Dead.
The word kept echoing in Billie's head, along with alone and killer.
It was over, and she had killed her sister. Logically, she knew that it had been the only way, that the woman she had faced was no longer her sister. But in her heart, all Billie knew was that she was now utterly alone in the world.
She had left the sisters in the Triad's projection room, using her own power of projection to return to Earth. But now she didn't know where to go. Her dorm? Too many questions. Phoebe's? Too many people. The Manor? Too many memories. In the end, she returned to the one place she could always find peace of mind.
She collapsed across the stone, still sobbing as she tried to come to grips with what had happened. She stayed until the sun went down, until she exhausted herself with her grief. Without meaning to, she closed her eyes and slept.
When she woke, the first thing Billie noticed was the black jacket that covered her. Next, she took in the scent that permeated the dark fabric. Finally, she became aware that she was no longer laying across the stone bearing the name of a man she had barely known.
Oh, no. She was laying across the man himself.
"J.D.?" she cried out, shocked and fairly embarrassed.
The man out of time, who had been trapped by a demon for fifty years only to be killed by said demon, yawned and said simply, "Hey, doll face."
"What is going on?!" the witch demanded, pulling herself into a seated position and turning to stare at the man she thought was dead.
"Funny thing, turns out that sacrifice is a big part of what makes people become whitelighters." When Billie still stared, he sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "I gave my life to set Sam free. The Elders took that as a resumé, I guess. I've been in training ever since. In fact," he said with a small smile," I just got my first charge."
"Who?" Billie asked suspiciously.
"You, Billie," J.D. laughed. "They figured since we already knew each other, it would help us connect."
Billie sighed and drew her knees to her chest. "Then I guess they told you what happened? That I killed my own sister?"
"Billie, no," J.D. denied, scooting closer and laying a gentle hand on the witch's knee. "They told me that you made a choice that saved all of magic, that it was one of the hardest decisions they'd witnessed someone make, and that you would need a friend to help you get through it all."
Billie said nothing, but didn't move away, either. J.D. counted that as a win.
"Honestly, I kinda volunteered to be that friend."
"What? What does that mean?" Billie asked, finally turning back to face the whitelighter.
"Well, I heard a bunch of whitelighters talking, wondering who would be picked. So I found an Elder and told them I knew you before I died and that I wanted to help you."
"That's so sweet of you," the blonde said. A moment later, her face shut down once more. "But it's a waste of your time. I'm not worth the trouble."
J.D. made a sound of disbelief and leaned forward, gently cupping Billie's face and drawing her gaze to his. "Just you wait, I'll make a believer out of you."
A few weeks later, Billie had finally braved the campus to return to her dorm. She found that the sisters had magically fudged things to help her out, so nobody asked questions about her sister or where she had been. On the bed was a note from the Charmed Ones.
You know where to find us. You're always welcome
Billie thumbed the small triquetra in the corner, blinking back the tears that sprang to her eyes. The chiming sound of orbs drew her attention to the man that was determined to make her see her worth once more.
He sauntered over and hooked his chin over her shoulder, reading the short note. "I told you they weren't going to abandon you."
Scoffing, Billie shrugged to make him move. She tossed the note onto the bed and moved on to pack her backpack. "They're just being nice. I tried to kill them, J.D., you don't just get over that."
Raising his brows, he nodded at the note. "Seems like they did."
"Whatever," Billie mumbled. "I'm late for class." All but slamming the door on her way out, Billie didn't notice the sad look on J.D.'s face.
Months passed. With every day, Billie slowly grew to accept what had happened to her, what she had done. She began to use her powers again, and slowly started hunting demons again.
Still, she hadn't been to see the sisters. It was something she and J.D. fought about constantly. He knew that it was the last step in Billie's recovery back to who she was. Billie, though, was afraid. She didn't talk about it, but the whitelighter knew she feared their reactions.
What the witch didn't know was that J.D. had been talking to Paige. It had begun as wanting to get more information about his charge, but it became more and more about getting to know Billie as a person. From Paige's talks, J.D. knew that all three sisters missed the sassy blonde. It was the driving force behind his adamance to get his charge to see them.
It all came to a head when Billie was hurt during a demon battle, almost too late for J.D. to come and spirit her away. Unconscious from a blow to head - being slammed against a brick wall when her potion reacted badly to the demon's fireball - Billie was in no shape to refuse the help. When they solidified once more, J.D. laid her gently on the settee in the Manor's attic and wasted no time in setting to healing the feisty witch.
Just as she was waking up, Piper rushed into the room. She stopped short when she saw Billie being healed, her hand going to her throat in a defensive manner. "Oh, God, Billie."
"She's fine," the whitelighter was quick to reassure the Charmed One. "She's just waking up."
Billie groaned and opened her eyes, blinking to bring them into focus. As she recognized the wood roof of the Manor, her breath caught in her throat. "J.D.?" she asked sharply. "What am I doing here?"
"I think it's long overdue, doll face. Just talk to her, okay?" With an encouraging smile, the whitelighter squeezed her knee and disappeared.
Piper saw the wide-eyed look of fear come over Billie's face, feeling a pang in her heart. While she had tried actively to defeat the Ultimate Power, she had never stopped caring for the younger witch. Now, she just wanted to let Billie know that things were okay once more. "I always hated it when Leo did that. Made conversations end up one-sided a lot of times. I blew him up once as he was orbing, but I was evil at the time, so I'm not sure if that counts."
When Billie said nothing, Piper sighed. "Billie, please try to understand-"
"Understand what, exactly?" Billie interrupted. "Understand that you tried to kill me? And my sister?"
"That's not fair," Piper said. "It wasn't about you, or Christy. It was about saving the world. Again. You were manipulated, Billie. She twisted your ideas of what we were about until you thought we were the bad guys. And even she was twisted by what she'd been through since she was kidnapped."
Billie felt tears prick her eyes at the reminder that she hadn't been able to save Christy. "You guys are selfish, only caring about yourselves and what you want. You don't care about magic as a whole, or the magical community."
"After seven years of constant demon battles, saving the world - magic and its communities included - at least once a year, and putting our personal lives on hold every time something magical came up? You're damn right we got selfish. If you don't guard yourself, this life will drag you in and never let you go. It's something that our family has struggled with for years. Mom died because she let herself get distracted by love. Prue died because of Cole's obsession with Phoebe. And Leo was taken from me because our love was getting in the way of us saving the world. I was willing to give up my powers, my magic - part of my soul - to get him back." Piper blinked tears away at the reminder of how close she had come to losing her husband.
"That's all well and good, but what about me, Piper? Don't I get to be selfish, too? I want my life back, my parents. My sister! You took all of that away from me, and used me as your gopher so you didn't have to fight anymore," Billie accused, coming to her feet.
Anger crossed Piper's face. "Hey now, wait a minute. The Triad killed your parents, and you offered to help us out. We were teaching you everything we know about being a witch, and you never said you felt like that until Christy put it in your head."
"It never occurred to me! I was just some starry eyed kid who got picked up by these amazing witches who I'd heard legends of since I came into my powers."
"Billie, it was never our intention to use you," Piper said with a sigh. "But whatever happened is in the past. Going forward is our only option now. We've all made it very clear that we're more than willing to have you around. And now that we aren't legally dead anymore and the worst of the evil threat is over for the moment, we wouldn't even have to ask you for help with witchy stuff. You would just be...part of the family again. I know Phoebe misses talking to you, and Paige misses not being the youngest anymore. And...I miss teaching you about all this."
Billie blinked back tears once more. "I... I have to think about it. J.D., please take me home now!" she called out.
The whitelighter must have been keeping an eye on them, because he appeared a moment later. He offered Piper a small smile as he wrapped his arms around Billie and orbed away.
Piper sighed and rubbed a hand across her forehead. She needed to talk to Phoebe and Paige.
When J.D. solidified them in her dorm, Billie let the anguish wash over her. As much as she had loved Christy, the blonde witch had missed life at the Manor. She had missed being part of a mostly-functional family, where she wasn't overshadowed by the specter of her long-lost sister.
While Billie had cared deeply for her parents, they'd never understood her, nor her need to find her sister. They'd all but ignored any mention of the oldest of their daughters, to the point that Billie became familiar with the sight of her mother walking away after any oblique mention of Christy.
The sisters had embraced her quest, teaching her things she needed to know along the way. It had hurt, that feeling of betrayal when Christy had shown her their true colors. But, looking back, Billie had to admit that things had always been skewed somehow. She realized now that Christy - or Dumain, probably - had always shown Billie only half the truth, enough to twist things into their favor and convince Billie of how wrong the sisters were.
Now, as Billie lay curled up on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest as she let herself cry, she realized that she had made a terrible mistake. "I wish I'd never even found Christy," she sobbed, knowing all the while it wasn't true. But that had seemed to be the catalyst that sent her happy world straight to hell. Parents dead, sister dead, an uncertain future. "I just want it all to be okay again," she whispered. When a hand laid its weight on her shoulder, Billie jumped, having forgotten that J.D. was still there.
"Come on, Doll, you can't think like that. Everything happens for a reason. Like me. I died from that demon attack so that I could be your whitelighter. You became a witch because the world needed you to save it. The other stuff is all details. The most important thing is that you're alive. And ain't I glad about that. The world would be a much darker place without you in it, sunshine," he said, sending her a flirty smile.
A watery laugh bubbled from her lips. "You're an incorrigible flirt, J.D."
"I'm just saying the truth. Another truth is that you miss the sisters. And they miss you, too."
Billie sighed. "I know. But how can I ever go back to them? After everything I did. I turned the whole magical community on them!"
"And they turned it right back to their side by saving the world. Magical creatures can be fickle. Look at mermaids and fairies. Don't worry about all that, Billie. Everything will turn out okay. Just trust in them, and in yourself."
"You're the best whitelighter ever," Billie whispered, turning over to lay her head on J.D.'s thigh.
The man in question smiled and ran a hand through her hair. "And you're making it harder than ever not to fall for you, doll face," he thought to himself.
The two sat in silence until Billie fell asleep a while later. When the jingling bells echoed around him to let him know he was being summoned by the Elders, he sighed and smoothed a hand over Billie's hair once more. He pulled a pillow over to take his place under her head and stood to orb away.
Standing in the whitewashed scenery, he bowed his head in deference to the Elders who were walking his way.
"Johnathan, we have a few questions about your charge," one of the older men said without preamble.
"Of course," J.D. said.
"Have you had any luck with reconciling her with the Charmed Ones?" asked one of the nicer Elders, Marcus.
J.D. smiled and answered, "She spoke to Piper earlier today. She's upset now, but it's gotten her attention at the very least."
The rude Elder piped in once more. "Come now, Marcus, let's not pussyfoot," he said with a look aimed at J.D. filled with contempt.
Marcus sighed. "For heavens' sake, Julius. I have valid questions about his duties."
Julius made a noise of disbelief. "You're trying to sway my decision, and it will not work!"
J.D. frowned. "Decision? Is this about Billie? Did I do something wrong?"
"Not wrong, per se," Marcus began, an odd expression on his face.
"This is about your following down a path that has already taken one whitelighter away from our ranks. I will not stand for it again. We have these rules for a reason!"
"What did I do? What path am I following?" J.D. asked, more confused than ever.
With a quelling look at Julius, Marcus turned his attention back to the younger whitelighter. "We're simply worried that your attachment to Billie might transcend the bounds of guide and charge. While Piper and Leo have had a fairly successful relationship, despite its ups and downs, most who attempt such a relationship are doomed for failure. For that reason, it's a well-known taboo to form such a bond with your charge. We aren't meant to be in their lives forever, just until we can help them through whatever rough spot they're going through. For some, it's a few days. For others, like the Charmed Ones, it's a full-time job."
J.D. continued to frown. "So, you guys think that, what? I'm falling in love with Billie?"
Julius scoffed. "Your actions speak loudly enough to confirm those fears. In light of that and to protect both her and us, we're reassigning you."
"What?! You can't do that! I promised her I'd be there for her!"
"Exactly," Julius said. "Your emotional state is compromised. There's no discussion to be had; it's already been done. Billie's new whitelighter will report to duty tomorrow, as will you. You've been assigned to a young man who has recently discovered his powers. Good luck to you."
Without another word, Julius stalked away, robes swishing behind him dramatically. Marcus sighed as he watched his colleague fade into the mist. He turned and saw the pensive look on J.D.'s face.
"I'm sorry, my boy. There was nothing I could do. They only brought me in after the decision was made, in order to break it to you gently. Even that was taken away from me. Julius has been bitter for a long time; I believe he is one of those poor souls who had a bad time with a charge."
"But... What about Billie? She's going to think I've abandoned her." J.D. felt stricken, like there was lead in the pit of his stomach.
"Andrew will take care of her. He's an experienced whitelighter who's helped his fair share of witches back onto their paths. She's in good hands." With a solemn nod, Marcus left J.D. alone.
"I want her safely in my hands," the whitelighter thought. A moment later, he was gone.
When Billie woke up, she was alone. Still groggy, she sat up and called out softly, "J.D.?"
When the whitelighter didn't answer, she assumed he'd been called away and decided to go on about her day. The first thing on her mind was the interaction with Piper. Though it pained her to admit it, maybe the older witch had a point - or a few - about the long months during their quarrel, to put it mildly. Billie was the first to admit when she was wrong, knowing that you could only grow as a person after doing so.
But this was so much harder than anything she'd had to endure. The enmity she'd felt within herself towards the sisters, the hatred that had suffused her entire being while possessed by the Shadow, the absolute despair at knowing that she and she alone had caused her own flesh and blood's demise.
And Piper seemed to take it all in stride, without batting an eye. The sisters were so willing to take her back under their wing, even after everything she'd done and said. It was, frankly, blowing Billie's mind. She needed someone to talk to, someone who knew the sisters and would know if the offer was truly heartfelt.
"J.D.!" she called out, hoping to get his opinion. Silence reigned in the dorm room for long moments, enough for Billie to realize that her whitelighter wasn't showing up. Dread hit her like a shard of ice to the heart. "J.D.?" she whispered, terrified that he'd finally realized she wasn't worth the trouble.
Jingling alerted her to a new presence in the room. Billie whirled around, expecting her whitelighter. Instead, there stood an older man with dark, cropped hair and laugh lines, hands in his pockets as he glanced around. "Who are you?"
"I'm your new whitelighter, Billie. My name is Andrew Trudeau. But you can call me Andy."
"Where's J.D.?" the witch asked in confusion.
"He's been reassigned," Andy replied.
Billie frowned and crossed her arms. "I don't believe you. Why would he be reassigned?"
Andy sighed and sat down in the chair at the computer desk. "The elders think his emotions were becoming a liability. After whitelighters in the past who've developed relationships with charges - to the detriment of one or both - it's pretty heavily frowned upon."
"But Piper and Leo-" Billie began.
"Were a special case, only approved of after years of fighting the elders. Her being a Charmed One had a lot to do with it," Andy explained.
"I still don't understand," the witch said, sitting down on the side of the bed. "There's no way he could have developed feelings for me. We fight all the time!"
Andy laughed. "I'm sure. Anyone associated with the girls tends to become headstrong and stubborn."
"Wait, you know the Halliwells?"
"I grew up with them, actually," the whitelighter admitted.
"So, how did you..." Billie broke off, waving in his direction.
"Back when Prue was alive, there was a demon, of course. Energy ball did the honors. But I saved the girls, and they defeated the demon. It was worth it," he shrugged.
"Wow, that's pretty crazy. So do they know you're a whitelighter?"
"No, and I'd kind of like to keep it that way. They've forgotten all about me by now, no need to drag up bad memories."
"Won't they see you eventually if you're my whitelighter?"
With a sigh, Andy ran his fingers through his hair. "We can cross that bridge when we get to it. Honestly, I'm hoping the Elders will change their minds and let J.D. come back soon."
Billie visibly brightened, giving Andy a hint to her own feelings toward the younger man. "There's a chance for that?"
"Anything is possible," he said with a smile.
Determination ran through Billie's veins like fire. She was going to get her whitelighter back.
And she was going to need some help.
Showing up at the Manor was bound to cause some questions, but Billie knew they would be worth it. She needed to speak with Piper, get her take on the battle she and Leo had gone through to be together. And maybe Billie didn't know if she wanted to be with J.D. yet, but she at least wanted to be able to choose!
As she walked up the steps, butterflies threatened to take off in her belly, but she swallowed her fear and worry and kept going. Taking a deep breath, she reached out to ring the doorbell. Before her finger could even touch it, the heavy wooden door opened.
Phoebe smiled at Billie. "For once, my power showed me something happy," she said simply. She held her arms open and Billie threw herself into them, relishing the contact. For so long, she'd considered Phoebe as a surrogate sister, a best friend. It was nice to have that feeling back.
But she was here for something even more important than mending bridges, though that was a happy side effect.
"Phoebe, I need your help," the younger witch said as she stepped back, grasping at Phoebe's hands to keep some contact between them.
"What is it, sweetie?" the Charmed One asked, immediately concerned.
"The Elders. They took my whitelighter - they sent him away to another charge. It's not fair!"
Drawing Billie out of the doorway and into the living room, Phoebe led her to sit down. "Start from the beginning. Who's your whitelighter?"
"Do you remember that charge of Sam's, the future whitelighter who was trapped by the demon in a picture?"
"J.D., right?"
"Yes! So, he's been my whitelighter almost since...well, since Christy died. But all of a sudden he's gone! And now my newly assigned whitelighter is saying that it's because of how J.D. feels about me."
Phoebe narrowed her eyes slightly at her friend, putting her empathy power to use. "Billie, honey, he's not the only one with strong feelings here."
A blush spread across Billie's cheeks, telling Phoebe that Billie had already worked that much out for herself.
"It's just...I can't explain it. He makes me feel like a better person, a better witch. So what if we like each other, too?"
"Because then they can't control you," Piper said from the doorway. "At least, that's what it felt like to me. They'd been so invested in us as the Charmed Ones since we came into our powers. That's why Leo was around to begin with. But once we started to fall in love, it was out of their hands."
Billie took a deep breath before turning to face the oldest Halliwell. "So what do I do?" she asked. "I'm desperate, Piper. I need him back." The confession came out as a whisper, as though dragged from the very soul of her.
Piper stared for a long moment before she nodded her head and stepped closer to lay a hand on Billie's shoulder. "Then we fight." The look of hope on Billie's face made the decision worth the coming shitstorm. "We're going to need to talk to some magical creatures, see if they'll stick by our side when it comes down to it."
Billie looked down at her lap, feeling a dig that may not have been directed at her. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"Hey, sweetie, it's all in the past. We just need to focus on this right now. After, when J.D. is back and things have calmed down, we can really talk. But we're on your side, here. Never doubt that." Phoebe smiled as she spoke, letting her empathy wash over Billie to show that her words were true.
Billie nodded, too overcome to speak.
Piper felt a piece of her heart settle back into place and she smiled. "Okay, girls," she said as she clapped her hands together, "let's go get a whitelighter back."
His new charge was a moron.
J.D. felt a little bad for being so rude - at least in his own mind - but it was fairly true. Not only did the newly-minted witch have the power of invisibility, he was a teenage male. Enough said.
After the third time of nearly being caught in the girls' locker room, J.D. had had enough. Grasping his invisible charge by whatever body part he could grab - hopefully an arm - the whitelighter orbed away and settled them in the clearing behind the high school, away from prying eyes.
"Hey, man!" came the vehement protest as the witch came into view once more.
J.D. thanked his lucky stars that the teen had left his clothes on this time. "Is this seriously all you're going to use your powers for?" he asked shortly. "You have so much potential, Matt. Stop wasting it on this!"
Matt's face contorted in a snarl. "You judging me, asshole?"
J.D. rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm judging you. Instead of helping people, you're spying on defenseless girls and being a perv!"
"Man, screw you! I don't need this shit!"
"So, what? You're going to keep staring at girls changing clothes? Does it make you feel better? Huh, Matt? Being invisible and spying on them make you feel all big and bad? You're wrong. It makes you a low-down, dirty creep." J.D. looked at the teen with disgust. "I know witches half your size who are worth more."
Matt scoffed. "Oh, yeah? Who? Sabrina?"
A grin spread across J.D.'s face. "Let's go on a little field trip, yeah? I'll let you meet them." Grasping Matt's arm once more, the whitelighter orbed them away to somewhere J.D. had been angling to go anyways.
Halliwell Manor.
When they solidified once more, they stood in the sunroom.
"Dude, where are we?"
"Hush. You doubted me, so I'm showing you." He walked forward to the living room, dragging his wayward charge along. Footsteps clattered down the stairs across the house, drawing J.D. that direction. When Piper appeared, he smiled. "Just the sister I was looking for!"
Piper raised a brow, glancing past J.D. to Matt. "Hi, J.D.. What brings you here?"
Tugging Matt forward, he explained, "I was just telling Matt here that using his power of invisibility to spy on his classmates in the locker room is a complete waste of his power."
"Oh, really?" Piper questioned, turning a narrowed gaze to the teen.
Matt blanched a took a step back as he finally realized just who he was talking to. "You know the Halliwell sisters?!" came the hissed question.
J.D. ignored him and turned back to Piper. "I was hoping to see the book while you talked to Matt."
Piper grinned at his ingenuity. "I think Phoebe has the book right now in her old room, but you better hurry. She was talking about heading back home," the oldest Charmed One said, speaking of Billie. Leave it to the whitelighter to work out a way to see the witch he loved.
J.D. thanked her and jogged up the stairs, listening for the sweet sound of Billie's voice. Piper's echoed from below him, already ripping into the reckless and immature witch he'd left in her care. Coming closer to Phoebe's old room, he was gifted with just the sound he was looking for. Knowing the middle sister's gift, he projected his feelings to her, warning her not to say his name out loud just in case.
He heard her speaking quietly to Billie, then Billie's excited, "Really?" before the door burst open and his arms were full of blonde witch. "Hey, dollface. I missed you."
"I missed you, too. I didn't think I'd ever get to see you again," she confessed shakily, still clutching tightly to him.
Never one to complain about holding a beautiful witch, J.D. smiled and held her closer. "Can't keep me away," he said lightly.
"How did you manage this?" Phoebe asked as she came to stand in the doorway, a smile on her face.
"I have a charge that needed some advice from experienced witches," J.D. explained. "He's abusing his gift, using it for personal gain."
Phoebe's eyebrow lifted. "I think I'll go have a chat with him as well," she said loftily, winking at them over her shoulder as she made her way to the staircase.
As soon as they were alone, Billie pulled back to simply look at him. There were lines at the corners of his mouth that hadn't been there before. She touched them reverently. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.
"As well as I can be, away from you," he said cheekily. He sobered a moment later and reached up to brush her hair behind her ear. "I'm fine, Doll. Trying to get used to the new charge. How are you?"
Billie sighed. "Well, on the one hand, I do like my new whitelighter. He's like...the dad I didn't have. After Christy was taken, my dad shut down and wasn't the same anymore. The new guy is...a lot like my dad used to be."
J.D. smiled. "I'm glad you like him."
"This is so stupid!" Billie hissed. "I miss you! I don't understand all this sneaking around stuff."
"They think that my...feelings are getting in the way. I've had a lot of time to think about it and they may have a point." Holding up a hand to forestall her denial, the whitelighter continued. "I can't be objective about you. If you get hurt, I'll risk everything to save you, more than any other whitelighter would for a charge. That makes me reckless, makes me a danger to magic itself. And you. If you're more concerned about me than about doing your job, that puts people in danger as well. Just give it some time to mellow out, then I'll see if I can start coming by again."
"It's not fair," the witch said morosely as she leaned into him once more.
J.D. sighed and rubbed a hand up and down her back. "I know it's not, but it's not forever. I promise."
Billie pulled away from their embrace and stared up at J.D. for a long moment before tilting her head just so and leaning forward.
The whitelighter felt trepidation at her closeness, but he leaned forward as well. When their lips touched gently, sparks seemed to fly from them both. J.D. grinned at the sensation, feeling as though magic itself was approving.
Billie couldn't make herself pull away from the drugging kiss, feeling her eyelids grow heavy as she leaned further into the whitelighter.
A throat clearing a few feet away had them breaking apart.
Phoebe grinned at them, though she had her eyes covered to give them some sort of privacy. "Sorry to interrupt, but Piper made Matt cry. I think he's ready to go home now."
J.D. sighed at having to leave, but darted forward to kiss Billie one last time, caressing her cheek as he stepped away. "I'll come back whenever I can," he promised quietly.
"Be careful," Billie begged.
"You, too, Doll."
With a final smile at Phoebe and a nod of thanks, J.D. headed downstairs. As the middle sister had stated, Matt was a mess of tears and snot. J.D. felt his eyebrows raise at the sight, turning his incredulous gaze to - arguably - the most powerful of the Charmed Ones. "What did you do?" he asked quietly.
Piper shrugged. "I told him what could happen if he kept abusing magic, then Phoebe showed him. It apparently wasn't pretty. I think he's good now. Right, Matt? No more peep shows?" she asked the younger witch softly.
"N-no, ma'am. I pr-promise!"
J.D. sighed. "Come on, Matt. Let's go get some food, clean you up a bit."
The teen stood shakily, reaching out a hand to grasp at his whitelighter's forearm.
"Bye, Piper," J.D. said as he orbed away.
Piper watched the swirling blue lights fade away before standing to rush upstairs. She found Billie and Phoebe in the latter's room, both smiling widely. Piper flopped onto the bed and grinned at Billie.
"Spill, girlie. What's going on?"
"He said pretty much what you said, Piper, that they think our emotions will get in the way. But he agreed with them, somewhat. He said he can't be objective about me, if things get dicey. He said to let things blow over and he'd try to come around more when he can."
"You two were putting out some pretty strong emotions for a minute there," Phoebe said, a knowing look in her eye.
"That's not fair, Phoebe!" Billie cried out as she blushed and ducked her head.
Phoebe laughed and patted the younger witch's knee. "It wasn't active use, so I didn't get much. You were both projecting pretty loudly."
Piper smiled at the happiness she saw on Billie's face despite the profuse blushing. She was glad that things had gotten better, that Billie had come around to the Manor on her own. She was glad to have the last, youngest member of her family back.
That feeling - the feeling of her family finally being complete once more - helped reaffirm Piper's conviction to help Billie get J.D. back. Phoebe, feeling the projected emotion coming from her big sister, sent a smile her way and nodded in agreement.
They could do this. They would do this.
Billie worked every day on her powers, leaving the house and meeting with Andy somewhere hidden. The whitelighter was still adamant about not letting the sisters know he was around. Billie thought the precaution was unnecessary, but she respected his decision.
The two worked on her telekinetic precision and reactions, while she worked on spells and potions at the Manor. Her proficiency at magic in general grew by leaps and bounds, as did her mental health following the deaths of her entire biological family.
But still, she missed J.D. with every bit of her being.
He managed to come by every few weeks, usually under the guise of asking the sisters for help in some matter or another. Other times it was simply an off day, when he didn't need to by close at hand to his charge, and he would come over to spend time with Billie and the sisters. They would watch movies or eat dinner together, helping integrate the whitelighter into their lives.
Billie appreciated their help and their support, but she still wished that they could simply get on with whatever plan they were cooking up to get J.D. back as her own whitelighter. As it was, she treasured those days with the man she was falling more and more in love with. The attraction and infatuation were blooming into something bigger, something more lasting.
Phoebe would catch their feelings for each other - still projecting loudly enough for her to get echoes without actively using her powers - and smile to herself, knowing that they were helping themselves more than they could know.
Still, it was growing harder and harder to keep the visits under the radar. One day, when Billie was alone in her room, Andy orbed in, looking concerned.
Billie jumped as she caught sight of her whitelighter. "What are you doing here?" she hissed. "Wasn't it your big idea to stay away so they didn't see you?"
"Billie, whatever you guys are doing, you need to stop. The Elders are getting angry with the sisters and with you. That's never a good thing."
"I'm not doing anything wrong! I'm doing my witchly duties, helping people, killing demons. I even developed a new power! They can't be too mad that I sometimes have a friend over to visit."
Andy sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Kid, you're gonna get hurt if you keep pushing things."
Billie sighed and stared down at her hands. "I know," she said quietly. "But I can't let go, Andy. I love him."
The whitelighter stood and moved to sit beside his charge, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. "I know you do. And that's what I was afraid of."
"Why can't they just let us be happy?" Billie asked. "Piper and Leo have done amazing things together, so you can't tell me it's because of what we are."
Andy sighed. "It's not that easy, Billie. Piper and Leo were a rare positive. Piper's own mom had an affair with her whitelighter. Paige came about from that, but so did Patty's death. Good magic lost two great souls when their relationship fell apart. The Elders try to prevent that from happening as well as they can."
"But what if we could be a positive, too? We won't know if they never let us try."
Andy laughed and ruffled her hair. "Young lady, you are trying. I just want you to be careful."
"I can't promise that, Andy. I know that this is dangerous, and I know that they're against it. But I can't just not love him."
"I know, kid. I know exactly."
The low-key visits continued.
For months, the couple quietly relished every chance they had to be together. Sometimes it was only a moment or two, long enough for a quick kiss or a drag of fingertips down to clasp hands. But Billie cherished it. She knew, without a doubt, that J.D. was it for her. She hoped he felt the same, but the fear of the unknown was enough to stay her tongue.
She wished with everything in her that she could just blurt out those three words, but she couldn't be so sure that Andy - and the Elders - weren't right. What if things between them ended horribly and threw all of magic out of whack?
J.D. seemed to sense her reluctance, but he kept his head up and simply reassured her that things would work out. Deep inside, he began to have the same doubts as Billie.
Phoebe felt her heart breaking for them whenever she was around, her power of empathy picking up on the emotions they were all but projecting into the air.
Finally, she had to do something. She cornered Billie upstairs while the younger witch was making a potion.
"Okay, what's going on with you two?"
Billie's head jerked up in surprise, but she shrugged the question off a moment later. "Nothing. Everything's fine!"
"That act might work on him, but I know better," Phoebe said shrewdly, tapping her temple to remind Billie of her powers.
Billie sighed and let the false perkiness drain from her. "I'm just worried that they're right about this. What if it ends badly?"
"Oh, sweetie, that's something you can't fixate on. You have to go into it with the assumption that this is it, that he's the one. So what if it ends badly? At least you'll have gotten to experience love and all the good that comes with it."
"But what if it messes up more than just the two of us? What if it throws magic itself out of whack?"
"That's a concern, but I think it's irrelevant. I've felt what you two feel for each other - even just the echoes from you guys projecting your emotions. It's just as powerful as what Piper and Leo feel for each other."
Tears filled Billie's eyes as she quickly looked down at where her fingers were tangled in a physical indicator of her mental state. "Really?" she whispered.
Phoebe smiled and stepped closer to gently place her hand on Billie's shoulder. "Absolutely."
"Should I tell him?" Billie whispered, her voice barely reaching Phoebe.
"That's entirely up to you," Phoebe responded softly. "If you think you're ready for that step, then yes. But don't try to rush things just because of what anyone else says - me included."
After Phoebe left the room, Billie sat and pondered everything. It was scary, for sure; but didn't they deserve a real chance at happiness? Billie was sure that she and J.D. could make it work. They'd been seeing each other for months now and nothing had gone terribly wrong.
The more she thought about it all, the more she was swayed into telling him how she felt. The only question was how. Did she just blurt it out the next time she saw him? Did she hint around and see if he said it first? She just didn't know.
The end result of the anxiety and indecision was that Billie was a mess around J.D. the next time he visited. She was fidgety and nervous, overcompensating for both by being too chirpy.
J.D. finally grasped her by the arms and held her still long enough to catch her eye. "What's the matter, Doll?" he asked, concern in his voice.
Billie sighed and allowed her arms to mimic his, gripping at his shirtsleeves. "I just..." Swallowing down the apprehension that had taken hold of her, Billie let her impulses have free reign. She jolted forward to press her lips to J.D.'s, trying to convey every bit of love she felt for him. Just in case he didn't understand, Billie pulled away and smiled shyly at him. "I love you," she whispered.
For a long moment, J.D. said nothing. Billie felt her heart begin to shatter as she prepared herself for rejection...
Only to have J.D. throw his arms around her and lift her bodily, twirling them around as laughter spilled from his lips. "I love you, too, Doll, but I didn't want to say anything. Didn't want to rush you."
He finally stopped spinning, allowing Billie's feet to touch the floor once more, though he didn't let her go. In fact, he never wanted to let her go. An idea sprang to mind, one so crazy that he was hesitant to speak of it.
Phoebe's voice echoed from the kitchen. "Go for it!" she hollered. A moment later she thundered into the room. "Wait! Don't say the word. Use another word...just in case."
"What word? We just said the big one," Billie said, confusion written across her face.
J.D. felt his cheeks flush, but he drew Billie's attention back to himself by grasping her face and gently guiding her lips back to his. "Billie, I want to be able to say that to you every day for the rest of my life. Will you do me the honor of being my w-"
"Rutabaga!" Phoebe interjected with a glare. "I just said use another word!"
Billie, by this point, had cottoned on to J.D.'s meaning. Her eyes grew wide as her heart began to flutter. "You don't think it's too soon?" she asked weakly.
"I would have asked months ago if I thought you'd have agreed," J.D. confessed. "I want you to be my wi-wildflower."
Billie blinked for a moment before a wide grin tugged at her lips. "Flowers, huh? Doesn't that have something to do with husbandry?"
J.D. laughed aloud and dipped in for a kiss. "Clever. But is it a yes?"
"Of course it is!"
Phoebe let out a happy noise as she clapped her hands together. She hugged them both tightly before running for the stairs toward her sisters. "Piper! Paige! We have another rutabaga on our hands!"
The newly engaged couple watched in bemusement, only to hear something crash in the attic before a veritable stampede came rushing down the stairs.
As the sisters surrounded them with love and congratulations, Billie and J.D. felt that things had finally come together.
As the plans for Billie and J.D.'s...rutabaga...began to come together, fears of being found out also grew.
With every day that drew closer to the Big Day, Billie began having terrifying feelings that it would all go wrong. She worried that it was a sort of premonition, that her powers were growing, but Piper quieted those fears with her assurance that such a feeling was normal. This led to a long discussion about Piper's own wedding attempts and trials.
Billie couldn't say she was completely reassured by the talk, but she did come to the conclusion that - whatever happened - J.D. was worth it all.
Under the guise of a girls' day, Phoebe and Billie took a trip to the closest bridal store. With the perfect excuse of Phoebe's own relationship, the girls tried on a handful of dresses as they searched for Billie's dress. When she finally found the one, she didn't even need to try it on to know it would be perfect. Phoebe insisted, however, and all but shoved her into a dressing room to put it on.
When she walked into the show area, Phoebe could feel the absolute joy radiating from Billie as she stood on the pedestal and looked in the mirrors. "It's perfect," she said happily.
"It really is," Billie agreed, running her hands down the fitted bodice and taking in how the bright overhead lights reflected off the sequins that dotted the bust. Strapless, it left her shoulders and back bare. It was fitted from bust to hips, where it flowed out in graceful waves of white fabric.
Before she could grow overwhelmed, Billie hurried back to the dressing room to compose herself and pull her own clothes back on. By the time she emerged, Phoebe was walking back from the front, putting her wallet back into her handbag.
"Phoebe!" Billie said, dismayed. "I was going to buy it!"
"I wanted to. Think of it as a gift from the three of us."
At a loss, wanting to argue more but knowing it was futile, Billie simply sighed and went with it. She of all people knew how stubborn the Halliwell women could be.
With the dress bought, it was only a matter of waiting for the day. They hadn't actually picked a day, but were waiting for a sign to know it was time.
The sign came in an unexpected visit from Grams. Piper leapt from her seat when she caught sight of their matriarch, rushing to find Billie. Phoebe was quick to fill the older woman in as she led them into the same room that Piper had been wed in. Grams had a smirk on her face as she inferred what Phoebe was implying, readily agreeing to oversee the union despite Billie not being a Halliwell.
Billie jolted when Piper came rushing into her room, bypassing Billie herself and heading directly for the closet. Without a word, she drew the dress from the closet and held it up for Billie.
"Now?!" Billie yelped.
"Now. If you're ready," Piper said with a smile.
"Absolutely!" the younger witch said as she bounced to her feet. "But what about-"
Piper cut her off, answering, "Leo's working on it."
Glad that Leo and J.D. had formed a close relationship, Billie hurried into her dress and let Piper touch up her hair and makeup. Paige orbed in just as they were heading downstairs, clutching a camera and grinning widely.
"Let's do this!" she said energetically.
Billie returned the grin, her heart feeling as though it would explode at any moment. She followed the sisters down the stairs and into the dining room where Grams, Leo, and J.D. stood. The whitelighter looked nervous, but he was handsome in a suit that Leo had been keeping for him for this very occasion.
Any hesitation Billie felt was washed away by the absolute love and devotion on J.D.'s face when he caught sight of her. It brought tears to her eyes, and she rushed forward to grasp his hands and kiss him lingeringly.
Only Grams' dry humor broke them apart. "We might want to get a move on, before they look in. You can wait that long."
Nervous laughter burst from Billie as she drew back to get a good look at her soon-to-be-husband. "You look very handsome," she whispered, barely registering Grams' speech.
J.D. smiled back at her, replying, "You look so beautiful, Billie."
Paige took a liberal amount of pictures as they whispered back and forth, prompting Phoebe to lean over and say smartly, "You might want to save some for the actual rutabaga."
Piper waved a hand and shushed them, just as Grams called for the rings. J.D. tremulously placed the delicate band on Billie's finger, holding tightly to her hand once it was secure. Billie grasped the other ring, lifting her hand to place it on J.D.'s outstretched hand. Before she could slide it on, jingling bells warned them of a new arrival.
Andy Trudeau stood in the doorway, concern etched on his face. "Finish it, quick. They'll be here any minute!"
Billie wasted no time in slipping the ring onto her now-husband's finger, barely hearing Grams finish the ceremony. A dozen bright lights swirled around them just as she finished, knocking the matriarch back as they solidified.
"What have you done?!" Julius shouted, barreling forward to confront the two.
Before he could reach them, an unearthly blue light began to shine from the chandelier, creating a halo of magic around the newlyweds. It halted his forward march, even knocking him back a few steps. The Halliwells felt the pure magic of their bloodline wash over them, in awe of its acceptance of Billie and her love.
Piper turned to face the red-faced Elder, a smug expression on her face. "Even if you don't like it, that thing is a solid deal now. Unless you want to go against a few generations of light magic, of course."
Marcus stepped forward to grasp at Julius' sleeve to draw him back. Julius ripped his sleeve from the grasp and glared at the young couple, fury and loathing in his eyes. "You will regret this, mark my words."
As one, the Halliwell sisters stepped in front of Billie and J.D., firmly showing their support. Their hands clasped, determination writ on their faces, they were a sight to behold.
"You'll have to go through us," Phoebe said confidently.
"And me," Leo added, coming to stand beside the sisters.
"And me," said Andy, coming up on their other side.
"My husband might be human, but he's got about thirty pounds of pure muscle on you, you wrinkly old fart," Paige said.
Piper leaned over and said lowly, "Easy, tiger. We want them on our side."
Paige made a face but nodded.
Billie felt her eyes water as she took in the sight of the sisters protecting her, standing between her and trouble. It was quite different from standing across from them as opponents. Her heart was full of love and gratitude as she gently pushed her way through them and stood in front of the Elders herself, her head held high. "I could never regret this. I love J.D. with every bit of my being, and we'll defy the odds, just like Piper and Leo. Mark my words."
To this, the light surrounding her and her new husband intensified, the crystal chandelier jangling almost happily. A moment later, the light faded.
Marcus caught J.D.'s eye, smiling benevolently and nodding his head in approval. One by one, the Elders disappeared in a swirl of light, leaving Marcus and Julius behind.
Julius , still furious, glared at them all in turn before leaving as well.
"I do wish you all the happiness in the world," Marcus said to the newlyweds. "Just remember this day when things get hard. Love and relationships are more work than many realize. But magic itself believes in you two. Don't let it down." His wisdom imparted, he disappeared with a smile.
Billie watched the orbs fade away, her heart near-to-bursting. J.D. gripped her hand tightly, bringing it up to his lips to press a kiss to her knuckles. She turned to look at him, smiling at the love in his eyes.
"Ready to start our life together, wife?" he asked with a roguish grin.
"More than ready, husband," she returned.
He pulled her into his arms, finally kissing her for the first time as a married couple. In the midst of the kiss, they orbed away.
Piper blinked away her tears, holding tightly to Leo's hand. A sudden thought occurred to her, tears forgotten as she whirled around and pointed an accusing finger. "And just when were you gonna let us know that you were alive?" she demanded of Andy.
A sheepish expression came over his face. "It never seemed like a good time. You were dealing with Prue, then finding out about another sister, and then it just became easier to stay away."
Grudgingly, Piper could see the logic. "Well, no more, mister. You're just as much part of this family as Prue was, as those two are."
"Duly noted," Andy agreed with a smile. "It's good to see you, Piper. And Phoebe! You changed your hair again. I read your column, you know."
The conversation flowed easily, drawing them closer together.
As the sun set on the Halliwell manor, Penny smiled and quietly left the room. After a quick tour through the house, reminiscing and remarking on how it had changed, she ended up in front of the Book of Shadows. Laying a hand on the leather cover, she knew that her girls would be okay.
All of her girls.