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Leaning against the doorway of the conservatory, Coop couldn’t help but be amused as Chris rolled his eyes again while Wyatt winced and tried to backpedal the conversation. No matter how many times Chris had sharply elbowed his brother or smacked his arm, Wyatt continued to unintentionally spew tidbits of information about their future. It didn’t ever seem to be anything important, unless you counted middle school soccer games or future movie releases as life-altering. The only exception so far had been the “Uncle Coop” comment, which Coop was very intentionally not thinking about.
Despite himself, his eyes still fell on Phoebe mid-conversation with Leo. She was laughing, and Coop could feel her joy. He was confident that, no matter what happened after this, he’d be able to survive based off of her happiness in this moment. She seemed to sense his eyes on her and turned her head to look at him, and Coop immediately looked down.
Childish, probably, but if he met her eyes, he was going to end up mentally writing poetry about her eyes again. Her fierce eyes full of what seemed like an infinite amount of emotions, just like her passionate heart-
Shaking his head, Coop forced himself to look over at Chris and Wyatt again. Well. Wyatt was still there but had seemingly lost his restraining shadow.
“This is kind of embarrassing, even for a Cupid.”
Coop started, turning to see Chris settle against the other side of the doorway. He didn’t need his empathy to pick up on the judgment radiating from the witch, complete with a raised eyebrow that wouldn’t have looked out of place on his mother. Coop’s reaction somehow made him even more unimpressed as Chris shook his head.
“Oh, you so have to get used to that if you’re sticking around.”
“Do I? You’d know more than me,” Coop tried to deflect. He wasn’t truly baiting for anymore information about the future; Cupids knew better than to try to use knowledge like that for personal gain.
“Nice try.” Chris actually grinned at that. “But it’s not exactly a secret or future information that demons like to shimmer into this house every other day to throw fireballs at your face.”
He wasn’t wrong; Coop was pretty sure that was part of the reason his assignment started after Phoebe had moved out of Halliwell Manor. Hard enough to find love without your assigned Cupid being disintegrated in your foyer.
Chris took on a serious expression as he nodded towards Phoebe. “So are you planning on actually talking to her, or are you just going to stand over here and compose love sonnets?”
“I was not-”
He cut himself off before he could finish the sentence and earn himself a third judgemental look in under ten minutes. It technically hadn’t been sonnets though, which was a small plus in favor.
Chris let out a heavy sigh. “Okay, let’s try this again. What’s wrong with you?”
“That’s. One way of starting a presumably emotional conversation,” Coop said dryly.
Chris shrugged unrepentantly.
“Besides, why would anything be wrong?” Why was anything wrong? He’d just found out that he was not only allowed to pursue a relationship with Phoebe, but it would likely last for at least the next twenty years if Chris and Wyatt were right.
“Because Cupids aren’t known for having a good poker face. They wear their hearts on their sleeve, and you do not look like you just found out you get to marry the woman you’ve been into for,” Chris paused before admitting, “I don’t know, however many months. Seems to me like you need some advice. Or help, I don’t know how desperate you are yet.”
“I’m not quite sure I’m desperate enough to get advice from someone who starts a conversation by asking what’s wrong with you.”
Chris conceded with a nod of his head. “Fair enough.”
Eying him, Coop was struck by an eerie sense of familiarity. He didn’t know how old Chris was for sure, but he’d heard one of the sisters mention around twenty years in the future when catching Henry up to speed after his arrival. It was weird, seeing the baby witch he’d met before as a fully grown Warren witch. Stranger still to be able to match different mannerisms and gestures to each of the sisters. It was unnerving to recognize so much in someone he’d just met.
Looking away from his future nephew for a minute, Coop’s eyes fell on Phoebe again. At some point, Patty had joined their conversation, smiling at both Phoebe and Leo with pride. He couldn’t help but smile at the joy the three felt. Patty gestured from Leo to Piper, and Coop felt his smile fade. Shaking his head, he quickly shifted his gaze from the three to where Wyatt was enthusiastically talking to a slightly confused but happy Henry.
Next to him, Chris sighed. “This is actually kind of embarrassing to watch.”
Coop turned back to face him, face burning. Before he could say anything, Chris nodded towards Phoebe. “You’re worried if Aunt Phoebe actually loves you or if she’s just looking for the guaranteed option, since Wyatt dropped that whole bombshell on her.”
Caught off guard, Coop blinked at the other man for a moment. Finally, he asked, "How did you know that? Does something happen in-"
“The future?” Chris finished. He shrugged. “Not as far as I know. You and Aunt Phoebe seem happy, for what it’s worth.”
“How did you know- Are you an Empath?”
Chris snorted, shaking his head wryly. “Look, from your perspective, you’ve known me for a few hours max. Or, well, baby me for a few months. Either way, for me? I’ve grown up around you. You don’t know me yet, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t know you.”
Frowning, Coop looked down at the floor. Chris didn’t leave, simply waiting as if he knew that Coop would eventually say something. Coop was used to outlasting charges when it came to emotions and relationships, but it was significantly harder when he was on the other side of things. Finally, he gave in with a sigh. “She didn’t want a relationship. Not until you and Wyatt showed up.” After a way too long minute of silence, he hastily added, “Not that you two-
“I know what you’re trying to say,” Chris interrupted. Frowning, he continued, “Just… give me a minute, I’m not the relationship one.”
Coop couldn’t help the spark of amusement at that as Chris tried to gather the words. The witch was anxious about getting it right but also wanted to be helpful. While sarcasm was a Halliwell trait, in Coop’s opinion, Chris was definitely a Halliwell where it truly counted: the good witch’s need to help others, even when it was out of one’s comfort zone.
Chris seemed to finally find the words as he said slowly, “The future isn’t set in stone. Even with Wyatt and I, there’s nothing really keeping any of you from completely changing our future purposely or accidentally. Aunt Phoebe knows that almost better than anyone. Hell, her entire thing is getting premonitions of how to change the future. If she wants to be with you, it’s not because we said that you two are in the future. Besides, it’s Aunt Pheebs. She’s big on true love. The real question isn’t Aunt Phoebe. It’s you.”
“Wait, what?” Coop gave Chris an incredulous look. “Of course, I want to be with Phoebe!”
“Really?” Chris asked, raising one eyebrow. “Last time I checked, Aunt Phoebe didn’t want a relationship with you until it was easy. Like I said, I’ve grown up around you. All of you. I grew up listening to Mom and Dad talking about fighting the Elders, defying the odds, always fighting for each other. Hell, even Henry fought Simon Marks for Aunt Paige, without mentioning that they pushed each other to open up and become the people they needed to be. If you love someone, you fight for them against all of the odds. No matter what or who is in your way, you don’t give up on love. Aunt Phoebe wasn’t willing to do that. Not until she knew that she didn’t have to fight.”
Chris’s voice was sure, and Coop had to look away from the witch again. Once again, his eyes fell on Phoebe. She’d broken away from her mother and Leo to talk to Billie, which was another story he needed to catch up on. Phoebe had the same magnetism as the day that he first met her outside of that cafe. He’d been unable to tear his eyes away from her until Billie had called for her, an occurrence that plagued him even now.
It was a feeling he knew well, but it had always been second-hand. It had been his charge’s feelings, never his own. Now, everytime he was in the same room as her, he couldn’t help but find his eyes on her. It was more than just her beauty, even though Coop thought that she was the love’s beauty incarnate. Her emotions were the first he felt anytime he entered a room. She felt everything so deeply and so fully that it felt like it filled the room until it was only Phoebe. When she was angry or frustrated, it felt like he was at risk of falling beneath a tidal wave, but it couldn’t compare to the depths of when he sensed her love and compassion for her family and friends and innocents. It was like a tsunami, knocking down every resistance he had against admitting his love for her.
Chris cleared his throat, and Coop took a breath. He turned back to the witch and said with surprising steadiness, “It sounds like you have an issue with us together. Why?”
Coop felt the unease seep into Chris’s emotions. “It’s not that. In my future-”
Chris cut himself off, looking frustrated. After a moment, he sighed. “I’m not good at this, not really. I’m not great with the emotions or love thing. But you have given me way too much, mostly unasked for, advice for me to not at least try and return the favor. In my future, you two love each other. But it’s not fair to either of you to start a relationship just because a potential future said so. Don’t make a decision because of what you think your future is supposed to be. Pick something based on the present. You both deserve more than that.”
Chris looked away with the conclusion of his small speech, and Coop felt a rush of affection for the witch. He could sense how uneasy this entire conversation had made Chris, and to learn that it was because of the witch’s care for him was… something else entirely. Coop had been a Cupid for a long time, but he hadn’t had a family for… He didn’t even know how long.
As a general rule, Cupids were compassionate and loving beings, but their lives didn’t lend themselves to having very deep relationships. They were always the ones giving the speeches about falling in love for the right reasons, and it was rare for Coop to be on the other side of it. Even then, his fellow Cupids, kind as they were, hadn’t told Coop to rethink his feelings for Phoebe because of concern for him but because of the rules.
Turning his attention back to Chris, Coop observed him for a minute. For someone who said that they weren’t great with “the emotions or love thing,” Chris’s words had the opposite message. Tilting his head, Coop asked his earlier question with more sincerity, “You’re not an Empath, are you?”
Chris snorted, shaking his head. “Definitely not. Like I said, emotions aren’t my thing.”
“Then how-”
“Wasn’t really my speech.” Chris grinned. “I know some people who are a lot better with the emotional intelligence thing.”
Coop couldn’t help but ask, “Who-”
“You’ll figure it out,” Chris interrupted. Nodding insistently towards Phoebe, he said pointedly, “You should go talk to her.”
Coop looked over and felt his mouth go dry. Phoebe was still talking to Billie, and he couldn’t help it. After sensing an overwhelming sense of grief when Billie first arrived with the sisters - and Coop really needed to figure out what exactly had happened with his ring and the past at some point - he’d tried to avoid prying into the blonde witch’s emotions. While his instinct to help was good, he could acknowledge that it likely wouldn’t be helpful when he was probably one of the people who knew her the least. Talking to Phoebe, however, her grief, while still agonizing, had lost its initial overwhelming nature to Coop’s relief. He had rarely felt that type of overwhelming grief and guilt before, and it had always been something he’d immediately sought a Whitelighter for. Romantic love couldn’t fix that type of pain, but there were people who had the gift to soothe it long enough for it to begin to heal. If he didn’t know that Phoebe hadn’t regained her empathy power, he’d have thought that she was projecting her emotions towards Billie. When faced with Phoebe’s compassion and understanding, Billie’s grief seemed to finally falter enough for the young witch to breathe.
Meanwhile, Coop had apparently used up Chris’s limited patience as he was suddenly dragged forward. Chris thankfully ignored the undignified yelp that slipped out of his mouth. Honestly, Coop was surprised that Chris was a lot stronger than he looked, considering he was taller and bigger than the witch. It didn’t seem to matter to Chris, however, since he was easily shoved in front of Phoebe and Billie.
Chris wasted no time, turning to Phoebe. “He,” Chris punctuated his statement by pointing at Coop, “needs to talk to you.”
Turning to Billie, Chris gained a steely look in his eyes as he said, “And I need to talk to you.”
Billie nodded dejectedly, and Chris’s gaze softened for a moment before he led her off, leaving Coop and Phoebe alone.
Phoebe watched them go, biting her lip as she battled against her clear concern. Coop frowned, turning to see Billie follow Chris around the corner out of eye sight.
Turning back to Phoebe, he noticed that her eyes stayed on the corner that they disappeared around. Phoebe was still concerned, and Coop tried to put her at ease. “Don’t worry, I think he can take care of himself.”
Turning back to him, Phoebe let out a small laugh. “It’s not Chris I’m worried about. He’s protective over family, and Billie…”
She trailed off before sighing. “There’s still a lot we need to do about Billie, but her sister just died. I’ve lost a sister, but I’ve never…”
She wasn’t able to continue her sentence. Coop couldn’t blame her. From his limited knowledge of the battle, Billie had betrayed them, turned almost all of their allies against them, and attacked Phoebe’s entire family. Still, she’d helped them in the end, at the cost of her only sister. Coop wasn’t a witch or a Whitelighter; he didn’t really know where that left Billie on the good/evil scale, but for right now, it seemed like the sisters were content to let her wander around as they dealt with the multitude of time travelers in the Manor.
Shaking her head, Phoebe focused on him and asked, “You wanted to talk to me?”
Looking at her, beyond her mixture of emotions about Billie and the battle, Coop knew she was exhausted, and he couldn’t blame her. He understood Chris’s intent, but at the same time, he didn’t really think that now was the right time. Shaking his head, he tried to put it off, “It can wait. You should rest before-”
“Coop,” Phoebe cut him off. She searched his eyes, and he tried to give her the most reassuring look he could. “I can only imagine how crazy the next few weeks will be. If there’s something else, I think I’d rather know now than get it dropped on me in a month when everything finally settles.”
That was… fair. Coop took a deep breath and tried to choose his words carefully. Here goes nothing. “You kissed me back.”
Well, that was eloquent. Shaking his head, Coop tried again. “You kissed me back but, Phoebe, our conversation earlier… Well, it didn’t really indicate that you wanted to be with me. But Chris and Wyatt tell you that the Elders are okay with it, and you’re ready to try.”
“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be with you, but it was a forbidden love. But, now-” Phoebe smiled at him, but he could sense her worry in it. “Now, it isn’t. The Elders aren’t going to stop us.”
“The Elders tried to stop Piper and Leo. They spent years trying to get them to deny their love for one another, but they never did.” Coop paused, glancing at Piper and Leo. Piper was leaning into Leo’s chest, his arms around her. For the first time since he’d met her, Piper was so ecstatically joyful. The combination of grief and guilt that had served as a persistent undercurrent of all of her emotions was finally gone.
“Phoebe, of all people, you know that true love isn’t something easy, even if it isn’t forbidden. Love isn’t easy, not if it’s real. There is always going to be challenges and conflict, but you can’t just let go of love until it’s simple. I was willing to defy the odds with you, because I love you.”
It was only as he said it that he realized how much Phoebe’s rejection had hurt. He was willing to accept it, because it was her choice. But he knew that she loved him back, felt her emotions as much as he felt his own. Coop was a Cupid. He couldn’t understand how someone could be in love and not be willing to fight for it. It was a heartbreak in of itself.
“Coop, what are you saying?”
Looking back at her, Coop was struck by the pure exhaustion in her emotions. Relationships were hard and messy, and true love was something that was supposed to be fought for. If nothing else, the idea of fighting for love was etched into his very being. Phoebe hadn’t- couldn’t fight for them, no matter her own emotions.
But at the same time, he’d seen her past. How many times had she fought for a relationship, for love, only for it to still fail or for that love to seemingly slip out of her grip? Ever since she was a child, everyone Phoebe loved had left her in some way. Her mother, her grandmother, Prue, Cole, so many others. No matter how hard she’d fought, it hadn’t been enough. Phoebe had one of the biggest hearts that he’d seen, but despite true love, wasn’t there only so many times a heart could break before they stopped fighting? He’d seen the way she’d blocked off her love, and even if she’d opened her heart again, it was still a fragile thing.
Taking her hand, Coop tried to project his reassurance to her. “I don’t want to rush into anything. Not with you. Phoebe, you deserve so much more than to be with someone just because of a possible future. But you and I both know that love isn’t always easy, even if the Elders allow us this. If you and I are together, I want it to be because you want to be with me, not because that’s what the future says or you think it’s a safe choice. I love you, Phoebe, and even if it’s not with me or it isn’t now, I want you to be happy. I want you to have the love that you deserve.”
Phoebe squeezed his hand and offered a gentle smile, and Coop felt it steal his breath. He didn’t think her smile would ever not leave him breathless, not when it was accompanied by her joy or her love or anything pure Phoebe Halliwell.
“You make me happy, Coop,” she said. “You’re right. Love isn’t easy. It never has been, and it never will be. I was so scared of falling in love with someone I wasn’t supposed to be with after Cole. I was blinded by love, and it hurt my family, and I thought- I thought that it was just because it was Cole. But then I fell for someone else I wasn’t supposed to be with, Miles, and I thought that I could change his fate. I thought I was supposed to change his fate, and instead, I hurt my family again. I couldn’t hurt them like that again, and I thought that if I just fell in love with who I was supposed to, it’d work out. And with my premonition with Dex, I thought that it would work out. We got married under a spell, but I was just so desperate to make it work with someone who I was supposed to be with.”
Phoebe’s next breath was shaky, and she looked away from him. Coop bit his tongue, waiting for her to finish. He wouldn’t- couldn’t - interrupt her when she so desperately needed to speak. He didn’t really know how they hadn’t been interrupted yet, but he was positive that it was either Chris or Piper’s interference.
“But it didn’t and I just- I couldn’t do it anymore. And I thought that it was it, that I’d lost my chance at love, and I was trying to be okay with it, but then you walked into my life and acted like I could just fall in love again, and it’d be okay, and it wouldn’t be a disaster, and instead, I fell in love with you. And I’d learned that lesson already, so I thought if I just denied it, it’d go away, but you were so insistent, and it didn’t. With Leo gone and the Ultimate Battle, I couldn’t risk my family again, not when it was them that I had hurt over and over again.
“But Wyatt and Chris came and- It’s not a forbidden love. Wyatt said that the Elders sent you down for me, and maybe they think we’re supposed to be together, but that’s not how it works. Love isn’t about who you’re supposed to be with. It’s about who you choose to be with and them choosing you back and working together and-”
Phoebe was crying and laughing at the same now, and Coop gave in to the desire to pull her into an embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tugging him down to look at her, and he couldn’t help but follow like a moth drawn to a flame.
“You’re right,” she said. “It’s not easy, and it’s not safe, and I can promise you that, even though the Elders came up with this idea, they’re going to be terrible later because they’re never not terrible when it comes to their rules. And the future isn’t set in stone; I know that better than anyone. But I want you. I know that I wasn’t willing to fight for this before, and I know that it must have hurt you, and I’m sorry, but I’m choosing you now. Forget what the future says and the Elders decide. I love you.”
Coop was an immortal Cupid that had found love for hundreds across space and time, but what else could he do but lean down as Phoebe pushed herself up to make their lips meet? It wasn’t fire or electricity, but water: love and desire and Phoebe pulling him deep enough to drown in it. As her arms wound around her arms around his neck and he clutched her waist, he thought that if he had to die, this was how he’d like to go: Phoebe Halliwell in his arms and drowning in love.
Once Chris was satisfied that his mother wasn’t going to verbally (or literally) tear into a teary-eyed Billie, he made his way back to the conservatory doorway. He couldn’t blame his mother for her anger; he was his mother’s son after all, and he was easily the most distrustful Halliwell in his time period. But he also knew that this was the year that his Billie was barely able to speak about, grief and guilt and shame lingering even twenty years later. As much as he understood his mother’s anger, he was far enough removed that he could see how Billie could view that anger and pull away as penance, and the future wasn’t set in stone. Not really, not with the amount of time manipulation that the- day? time? event? - had already experienced. And this was enough of a crossroads for her that he wasn’t willing to risk the chance that he and Wyatt would go home to find a gravestone instead of a family friend.
“What did you do?” Wyatt was many things, but a poker player had never been one of them. Anger and fear were clear on his face as he looked past Chris to where their mother was with Billie. The kind thing to do would have been tell Wyatt what he was doing beforehand, but Chris had never been the kind one in the family.
“Meddling. Obviously.”
“Chris.” Wyatt’s eyes flitted between him and back to the two witches. “You know how sensitive this time was-”
“That’s why I talked to her,” Chris cut his brother off. Wyatt was an abysmal liar; it was the reason that he hadn’t told him beforehand. Someone would pick up on Wyatt’s frantic concern if Chris didn’t shut it down soon, and even Chris’s quick thinking had its limits. “The future isn’t set in stone, and there are enough time travelers here that it’d be in flux already. I just steered her more towards us to deal with it all.”
Wyatt lost the panic in his eyes and let out a deep breath. It was also immediately replaced with remorse as he apologized, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”
Chris rolled his eyes as he cut him off. “She’s your mentor, Wyatt. Of course, you’d be worried about possible changes when it’s now. I’d have been surprised if you weren’t. Besides, talking to Billie means that you didn’t notice when I talked to Coop.”
At least this time, Wyatt didn’t get upset, but he did go silent, clearly struggling with the desire to know why and what Chris did and the worry about making assumptions about his actions again. Wyatt really was the nice one of the two. Taking a page out of his brother’s book, Chris decided to put him out of his misery.
“Just balancing out your bombshell. They needed to talk, and if Uncle Coop needed a push-”
“You, giving emotional advice?”
He should have just left Wyatt to his misery. Narrowing his eyes at his brother, he said defensively, “I’m not that bad.”
Wyatt’s silence was deafening.
Caving, Chris said, “Okay, so I mostly stole it from the Cupid side of the family, but it’s not like communication isn’t a good piece of advice anyways. Besides, if Uncle Coop gets to give me unwanted love advice all the time, I feel like it’s a fair trade-off.”
Wyatt snorted and pointed out, “The unwanted love advice was because you kept dating demons and warlocks, and the Darklighter that one time. You may have not wanted it, but the rest of us were thrilled with it.”
“You don’t even know what it was, and I don’t really think that it worked-”
“You’re not dead. If the very scary ex-assassin wanted to kill you - or anyone really - then you would be. It worked, and I don’t need any more information than that.”
With another eye roll, Chris settled against the doorway to watch the younger version (and past members) of their family. It wasn’t like looking through a funhouse mirror. It was like walking into your house, and everything was the same, just half an inch off. You knew it like the back of your hand, but there was something off that you couldn’t see or figure out. They were different, and he knew it, but he couldn’t say what was different. It itched at him, but it took a considerable amount of self-control to not try to figure it out. It didn’t matter, not really.
Next to him, Wyatt shifted and let out a small sigh before admitting, “It’s weird.”
Chris looked over at him, one eyebrow raised.
“Being at the Manor and no one knowing who we are. I mean,” Wyatt clarified, “they know us, but they don’t know us. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah,” Chris admitted. “Yeah, it does.”
Leave it to Wyatt to fixate on that part. Chris found it refreshing, a brief escape from his family managing to know him so well, even when he didn’t want to be. Wyatt, though - Chris personally thought that Wyatt relied on them knowing him sometimes. Everyone had an idea of who Wyatt Halliwell - the Twice-Blessed, the wielder of Excalibur, the progeny of the Charmed Ones - was supposed to be, and Wyatt, people pleaser that he was, tried to cater to their expectations until his identity was swallowed up by titles and power and lineages. The rest of them managed to ground him, dragging him back into Wyatt, the twenty three year old who loved golden retrievers and history books and was way too enthusiastic about watching the sunrise on the beach.
Chris had been there when Wyatt’s powers disappeared, and among the confusion and worry, he’d seen a hint of relief in Wyatt’s eyes at their absence. He hadn’t said anything, wouldn’t say anything now, but he’d been able to tell the moment Wyatt got his powers back with the way his shoulders dropped for a moment like Atlas reclaiming the weight of the world. That was a challenge that a conversation couldn’t change though, at least not yet.
“Are you ready to go home?” Chris asked.
Wyatt sighed, resigned, as he looked away from Chris. “How do you always know what I’m thinking?”
Chris resisted the urge to smirk at his brother. Unwilling to give up his advantage so easily, Chris teased, “Because you have a terrible poker face, and that’s why you keep losing every time you play poker.”
Wyatt protested, “Mel cheated!”
“Careful,” Chris warned, checking that no one else had heard. If their parents had emphasized one rule when it came to time traveling, besides don’t do it, it was be extremely careful about what information you shared and what you did. You never knew how your actions could impact the future, and he didn’t want to risk their younger sister. Satisfied that no one had heard, he added, “Besides, she wasn’t when she beat you.”
Wyatt’s abashed look became annoyed at Chris’s last statement as he shot him a glare. Chris grinned unapologetically. Still, the two lapsed into a companionable silence, watching their family, past and present. As much as their family wanted it to last - Penny’s eyes following Patty just a little too intently while Paige seemed to keep flitting between them - Chris could sense everyone slowly coming to terms with the end. It couldn’t last, not forever, but he couldn’t fault them for the desire.
It shouldn’t have been surprising, but it was Penny that finally broke the fragile peace. With an unhappy sigh, she announced, “Oh, I suppose it’s time for us to go back. Keep us here much longer, and I don’t think we’ll be able to leave.”
Chris dropped his head just to hide the smile as Victor snorted, never quite able to get along with his mother-in-law even with both her and his ex-wife long dead. Luckily, Coop interfered before the argument could start, offering his hand to Penny. “I’m not quite Piper, but I think that I can get you where you need to go.”
“And on the first try,” Paige chirped, with a grin at Piper.
“Hey,” Piper objected.
“Now, now, girls,” Penny admonished. Holding out her arms, she ordered, “Give me a hug before I go, oh, I’m so proud to have raised such wonderful girls.”
Neither Piper nor Phoebe hesitated to obey, while Paige hovered on the edge with uncertain eyes. Chris couldn’t help but smile as his mother and Phoebe each grabbed one of Paige’s wrists to drag her into the embrace. Next to them, Patty and Victor looked on with a shared expression of undeniable fondness and sadness, and Chris couldn’t help but subtly flick his fingers. The two stumbled into the hug.
“Saw that,” Wyatt muttered out of the corner of his mouth. Chris shrugged, unrepentant. He should’ve known better, as Leo and Coop joined the hug, dragging Henry and Billie with them respectively. With years of experience, Chris started to edge back before he felt the telltale shove of telekinesis and ended up in the group hug between his father and Paige. Wyatt’s smile was smug as he easily slipped between Billie and Coop, and Chris resigned himself to it with a narrow-eyed glare at his brother.
Closing his eyes as his father tightened his arm around him and Paige squeezed him, he had to admit that maybe his family’s love of affection wasn’t that bad.
Seeing Coop reappear in pink light, Chris closed the Book of Shadows, curiosity temporarily sated. Nodding towards the Book, Coop asked, “Looking for anything specific?”
He shook his head. “Nah, just seeing what’s yet to be added.”
Most of the spells and potions and demons he remembered were already inside, but it was interesting seeing what hadn’t been included yet, ranging from a spell about unfreezing people (thanks to a nine year old Melinda) to yet another group of demons after a new hybrid (that was a thirteen year old Peyton) to the coffee circle from someone (a very sleep deprived Charlotte) accidentally using the Book as a coaster.
Chris scanned the room, finding Wyatt enthusiastically talking to a subdued Billie. Older brother found, he looked over to Coop and guessed, “Time for us to get going?”
Nodding, Coop said wryly, “I think that there’s been enough time manipulation today.” Glancing towards the door where Phoebe has disappeared through to help give the rundown to Henry and Victor, he said almost shyly, “And I think that the future looks bright enough for now that we don’t need your two’s help anymore today.”
Chris grinned. Coop trailed behind him as Chris joined Billie and Wyatt’s conversation. Eyes landing on Coop, Wyatt’s smile faded as he asked quietly, “Time to go?”
Coop nodded apologetically. Chris said, “Don’t worry, we’ll see everyone when we get back.” He turned a pointed gaze on Billie and asked, “Right?”
Billie nodded, eyes flickering between the brothers. Gaze stopping on Chris, she asked hesitantly, “And the sisters-”
“Know better than anyone what you’re going through,” Chris said with uncharacteristic gentleness. “Don’t be a stranger, Billie.”
She nodded, and he lightly clasped her shoulder before heading further into the Manor to track down his parents and aunts while Wyatt finished saying goodbye. He found them in the kitchen, Victor watching Phoebe and Paige like they’d disappear if he took his eyes off of them for a minute. Henry seemed the same way, both arms wrapped tight around his wife’s waist.
“-deflected the fireball back.”
“And she just… disintegrated?” Leo asked, looking slightly horrified.
The sisters nodded, and Chris cleared his throat as he entered. All eyes turned on him, and he said, “Grams and Grandma are back where they’re supposed to be. Or, well, I guess, when they’re supposed to be.”
“Do you have to go so soon?” Piper asked. “I mean, you both just got here.”
Coop hesitated behind him, but Chris shook his head. “We have people waiting for us. Like I said, Wy did lose his powers when we were in the middle of fighting demons.”
“People like…” Phoebe trailed off expectantly. When he didn’t immediately respond to the prompting, she finished hopefully, “Cousins?”
Yes, although not the one that she was clearly hoping it’d been. When he’d gone to check out a book about the demons at Magic School, the twins and Melinda were already there, and Charlotte was only too happy to skip out on the fight in favor of making him team up with Melinda and a different Penny. Admittedly, it’d probably saved Wyatt’s life when they found him mid-fight against the demons just as his powers failed. Telekinesis couldn’t deflect multiple attacks at once, but their sister’s freezing power could.
Three witches and a handful of potions were enough to deal with the rest of the demons but not to restore the powers of the Twice-Blessed Witch. So, Chris cast a spell, and then he and Wyatt ended up twenty years in the past in the Ultimate Battle that their mother and aunts had always been suspiciously tight-lipped on for reasons that had quickly become clear. But that did mean that he and Wyatt had literally vanished in front of their cousin and sister, so he was pretty confident that the rest of their cousins had been pulled into this mess now. Depending on how long they’d been gone, Bianca may have been dragged in as well if they’d been able to track her down. If they didn’t get back soon, the others would cave and call in the sisters but. Well, Chris wasn’t interested in the lecture about coming to them for help if he could avoid it.
“You know I can’t tell you that, Aunt Pheebs,” Chris finally answered.
She sighed but didn’t seem too annoyed as she rose to her feet. Crossing the kitchen, she wrapped him in a hug and squeezed as she complained, “Fine, but I’ll remember this in the future.”
She sombered for a moment as she pulled back and said seriously, “We’ll miss you, sweetie. Stay out of trouble, alright?”
Before he could say anything, Paige had already taken her spot to wrap him in an even tighter embrace. “We love you, honey.”
There was something shaky about Paige’s voice that he hadn’t heard when Coop was taking Patty and the first Penny back, and he couldn’t help but be slightly perplexed even as Paige stepped back to let Piper and Leo say their goodbye.
Like Phoebe and Paige, Leo seemed unnaturally serious as he almost pleaded into Chris’s temple, “Be safe, okay?”
“I love you, Peanut. We’re so proud of you,” Piper said.
Despite himself, Chris couldn’t help the swell of emotion at the words. It wasn’t that he didn’t know his parents loved and were proud of him, but it was different hearing the words like that. But the way that all four seemed so desperate was odd. As Wyatt entered the kitchen to say his own goodbyes, Chris saw a similar confusion reflected in both Henry and Coop’s eyes but a suspicious sheen in Victor’s.
Sliding over to his grandfather while his aunts took turns embracing Wyatt, he asked quietly, “Do you know why-”
Victor interrupted just as quietly, “They’re protective. You’ll understand, eventually, in the future.” He hesitated a moment before adding, almost as an afterthought, “When you have your own kids.”
Narrowing his eyes, Chris studied his grandfather but decided against pressing him.
“So, tell me. Am I still your favorite grandfather in the future? Or at least still around?”
He snorted as he leaned into Victor’s embrace and said softly, “You’re everyone’s favorite, Grandpa.” Chris hesitated for a moment before answering, “And yeah, you are.”
Victor seemed surprised for a moment at the answer, or maybe that Chris had actually answered, when he pulled away. He couldn’t help it; Victor had always been one of the only people to be able to just ask and get the truth out of Chris. Maybe it was hypocritical, but he didn’t particularly care too much.
Wyatt shifted to one side to make room for him as Chris and Victor rejoined the group, goodbyes finished.
Coop, smiling besottedly at Phoebe, didn’t say anything until Chris elbowed him in the side. With a jolt, Coop coughed and turned to the two. “So, are you ready to go back to the future?”
“It’s time for us to go,” Wyatt said gently.
Without another word, Coop held out both hands to each of them, and the three formed a small circle when he and Wyatt each took one and each other’s. Coop instructed, “Think of the people you love in your time, the people who are home, the people that you need. Keep it simple, just focus on them and your love for them.”
Eyes slipping closed, Chris tried to focus his thoughts. He’d never been the best at the emotional openness and vulnerability that empathic powers and Cupid magic thrived off of, but he tried anyways as his loved ones’ faces flashed through his mind. Soon, memories of adventures and fights and experiences began overwhelming him, and he tried to simplify and redirect the thoughts.
Melinda. The way that their younger sister disregarded slowing down and thinking about it to just run into the thick of it headfirst. The way that they needled at each other until they were in another shouting match, sarcastic comments and insults with no heat flying back and forth. The way that she was never jealous of only having one power and being the only pure witch of the next generation of their family. The way that she leaned her head on Wyatt’s shoulder as the three of them watched the sunrise, pretending like they didn’t see the way that Wyatt slowly relaxed as they sat on either side of him. The way that she never hesitated to throw herself recklessly at Chris, curling over him with a Darklighter arrow piercing her shoulder to protect him from the arrows flying over their heads. The way that she snarled, jokes and sarcasm tossed aside, as she lunged forward, hands outstretched, to freeze energy and fire balls launching towards their wide-eyed older brother.
Penny. The way that their cousin was one of the best demon fighters of their generation, despite having primarily passive powers. The way that she took after their aunt and turned herself into a weapon with self-defense and psychic intuition guiding her movement. The way that she was always prepared for a spar with him, when the thoughts got too loud. The way that she had been so excited to get a girl’s number but left right before she could write it down because Charlotte could no longer stand the party. The way that she’d create the most god awful energy drink concoctions that Chris had ever heard of. The way that she was always prepared to start a fight, despite her typically easygoing nature, when someone crossed someone she cared about.
Bianca. The way that she started off as their enemy. The way that she started off as a threat. The way that they continued crossing paths for months and months and, despite getting close enough to press her athame to his throat, never killed him. The way that snarky comments slowly became friendlier and friendlier. The way that she killed a demon who tried to make a move when Charlotte’s back was turned. The way that she looked more surprised than the demon. The way that she brought shitty takeout and sat with him when they lost an innocent. The way that her jobs stopped putting her on the opposing side. The way that she began showing up to help whenever one of them got in over their head. The way that they still hadn’t defined what they were to one another. The way that Bianca showed up one night and hadn’t left. The way that she curled up with him on the couch when they watched a movie. The way that she always had his back in a fight. The way that he could predict her movements now, a feat he never thought she’d let him have. The way that three little words kept hovering on his tongue every time he looked at her.
Chris opened his eyes as they rematerialized in the attic, having completely missed the way that they disappeared. There was a familiar figure bent over the Book of Shadows, dark hair as a curtain hiding her face. The wrist resting on the Book exposed a dark red mark marking her as a Phoenix witch.
Bianca looked up, expression indeterminable. Her shoulders, however, relaxed at the sight of them. “I see you’re both alive then.” Eyes flicking over to Wyatt, she added, “How are the powers, Wyatt?”
Wyatt orbed behind her and then back in front of her. “I got them back!”
She raised an eyebrow and looked between Chris and Wyatt as she asked, “So what happened?”
“Long story,” Chris answered before Wyatt could start. “Someone was meddling with time, but everything is fixed now; I’ll tell you later. But we need to get Coop back to the past before he finds out anything he’s not supposed to.”
Chris turned to face Coop, who was looking between him and Bianca with an interested expression. Fuck, there went any hope of him not picking up on that.
“I can get myself back, don’t worry,” Coop added. His eyes flickered between Chris and Bianca again, and he shifted forward to speak in a low voice only to Chris. “You’re right. Love is always worth the fight. No matter the extra complications”
“I will,” Chris promised with an equally low voice. “Remember what I said though.”
Coop shifted back again as he nodded and bade the three goodbye, asking, “Take care, alright?”
“We will,” Wyatt promised seriously.
With that, Coop disappeared in a beam of pink light. Cupid gone, Wyatt looked between Chris and Bianca and abruptly said, “I’ll go catch Mel and Penny up on what happened.”
Closing the Book of Shadows, Bianca said, “Don’t forget Peyton and Charlotte as well. If I wasn’t able to find anything, they were going to call in your mother and the sisters.”
Wyatt winced and nodded, orbing out to find their sister and cousins.
Bracing himself, Chris turned to Bianca and asked hesitantly, “Can we. Talk about something?”
With a bemused look in her eyes, she tilted her head and evaluated him. After a moment, she cracked a small smile as she said, “Yeah, I think we can.”
“So, how was the future?” Phoebe asked teasingly. Underneath, however, he could detect a small grain of genuine interest and worry as she leaned against him.
Winding their fingers together, he admitted, “I didn’t really see much of it. The attic mostly looks the same, but there’s finally a couch up there.”
Phoebe laughed. “Oh, wow, that’s a good idea actually! Do you know how many times we’ve spent an hour just standing over a table scrying or brewing a potion?”
“Probably a lot over the last few years, Miss Charmed One,” he teased.
“Well, hopefully, that won’t be such a common occurrence now. Piper and Leo seem pretty convinced that the demon attacks are going to slow down now, but Paige is still getting an awful lot of charges.”
“I mean, according to Leo, you three did take out pretty much every demonic leader over the last few years,” he pointed out. “But new witches still need guidance.”
“Oh, so you’re talking to Leo?”
“Just a bit. He was actually the one who told me about your stint as a goddess,” he admitted as they came to a stop in front of the museum.
Phoebe laughed as she took in the advertisement. “You know, I didn’t know that they were having an exhibit like this.”
“It’s a bit much, I know,” Coop admitted, “but I thought that you and I would have a… unique interest in artwork featuring embodiments of love. I did consider the horror movie festival later this week, but I didn’t want to wait.”
Pushing herself on her tiptoes, Phoebe brushed a kiss against his cheek. “I love it. I think I’ve had enough horrors to last a lifetime. But I have a surprise for you, too.”
“Really?”
She nodded and grinned. “Dinner afterwards at the most exclusive restaurant in San Francisco, mostly because Piper hasn’t opened yet. Family and friends only.”
“Family and friends, huh?” Coop asked. “Does that mean that you can see us in the future, Miss Halliwell?”
Phoebe grinned, and her eyes gleamed. “It does look particularly bright.”
Coop laughed until Phoebe pulled him down into a kiss. Then, well. He was a bit busy doing something else but couldn’t help thinking that their future did seem particularly. Well. Charmed.