"Why are we here again?" I asked, carrying a box inside the new house.
"Because we decided we needed a change after the whole, world-almost-ending thing." Paige said, walking past me in the opposite direction, heading outside to get another box.
"Right." I muttered. "But why here?"
"You say something, Kat?" Coop, Phoebe's husband, said, carrying the rather large box labeled BOOKS.
"It's nothing, really. I was just wondering why we're here. In the town of Ipswich, Massachusetts. What was wrong with San Francisco?" I said, sounding a bit like a petulant child, and not at all like the almost 18-year-old mother I am.
"It's because of the schools. Ipswich has some really great schools. Speaking of which, Leo and I are going down to Spencer Academy today to enroll you." Piper told me from her place in the living room, unpacking photos.
"Cool." I said, forcing a smile.
"I heard that Spencer is a great school, and has a high college turn-out rate. Most of their students get into places like Yale and Harvard." Piper said, going mommy-mode on me.
"Where does this go?" my four year old daughter Emma said, holding a picture of me her and her twin brother, Jeremy.
"That goes up on the wall, Emm." Paige said. "Leo will put it up later."
"Spencer…" I said, imagining all the times I had wished to go there as a little girl, and all of the times I had hoped they wouldn't say that I was on the drive down here. I tried to imagine my four best friends in Spencer uniforms and chuckled. With the only pictures I had of them being scrawny fourteen year olds, it looked rather silly.
"Is everything okay?" Paige's husband, Henry, asked, coming in, carrying a box labeled ATTIC. I sighed and shook my head.
"No, but it will be." I told him, trying to figure out how I was going to avoid the four boys who had been my whole world growing up.
"Want to talk about it?" he asked. Henry was a probation officer, and occasionally it came in handy when you needed some to the point advice, but this was one instance where I wanted to avoid the problem as long as possible.
"No, but thanks anyway Henry." I said and then paused. "Actually, I think I might take you up on that offer later." I said, cracking a smile.
"Mommy okay?" Jeremy asked, hugging my leg. I smiled and bent down to pick him up.
"Mommy is fine." I said, settling him on my hip. "Don't worry, baby." I kissed the top of his head and began swaying, humming Enter Sandman by Metallica. The little boy in my arms yawned hugely and settled his arms around my neck. I smiled and walked towards the front of the house, keeping an eye on Emma who had decided to explore.
"Excuse me." Someone said from the door. I turned and smiled at the blond girl in the doorway.
"Can I help you?" I asked politely, trying my not to laugh as Jeremy brushed his little fingers through my hair.
"Yeah, I'm looking for the Halliwell residence. Do you know where I might find them?" she asked, looking a bit lost. I could tell she was an out-of-towner. She was probably a student at Spencer.
"This is the Halliwell house. I'm Katriona Bennett; the Halliwell sisters are my cousins." I explained. "I would shake your hand but, my arms are kind of full." I said, gesturing to the little boy in my arms.
"It's okay, I understand." She said, smiling. "So are you attending Spencer?" she asked, obviously trying to make small talk. My smile faltered, but I kept it up.
"Yeah, are you the welcome committee?" I asked, looking to see if I was going to have to hide from someone I knew.
"No, I'm here with my boyfriend, who kind of unofficially is." She explained, looking behind her.
"Just because my mom tells me to go out and greet some new faces doesn't mean I'm the welcome committee." A classic tall, dark, and handsome guy said, walking up behind her. "Caleb Danvers, nice to meet you." He said, introducing himself. I felt myself go light-headed and dizzy; trying to match this fit man to the scrawny kid I had known.
"Kat, is everything alright?" Leo asked, coming downstairs from putting beds together.
"I knew we shouldn't have come here. I told you." I told him before turning back to the people at the door. "It's, uh, good to see you again, Caleb." I said, and then thought about it for a second. "Actually, considering how you treated me the last time I saw you, no it's not." I said, changing my mind.
"Kitty Kat? Is that you?" Caleb said, his eyes going wide. I shook my head, frowning at the pet name that I used to love.
"I'm not the same little girl I was, Danvers. And I don't need a welcome, you can tell Evelyn I said hello, and then stay away from me." I told him, watching as Emily decided she wanted attention from her mommy.
"Mommy, can Jeremy come and play?" she asked, trying to find her dolly in the box of toys. I shook my head.
"Your brother is asleep, Emm, how about you color instead? Or try and take a nap to?" I told her gently. She nodded in agreement and when I looked over, I saw that Caleb was frozen and white with shock. "Something wrong, Danvers?" I asked, realizing belatedly that Pogue had probably told him about our little… mistake, and that Emily had exactly the same dark curly hair as her father.
"Mom?" he asked. I nodded. "Are they…?" I huffed in frustration.
"I have only ever slept with one guy, if that's what you're getting at." I said, looking him straight in the face.
"Caleb?" the petite blond girl asked, confusion all over her face.
"Does he know?" he asked, focusing on the little boy in my arms rather intently.
"If you are referring to Jeremy, yes, I told him who his father is. If you're talking about Pogue, no. I never even told him it was a possibility. You guys wanted to cut off all ties, and as much as it hurt, I understood. I know I am a bit annoying, and paranoid." I said, smiling bitterly. Recognition flared in the girl's face.
"They're Pogue's kids." She whispered, with a void expression. "Kate is going to be pissed…" she muttered, and even though it felt like someone was twisting a knife into my heart, I smiled.
"See, he's moved on. Don't tell him Caleb, I'm not ruining his life." I stroked my son's hair absently.
"He deserves to know, Kat. And Jeremy is going to need his father, especially when he turns thirteen." He said, glancing towards the street.
"Why, what happens at thirteen? He ignores all of his friends? He drops them on their asses? What?" I said, bitter sarcasm dripping like poison from my words.
"No, he gets his powers." He said, and he said it like I was going to be shocked or freaked out.
"Who gets his powers?" Pheobe asked, walking past us on her way to go unpack her room.
"Jeremy apparently." I said, glancing over at her.
"But I thought that Jere had no powers?" she asked, confused.
"So did I, but I guess we were wrong…" I said, looking at Caleb. "You have a lot to explain, but not right now. Go ahead and tell Pogue, but if his girlfriend comes and tries to kill me, don't be surprised if she disappears for a while and then shows up wandering the desert." I told him, closing the door.
"Who was that?" Piper asked, walking in.
"Someone Kat knows, or knew." Leo said, looking at me strangely.
"Kat? Something you want to tell us?" Piper asked.
"That was Caleb Danvers. Best friend to Pogue Parry, Jeremy and Emily's father." I said, looking at the ground.
A/N okay, I know it was short, but it was what I could manage with a teacher standing over my shoulder. I know I shouldn't be starting a new story, but the plot bunny was bouncing in my head and wouldn't shut up. I'll try to updat, also, if anyone wants to beta, please, shoot me a PM. For any one of my stories. I'll come back and fix this chapter later, as well as put up a new one.