"Chris, come on! It won't kill you! One date is all I'm asking." Melinda Halliwell pleaded. The boy glared at his younger cousin and continued picking dirty clothes up off the floor of the room he shared with his older brother Wyatt. "No Mel! I absolutely refuse to date one of your friends!"

"Emily's not just one of my friends, she's my best friend! And why not?" Melinda asked stubbornly, folding her arms across her chest. Chris sighed and threw a shirt into the pile he had collected to be washed, "Because I don't want to date a giggling little girl who has been crushing on me since the first grade!"

Melinda snorted, "Ok, firstly, she's not a little girl; we're only two years younger than you. 17 is not an age that involves giggling. And secondly you're giving yourself way too much credit here. She's only liked you for maybe a year!" She paused and then as an after thought said, "Actually, I do have a third point."

Chris rolled his eyes, "Ok, lets hear it!"

"Since when have you ever picked your dirty clothes up? Usually you just throw them on the floor!"

Chris grinned at her, forgetting his annoyance. "Yeah well that only works for so long. I've run out of clean clothes to wear!" Melinda grinned back at him and then took his free hand, "Come on Chris she really likes you. Just one date. Please. For me." He looked at her for a few seconds and then groaned, "Fine I'll do it. One date!" Melinda squealed excitedly, "Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You won't regret it! You're the best!" She threw her arms around him, "I'm gonna go call her!" She flew out of the room and on the way she passed her Aunt Piper. "Hey Aunt Piper!" Melinda said as she ran down the stairs. "Hi!" Piper called after her. She stuck her head into Chris' room. "What's got her so excited?"

"Oh, nothing," Chris sighed. "She just roped me into doing something else for her, that's all." Piper grinned and pinched his cheek, "Aww you're such a good widdle cousin!" Chris slapped her hand away playfully. "Hey Mom, you know you're the greatest right?" Piper stepped back and leant against the door frame, raising one eyebrow, "Ok, what do you want?"

"Nothing!" Chris said brightly, "Just know I love you! And by the way, there's some dirty washing there!"

"Great!" Piper replied just as brightly, "The washing machine is in the laundry. I'm sure you can find it!" She turned and left the room. Chris groaned again and flopped back onto the bed, covering his face with his pillow.

"So Wyatt," Melinda said as she hoisted herself up onto the kitchen counter and grabbed an apple. "Are you free tonight or do you have plans?" Wyatt pinched the apple out of her hand and took a huge bite, then place it back in her hand. "I happen to have a date. What self respecting teenager could possibly not have plans on a Saturday night? How sad!" he teased her and then he orbed out of the room. "Yeah well… technically you're not a teenager, you're twenty!" she yelled after him. It was a lame response, she knew, but she didn't have much time to think of anything else. She glared at her apple for a moment and then took a bite. Sighing she turned to her youngest cousin, Penelope, Ellie for short. Together Chris, Melinda and Ellie formed the next generation of the Power of Three. Wyatt was different, stronger. He was the twice blessed child, heir to Excalibur. "Hey El… do you want…" The ten year old cut her off, "Sorry Prue but even I have plans tonight." Ellie had always called Melinda by her middle name, Prudence because she couldn't say Melinda when she was younger. It had stuck with her as she got older. "What!" Melinda yelped, jumping down from the counter. "You're 10, what plans could you possibly have?"

"Mom's taking me Rhea, Madison and Lizzie to the movies." Ellie said excitedly. Paige chose that moment to enter the room. She handed Ellie her coat, "You're welcome to join us Mel."

"Thanks but no thanks Aunt Paige. Last time I took Ellie and her friends to a movie Maddy hung off me the whole time! I don't think I could stand that again! No offence." She added quickly to Ellie. Ellie just shrugged at her, "I don't care. Liz and I don't really like her anyway. We just hang out with her coz Rhea's her twin sister and feels bad if she leaves her out."

"Hang on, I think it was actually Rhea that was hanging off me. I can't tell the difference between those two girls!"

Ellie looked offended this time, "Hey Rhea's really cool! Leave her alone!"

"Never mind I'm actually pretty sure it was Maddy now that I think about it." Melinda said quickly. "Oh, ok." Ellie said, buying it and walking towards the front door. Melinda raised her eyebrows at her Aunt Paige and gave her a quick hug. "Thanks for the offer but I think I'll give it a miss."

"Ok, we'll see you when we get back. Bye Phoebe," she called back over her shoulder. Phoebe was standing at the sink finishing the last of the dinner dishes. Melinda gave a sigh as her Mom dried her hands. "Why are you so desperate to make plans tonight? Come to think of it why don't you have plans?" she asked her daughter.

"Well usually I'd do something with Chris or Emily but they decided to go out tonight for their 'big date.'" Melinda said with a hint of sarcasm. She positioned the apple on the end of her finger and stared at it, using her power of telekinesis to spin it around faster and faster. She concentrated hard, not taking her eyes off of it. "Are you jealous?" Phoebe asked innocently. The apple flew off Melinda's finger and hit the wall, splattering everywhere. The girl winced at the mess she would have to clean up. She turned back to her mother, "Eww Mom, Chris is my cousin. Actually he's like a brother to me!" Phoebe rolled her eyes, "I didn't mean like that. I meant of their companionship with each other. You wanted so much for them to get together but now I think you're afraid that they might spend too much time with each other and not enough time with you." Melinda hesitated but then scoffed at the idea, pretending the thought had never crossed her mind. "Chris said it was just one date. It doesn't even matter to me anyway." She lied.

Phoebe just nodded, "Mhm ok, whatever you say." Melinda pulled a face at her. "Don't forget to clean up your mess. It's your fault that happened, you used magic for personal gain." This time it was Melinda who rolled her eyes. Sometimes Phoebe thought that her daughter was a little too much like her. "I spun an apple on my finger. What could I possibly gain from that?"

"You'll learn!" Phoebe said with the air of someone all knowing. Melinda raised her eyebrows, "Yeah?" she turned to the mess. "Let the object of objection become but a dream as I cause the scene to be unseen." The mushed apple instantly disappeared and left the wall looking sparkling clean. She flashed a grin at her mom, "All better!" she turned and waltzed out of the room. "You'll learn!" Phoebe called after her. She shook her head, "She'll learn." She repeated quietly to herself.