“Son,” Leo started slowly as he sipped his coffee. “Remember the day the Cleaners tried to erase Wyatt?” Piper frowned at him from over the kitchen table. She definitely did not like being reminded of that day.

“Humhum,” Chris mumbled through his mouthful of cereal.

“Remember your charge, the one you had sex with?”

Piper’s mouth opened and she gaped at her husband. Now, that he never shared with her!

Chris stopped chewing and stared at Leo. He glanced at his mother and the tip of his ears started going red.

“Did you use protection? I mean, she was your first.”

Chris started coughing and choking. Leo ran to help and thumped Chris’s back until Chris was finally able to breathe, “What?” Chris shrieked.

“I am just saying,” Leo said calmly as he went back to his chair, “that though I understand that you seduced her because you didn’t want another charge, I know for a fact that back in your time you never had the opportunity to have a relationship, seeing as you were so young when the war started. And even if I would rather that your first time had been special and not a means to an end I still have to worry if you used-“

“We didn’t do anything!” Chris cried helplessly. “We didn’t I swear! I didn’t want a charge and she didn’t want a Whitelighter that wasn’t committed. We staged that we-“ Chris stopped as he glared at Leo’s smirk. “You knew that!”

“Of course I did,” Leo chuckled. “I saw all your memories remember? I just couldn’t help it,” he continued laughing. “You had to see your face!”

Piper slapped Leo, “Don’t tease him!”

“That was mean! Cruel! “Chris sat back on his chair and glared at Leo.

“Oh, you owed me,” Leo said. “Do you know the lecture I was given by your mother here when she realized you were still 17 when I bought you that drink at P3?”

“You deserved that, underage drinking, at my club!”

Chris smiled fondly, “Was my first.”

“I know,” Leo said with a sad smile. He had been sixteen the first time he had drunk alcohol with friends, and illegal as it might have been Leo also know that having your first alcoholic drink with your friends and preferably underage is a rite of passage, one more rite Chris missed like many others.

“Well,” Chris said wiping his mouth with a napkin. “As fun as being made fun of is, I have to go. I want to see if one of my contacts has heard anything.”

“Oh,” Piper said unsure. She knew he had to go and she knew another fight about his safety wouldn’t do anyone any good but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be worried until she saw him back home safe and sound. What if Cole was already around and decided to get him out of the way? “Be careful. I’ll be at P3 if you need anything. Or, don’t know, want to have lunch together,” she smiled hopefully.

Chris looked at her and after a moment of indecision he nodded, “I’ll try to be there. But I can’t guarantee anything; I mean if I get a lead I might have to do some investigation.”

“That’s okay,” Piper smiled, inwardly she was doing somersaults as Chris orbed away. Leo took her hand and kissed it.

“I think we might be making good progress,” he told her.

---

There was a knock on the door of her office and Phoebe called, “Come in.”

Elise came holding a few sheets of printed paper and sat calmly on the chair in front of Phoebe’s desk.

“Any problem?” Phoebe asked.

“I don’t know,” Elise answered with a worried expression. “You tell me. I mean,” she sighed glancing at the article in her hand. “I thought you and Jason had finished things off peacefully.”

“We did,” Phoebe said bewildered.

“Really?” Elise asked and putting on her glasses she read. “Some men are just sadistic bastards who you have to teach a lesson to. You can’t let them threaten you or your family and need to take action,” she raised her eyes to Phoebe. “And the girl was just asking how to deal with an overbearing mother-in-law. Is Jason threatening you? I mean, I’d never expect but-“

Phoebe sighed and took the article, she re-read it and flinched, “Yeah, I might have gotten out of subject here. I’ll re-write it.”

“Phoebe, I know you will, that isn’t what is worrying me.”

“It’s not Jason,” Phoebe said. “Er- my ex-husband is steering some trouble but we’re taking care of that, don’t worry.”

“I didn’t know you had an ex-husband.”

“Yeah,” Phoebe said. “I have one and he’s a demon.”

“I hate that kind of man,” Elise said sympathetically thinking Phoebe was using a figure of speech. “Look, if you need time to deal with him, just let me know, we’ll think of something here. Maybe you could ask Jason for help. I mean, I know you aren’t together anymore but he cares a great deal for you and he might lend his lawyers.”

“Thanks Elise,” Phoebe said. “But I think Cole needs to be dealt with in my family way. I might take you on that offer of time though.”

“Any time,” Elise nodded and got up. “Don’t let him get you down,” she said as she left.

“No I won’t,” Phoebe said to herself. “He won’t win.”

---

“Really? Me?”

“Yes, I think you are an excellent choice.”

“But, I haven’t even been at this for long, I mean I’m still learning myself. Phoebe or Piper would be much more appropriate-“

“From what I have seen the last couple of months,” Gideon said from his chair behind his office desk. “You are much more committed to your magic than your sisters. And I’ve talked to Leo, he says you worked with children before as a social worker.”

“Yeah, but I never taught them,” Paige answered from the chair she was sitting on in front of the desk. Gideon had called her here for a chat and she had been surprised when he offered her a teaching position.

“Leo seems to think you’ll do well. And as for not knowing enough magic,” Gideon said waving a hand. “We are all always learning. I need you to teach them more than just spells. I need you to teach them to embrace their magic as you have been trying to.”

Paige had to admit, she was tempted, very tempted. She had fallen in love with Magic School since that first tour and had been coming here frequently. And if Leo said she would do fine she had a nagging suspicion that she might have taught here in the future and he was talking from his little trip into Chris’s memories. She looked at Gideon and decided to take a leap of faith.

“Okay, I accept.”

---

Piper was finishing with her monthly balance when blue orbs started forming next to the counter. She smiled widely until the person materialized and her smile fell.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said disappointed.

“Don’t jump in joy like that, I might feel too loved and become overwhelmed,” Paige said sarcastically putting her hands on her hips and glaring at her sister.

“I was just expecting Chris,” Piper said. “He said he might come for lunch.”

“Oh,” Paige said. “Okay,” she finished giddily jumping on one of the stools and swinging her legs. She leaned towards Piper and said in a sing song voice. “I got a new job.”

“You’re always getting new jobs, that is the very definition of a temp job,” Piper said going back to her numbers.

“Oh, no,” Paige said waving a hand dismissively. “I got fired from the temp agency this morning. They said I’m too unreliable,” she shrugged. “Go figure.”

Piper looked at her sister and had to bite back a laugh. To be honest considering most of Paige’s temp jobs ended up in a magical disaster and that was when she didn’t have to disappear in the middle of work for one of their magical disasters she was quite impressed they hadn’t fired her before. Well, at least Paige didn’t seem sad about it.

“And what new job might this be?” she asked.

“I am going to be a teacher,” Paige announced importantly and Piper burst out laughing. “Hey!”

“You’ll be right at home with the teenagers!” Piper choked through her laughter.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Paige glared at her.

“Nothing,” Piper said innocently. “Where are you going to teach?”

“Magic School,” Paige said. “Gideon called me earlier and just so you know your husband vouched for me,” she finished huffing.

“I think you’ll do great,” Piper said and she really did. Not only would Paige be a kindred spirit with her students but she was passionate about magic.

“Thanks,” Paige preened. “Me too.”

Orbs started forming again and to Piper’s immense joy this time Chris did materialize.

“Hey,” he said stuffing his hands in his pocket. “So, lunch?”

---

“No one has heard of anyone coming back,” Chris said though a mouth full of sandwich. They had decided to go to a dinner close to P3 to have some lunch and sat at a secluded table so they could talk. “At least according to my sources but there is talk about someone wanting to hire for a big job. No one knows what the job is or who is hiring. But whoever this is wants muscles and not brains.”

“If this is Cole he wouldn’t want brains. Brains could figure out who he is and destroy his plan,” Paige said thoughtfully. “After all he did remain in the shadows for all those years. He probably didn’t show himself for any of his hired muscle.”

“You’re right there,” Piper said. “I mean, he wouldn’t want to risk Phoebe finding out he was behind all this.”

“When he explained his plan he didn’t say anything one way or the other. He just talked about how the spell worked and how he would kill all our family to get us out of the way. But if I had been him I wouldn’t let anyone know who I was either,” Chris said slowly. “But that means that if he is the one looking for muscle now he is already here and my question is how do we find him? He will have taken measures not to be found in the usual ways.”

“And we don’t have anything that belongs to him anymore,” Piper said. “At least not strong enough to scry. There are a few pictures, but I don’t think they were personal enough. They are more personal to Phoebe.”

“I don’ think scrying is enough, and I definitely don’t think we should go up to him before we have a sure way to extinguish his sorry ass forever. We have the surprise element going on for us and we should use it,” Paige said and then she stared at Chris who was staring at Piper open mouthed. “What?”

“Phoebe,” Chris said and the other two just stared at him. “Phoebe is what is more personal to Cole. If we could find a way to use her to locate him.”

“She isn’t a possession,” Piper said annoyed.

“To Cole she is,” Paige agreed with Chris.

“Maybe we could come up with a spell to get her to him, instead of getting him to us, as a usual summoning spell would. And then all we have to do is make sure we follow her,” Chris said thoughtfully. “I’ll check if there is something at Magic School later.”

“You can go with me tomorrow when I go to work,” Paige said and then she kept her eyes firmly on Chris’s reaction.

“Sure, and I’ll use the library while you’re in class,” he said absent mindedly.

“How did you know-“ Piper started but was cut by a triumphant cry from her sister.

“I knew it! I was a teacher wasn’t I? Yes, I was! Yes I was!”

Chris looked at her and then groaned when he realized his slip. He slapped his forehead.

“So, was I a good teacher? Favorite teacher?”

“You’ll have to find out with time,” he huffed annoyed at getting played so easily. Piper just looked at her sister’s gloating and Chris’s glaring amused.