned for a second, as nobody actually believed that it had worked.

Leo suddenly realised, and then mumbled to himself, “that’s where his body went.” He didn’t have time to dwell on that thought however; as he looked to Chris and noticed he had lapsed into unconsciousness. “Quickly, everyone form a circle and say the spell, just like we practiced.”<br>
They formed a circle and held hands, except for Leo and 2 other Elders who leant over Chris’s still form hoping their combined powers would heal him as they all said the following:

“In this room together we have come

The Power of 3 and Elders as one

Using all our power after all these years

Reverse Gideon’s magic from his greatest fears

Allow us now to remove the shield

So Chris Halliwell can be healed”<br>
They all waited for something to happen. Suddenly a barrier became visible underneath Leo’s hands. It appeared to be some kind of shield that was blocking him from healing Chris’s wounds. “Quickly, say it again!” Leo shouted. A strong wind started blowing around them as they repeated the spell.

“In this room together we have come

The Power of 3 and Elders as one

Using all our power after all these years

Reverse Gideon’s magic from his greatest fears

Allow us now to remove the shield

So Chris Halliwell can be healed”<br>
The barrier blocking Chris’s wounds moved up and swirled all around them, higher and higher until suddenly it disappeared. As quickly as it started the wind dropped, leaving the room completely silent. Leo and the other Elders still trying to heal Chris now saw that their healing powers were working and slowly his wounds disappeared. Chris suddenly opened his eyes and took a breath. He half sat up as Leo caught him.

“Chris, it’s okay buddy, take it easy” he said lying him back down. A relieved Piper immediately dropped down next to him, as the other Elders got up and moved to one side.

“Chris, are you okay? Tell me you’re okay?” Piper asked, desperate to know for sure that the spell had worked.

“Chris looked up at her – still trying to catch his breath. “I think so,” he replied. “The pain’s gone, but I’ve got a headache and I’m feeling a little woozy.”<br>
Piper looked to Leo as tears now fell freely down her cheeks. “You did it!” she exclaimed.

Leo smiled back at her. “We all did,” he said looking gratefully around the room. Paige and Phoebe were either side of Jeni, holding her hand. They all had tears in their eyes as well. As confident as they all were that the spell would work, nobody could quite believe it actually did.

“Thank you,” Piper said as she leaned over to kiss Leo. “Thank you to everyone,” she said looking around the room. Then looking back down at Chris, “I can’t believe it’s finally over!”<br>
Chris tried to sit up. “Are you sure you’re feeling up to it,” Leo asked him concerned. “I’m fine, Dad” Chris replied; now sitting upright. “I feel amazing! Thank you to everyone who helped. I cannot thank you enough. You’ve given me my life back. In fact” he said pausing for a moment, not really knowing how to put it into words, “you’ve given me two lives.”<br>
“What do you mean two lives?” Piper asked as she sat down on the couch next to her son.

“This is going to sound really weird, and I don’t want you guys to freak out on me or anything, but the Chris that died in the past, he is now a part of me. I have all his memories now too.” He paused to look at the reaction around the room. Everyone seemed to be trying to process what he had just said.

“So, you’re telling us that the Chris that came from the future twenty-five years ago is now a part of you too,” Leo said trying to understand.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Dad,” Chris replied. “I remember everything. I remember Valhalla, Gith, Ginny the Jeanie, the Spider Demon, and Gideon. To me, I just died a few minutes ago.”<br>
“How is that possible?” Leo asked looking up at the other Elders.

They all looked at each other before one of them finally replied to Leo’s question. “A lot of what happens when someone time travels is still unknown,” he said before continuing. “It is our understanding that if the other Chris had returned from the future, and the future had been changed, he would have merged with his future self. He would have had two sets of memories, but the original ones would slowly fade and the newer set would take over.”<br>
“This time travel stuff still gives me a headache!” said Phoebe.

“Me 2” said Piper.

“Me 3” added Paige.

“The main thing is Chris is alive and well,” said Piper, relieved. “And there will be no more time travel in this family, do you understand?” she said firmly to Chris. Chris laughed. “Fine with me!” he agreed. “I did make a difference, though, didn’t I? You are all still alive,” he said as he lovingly looked at Piper, Paige and Phoebe. “And Dad, you made sure you were around for me” he said smiling at Leo.

Leo smiled back at him not really knowing what to say.

“But Wyatt,” Chris added, “Wyatt, is still evil.”<br>
“Things aren’t as bad as your original future though…” Leo started to say, but was interrupted by Chris.

“Nowhere near as bad. But still, I don’t know how I could have missed Excalibur the first time around. Looking back it was so obvious.”<br>
“Anyway,” Piper cut in, “it’s been a big day, and I think you need something to eat. How about we all head downstairs and I’ll whip something up.”<br>
They all agreed, and after having said goodbye to the Elders, the whole family made their way downstairs to celebrate.

[charmingaussie]

Many Future Consequences

Chapter Four

Water dripped from the ceiling onto a rather high pile of ashes in the dark cave in the underworld. Of course, Wyatt usually lived in an apartment in San Francisco, which had everything he could ever wish for, or conjure in his case, but when he visited the underworld, this was his preferred place of residence. He had chosen this cave because of its discreet location, and the fact that it was naturally shielded from both demons and witches. An important point when you tend to make enemies very easily.

Wyatt loved his family, and up until now had never hurt them. He was especially fond of his little brother, Chris, and that is why he had never tried to kill him, even though he knew it would guarantee him finally having complete power over Excalibur. The power he felt during the short time he was able to use Excalibur, before his Dad and the other Elders realised it was really meant for Chris and took it away from him, was like nothing he had ever experienced in his life. He had decided to be patient. He knew Chris was destined to die at the same age Future Chris had been stabbed by Gideon all those years ago. He was not quite two years old, but his memories of that day, and of the person he now knows was Chris, dying whilst trying to save him were still very vivid. Maybe that was why he couldn’t bring himself to hurt Chris, although he couldn’t bring himself to try to save him either, knowing that his death would lead to his ultimate destiny in claiming Excalibur and finally ruling the underworld and ultimately the world. He was the most powerful being ever created after all, and he couldn’t understand why his family didn’t see what was so obvious to him.

Wyatt removed the telekinetic grip he had on the young girl’s throat, and she dropped to the ground gasping for breath.

“Tell me what I want to know now, Seer, or you will join that pile of ashes over there,” Wyatt demanded.

The terrified girl looked up at him. “If I tell you what I have seen, you will still kill me. That is what I have seen.”<br>
“If you don’t tell me, I will kill you anyway. Have you seen that as well?” Wyatt asked her in a mocking tone.

“Yes,” she replied, realising her fate was sealed no matter what she said.

“Then tell me. How long before my brother dies and I become master of Excalibur?” Wyatt asked as he walked closer to her and reached out and grabbed her throat with his hands, lifting her up off the ground.

“Your brother has been saved,” the seer managed to whisper in between gasps of breath.

Wyatt immediately released his grip, surprised by this news. “What do you mean he has been saved?”<br>
The Seer, now able to talk more loudly continued, “he has been saved, tonight, by the Charmed Ones and the Elders. The magic that cursed him has been reversed, he is still the true ruler of Excalibur.”<br>
“How is that possible?” he asked himself as he turned his back on the Seer and walked towards the other side of the cave. “This was my destiny, I know this was my destiny. How could they do this to me?”<br>
While Wyatt was preoccupied with the information she had just given him, the Seer took the opportunity to try to escape. Without even turning around, Wyatt put his hand out and stopped her by freezing her. A handy power he had inherited from his Mother later in his life, and one he had used mainly to amuse himself by half freezing and then torturing demons.

Casually he walked over to the Seer, frozen in mid stride in her futile attempt to escape. He looked at her, shaking his head, and then unfroze her. “Why did you run, you silly girl, surely you were able to see what I would do?”<br>
Wyatt, in his arrogance, did not wait for her to answer, but started to walk away and with a quick flick of his wrist, which looked like an after thought, the frightened girl was engulfed by flames, her screams only lasting for mere seconds before her ashes fell nice and neatly next to the big pile already near the entrance to the cave.

The Seer already forgotten, Wyatt began to carefully plan his next move.

The Halliwell family had gathered in the kitchen. The mood was light and happy as the girls discussed the impending nuptials.

“So, I suppose it’s full steam ahead for the wedding plans, now,” Phoebe asked to no one in particular.

Jeni looked at Chris as she answered, “That’s if Chris still wants to marry me.”<br>
Everyone stopped what they were doing, surprised by Jeni’s response. All eyes were on Chris as he said, “Why would I not want to marry you?”<br>
Jeni, embarrassed by the sudden attention, nevertheless continued, “well, I thought now that the other Chris is a part of you, maybe you needed some time to sort things out. I mean, the other Chris was also engaged, wasn’t he? Maybe you still have feelings for her.”<br>
“Oh, I’d forgotten about her,” said Piper.

“I can’t even remember her name,” said Paige.

“Didn’t it start with a B?” Phoebe asked.

“Bianca. Her name was Bianca,” Chris said giving his aunts a look which said ‘but out’, then he continued, “and, no, I don’t still have feelings for her. To be honest, I barely remember her. It happened, what, about a year before I was born? It’s going to take me a while to sort through all the memories, they’re a little mixed up at the moment.” He turned to look back at Jeni, “my feelings for you haven’t changed, and I’m still the same person you fell in love with. I have more memories now, but I can assure you there has only ever been one of me. The Chris who died in the past and me are the same person, it’s just like I’ve lived two lives. I don’t even know what happened to Bianca, I’ve never even met her this time around.”<br>
“We do,” said Phoebe suddenly.

“Phoebe!” Chastised Piper.

“What? I think he’s old enough to know the truth. It’s not like we did anything wrong. She was a demon after all.” Phoebe said in her defence.

“Mum, what’s Phoebe talking about?” Chris asked, now very curious.

Piper looked at Leo for support.

“We wanted to make sure you didn’t make the same mistake again, as you did the first time around,” Leo started to say.

“Okay, so what did you do?” Chris asked, wondering where this was leading.

“We tracked her down to check out what she was doing,” Piper continued.

“And we weren’t happy with what we found,” Paige cut in.

“She was really evil, Chris, far worse than the first time we met her,” Phoebe said trying to sound convincing.

“I suppose without your good influence she didn’t have any hope,” Piper said.

“Mum, just tell me what you did,” Chris demanded, frustrated.

“She saw us, attacked us, and we,” she took a breath, preparing herself, “we vanquished her,” she finally said.

“How long ago?” Chris asked, surprised by this little revelation.

“Oh, maybe, about 5 years ago, I think.” Piper said looking around at her sisters and Leo for confirmation. They all nodded.

“We were only trying to protect you Chris,” Leo said trying to justify their actions.

“I know, Dad, but why didn’t you tell me?” He asked.

“You didn’t even know Bianca. We didn’t see any reason to upset you.” Piper said.

“I didn’t know who she was, but I knew the other Chris was engaged, because you told me the stories of what happened when he was,” Chris paused, then corrected himself, “when I was here the first time. It would have been nice to know that she had died.”<br>
Chris looked at his family, who all didn’t really know what to say. He then looked at Jeni and noticed she seemed uncomfortable with this conversation.

“But, I do understand you had my best interests at heart,” he said as he looked around at them all, “as you always have, so I think we’ll just leave it at that. As I said before, I barely remember her anyway, and now I’ve found Jeni, it all doesn’t matter anyway.”<br>
“So where did you two meet?” Phoebe asked, trying to change the subject.

“At Magic School,” Jeni answered.

“Have you worked there long?” Phoebe asked, Jeni.

“I’ve lived there nearly all my life,” she answered.

“Jeni’s parents were killed when she was just a baby. Her father was considering becoming a teacher there, but had decided not to take the position when they were caught in the crossfire of some sort of supernatural battle. We found Jeni unharmed, and took her in. She was the first magical orphan at the school.” Paige explained.

“Wow. I’m so sorry about your parents,” Phoebe sympathised.

“I believe that things happen for a reason,” Jeni said. “I would never have met Chris if my parents hadn’t died, because my father had decided not to take the job at Magic School and we were going to move to London. My life would have been very different.”<br>
They were all thinking about what Jeni had just said when the oven bell went off. “Why don’t you and Chris go and set the table, while we finish off in here,” Piper suggested to Leo. “Dinner won’t be long.”<br>
Leo agreed and he and Chris headed into the dining room as instructed.

[charmingaussie]

Many Future Consequences

Chapter Five

Leo and Chris were now in the Dining Room alone. Leo watched his Son as he walked over and opened a drawer near the dining table.

He turned to Leo before pulling out the contents of the drawer, “just placemats tonight all right?” He asked.

Leo was only half listening to him, trying to figure out how to start his planned apology. “That’s fine,” he answered still staring at him.

Chris looked up at Leo, noticing for the first time that his Dad was staring, “what?” He asked.

“Nothing,” Leo said immediately as he turned to open the cutlery drawer. Then changing his mind he turned back to Chris, “well, actually…” he started to say, and then paused.

“Dad, if you want to ask me something, just go ahead, I’m fine with anything you want to know,” Chris said, trying to put his Dad at ease.

“You said upstairs you have all the memories of the other Chris, including the day he died.” Leo said, making sure he had his facts straight.

“Yes, that’s right Dad, except the other Chris is now a part of me too, so you don’t have to refer to us as two different people. As I said before, I’m still trying to sort everything out. At the moment it just feels like I’ve woken up from a very vivid nightmare.” Chris said, putting his hand up to his forehead and rubbing it.

“This is going to take a bit of getting used to for all of us. I can’t imagine what you’re going through at the moment,” Leo said to Chris sympathetically.

“Honestly, I’m just happy to be alive!”<br>
Chris saw Leo turn away slightly as he said that, as if he’d hit a nerve. “What is it, Dad, is something bothering you?”<br>
Leo looked straight at him. “Ever since Gideon,” he searched for the right words, “betrayed us and you were killed, that day has haunted me.”<br>
“That was a bad day, with the evil world and then happy world,” Chris started to agree, but was interrupted.

“No Chris, I’m not talking about any of that,” Leo said, but then corrected himself, “of course, that was all bad enough, but I’m talking about a promise I made to you. I promised I would save you and send you back to your own time. I left you on that bed to bleed to death, and you trusted my promise that I would save you. I’ll never forget the look on your face as I orbed out. You were in incredible pain, yet you were still only concerned about your brother. I have relived that day, over and over again, maybe a thousand times since then, trying to think of what I could have done to save you. I never should have left you alone with Wyatt in the first place. I knew Gideon was after him, I knew you could not possibly defeat him, he was a powerful Elder.”<br>
Chris had let his father talk, because it was obviously something he needed to get out of his system, but decided to cut in, “Dad, that was a crazy day, there was no way you could have predicted what was going to happen, and I certainly don’t blame you for anything. The whole reason I came back from the future was to save Wyatt. I was always willing to give up my life if it saved the future, because so much more was at stake than just my life.”<br>
“I know that now Chris. I don’t think any of us really understood back then. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry I put you in that position and I’m sorry I didn’t keep my promise to save you.” Leo said earnestly.

“Dad, there’s no need,” Chris started to say, but was interrupted by Leo.

“Just say okay, Chris, please.”<br>
Chris looked at the pain on his dad’s face, “okay.” he said softly.

The relief was immediately evident as Leo sighed, “thank you. Now we’d better set this table before everyone wonders what we’ve been doing all this time.”<br>
The dinner conversation was pleasant enough. Phoebe had talked about her divorce from her fourth husband and how she couldn’t believe her daughter was almost twenty years old and was now refusing to be called Ladybug, no less. The others agreed that Phoebe should have dropped that nickname when she was 3 years old, and that she had been lucky her daughter had humoured her for so long.

Phoebe had offered, once again, to set up Paige with a date, which she, once again, had politely refused. She was happy with her life the way it was and after losing her soul mate when she was in her twenties she had not been interested in meeting anyone since. Phoebe, still could not understand this, and promised to keep trying to match make, much to Paige’s annoyance.

Piper happily listened to the conversation, pleased that everything seemed normal again.

Suddenly, Leo stood up, obviously sensing something. Unfortunately, he was too late as the whole table and everyone sitting around it, were surrounded by a crystal force field.

Before anyone could say anything, the answer to all their questions walked in from the Living Room.

“Having a family reunion without me?” Wyatt asked sarcastically.

Nobody had seen him for several months, and were surprised at how he looked, dressed in black trousers, black T-shirt, his blonde curly hair now down to his shoulders.

“Wyatt,” Piper started to say, but was cut off by Leo.

“What do you want?” he asked coldly.

“Nice to see you too, Dad. Don’t worry, I won’t keep you long, I just came by to congratulate my little brother for surviving Gideon’s curse. Well done, everyone, reversing his magic was quite an achievement. Unfortunately, it has resulted in a drastic change of plans on my part.”<br>
“Wyatt, please what ever you are planning, don’t do it. Let’s talk about it, like we used to. We love you and want to help you get over this obsession you have with Excalibur.” Piper pleaded.

“That’s your problem, Mum, everything is so black and white to you. Don’t you understand it’s all about power! I’ve known that ever since I saw Gideon stab Future Chris all those years ago, right in front of me. I wasn’t even two years old, but I worked out back then that whoever has the most power wins. Excalibur will give me that power, and nobody will ever threaten me again.”<br>
Chris could not believe what he was hearing. This Wyatt was beginning to sound more and more like the Wyatt from his original future, and him witnessing his stabbing when he was a baby had contributed to him turning evil.

“Well, it’s been fun and all, but I’ve got to run now,” he said continuing with the sarcasm.

“Wyatt!” Leo shouted, frustrated, as he watched Wyatt orb out.

A couple of seconds later an alarm sounded on a bracelet on Paige’s wrist. “He’s at Magic School,” she said, stating the obvious.

“You have an alarm to detect Wyatt going to Magic School?” Chris asked surprised.

“We had to Chris, we knew he would eventually come after Excalibur,” Paige answered.

“Excalibur is safe, though, isn’t it?” Chris half stated and half asked.

“Nothing is one-hundred-percent,” Leo answered him.

Just then Paige reached for the key attached to a chain around her neck in a panic, realising it wasn’t there.

“The key’s gone, he must have orbed it to himself before he put us in this force field,” she said frantically.

“What else does he need?” asked Piper just before Chris was going to ask the same question.

Before anyone could answer, they heard the Elders jingle Leo.

“Oh no!” Was all Leo could say.

“How did he get the spell from the Elders?” Piper asked

“I don’t know, but he has, and now all he needs is the code and that won’t take him long. We need to get to Magic School, fast!”<br>
“How will we break the force field?” Jeni asked, speaking for the first time since they had been trapped.

“Why don’t we try the old Power of Three spell?” Phoebe asked.

“We haven’t used that one in years,” Piper said, “but it is the most reliable.”<br>
The three of them carefully moved together, trying not to touch the force field in the process, and all held hands and began chanting:

“The Power of Three will set us free,” over and over again until the force field exploded setting them all free.

“Jeni, you stay here,” Chris said to her, “it’s too dangerous!”<br>
“No, Chris, I want to come,” she pleaded with him.

“Please, I don’t have time to argue, just do this for me,” he pleaded back, firmly.

Reluctantly she agreed, and a few seconds later found herself alone in the house that only fifteen minutes earlier had been filled with a happy family enjoying a celebratory dinner.

[charmingaussie]

Many Future Consequences

Chapter Six

When Excalibur had been taken away from Wyatt, it was decided the best way of keeping it safe was to hide it in plain sight. The decision was made to put it on display at Magic School with a three-step security system to protect it.

The first was a key that Paige kept at all times, which operated a magical force field. The second was a spell that caused anyone who touched Excalibur to turn to stone. The counter spell had been locked away “up there” by the Elders.

The third was a more conventional type of security with a fifteen-digit code, which gave access to magical unbreakable glass that had been especially conjured to surround the Magical Sword.

Wyatt had obviously been able to steal the key from Paige, and according to the Elders had also managed to procure the counter spell. The numerical code was the final obstacle, and that was what he was using all his powers of concentration and limited psychic powers to work out as his family orbed in trying to prevent him doing just that. Wyatt didn’t even turn to look at them. He was so close to achieving his goal, and so confident that his family would not attack him, he kept his concentration where it was needed.

Suddenly Wyatt opened his eyes and smiled as the final number of the code came to him.

“You’re too late!” he said to his family as they started to walk toward him.

He punched the final number into the keypad as Piper shouted “Wyatt! No!”<br>
Wyatt completely ignored his mother’s plea, as he watched the glass casing around Excalibur drop. He quickly recited the spell to prevent him turning to stone, and then took a deep breath, relishing the fact that he, and he alone, had overcome the three security measures to hold Excalibur.

Wyatt could feel the power start to overtake him as he reached out his hand to finally take command of Excalibur and, in his mind, fulfil his destiny.

His moment of glory was thwarted however, as Chris, seeing what was about to happen, called out for Excalibur. Hearing the cry of its true Master, Excalibur immediately flew across the room into Chris’s hand.

Wyatt had now reached breaking point, and not showing any concern for the safety of his brother or the rest of his family, immediately threw fireballs in their direction.

They all frantically ducked for cover, except Chris who skilfully used Excalibur to deflect the fireballs.

“Since when was Wyatt able to throw fireballs?” Piper asked Leo, aghast, as they both cowered behind a sofa.

“Since when did Chris learn to use Excalibur?” Leo asked back, surprised.

“What are we going to do, Leo, I can’t attack my own son?” Piper asked, hoping he would have some logical response. She looked over at Phoebe and Paige who were taking cover behind an upturned table, also seemingly not knowing whether to attack him or not.

“We’ve got to stop him somehow,” Leo replied to Piper or he’ll kill Chris. As Leo finished that sentence they all saw Chris go flying across the room as Wyatt used his telekinetic powers to fling him there. Unfortunately, Chris lost his grip on Excalibur in the process. The magical sword fell to the floor in front of Chris who was lying very still after falling heavily.

“I don’t need you!” Wyatt shouted to Chris, now so obsessed, that nothing else mattered. “And I will make sure you never have Excalibur again!”<br>
He formed a fireball in his hand and was about to throw when both Piper and Leo screamed, “No!” at him. Piper running to protect Chris, Leo directing a lightening bolt towards the now air born fireball.

The two energy forces collided above Excalibur sending a concentrated explosion down towards the Magical Sword.

Wyatt watched in horror as his precious Sword exploded into hundreds of small pieces of deadly shrapnel, which catapulted around the room at lightening speed. Leo quickly orbed out as several pieces headed in his direction, hitting the table behind him that was still protecting Paige and Phoebe.

Chris had no time to react, as he was still recovering from his heavy fall and had no idea what was happening.

Piper had been standing in front of her son ready to blow up the fireball heading in his direction, when Leo had beaten her to it. The next thing she knew, the force of the explosion threw her back, falling on Chris, protecting him in the process from the lethal metallic fallout. She, however, was not so lucky.

Leo orbed back in and immediately saw Piper lying on Chris with blood seeping from wounds in her chest and stomach.

“Piper!” he shouted as he ran to her.

Chris, now recovered, moved out from under her, still oblivious as to what had just happened. Then he saw her wounds, “Mum!” was all he was able to say before Leo was next to him, trying desperately to heal her. He looked up and saw Paige and Phoebe were watching anxiously also. “What the hell happened?” Chris asked looking at all the debris around him.
“Excalibur was hit by a fireball, I think, and just exploded sending bits everywhere,” Phoebe tried to explain to him.

“And Mum was hit,” he said stating the obvious. “God, Dad, she looks bad, there’s so much blood, you can heal her, can’t you?”<br>
“I’m trying, Chris” was all Leo would say.

Chris looked over at Wyatt, who was down on the floor trying to pick up the tiny pieces of Excalibur, devastated. He didn’t even appear to have noticed his mother, seriously injured on the other side of the room. As Chris was watching him, Wyatt started to compose himself and then suddenly stood up and began reciting a spell, his hands outstretched. A few seconds later a book materialised in front of him and Chris recognised it immediately as a time travel book that had been kept hidden at Magic School. He didn’t even know that Wyatt knew about the book, let alone a spell to summon it.

Suddenly he realised what Wyatt was going to do. Chris looked to Leo, who was still busy trying to heal the multiple wounds suffered by Piper. “Dad, I think Wyatt is going to try to go back in time,” he said to him frantically as he looked from his Dad, to his Mum and then to his brother.

Leo, unfortunately, was using all his energy to keep up the healing process on Piper, and didn’t even hear what Chris had said.

Chris looked back at Wyatt, who had found what he was looking for in the book and was reciting the spell. Suddenly a triquetra still drawn on the far wall, started to glow.

“Dad, look! Wyatt is going to go back in time to get Excalibur – we’ve got to stop him!” Chris said as he started to get up.

Everyone’s attention was diverted to the glowing triquetra and Wyatt running toward it.

Before anyone else had time to even register what was happening, Chris was on his feet, running after him, tackling him to the floor just before Wyatt made it to the glowing time portal. Their relief at seeing Chris stop Wyatt before he was able to enter was short lived however, because a few seconds later, they watched helplessly as the two of them still fighting each other rolled through the portal just before it closed.

The last thing Chris heard was his father screaming his name before he was engulfed by the familiar eerie silence of time travel.

[charmingaussie]

Many Future Consequences

Chapter Seven

It was a cold winter’s night, early in the year 2005, when Piper checked on her boys before going to bed. The day had been an unusually quiet one for the Halliwell household, no innocents to save, no demons to fight, which was quite a relief to everyone considering the events of the last few months. Although it was a boring day on the Halliwell scale of life, it would have been just a normal day to anyone else. More days like this one was what Piper desired most in life, but she did accept that was not her destiny and so put all her efforts into making their crazy, magical and very stressful life as normal as possible. She had to do it for the sake of her family, and for her own sanity.

As she looked at her boys’ angelic and peaceful faces as they slept, she wondered about their future. Even though they had saved Wyatt from Gideon, and consequently from being the ruler of all evil, she still felt a niggling tinge of doubt as to whether he had been truly saved. A doubt that she had pushed deep down inside her, and refused to let surface, because that would involve facing up to it and she just had too many other things to worry about at the moment.

She walked over to Chris who had kicked his covers off. As she carefully covered him, trying not to disturb him, her mind wandered back to the grown up version of her second son who had lived with them for nearly two years after coming from the future to save Wyatt. This was another memory she had pushed deep down inside her, not allowing the actual reality of what happened to him surface. She remembered the day vividly when, after Baby Chris was born, Leo had gently broken the devastating news of what had happened to Big Chris when trying to protect Wyatt from Gideon. She could not bear to think of him suffering the way he did, so simply convinced herself that Chris had been reborn and was going to now live a much happier life. She had suffered so much tragedy in her life, and did not want to deal with more. Baby Chris was alive and well, Wyatt had been saved, it was all very simple really, and the more she said it the more she convinced herself, and that was all that mattered.

Finally, satisfied that all was well with her beloved boys, she headed toward her bedroom where she knew Leo would be waiting for her. It felt so right that they were now officially back together, and even though some of his decisions had been questionable of late, she knew he would always be there for her and the boys, and that knowledge was very comforting.

The triquetra on the Manor attic wall suddenly came to life with a blue light shining across the room. The two Halliwell brothers were tossed violently from the time portal rolling several times on the floor before finally coming to rest. Both of them were groaning as they tried to orient themselves.

Chris held his head in a vain attempt to stop the room from spinning. “What the hell was that?” he asked Wyatt.

“That was a time portal, I would have thought you would be familiar with them by now,” Wyatt answered sarcastically as he too was trying to calm his dizziness.

“That was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, Wyatt. It was like we were in the spin cycle of a washing machine!”<br>
“The spell I used was for one person only, having you along for the ride must have screwed it up somehow.”<br>
“Great, just great! I have got to stop trying to save you Wyatt, it gets me nothing but trouble.” Chris said to him, not quite believing he had travelled back in time, again.

“I don’t need saving, Chris, I never have. I wish you would understand what I am trying to do. With Excalibur I could be the most powerful being on the planet. Demons and people alike would be afraid of me. The world would be a much better place. Join me and together we would be unstoppable!” Wyatt said, hoping Chris would finally understand.

Chris, however, remained unconvinced. “Wyatt, you cannot rule with fear, it doesn’t work. I’ve lived through a life like that once already. Please, forget Excalibur and use the return spell for us to go home. Time travel is dangerous, and we don’t even know what time we have come to anyway.”<br>
Wyatt had heard enough, his patience now wearing thin. “It’s too bad you couldn’t see things my way, little Brother, we would have made an awesome team. I have never wanted to hurt you, because I always felt guilty that you died saving me when I was younger, but I’m afraid you have just become an unnecessary annoyance now.”<br>
Wyatt now fully recovered, his few minutes of quiet conversation over, stood up and with a determined arm movement he telekinetically threw Chris across the room.

[charmingaussie]

Many Future Consequences

Chapter Seven continued

Piper and Leo suddenly sat up in bed at the same time, awoken from their slumber by the noise from the attic.

“What the hell was that?” Piper asked as she jumped out of bed and ran to the hallway grabbing her dressing gown on the way.

Leo was right behind her, also grabbing his gown, “Sounded like it came from the attic,” he answered.

They both met Paige and Phoebe in the hall. “You heard it too,” Paige said uneasily.

“Couldn’t we just have one night off? Is that too much to ask?” Phoebe said.

“You two stay with Wyatt and Chris, Leo and I will go to the attic and find out who or what is wrecking my first normal day in ages,” Piper said to them as she started walking toward the attic stairs.

“I don’t think whatever is up there has any idea what they’ve gotten themselves into,” Leo said to Phoebe and Paige before he walked away quickly so as to catch up to Piper.

Without hesitation they walked into the attic, ready to confront anything that was waiting for them. What they saw though surprised both of them. Before turning on the light they could make out, what looked like, two men fighting. They were both flinging each other across the room telekinetically.

“Hey, you two, stop fighting in my house now or it will be the last thing you do!” Piper shouted across the room as Leo located the light switch and turned it on.

The two men, startled by the interruption turned from their respective positions on the floor to face the familiar voice shouting at them. At the same time Leo turned on the lights.

“Oh my God, Chris!” Piper exclaimed immediately recognizing her grown up second son as he looked back at her.

“Mum!” Chris exclaimed back.

“How are you…how did you…what’s going on?” Then before Chris could answer she turned to Leo, “this has to be some kind of trick.”<br>
“I don’t know,” was all a flabbergasted Leo could reply. He was staring not so much at Chris but the other person with him. The man he recognised immediately as grown up Wyatt from his fear induced vision at the hospital the day Chris was born.

“It’s not a trick, Mum, it’s really me and this is…”

“Wyatt,” Leo finished for him.

“Wyatt? How can that be? Could someone tell me what the hell is going on?” Piper yelled, frustrated. “Now, would be good! Leo? How do you know that is Wyatt?” Then she turned to the two intruders once more, “And why are you two fighting each other?”<br>
Wyatt took the opportunity to jump in, “it is really me, Mum, I followed Chris back from the future. He has come back to steal Excalibur. Everyone knows it is really meant for me, but in the future Chris tried to steal it and it was destroyed, so he has come back in time to try to steal it again.”<br>
“Wyatt!” Chris exclaimed, not believing what he was hearing. “Mum, Dad, do not believe him. None of what he said was true. I followed him back.”<br>
“Give me Excalibur, now and I will prove it to you!” Wyatt demanded.

“No – don’t,” Chris, pleaded.

“Nobody is getting anything until we sort everything out, and find out who is telling the truth.” Leo firmly stated.

“What year is this?” Wyatt suddenly asked.

“2005, why?” Leo responded.

“ Not the year I was aiming for, but it’ll do. 2005, then Excalibur is still in the attic,” he said starting to look around.

“Dad, you have to stop him, you can’t let him get Excalibur!” Chris pleaded again.

Wyatt angrily turned to Chris, “I have had enough of your interference,” he said as he telekinetically lifted Chris off the ground with such force he hit his head hard on the ceiling before dropping heavily to the floor.

While Chris distracted Piper and Leo, Wyatt closed his eyes and concentrated. A second later a small baby appeared in his arms.

Before they could get to Chris, Piper and Leo’s attention was diverted back to Wyatt as he shouted at them, “I demand you give me Excalibur now, or I will crush his throat.”<br>
They looked in horror as they saw their precious baby in Wyatt’s arms, his hand firmly placed around the crying baby’s throat.

“Wyatt, no, please, I beg you, don’t hurt him,” Piper pleaded desperately.

Just then, Paige and Phoebe came running up the stairs behind them calling to Piper that Baby Chris had disappeared. They did not need her to respond, though, as all became clear when they entered the room.

“Oh, my God!” Phoebe exclaimed.

“Who is that?” Paige asked.

“Wyatt, we’ll do anything, just don’t hurt him!” Leo begged.

“Wyatt?” Both Phoebe and Paige exclaimed together.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Chris asked as he carefully got up from the floor. He was limping and his hand was holding the back of his head, blood seeping from a wound.

Everyone turned to Chris, surprised to see him up and walking toward Wyatt.

“Oh, God, Chris,” Piper said noticing his injuries.

He ignored her, keeping all his concentration on Wyatt, knowing it could be all over for him in seconds if Wyatt was to go ahead with his threat to kill his Baby self.

“It could be the answer to all my problems,” Wyatt answered confidently.

Chris continued calmly, “I know you saved my life many times when we were children, Wyatt, but I also saved yours. Can you be sure you would have survived to this age if I hadn’t been around? Killing me as a baby would solve one problem, but are you completely confident you would still be alive?” He paused while Wyatt processed what he had just said. “You could be killing us both.” He added, making sure to clearly spell out the possible consequences of Wyatt’s current threat.

After a few seconds of careful consideration, Wyatt placed Baby Chris on the floor, and then looked around at everyone, “This is not over!” He said firmly, before orbing out.

They all breathed a collective sigh of relief, as Piper ran to her baby who had been left crying on the floor. Big Chris, who had been concentrating on getting through to Wyatt, could not hold onto consciousness any longer, so let darkness overcome him as he collapsed to the floor.

[CanadianHalliwell]

[glow=red,2,300]Wow[/glow] I wish everyone updated as soon as I asked. This is great, keep them coming. ;D
P.S. Maybe change the subject line to your story's new title and put the date whenever you updated so we know!!

[charmingaussie]

Many Future Consequences

Chapter Eight

Chris ran in slow motion across the room. The more he ran, the further away Baby Wyatt moved from him. He had to reach him before Gideon did; he promised Leo he would protect him. As he was desperately trying to reach the helpless baby version of his older brother, he watched him change from a baby into Big Wyatt, and turn to Chris and begin laughing at him. Chris didn't understand why his big brother would be laughing at him when he was trying to save him. Suddenly someone materialized in front of him, and before he was able to register who it was he was overwhelmed by a sharp pain in his stomach which took his breath away. The pain was so intense that his legs gave way from under him and he fell to the floor. All he could think about was calling for his Dad to help him, not the Dad he had grown up with, but the one he’d come to know during his time in the past. This Leo seemed to care. This one he could rely on, this one he knew would heal him and save Wyatt. He tried to call out for his Dad, but his voice wouldn’t work, nothing was coming out at all. He started to panic, but then realized that, strangely, his stomach wasn’t hurting anymore, it was tingling. Wyatt had stopped laughing at him and was now talking. He couldn’t make out what he was saying at first, but then it registered that he was saying “sore”, but not in an adult voice, in a baby voice…<br>
Chris jumped as he opened his eyes. Baby Wyatt was in front of him touching his stomach, but his jolt must have scared Wyatt, because he let out a startled cry and ran away. Chris, catching his breath from what he’d just experienced, looked around and realized he was lying on the couch in the living room of the Manor and everything he just thought was real was only a dream. Or was it? He stopped to think for a second, trying to clear his head and work out what was real and what was not. In his dream, he had relived memories he had only just received the day before, and he was sure that would not be the last time he would relive that horrific day. He tried to think back to the day before, which seemed so long ago. Did he really travel back in time again with Wyatt, or was that a dream? No, that was real, and he remembered Wyatt threatening his baby self, and then orbing out. And he had been injured. That was the last thing he remembered. His head was bleeding, his whole body was hurting, and somehow he managed to talk Wyatt out of killing him as a baby. He wondered how he had managed to do that, and try as he might, he could not remember a word he had said to Wyatt. All the events of the previous night were a bit of a blur; in fact he was struggling to remember anything after being injured and talking to Wyatt. He didn’t even remember falling asleep, or being healed.

A female voice interrupted his train of thought.

"Chris, you're awake, I'm sorry if Wyatt woke you."

It was, of course, the familiar voice of his Mother.

“You see Wyatt, Chris is fine,” Piper said reassuring him.

“I think he was just trying to heal my stomach,” Chris told her.

“Oh, really?” Piper said, concerned. “I suppose that’s understandable considering his last memory of you.” Then she turned to Wyatt, “Chris is all better now, Wyatt.” As she walked over to a nearby playpen she asked Chris, “How are you feeling?”<br>
“Fine, I think, I was just trying to work out where I was.

Yesterday was a very long day!" He said to her.

"You can tell me all about it when your Dad gets here,” Piper said as she walked back to Chris after placing Wyatt in the playpen. “You were pretty badly injured last night. Leo healed you, but you were so exhausted, you went straight to sleep again after you regained consciousness. You've been asleep for nearly twelve hours; I was beginning to get worried."

"Twelve hours? Wow, I can't remember the last time I slept twelve hours," Chris said, surprised.

"Well, you must have needed it. I'll call Leo and you can tell us what is going on." Piper said as she looked to the ceiling and then shouted, "Leo!"

A heartbeat later Leo orbed into the room.

He smiled at Chris, "you're awake," he said.

"Finally," Chris replied.

Piper sat down on one of the chairs in the living room and said, "okay, Baby Chris is asleep, Wyatt is in his playpen, now tell us what is going on, but first, I have to know, are you the same Chris who was living with us for the last couple of years?"

"Piper," Leo said as he sat down on another chair, "just let him tell us in his own time."

"What! You can't tell me you didn't want to ask him the same question?" She said in her defense.

"It's okay, Dad, I don't mind, really. It must be really hard on all of you, considering what happened the last time I was here." Chris said.

"So, you are the same Chris," Piper concluded, smiling.

"There's only one of me, and yes I have all the memories of the

Chris that was your Whitelighter, but I am also Baby Chris grown up, with his memories too. Did I mention to you that it's very complicated?"

"Just start at the beginning," Leo said to him.

"What about Paige and Phoebe?" he asked.

"Paige is at Magic School and Phoebe is at the paper. We'll fill them in later." Piper replied.

"Okay, then. Where do I start?" Chris asked himself as he took in a deep breath.

It took Chris about forty-five minutes to tell his parents the whole story. He explained Excalibur and how it had corrupted Wyatt, because it was really meant for him. He then told them how he had been destined to die because of Gideon, but had been saved and now had both sets of memories. And lastly, he told them how Excalibur had been destroyed in the future and that Wyatt, so obsessed with possessing it, had traveled back in time to try to steal it. And how he, in his wisdom, had tried to stop Wyatt, but had ended up accidentally going through the portal with him, ending up in their attic the previous night.

Mostly Piper and Leo sat quietly listening intently to all Chris had to say, but occasionally they would interrupt with a question.

"So, Wyatt is still evil in the future. We didn't save him." Leo more stated than asked.

"I think with my original future, it must have been the combination of both Gideon and Excalibur, because he definitely wasn't as bad the second time around. Maybe because you were still alive this time, Mum, you were able to convince Dad to take Excalibur away from Wyatt when he was still young. It was enough to stop him being the evil ruler of the world, but unfortunately he had still been corrupted by the power of Excalibur. Much like you were Mum, but you only had it for a few days, Wyatt had for years." Chris told them.

"Well, he won't be getting it this time around, I can promise you that," Leo pledged.

"First, we've got to stop his adult version from getting it,"

Piper added.

"And," Chris continued, "Stop Big Wyatt from getting Baby Wyatt to use it again. The more he uses it at a younger age, the more connected with it and powerful he will become."

“I cannot believe that monster threatening to kill Baby Chris last night was our Wyatt grown up.” Piper said looking over at Wyatt still playing in the playpen. “If we had been able to see him the last time you were here, we would have had a better idea of the dismal future you had come from, Chris,” she said looking back at Chris.

“I know, but in a way I was trying to protect you. Just finding out that he was evil gave you both enough pain, without me going into all the gory details. That’s why I never told you what he did when he dragged me back to the future with Bianca. He would have killed me if it wasn’t for her. Bianca saved my life, sacrificing hers in the process.” Chris said sadly.

“I saw him in a Barbas induced vision,” Leo said to both of them.

“I didn’t know that,” Piper said, surprised.

“At the hospital, while you were in labour for Chris, and just before Chris called me after Gideon attacked him,” Leo explained. “I wasn’t sure how real it was, until I saw him last night.”<br>
“This is all so confusing, having the older and younger versions of our sons with us at the same time," Piper said turning to Leo, and then looking back at Chris, "But I’m going to take this opportunity and say how sorry I am at how we treated you last time. I’ve had a lot of time to think over the past few months and that is one of the things that has haunted me. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be able to say that. It really is wonderful to see you again."

“I was no angel either,” Chris said looking at Piper and then to Leo, who smiled at the reference.

[charmingaussie]

Many Future Consequences

Chapter Eight continued

"Before we get onto saving Wyatt, again," Piper said, "Let's talk about you. In spite of everything, you do look happier." She observed.

"I noticed that too," Leo agreed, and then he continued almost too afraid to ask, "Did I change in the future?"

"My life, this time around, was totally different. Yes, Dad, you were there for me, in fact you were great, and so were you Mum." Chris said, honestly.

Leo smiled, relieved, but Piper still had another question she wanted to ask, and she didn't hesitate, "So, did I still die young?"

"What do you mean?" Leo asked, surprised at this piece of news.

"That's right, I never told you," she said to Leo, "during the six months you were away, Chris let it slip that in his future I had died young. He apparently told my Dad, because they were super close in his future, I think the word you used was awesome?" she said looking at Chris.

Chris smiled at the memory, "yes, that's right," he agreed.

"Anyway," Piper continued, "I found out that I apparently died young, but he wouldn't elaborate, so?" she asked turning to Chris.

"No, Mum you didn't die when I was 14 like in my original future, you were alive when I left this time," he said truthfully, deliberately choosing not to reveal how she had been injured when Excalibur had been destroyed. He was sure his Dad would have healed her anyway, he convinced himself.

"You were fourteen?" She asked, shocked.

"It doesn't matter, it didn't happen this time." He said, not wanting to go into it any further.

"You're right," she said "And once we've got this Excalibur thing sorted out, and you get back to a better future, there will be no more time traveling in this family, do you understand?"

Chris laughed at the memory of his Mother in the future saying the exact same thing to him yesterday. He didn't want to get into that, however, so just answered, "Fine with me! I have someone waiting for me in the future, and I would like to get on with my own life."

“Not Bianca?” Piper hoped.

“No, not Bianca, but someone very special and we’re getting married, but that’s all I’m going to tell you.” Chris replied.

Before Piper or Leo could question him further, suddenly the room was filled with the sound of a baby crying. Piper picked up the baby monitor, "baby Chris must be hungry," and then she realized, "and you must be hungry too, Chris. I am so sorry, we were so involved in finding out why you were here, I completely forgot to offer you some food. You must be starving."

"I hadn't realized either, but now that you mention it, I am pretty hungry." Chris replied honestly.

"Leo, I'll take care of the baby, you take care of the adult," she instructed as she got up to leave the room.

After she left, Leo and Chris also got up to head to the kitchen. As they were walking together, Leo stopped and turned to Chris, seemingly wanting to ask him something, but not really knowing how to begin.

"What is it Dad?" Chris asked.

"I was wondering about your memories of the day that Gideon attacked you?" Leo asked him hesitantly.

"I remember everything, Dad," Chris said, knowing exactly where this conversation was heading. "And, no, I don't blame you, even though you promised to save me and send me back to the future."

"How did you know I was going to say that?" Leo asked, surprised.

"Because, I just had the exact same conversation with you in the future, yesterday, or at least I think it was yesterday." Chris said, trying to figure out how it could be yesterday if it was in the future.

"God, this is so confusing! Anyway, that doesn't matter; the main thing is that you know we're good."

"You sure?" Leo double-checked.

"Absolutely!" Chris reassured him. "Now I'd really like one of your famous chicken, lettuce and mayo sandwiches."

"I have a famous sandwich?" Leo asked him surprised.

"Yep! Mum finally let you in the kitchen." Chris told him.

"Well, I'd better get to making it then." Leo said as the two of them walked into the kitchen.

[charmingaussie]

Many Future Consequences

Chapter Nine

The previous occupants of Wyatt’s underworld cave screamed as they disappeared in a ball of flames, ashes falling into a neat pile near the entrance.

“Now this place feels more like home,” Wyatt said to himself as he looked around.

Wyatt’s first instinct had been to take refuge in the familiar surroundings of this cave and he was relieved to have been able to locate it so easily. Here he could clear his mind and think about his next move. When he thought back to the events following his arrival, he cursed himself, and he cursed Chris. He was angry at himself for threatening the baby version of his younger brother, before he had thought through all the possible consequences. Chris had been right, Wyatt wouldn’t be alive today without him so killing him as a baby would have only resulted in both of them ceasing to exist.

Even though he knew he was more powerful than Chris, he also knew that on occasion, he was more impulsive. Chris had always been the voice of reason as they were growing up, which had both saved Wyatt, and annoyed him. Chris seemed to revel in playing the role of Wyatt’s conscience, always telling him right from wrong when it was obvious Wyatt was so past that. The power of Excalibur was all that mattered to him now, and that was what he had to focus all his energy on. Unfortunately his family would now be prepared for him, so he had to plan his next move very carefully. He was sure that Chris would foolishly start training with Excalibur soon, but that would only alert him as he still felt its power. Now he needed to rest, and then he would gain some demonic support for his attack. Timing was everything. This time he would think everything through very carefully.

“I know it’s around here somewhere,” Piper said as she looked behind some boxes in the attic. “Maybe we should be asking Paige, as she was the one who orbed it up here.”<br>
Leo and Chris were also rummaging around searching for Excalibur.

“I can’t believe you don’t know where it is!” Chris said, exasperated.

“There’s been a lot going on lately,” Leo explained, trying to justify.

“Besides,” Piper added, “We didn’t think Wyatt would be using it for a long time. Sharp objects and children do not mix well.”<br>
After saying that, she had a thought and then voiced it.

“Maybe Paige orbed it up high so Wyatt couldn’t reach it,” she said moving a box to stand on.

“Mum, that doesn’t make any sense, Wyatt can orb,” Chris said sounding increasingly frustrated.

“Maybe it doesn’t make sense, Chris” she agreed, “But,” she said pointing to an object covered by a blanket right at the back on top of the cupboard, “There it is.”<br>
She then turned to Leo, “Leo, could you please,” Piper started to ask, but Chris interrupted.

“I’ll get it down,” he said as he motioned toward it and the object disappeared in a cloud of orbs, reappearing a second later in front of him.

Chris immediately removed the blanket, and unfortunately, a huge cloud of dust came with it. He coughed, and then using both hands tried to fan the dust away.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you hadn’t touched it, or dusted it, since it was orbed up here!” He choked out.

“You try raising two kids, running a nightclub and fighting evil everyday!” Piper snapped at Chris. “Dusting a freakin’ sword in a rock on top of a cupboard in the attic is not on top of my list of priorities.” She added losing her patience.

“Stone, Piper,” Leo corrected her.

Piper turned to look at Leo, not believing what he had just said.

“Rock? Stone? Whatever!” She yelled back at him. Leo, wisely, remained silent.

“Anyway,” she continued. “We’ve found it. Now what are we going to do with it?”<br>
“Maybe Chris should start training,” Leo suggested.

“As soon as I pull the sword free from the stone, Wyatt will sense it,” Chris warned.

“He’ll be coming after it anyway, it would be better if you were prepared,” Leo advised.

“Okay, good point, but who would train me?” Chris asked. Leo looked to Piper.

“Me?” She exclaimed. “No way! I’m not going anywhere near that thing, you know what happened last time.”<br>
“Piper, you’re the only one who has had any experience using Excalibur. You don’t have to touch it, just teach Chris everything you were taught,” Leo reasoned with her, then he turned to Chris, “She was a natural, you know.”<br>
Before Chris could answer, Piper cut in, “You think so?”<br>
“Definitely,” Leo answered confidently, and then added, “I was very impressed with the way you handled it, oh, except for the part where you wanted to kill us all and take over the world.”<br>
“I would have loved to have been here, it was a shame you had me out looking for more demons after Wyatt,” Chris said.

“She probably would have just tried to kill you too,” Leo said to Chris while looking at Piper out of the corner of his eye waiting for a reaction. Piper wasn’t taking the bait; however, she just looked at him and half smiled.

“Okay, enough reminiscing. I suppose if there’s no one else who can train you then we don’t have much choice.” Piper conceded. “It’s getting late, so we’ll start tomorrow.”<br>
“Fine,” Chris agreed.

“Great, now everything has been worked out, I’ll get the boys from Magic School and get them ready for dinner.” Leo said.

“Great and I’ll get dinner started. Phoebe and Paige have a lot of catching up to do.” Piper said as she starting walking toward the door.

“Wait,” Chris called out to her. “I don’t suppose you kept any of my clothes; I would really like to have a shower and get changed.”<br>
Piper turned to him, “Sure, they are still in the box we packed at P3 before we thought we were sending you home.”<br>
“Thanks, I’ll be back soon,” Chris said before he orbed out.

“But,” Piper started to say, but it was too late, Chris had already gone.

[charmingaussie]

Many Future Consequences

Chapter Nine continued

Chris materialized a few seconds later in his mother’s office at the back of her nightclub, P3. He paused for a minute looking around at what had been his home for nearly two years. Everything he was going through just seemed so surreal to him at the moment. Unfortunately, he did not have the luxury of analyzing his feelings; he just had to get on with the job at hand. He looked around the room and spied the box still in the same corner where he and his mother had placed it after packing. Chris smiled as he remembered that day with his mum helping him pack up all the clothes he had accumulated during his unexpectedly long stay. She had stood next to him, very pregnant and teary eyed, folding up his clothes and placing them neatly in the box, promising to give it away to some charity after his departure. Obviously she either hadn’t gotten around to doing it yet, or she couldn’t bring herself to, considering how he ended up leaving. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted as the door to the office was flung open. Chris jumped at the unexpected intrusion which resulted in Paige, who was the person walking through the door, jumping also in a startled response.

“Oh! Chris!” She exclaimed. “My god, you scared me. I didn’t know you were going to be here,” she said to him.

“Sorry,” he apologized, trying to regain his composure, “I just came for some of my old clothes. I won’t be long.”<br>
“No, that’s fine. I’m just doing some Magic School stuff. Actually, it’s good that you’re here, I need to go back to Magic School for a few minutes to pick up some paperwork, but I’m expecting some people to arrive any minute. Could you look out for them for me?” She asked.

“No problem,” Chris said.

“Great, I’ll be back soon, thanks.” Paige said and then orbed out.

Chris turned his attention back to the box and started going through the clothes. He’d pulled out a few things when he heard someone call out. He walked over to the door and could see a young couple walking down the stairs to the club.

“Hi, can I help you?” Chris asked, making sure they were the people Paige was waiting for.

“Yes, we’re looking for Paige Matthews. I hope we have the right address, we’re supposed to be meeting her at five o’clock,” said the man.

“Yes, you’re in the right place,” Chris said as he noticed for the first time the woman was holding a baby seat. “She’s just popped out for a moment, she won’t be long.”<br>
The woman started to thank him, but Chris was not paying attention as two demons had just materialized behind the young couple.

“Look out!” He shouted as he pushed both of them to the floor, the baby seat, with a small baby inside, being flung across the room in the process. Two fireballs just missed the fleeing group, hitting the wall behind them.

Chris recovered quickly and used his telekinetic powers to fling one of the demons across the room, hitting a wall heavily and falling unconscious to the floor. The second demon was about to attack again when Paige appeared and immediately seeing the danger she orbed a knife that had been left on the bar into him, vanquishing him instantly. The first demon had now regained consciousness, but chose to shimmer out before either Chris or Paige could dispose of him.

“What happened?” Paige asked as she helped them up.

“My baby,” was all the concerned woman could say as she ran to the baby seat still upright on the floor.

Her husband immediately joined her, “Is she okay?” he frantically asked.

The baby, still securely strapped into her seat, was not even crying.

“Oh, thank god, she seems fine,” the incredibly relieved woman uttered.

“He saved our life, that’s what happened,” the man said, finally answering Paige’s question. “Thank you, so much,” he added.

“I was happy to help, and I’m glad your baby’s okay,” Chris said.

“Do you know who or why you were attacked?” Paige asked.

“That’s part of what we came here to say,” the man started to explain. “It appears we are being pursued by a demonic clan, and I don’t know why. The answers apparently lie in London with some historical family documents, so I am moving my family there to live, in hope of finally resolving everything. I’m sorry if we wasted your time, but I won’t be able to take the job you offered me at Magic School.”<br>
“Wait,” Chris interrupted, “you were going to work at Magic School?”<br>
“Possibly,” the man answered.

“That’s what I thought today’s interview was all about,” Paige added. “I’m sorry that circumstances are preventing you from joining our school, I’m sure you…”

Before Paige could finish, Chris interrupted again, this time more urgently and sounding like he was starting to panic. “No, you don’t understand, I need to know a few things. You were going to have an interview about being a teacher at Magic School,” he said looking at the man.

“Yes, that’s right,” the man agreed.

“Chris, what’s going on?” Paige asked.

“And you were attacked by demons, and your daughter was pushed clear and her name is Jeni, isn’t it?” He asked, almost dreading the answer.

“Yes, it is, but how did you know that?” Asked the woman.

Chris put his hands up to his forehead and cursed, “I don’t believe this, I don’t believe this,” he said incredulously. “This can’t be happening!”<br>
“Chris, what is going on?” Paige asked frustrated at his lack of response.

Chris ignored Paige, instead turning all his attention to the parents of his future fiancé.<br>
“Please, you have to listen to me, this is very important; you have to take that job in Magic School. My future and her future,” he said pointing to the baby the woman was now holding, “depend on it.”<br>
The man looked at him and then looked at Paige, “What is he talking about?” he asked perplexed.

“I have no idea,” Paige answered.

Chris looked at the three of them staring at him in stunned disbelief and tried desperately to think of a way of explaining that by him saving their lives he had just prevented his baby self from ever growing up and meeting Jeni, the love of his life.

Finally the man said, “We are very grateful that you saved our lives, but unfortunately, as I have explained we cannot possible stay here any longer, our very lives are at stake as you have just witnessed.”<br>
“But,” Chris started to say.

“I’m sorry,” the man repeated and then turned to Paige, “I would be forever grateful if you could orb us directly back to our apartment where we have arranged magical transportation to London this evening.”<br>
“Absolutely, it’s the least I can do,” Paige replied.

“Please,” Chris pleaded, “Consider my request, or at least consider coming back in the future when everything is sorted out.” As he spoke he looked down at the baby happy and content in her seat and thought of his fiancé in the future.

“Thank you, once again” the woman said to Chris

The man did not acknowledge Chris’ request, but just nodded toward him as they all disappeared in a cloud of orbs.

“What have I done?” Chris asked himself solemnly.

And then in an over exaggerated arm movement, he telekinetically threw a stool from near the bar at high speed to the opposite wall, smashing it into tiny pieces.

[charmingaussie]

Many Future Consequences

Chapter Ten

Chris let the warm water run over his head and down his back. He was leaning his head forward against the cold tiled wall of his parents’ shower recess and hoped the warm water would somehow wash away the pain he was feeling from unintentionally changing his own history. He really didn’t want to play this game anymore. His head hurt from the mix of memories his brain was still trying to sort out and now he felt like his heart had been ripped out as well. He was tired. So very, very tired. And he wondered if he had enough energy left to fight Wyatt. Again. It seemed like he had been fighting Wyatt most of his life. Maybe it was Wyatt’s destiny to be evil and Chris should just accept it and give up? He sighed at the thought. He really didn’t want to think at the moment, he just wanted to go numb, for a little while at least. He turned to lean his back against the shower wall and let the cooling water run directly down his face. He let his mind wander back to the last time he was here and how he had somehow put an emotional barrier up around himself, not letting any of his family in, except of course for that one time when the Spider Demon infected him and in the process shattered his defences. Other than that one time though, he had managed to stay completely focused on saving Wyatt, to the point where nothing else mattered, not Bianca, not even his own life in the end. Back then saving Wyatt had become the most important thing to him, because saving Wyatt in turn saved the future and he had not wanted to return to the original future he had come from. This time, though, he wasn’t so focused and his family knew who he really was, so there was no facade to hide behind. He didn’t have the strength to distance himself from them anymore, because his mother hadn’t died when he was fourteen and his father hadn’t ignored him all his life, they were both wonderful parents and he had lived a much better life. A life he wanted desperately to go back to.

Suddenly, it came to him.

“Why do I have to stay here?” He asked himself.

He felt his brain come to life again and his excitement grew as he starting connecting the dots that were his thoughts.

His enthusiasm back, and the numbness now gone, Chris all of a sudden realised the water in the shower had gone completely cold. He jumped out of the way and quickly turned the taps off.

“Geez, how long have I been in here?” He asked out loud as he hurriedly dried himself, before getting ready to go downstairs and share his idea with his waiting family.

As Chris walked down the stairs, he could see an audience waiting for him in the Living Room. Paige had obviously told everyone what had happened and they were waiting for an explanation.

“Chris, there you are, I was getting worried,” Piper said, not wanting to press him for answers straight away.

“I’m fine Mum, thanks. In fact, I was just thinking….” Chris started to say until Leo interrupted.

“Paige told us what happened at P3,” he said.

Chris looked at Paige, who for some reason immediately felt guilty for telling them and started to justify.

“I’m sorry, Chris, it’s just you were acting kind of weird. I was worried about you,” she said.

“No, you don’t need to apologise, I don’t mind you telling everyone. I was going to explain anyway,” he said.

“What about future consequences?” Phoebe asked, having a dig at his stock phrase whenever asked anything about the future the last time he was here.

Chris smiled. “Okay, point taken, I did use that line a lot, but the circumstances were very different last time, and it’s important I tell you what I did at P3 so you can somehow try to fix it for me.”<br>
“Wow, that was easy,” Phoebe said. “I was expecting a big speech about how it will mess with the future."

“That’s the problem,” Chris explained. “I’ve already messed with the future, unintentionally. Sort of like Paige did when she went back in time and we ended up with flower loving hippy grams.” They all nodded and smiled at the memory. “You guys fixed the timeline then, and I need you to do it again.”<br>
“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Chris, just tell us what happened,” Piper said gently.

“Okay,” Chris said as he walked over and sat on the arm of the chair his father was sitting on. He looked at his Mum and Dad and continued, “I’ve already told you I’m engaged in the future, to a great girl.” They both nodded. “I met her at Magic School. She grew up there because her parents were killed when she was a baby.” He paused. “Well,” he said looking around at all of them, “I just saved her parents’ lives today and now she won’t be growing up in Magic School and I will never meet her!”<br>
“Wow,” was all Phoebe could say.

“Wow is right,” Paige agreed, “now I understand why you were acting the way you were.”<br>
“I had no idea who they were. I didn’t know much about what happened, just that Jeni survived after her parents were killed and because they were attending an interview for Magic School, you took her in Paige. That’s how we met, she now teaches at Magic School and so do I.” Chris told them.

“You’re a teacher?” Piper asked, not believing how much information she was getting from Chris this time around.

That question from his Mother made Chris smile and momentarily calm down. After pouring his heart out to them, his Mum had only made a comment about him being a teacher. He knew how happy she was with his chosen profession in the future, so wasn’t surprised she chose that little bit of information to ask about.

“Yes, Mum, I’m a teacher,” he said to her. “And I love it,” he added.

“Did you hear that Leo, our son’s a teacher,” she said proudly to Leo.

“Yes, Piper, I did,” Leo said smiling at her, “and I think that’s great Chris, but continue with your story,” he said trying to get the conversation back on track.

“The point is, after I’m gone, you have to promise me you’ll track down Jeni’s parents in London and make sure you get them back here. Somehow.” He pleaded.

“What do you mean after you’re gone?” Piper asked. “Where are you going?”<br>
“That’s what I came down here to tell you. I’ve just realised if I take Excalibur back to the future with me as soon as possible, then that should solve all our problems. Wyatt won’t get a chance to steal it as an adult, or use it as a child. I will still have it in the future and be able to train with it properly. And when I return, Wyatt should follow me because there is nothing left for him in this time,” Chris explained, satisfied that this was the answer.

“That does make sense,” Phoebe agreed.

“Yes, but you came here on Wyatt’s magic, getting you back won’t be easy,” Paige cautioned.

“What about the potion you made last time?” Chris asked.

“That was for your magic, Chris.” Leo said to him.

“That’s right, we made that potion based on the spell Chris had used for himself, and the Power of Three. Do you even know the spell Wyatt used?” Piper asked

Chris was looking increasingly deflated at the direction this conversation was taking.

“No,” he answered shaking his head.

“It is a good idea, though,” Piper agreed. “If we could make it work.”<br>
“Does that mean you’ll at least try?” Chris asked, hopefully.

“Of course we’ll try,” Phoebe said reassuring him.

“How about you still start training with Excalibur tomorrow as we planned, and Paige, Phoebe and I will start working on that potion?” Leo asked him.

Chris nodded, “Sounds great! Thank you.”<br>
“Now, you’d better have some dinner,” Piper said to him.

“Is everyone ready to eat?” Chris asked.

“Chris we all ate ages ago, while you were in the shower.” Piper said to him.

“Oh, I didn’t realise I was in there that long,” he said.

“Don’t worry, I saved you some it’s in the fridge. You sit down at the table while I go and heat it up for you.”<br>
“Thanks, Mum.”<br>
Satisfied that his family wouldn’t let him down regarding Jeni, and that they had a plan in place for Wyatt and Excalibur, Chris sat at the table feeling a renewed sense of determination.

Wyatt had a renewed sense of determination as well, but his was for a very different reason. In the short time he had been in the underworld, he had enjoyed it immensely. Demons were in complete disarray in this time frame, and they were crying out for someone to organise them. He was more than happy to appear to be their saviour, as they could all sense his power and were only too happy to cater to his every whim. They would all serve a useful purpose as decoys and backup for his plan to obtain Excalibur, and the best thing was he didn’t feel at all guilty betraying their trust in him, as they were only demons after all. As he amassed his demonic forces with empty promises of using his power to help them defeat the Charmed Ones, he laughed to himself at how stupid they were for blindly following him. Power was everything to Wyatt, and he felt this was a dress rehearsal for how easily he would slip into the role of ruler of the world when he returned to his own time with Excalibur. Everything was going according to plan, and victory was so close he could smell it.

[charmingaussie]

Thank you CanadianHalliwell for your comments.

I've been away on holidays for several weeks, and have written up to Chapter Ten of this story. That is why they have all been posted at once.

I changed the subject for the last chapter (after I read your post), I hope that is what you meant. I'm very new at this. I have never posted in this thread before and The Charmed Cafe looks very different from the last time I visited.

I hope you enjoy my story, and I will continue to post new chapters as I write them.

[CanadianHalliwell]

If you mean that you are new to writing then all I can say is WOW
What i meant was to change your title in the subject line. It should read something like this - Many future Consequences Chapter 10 Updated Jan 13. Right now it reads My first fanfic... This way it lets readers know you have updated your story

[charmingaussie]

Yes I am new at writing. Never considered myself a writer at all and didn't do all that well at English when I was in school. The reason I wrote this story was to fill all the blanks left by the writers with the Chris storyarc, which left me really frustrated.

I will try to change the subject as you suggested.
(though I'm not sure how to do that)

[charmingaussie]

Many Future Consequences

Chapter Eleven

“You ready?” Piper asked Chris.

“Yes,” Chris tried to say confidently.

Inside he didn’t feel anywhere near ready. He’d had a reasonable night’s sleep and a good breakfast and was supposed to feel ready to begin learning the art of using Excalibur from his Mother. Truth is, he’d avoided this moment most of his adult life. He was afraid of what the power would do to him, even though his Father assured him it would not corrupt its true owner. Chris looked at Excalibur wedged securely in its home of stone. All he had to do was reach out and pull it free. His family were watching him, waiting to see him prove to them that he truly was destined to be the magical sword’s master. What they didn’t know was he would also be proving it to himself. Chris hesitated, suddenly overcome with self-doubt. For years his Father and the Elders had been telling him he was the chosen one, but he had never been able to test their words as the stone had been destroyed in his time many years ago. Now, finally, he would find out for certain, and he could not shake the feeling in the pit of his stomach that maybe they were all wrong. Wyatt was more powerful than him after all; it made much more sense that it belonged to Wyatt. He looked back at his family, still waiting, and wondered if they were doubting his story right now as well. He forced a smile, trying to appear confident, as he reached out his hand to grasp the sword. He wrapped his hand around the cold metal handle and realised he was sweating both on his palms and his forehead from the anxiety. He just hoped the excess moisture wouldn’t cause the sword to slip from his hand, making him look a complete fool in the process. He took a deep breath, and then closed his eyes, gently starting to pull on the sword, and to his great relief and complete surprise it started to come free extremely easily. Immediately he could feel the power flow through his body, and it got stronger the closer Excalibur came to being completely freed. The feeling was so intense that when he finally pulled the magical sword completely free he had to take a step back to steady himself.

“Overwhelming, isn’t it?” Piper said to him.

“Completely,” Chris answered, having now found his footing.

“Okay, show’s over people, we’ve got some serious training to do. Off you go, you’ve got a potion to make, times a wasting,” Piper said as she tried to herd Leo, Paige and Phoebe out of the attic.

“All right, we’re going,” said Leo, “and just remember if you have any trouble just shout and I’ll come right away.”<br>
“We’ll be fine,” Piper reassured him.

“Thanks, Dad,” Chris called to him as they started walking down the stairs, Piper closing the door behind them.

Chris had turned his attention back to the sword trying to find a comfortable grip that allowed him to compensate for how heavy it was.

Piper could see what he was doing. “Don’t worry, in a few hours you’ll feel like you were born using it,” she said reassuring him. She walked over and picked up the sword she had conjured that morning and readied herself. “Let’s get started,” she said.

Deep in the Underworld, Wyatt had been rounding up demonic support when he sensed Excalibur. He knew immediately that Chris had removed it from the stone and that now time was against him. He needed to gather as many low-level demons as he could and implement his plan as soon as possible. His plan was to distract the sisters with as many simultaneous demonic attacks as possible, all around the city, leaving him free to go to the manor and fight Chris, if he had to, for Excalibur. Unfortunately he saw no way around keeping Chris alive, he could not take him back to the future with him as he would just take back Excalibur again, nor could he leave him in the past for he could prevent his younger self from ever using the Magical Sword. Seeing no other way around it, he had coldly decided Chris would have to be an unfortunate casualty of his quest. He looked around at the demons in front of him, but decided he still needed more. He thought afew more hours wouldn’t make any difference; he just had to make sure everything was right.

More than four hours had past, without a break, when both Piper and Chris noticed a tray of food being orbed into the attic.

“I think Dad’s trying to send us a message,” Chris said, grinning.

Piper looked at her watch, “Wow, I didn’t realise how long we’d been at this, we could definitely use a break.”<br>
Piper grabbed the tray and walked over to the couch, placing the tray on a small table in front of it. Chris decided to stretch out on the floor near the table.

They ate quietly for a while before Chris broke the silence, “Dad was right, you’re very good at this considering you were only trained for a couple of days yourself.”<br>
“Thank you,” Piper said, accepting the compliment. “You seem to be catching on very quickly, as well. How do you feel?” She asked.

“I feel fine, I guess,” he answered, not sure what sort of answer she was looking for.

“Do you feel confident using Excalibur? How are you coping with the extra power?” She asked, still searching for the right words.

“Oh, I know what you want to ask,” Chris said suddenly realising where his Mother’s questions were leading. “No, I don’t feel like taking over the world.”<br>
“Sorry. Had to ask,” Piper said slightly embarrassed.

“Yet,” Chris added with a grin.

“Don’t joke,” she said trying not to laugh herself, “it can happen easier than you think.”<br>
“I know,” Chris said more seriously this time, thinking back to his original future, and to Wyatt’s evil rule.

“You, know, I don’t want to hurt him,” Chris said to her honestly. “I never have. I just want him to go back to how he was when we were kids. We were very close, and then it all just…changed,” he said, not really wanting to elaborate.

Piper could see the pain in her son’s eyes as he was obviously thinking back.

“You may have to,” she said quietly.

“What do you mean?” Chris asked her, surprised at what she had just said.

“Hurt him. You may have to, Chris. We both know he’s more than capable of hurting you,” she looked away to compose herself wondering whether to continue voicing her fears. Deciding it was in Chris’ best interest to confront the issue, she turned to look directly into Chris’ eyes as she added, “killing you even.”<br>
Chris could see how hard it was for his Mother to admit this to him, but he also knew she was speaking the truth.

“But,” he started to say, but Piper interrupted him.

“No buts, Chris. He will fight you for Excalibur and he will fight you to win. Defence will only get you so far. You have to want to win as well. I will not have you die because of Wyatt again.” She said firmly to him.

Chris suddenly realised how hard his death must have hit her last time. He hadn’t really thought about it, because he always thought she had Baby Chris, but come to think of it he had lived with them for nearly two years so his death must have had an impact on all of them in some way.

Chris could have dropped the subject there, but he wanted to get through to his Mother his feelings, just in case. “It’s much easier said, than done.” Chris said to her, and then he continued, “I vowed I would kill Wyatt last time, if I couldn’t save him before I was born, but I don’t think I could have gone through with it.” He paused, and then asked her, “Could you kill him?”<br>
“What kind of question is that?” She asked him, slightly angry.

“Well, you’re concerned about me, but what if he was threatening me, or Paige or Phoebe. Could you attack him to save one of us?”<br>
Piper realised she hadn’t thought about it.

“That’s a decision I hope I don’t have to make,” she said dismissing him.

“I hope so too,” Chris agreed deciding to drop the subject.

“Are you ready to start again?” She asked him, as she stood up.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” He answered.