Authors note: When Cat is editing speech I've put the words she changes in italics (this cryptic comment will make sense soon – I promise!) This is my first even fan fic. Just so you know. You can be slightly nicer because of it if you wish!

Disclaimer : Obviously the characters in Charmed are not my creations (although there isn't much of that in this chapter – there will be later!). Plus I have slightly parodied Oliver Twist's "Food, Glorious Food" in the title. Don't know if I should mention that!


Chapter 1 – Sleep, Glorious Sleep

Nineteen year old Cat Armitage looked out of her window at the sunrise which was casting a red glow over all of the grey stone buildings near her Edinburgh flat. She wasn't typically an early riser so had rarely seen the city like this. Of course she hadn't gotten up early at all – she was still yet to go to bed!

Essays and university deadlines, along with frequent cups of tea, seemed to have taken over her life of late but there was hope, light at the end of the tunnel, freedom! In just one day she would have nothing else to do for the 3 long months of summer. She would be able to sleep again (a notion which seemed very foreign to her). All she had to do was hand in her essay by 4pm and get through a 3 hour choir rehearsal followed by a concert. She looked at the pitiful prose in front of her. She could do this! She had to.

8 hours, 12 cups of tea and 3000 words later and she was staring at an essay that William Shakespeare himself would be proud of. She emerged from her room, which had long since passed the pigsty stage and was now resembling a swamp, and waddled to the kitchen. It's amazing, she mused on the way, how hard it is to get the legs working after sitting down for so long.

"Afternoon!" proclaimed her flatmate Amy, in a cheery and annoyingly perky manner. Cat grunted an acknowledgement, and set about making food.

"You look terrible" exclaimed Amy. Well that's not exactly what she said. Cat wasn't a fan of people swearing so often edited what people said in her head. She had to edit Amy often. She wasn't in the habit of defending herself so just gave Amy an evil look that would scare Alfred Hitchcock.

"Well at least it's all over now." said Amy, clearly ignoring the look.

"No it's not. I still have my concert and rehearsal this afternoon."

"Oh dear yes! That's rather inconvenient. Why the hell didn't you do it earlier?"

"Amy, you have an essay due tomorrow."

"Yes, that's very true."

"And have you started it yet?"

"Heck no."

"When do you plan to start it?"

"In a few hours."

"My point precisely!" Cat said, wolfing down her nutritious meal of beans on toast.

"Ah but I am used to no silly sleep – plenty of practice!" Amy said, grinning mischievously. "Plus I can pull off the very tired look. You really can't."

Cat glared again. Trust me to argue with a politics student. She looked at the time, and rushed off to hand in the essay.

Two hours later she was mid rehearsal with her choir, the concert was in just over an hour and they were behind schedule. They had also still not rehearsed her solo in one of the songs. Daniel Byrne, the young Irish conductor, was enthusiastically motivating the group of about 30 people, all of whom were at University.

"That was fantastic!" he raved, with emphatic hand gestures, "Altos just make that last bar a little softer, Tenors…"

I need sleep Cat thought, yawning

"… and all crescendo at bar 24…"

He doesn't half go on

"…make sure you can hear the 't' at the end of night in bar 15…"

SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!

It was going to be a very long day.

Finally it was the concert. The choir was on form, any problems from the rehearsal had been noted and amended and the packed audience seemed to be really enjoying themselves. Cat was preparing for her solo verse at the beginning of the penultimate song. It really didn't bother her that she only got the solo because she was the only person who could go high enough. This was her chance to make her mark – to get Daniel to give her more solos than even Lisa Hewitt, the chief soprano. She was nervous but that always had an odd effect on her. She would get very introverted and focused due to nerves, something which started happening as the piano introduction to her song came in.

So very very tired she thought, as her voiced swooped over the first note. So far, so good but so tired. The music pressed on and her voice got higher, nicely in tune, if a little quiet. I want to sleep, I want to sleep, I want to sleep! She thought, finishing the verse with style and coming back to reality to survey the audience reaction. Suddenly she got a jolt of shock. She was stood in front of a mass of sleeping bodies. Her choir, the pianist, Daniel and the entire audience had fallen asleep!

"This can't be happening" she said aloud, shaking the woman next to her who was drooling on her shoulder. "Someone help!"

As if answering her call, a blue shimmer filled the corner of her eyes. She turned to see what was causing the glow but only saw a man of average height and build and a very kind face.

"Hello Cat" he said in a light American accent "my name is Leo. I'm here to help."

She snorted despite herself, proud that she wasn't hysterical yet. How could this strange man help – her singing was so bad it had sent everyone to sleep! However he was quite attractive so she was prepared to let him carry on talking. She passed her eyes over him and noticed something gleam. It was a wedding ring.

Damn.


So that's the first chapter. Comments would be much appreciated. In the next there will be more familiar faces and plotlines. Plus another musical number parody for the title.