A/N - just a fluffy little one-shot for Halloween. Not overly original but I hope you enjoy it all the same. I'm always hunting for storylines, so feel free to send some my way if you have any!
"Halloween has come up really soon this year," Paige remarked, lazily stretching out on Piper's bed. Phoebe was draped next to her.
"Yeah, I can't believe its tomorrow," she replied. "Thank god it's not my year to take the kids trick or treating, its Coop's turn this year."
"You're not letting the twins dress up as witches again this year, are you Paige?" Piper asked as she closed her wardrobe, after finally locating the sweater she had promised to lend to Phoebe.
"Hold on, what's so bad about dressing up as a witch for Halloween?" Paige said defensively, although her sisters could tell she wasn't that serious from the grin on her face.
"Witch costumes are just so…stereotypical. I mean, it's like saying we're not witches because we don't fly around on brooms and have warts on our noses," Piper replied, shaking her head in disgust.
"It used to be me who hated the witch stereotype, years ago, until we got sent back in time to the 1600's. I pretty much started the whole stereotype," Phoebe told her younger sister nonchalantly, inspecting her nails. "Now Piper finds it offensive. I bet if it got started any other way, she wouldn't care."
"Phoebe, don't be ridiculous. I just don't like it. And I don't think our kids should believe in the witch stereotype either," Piper argued back.
Paige simply listened to her sisters with a smile. "Don't worry Piper, the twins have become addicted to The Wizard Of Oz lately, so they're both dressing up as Dorothy. Thank god I managed to get a hold of two costumes."
"What are your three going as this year?" Phoebe added in, glancing up at her big sister who now was perched at the foot of the bed.
"I don't know, I'm taking them to pick out their costumes today," Piper replied. "Leo offered, but he's already out with them all morning so we could have our sister time. The boys are going through a phase where they have to beat each other at everything, and I don't think Leo will have enough patience to keep them calm all afternoon too."
Phoebe laughed, and Piper mock glared at her. "Yeah, you laugh now, just wait til your kids get old enough to start fighting. Mine will have outgrown that phase by then, so we'll see who's laughing."
The three sisters began to chat casually, each glad that their husbands were happy enough to take the kids of their hands for the morning so they could spend some time together. With each sister having a full time job and three kids, it made it increasingly difficult for them to spend time together, just the three of them.
Just as the grandfather clock began to chime two, a door slammed from downstairs and chatter began to fill the house.
"Looks like they're all home," Piper said, getting up from the bed. She pulled Paige up as Phoebe rolled off, and together the three sisters headed out of Piper's bedroom and downstairs.
"Hey honey, have a nice morning?" Leo asked her as he set his car keys down on the hall table. The kids were nowhere to be seen.
Piper reached her head up and gave him a kiss, still amazed that after so many years of marriage he could still make her tremble with just one kiss.
"It was great," Piper replied. "How were the kids?"
Before Leo could answer, Wyatt, Chris and Melinda came running out of the kitchen and threw themselves at her. "Hi Mom," they all chanted.
"Hey guys, I hope you had a good morning with dad," she said, smiling down at her children.
The boys nodded and went over to greet their aunts. Melinda stayed by her mother's side, staring upwards at her with a big grin.
"Daddy took us to the carnival and I got to ride the Ferris wheel! And Wyatt won me a teddy bear, look Mommy!" She waved around a small plush bear, and Piper grinned down at her daughter.
"That's beautiful, sweetie," she replied. "Have you named it yet?"
A serious expression crossed Melinda's face. "Not yet, I'll have to think about it."
"Well, I better get going," Paige broke in, and Phoebe nodded. They each bent down to farewell their little niece, and then moved to hug Piper.
"We'll see you tomorrow night, right?" Phoebe asked as she extracted her car keys from her purse.
"Yep. Halloween dinner at seven, after the kids have gone trick or treating," Piper confirmed. A quick wave and her sisters were gone, leaving Piper standing in the hall with Leo and Melinda.
"Sweetie, why don't you go find your brothers, and we can go and pick out your Halloween costumes?" Piper asked Melinda, who grinned in excitement.
"Yeah! Hey Wyatt! Chris!" she called out, running off in search of her brothers. Piper turned to Leo.
"So, how were Chris and Wyatt, did they fight the whole time?" she grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Not one bit actually," Leo replied, giving her a small kiss. "It's amazing how the promise of cotton candy can get three kids to behave." He gave her another kiss.
"Right, leaving their poor mother to deal with three hyperactive kids for the rest of the afternoon," Piper scolded him jokingly. He grinned and silenced her with another kiss, this one somewhat longer.
"Ugh, gross, get a room!" came a voice, and the couple broke apart to see Chris and Wyatt standing in the hall, each with their noses wrinkled. Melinda was standing next to them, yet she was too engrossed in talking softly to her bear to pay attention.
"All right guys, lets' go get your Halloween costumes," Piper said, stepping back from Leo and grabbing her keys off the stand. The kids ran ahead out the door, and she followed along behind them. Leo waved as they all got in the car, and then closed the front door.
"Are we all buckled up?" Piper asked as she turned the car engine on. After hearing a chorus of 'yes's', she put the car into gear and backed out of the driveway.
The boys spent the entire car trip telling her about the carnival and the different sights they saw. Piper listened attentively, until she pulled up outside the store. The boys jumped out, and she helped Melinda out of the large SUV.
"Okay guys, go pick what you want," she told her sons as they all walked into the store. Wyatt and Chris nodded eagerly, and they took off. Piper reached down and took Melinda's small hand. "Okay sweetie, let's go get you a costume," she said, grinning as she watched her daughter's eyes light up at the numerous racks of costumes before them.
Together, they began going through the racks. Piper would pick out costumes she thought would look adorable on Melinda, who firmly disagreed. Melinda seemed to have an idea on exactly what she wanted to be, and kept turning down each costume her mother picked out.
Twenty minutes later, Melinda pulled out a costume, immediately falling in love with it.
"Mommy, can I have this one?" she asked, holding it out for her mother to see.
Piper took one look at it and blanched slightly. "Uh, that's not a very nice costume Melinda, what about this princess one?"
Melinda stubbornly shook her head, and thrust the one in her hand forward. "Mommy, I really like this one, please can I have it, please?"
"Oh, just let her have it Mom, or we'll be here all night," Wyatt spoke up. He and Chris had already chosen their costumes and were now standing around waiting for their little sister.
Piper sighed. "Oh, all right, if you're sure that's the one you really want?"
Melinda nodded earnestly, and wrapped her arms around Piper's legs. "Thank you Mommy!"
Piper took the costume from Melinda, and the two from her sons, and took them up to the checkout counter. She quickly paid, and shepherded her kids back into the car.
"Hey, get out of it! Everyone will be here soon, and then you can eat," Piper said, batting away Leo's hand as he picked a tomato out of the salad.
Leo grinned and leaned over the counter for a quick kiss. "Sorry hon. I can wait. I wonder where the kids are anyway, they should be back any minute."
"Yeah, I'm so glad that Wyatt is finally old enough to take Chris and Mel trick or treating this year," Piper replied. Just as she finished her sentence, they heard the sound of the front door swinging open and the stampede of small feet heading towards the kitchen.
"Dad, check it out!" Chris called out excitedly as he raced into the kitchen, brandishing his bag forward so his father could see.
Chris was trailed closely by Melinda and Wyatt, each holding their goodies. "C'mon Chris, let's see what we can trade," Wyatt said, and the two boys hurried off into the conservatory. Before Piper had a chance to ask her daughter how she enjoyed trick or treating, the doorbell rang.
"Probably some trick or treaters," Piper said as she wiped her hands on a cloth. As she headed into the front hall, she could hear Melinda telling Leo all about her night. She pulled the heavy door open, and on the threshold stood Paige, her husband Henry and their three kids – the twins looking all the more identical in matching Dorothy outfits, whilst little Henry wore a batman costume.
As Piper hugged them all and they came inside, a voice called out from the street. Piper glanced up to see Phoebe getting her youngest daughter Lara out of the baby seat in the back of the car whilst Coop and their two other daughters headed up the driveway.
"Hey guys, come on in," Piper called, holding the door open for them to come inside.
"Aunty Piper, do you like my dress?" asked Phoebe's middle daughter, Emily, as she spun in a circle to show off her sparkly fairy dress and wings.
"Very beautiful, sweetie," Piper replied, grinning. "Want to go show it to Mel and the twins? They're all in the conservatory."
Emily beamed and raced off to find the other kids, her elder sister hot on her heels.
"Here Piper, where do you want the food?" Coop asked, nodding to the dishes that he and Paige were each holding.
"I told you not to bring food, I've cooked plenty. In the kitchen's fine," Piper replied, smiling in thanks. They made their way into the kitchen, placing the dishes onto the bench, and the men headed off into the conservatory with Leo, leaving the three sisters in the kitchen.
Phoebe set baby Lara up in a high chair with some toys, and Piper quickly gave her sisters a few jobs to do. In no time dinner was ready; delicious smells wafting out of the kitchen. As Piper finished the last few touches, Phoebe and Paige carried the dished out to the dining room.
Phoebe had already headed back to the kitchen as Paige was setting the last platter on the table. However, before she could follow her sister she felt a small body wrap around her waist. She glanced down to see an animated Melinda hugging her.
"Hi Auntie Paige! Do you like my costume?" she asked.
"I think you look fabulous. In fact, let's go show your Aunt Phoebe you costume, what do you think?" Paige replied with a smile. The little girl nodded excitedly, and Paige bent down and picked Melinda up. She brought her into the kitchen and set her down on the kitchen bench.
The moment Phoebe's eyes landed on Melinda, she broke into a grin. "My, don't you look wonderful," she gushed to Melinda, making the girl's grin even bigger.
"Did your mommy pick that costume out for you?" Paige asked, glancing over at Piper. Piper had her back turned resolutely to them, fiddling around with the dishes in the sink.
"Nope, I picked it all myself!" Melinda replied proudly. "But mommy said-"
"Okay sweetie, want to go let everyone know dinner is ready?" Piper smoothly interrupted, moving over to her daughter and picking her up off the bench.
"Yup!" Melinda replied eagerly. Piper gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and let her down, watching her run through the doorway. Before her sisters could speak, Piper spun around to face them.
"Not a word. I know exactly what you're thinking, and I don't want to hear it," Piper said firmly, narrowing her eyes at the sly smiles upon her sisters' faces.
"What don't you want to hear, Piper? I was just going to comment to you on Melinda's excellent choice of a Halloween costume this year," Phoebe replied.
"Definitely. Although, I must say I recall a conversation we had a couple days ago, regarding Halloween costumes? How you were telling us what we couldn't let the kids dress up as this year?" Paige added with a grin.
Piper buried her head helplessly into her cloth, groaning. "Alright, alright, I'm a hypocrite, I know it. So please, truce!"
Paige and Phoebe chuckled, and together the sisters headed into the dining room where everyone was taking their places around the table.
Piper sat next to Melinda so she could help the little girl fill her plate.
"Mommy," Melinda began, watching her mother put food on her plate. "You still haven't said what you think of my costume."
Piper sighed slightly, then gave her daughter a hug. "I'm sorry sweetie. I think you look wonderful. I know I didn't want you to get that, but I don't mind anymore. I think you're the best looking little witch ever."
The end