One Chris

Chapter 2

 "Wyatt, warm up the water, it'll take too long otherwise, and I need my tea" Piper asked, astonishing everybody. They all knew she wasn't allowing the use of magic when it wasn't necessary.

"You sure?" Leo risked, with a suspicious look.

"Don't argue with me at this ungodly hour." she replied, living no room for a comment.

Amused, Wyatt did what she asked, and she could serve a cup of tea to anyone who wanted one. Once she had sipped some, and looked more relaxed, she gave Chris a sign that he could talk now.

"Uh... I'd like to talk to you alone" he said to his parents.

"Okay. Wyatt, take Eve to the living room and be nice." Piper instructed.

Wyatt nodded, but the young woman disagreed with the idea. "I have the right to know"

"Yes, of course" Piper added. "But all in good time."

Wyatt pushed her gently to the other room and closed the door behind him. Chris looked at them leaving, then turned back to his parents.

"So, her name's Eve? Good to know..." He said in a low voice.

"Wait... You forgot her name?" Leo asked, shocked.

"Yeah, that's kind of the problem. I'm back from the past and I have no memory at all about this life. It's not just her... It's everything!"

His parents exchanged a concerned glance. Leo smiled nervously, his brow furrowed in worry

"Listen, It's three in the morning, so maybe I'm a bit out of it but, did you just say the past? Like... you're the Chris we met twenty-two years ago?" he said, trying to understand.

"Yes, you get it."

"Oh... But you..."

"Died. I know. I was there too, dad. And for me, it happened five minutes ago. Then suddenly, I wake up in my bed with a woman I've never seen before..."

Piper sighed, running a hand through her hair, her shoulders slumping. "This is going to be tough. We need to help you remember, you can't have forgotten an entire life forever like that."

Leo nodded in agreement. He placed a reassuring hand on Chris's shoulder, his face a mix of concern and determination. "Let's start with the basics. You said you remember the past. Do you remember your mission? The reason you traveled back in time?"

Chris nodded again. "Yeah, I remember everything about that. I came back to stop Wyatt from turning evil. But now, seeing him... he's so different."

Leo smiled, a hint of pride in his eyes. "It worked, Chris. You saved him. You saved all of us."

Chris felt a surge of relief, but it was quickly tempered by the realization of how much he had lost. His hands trembled slightly as he took a deep breath.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be here, with this good life and all but... I don't understand what happened. I died in the past, I shouldn't exist anymore. How can I be here? Why?" He wondered.

As an ex whitelighter and Elder, Leo had some insight. "Well, I did some research at the magic school to be sure after you... died. It turns out that the soul of someone that died in the past or the future has to go back to it's time before it can go... up or down. Maybe once in the present, your soul just got back in your body and since here, you weren't dying..."

"And I wonder why I have a headache. Wait a second, what happened to the soul that was already in this body then? Did the other version of me died instead?" Chris panicked.

"I don't think so. In a way, it's one and the same soul. I'll ask Wyatt to talk about it to the Elders, but there's a chance that the shock pushed your memories aback. You'll need time to recover it slowly, without being overwhelmed."

"I am overwhelmed right now" Chris sighed. "This is crazy... and you're not even sure of anything."

"While we wait to know more, let's hope for the best." Piper suggested, putting a comforting hand on his arm, her eyes soft with empathy.

"Okay, but I have no idea of what I am supposed to do in the meantime. Especially with that girl... Eve. Who is she exactly? How did I meet her?..."

Leo chuckled softly. "You two were inseparable from the moment you met at the Magic School daycare. You know her since forever."

"Seriously? That long? Oh, dear... that make this even worse." Chris moaned in despair, resting his head between his arms crossed on the table.

"Why worse? Because you don't remember? She will understand, you know." Piper assured.

"It's worse because of Bianca. You think she'll understand that?" Chris asked, his forehead burning in pain.

Piper tilted her head. "Bianca? Your phoenix friend? You never met her this time..."

"We promised we'll find each other again." her son whispered.

Leo and his wife exchanged another concerned look. Piper bit her lip, trying to find the right words. This was going to be a huge problem. They grew close to Eve after all this time and Piper never liked Bianca who was a killer, even if she did not know her very well. Unfortunately, her son was too old to be told what to do. She knew him well enough, from any timeline, to not give him any advice he didn't wanted to hear. She could only hope he would realize what was the best for him soon enough.

"I don't even know if she's still alive." Leo said, a bit confused. He wanted to support his son after all he had gone through, but right now it was difficult.

Chris suddenly looked up. That thought struck him like a lightning bolt. What if something happened to her? He needed to know. He started to orb, but his mother stopped him.

"Wait a second, Mister! Where are you going like that?" she said, holding his arm firmly.

"Find Bianca. And some clothes, first."

"What about Eve? You can't just disappear like that, without a word. She deserves better than that."

"Your mother's right, Chris. You need to talk to her." Leo added.

"To say what?"

"That's up to you. Just don't let her in the dark."

Chris sighed, annoyed by the situation. After a moment of reflection, he accepted. "But I won't talk to Wyatt, I'm not ready for that yet. One problem at a time..."