Hey guys! So I have been playing around with this story for quite some time. I have a good bit of it written already, but it is still a work in progress. I'm pretty pumped about this story, and I'm going to do my best to keep it updated on a regular basis. However, I am in school, so forgive me if I can't keep that promise.
This story picks up a few days after "A Chance Worth Taking" leaves off. Just as a refresher course, here are some of the events leading up to this story: Mel, Dean, Peyton, and Sam were trying to stop the breaking of the 66 Seals, to keep the Apocalypse from happening. However, they were unable to do so, and Sam actually broke the last seal, setting Lucifer free. (Borrowed from SPN's Season 4.) Mel and Dean are married now. Sam and Peyton's relationship is incredibly fragile, but they're working on it.
I might need to up the rating on this in a few chapters. I'm going to be following SPN Season 5 in this story, and if you've watched it, you saw how dark it got. Of course, I'm tweaking the stories a bit to add Mel and the Haliwells in, but still. Hope you enjoy reading, and hey: Review! I love, love, love reading them! As always...
**Nothing from Charmed or Supernatural belongs to me.**
Chapter One
"Hello? Anyone home?"
Melinda Halliwell Winchester walked in the front door of her family's Manor, a big smile on her face. She removed her sunglasses, putting them on top of her head as her husband, Dean, walked in right behind her, his arms full of suitcases and bags.
"Don't worry, Mel. I got this."
She turned back, flashing him a smile that made his stomach begin to burn.
"I know you do. My big, strong husband."
Dean cleared his throat, setting the bags in by the door and turning back to get the rest of their things from the car. Melinda set her purse down by the door, calling out again.
"Hello? Mama? Daddy?"
She heard a yelp from the kitchen, and Melinda hurried there, letting out a squeal when she saw her mother and aunt. Piper Halliwell rushed to get up from the table, wrapping Melinda in her arms.
"Oh, my dear, sweet baby!"
"Hey, Mama."
Melinda laughed as her mother covered her face with kisses.
"Okay, Mom. Mom. Mama, I can't breathe!"
"I have just missed you so much, my darling little girl."
"Piper, come on. She's married now."
"Doesn't matter."
Melinda laughed, but Piper finally let her go. And at that point, Phoebe Halliwell jumped up, hurrying around the table to hug her niece.
"Look how tan you are!"
Melinda smiled.
"That island was so wonderful. Nothing to worry about, no demons attacking, nothing but the sun, the sand, the drinks, and my husband."
Phoebe and Piper smiled, and Phoebe bumped Piper with her hip.
"Our baby's got a husband now, Pipes."
"Isn't that something?"
Melinda rolled her eyes as Dean walked in the kitchen. Phoebe and Piper smiled, going over to hug and fuss over him. He smiled and laughed, hugging them back, still trying to get used to the idea of a family, and a big one at that. He walked over and kissed Melinda, moving to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her shoulder. Phoebe shook her head.
"I'm so jealous. Look how tan they are!"
They laughed, and Leo Wyatt, Melinda's dad, walked into the kitchen. He stopped when he saw Dean and Melinda, who patted her husband's arm before walking to her dad.
"Hi, Daddy."
Leo wrapped Melinda in his arms.
"When did you get back?"
"Because he certainly wasn't out in that garage, watching and waiting for you."
Leo and Melinda turned to Piper, Leo giving her a look that made her laugh, Melinda smiling at her. Piper held up her hands, turning towards the coffeepot. Leo ran his hands through Melinda's hair, cupping her face in his hands.
"Still gorgeous, even after a week at the beach."
"Gorgeous and so tan."
"Aunt Phoebe's envious."
Leo laughed, pressing a kiss to Melinda's forehead before moving to shake his new son-in-law's hand.
"Good to see you, Dean."
"You too, Leo."
Melinda stood back, and Piper ran her hand over her daughter's hair.
"All right. You two, sit. We want to hear all about the island."
Melinda looked over to Dean, who gave her a smile. Because of the soul bond they shared, they were able to read each other's thoughts. And right then, both of them were thinking the same thing, and it was nowhere near appropriate to tell Melinda's family. Dean cleared his throat.
"Hey, Leo. Do you think we could do a little check-up on the Impala?"
Leo smiled.
"Absolutely."
Melinda shook her head.
"Anything to get away from girl talk?"
Dean smiled at her.
"Uh, yeah."
They laughed, and Dean kissed Melinda, Leo kissed Piper, before the men made their way outside. Phoebe took Melinda's hand, leading her over to the table, while Piper set up a kettle for tea.
"So how did you get back?"
Melinda smiled.
"Phoenix came and got us, actually. She teleported us to some parking lot, where Chris had the Impala waiting for us. You know how Dean is about his Baby. I had to let them have a minute alone before he drove us home."
Piper and Phoebe nodded, laughing quietly. Piper got up when the tea kettle started to whistle, and they all looked towards the door when they heard it open and shut.
"Okay, three stores later, and here are your strawberries. I am … Mel?"
Melinda smiled as her cousin Peyton, Phoebe's daughter and Melinda's very best friend, walked into the kitchen. She set her grocery bag on the counter and Melinda got up from the table, walking around it to wrap Peyton in a hug.
"Melly, I missed you!"
"I missed you too, Peyt."
"Look how tan you are! I'm so jealous."
Melinda laughed, bringing Peyton over to sit beside her. Piper walked over to the table with cups and the tea kettle. Phoebe turned to Melinda with a smile on her face.
"All right, spill. We want to know everything."
"Okay, maybe not everything."
Melinda laughed at her mother.
"I'm not going to tell you everything. But I will tell you that if you ever get a chance, you have to go to that island. It was so beautiful. The sand is like sugar, so soft and white. The water … My god, the water was so clear, we could see down to the bottom. It was a perfect turquoise blue, and I swear, it looked just like a postcard."
The girls all let out a sigh, and Melinda smiled.
"I know."
"So you did step out of the bedroom then?"
Melinda let out a laugh, as her cheeks began to burn. Her aunt and her mother laughed as well, and Peyton just grinned.
"Shut up, Peyton."
Peyton laughed, and Melinda turned to her mother.
"Where's Kate? I missed her so much."
Piper smiled. The bond between Melinda and her newfound niece was still hard for Piper to believe. She knew her daughter had a big heart, but she continuously surprised her again and again.
"Kate went to a class downtown. Kind of a day-camp thing? We've got to go pick her up … Soon, actually."
"Oh, let me. That would be a nice surprise, huh?"
Piper smiled and nodded. Melinda stood up and Peyton followed her.
"I'll go with you, show you where it is."
Melinda looked over at Peyton, who met her eyes and then looked away. Melinda smiled.
"Sounds good. We're taking your car, then."
Peyton nodded as Melinda bent to kiss her mother and aunt. Peyton did the same and they walked outside. Melinda waited until they were in the car, then turned to Peyton.
"All right, spill."
"What?"
"Come on, Halliwell, out with it."
"Mel, I—"
"Don't try to lie to me. There's something you want to tell me. Now, what is it?"
Peyton let out a sigh as she drove out of the Manor's driveway. She was quiet for a minute, chewing on her lip. When they stopped at the stop sign, Peyton put both hands on the wheel, looking straight ahead.
"I slept with Sam."
"What?!"
Peyton put the car in park and covered her face with her hands. Melinda turned in her seat, staring at her cousin.
"Peyton Penelope Halliwell, what the hell are you talking about?"
Peyton sighed again, letting her hands drop, closing her eyes.
"After you and Dean left, the party kind of trickled off. Everyone went home, and Sam and I were really drunk. I didn't want him to drive, so I teleported us to his hotel room. And since we were so drunk, we needed a second to recover, and one thing lead to… yada, yada, yada."
Melinda just sat in the seat, her mouth open. After a few minutes, Peyton blew out a breath.
"Please say something."
Melinda shook her head.
"Peyton, you were going to take it slow."
"I know."
"Well, that's kind of the opposite of taking it slow, don't you think?"
"Don't you think I know that?!"
Peyton shook her head.
"I didn't mean for it to happen, Mel. It just did."
"That is usually how it goes…"
Melinda sat back in the seat as a car honked behind them. Peyton sighed and drove away, in silence for a minute. Melinda bit the inside of her cheek, glancing over to Peyton.
"Well, was it any good?"
"Shut up, Mel."
Melinda smiled.
"So it was good."
Peyton let out a groan, and Melinda smiled wider.
"That good?"
"God, Mel! Yes, okay? It was as good as it has always been, if not better."
"Peyton, you dog."
"Oh, shut up."
"Here I am, thinking that I'm the one who's supposed to be … well, you know. And, come to find out, you're here bumping uglies with Sammy."
"Melinda, I am begging you. Shut the hell up."
Melinda laughed.
"I'm sorry, Peyt. Really, I am. But come on. Don't get so worked up over this. It's kind of natural, isn't it?"
"Mel, I—"
"Well, I mean…"
Melinda let out a sigh.
"I don't really know what I mean."
Peyton smiled.
"I know. I … I know."
Melinda looked out the windshield.
"Where is he now?"
Peyton closed her eyes for a second, at the red light, then opened them.
"He left, on … On the morning after."
"He left?"
Peyton nodded, unable to look at Melinda, unable to see the sorrow she felt from her cousin.
"He wrote me a letter that made me cry and slipped out while I was sleeping."
Melinda nodded.
"He probably thought it would be better that way."
"Yeah, he did."
Peyton let out a sigh, and Melinda bit her bottom lip.
"Have you talked to him since…?"
Peyton shook her head.
"I thought about texting him … A thousand or so times."
"You should. I think he'd … Well, I …"
Peyton let out a laugh.
"Yeah, I know. It's … complicated."
"And that's putting it lightly."
Peyton pulled over, putting the car in park.
"Okay. Here's where Katie is. Right through those doors."
Melinda smiled at her, climbing out of the car. She tapped on the window, and Peyton rolled it down.
"You know it's going to be okay, right?"
Peyton smiled, nodding. Melinda winked at her, then turned away, walking inside. Peyton climbed out of the car and let out a long breath. She closed her eyes, feeling the wind as it blew through her hair. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, looking down, running her fingers across the screen. She unlocked it, clicked on her Messages icon. She very nearly typed out a message, but she sighed, exiting the Messages and putting her phone to sleep. And the second she did, a message came through.
I miss you. Just thought you should know.
From Sam Winchester. Peyton let out a sigh, running a hand through her hair. She closed her eyes, then went ahead and listened to her heart, typing out a short response.
I miss you, too. I'll call you soon.
Peyton tossed her phone through the window of the car and leaned up against it. She reached into the car, grabbing her sunglasses and slipping them on her face.
Melinda stood by the doors, waiting and watching. When she saw the flash of a long brown braid, a smile spread across her face. She hung back, watching as Kate glanced around, looking for someone to come and get her. When she looked down towards the door, spotting Melinda, her little face went confused, then lit up with a smile. She took off running, a little backpack bouncing on her back until she reached Melinda. Melinda knelt down, catching Kate in her arms with a laugh.
"Hey there, princess!"
"Aunt Melinda, I missed you!"
"I missed you too, munchkin. You didn't have too much fun without me, did you?"
Kate shook her head, squeezing Melinda as hard as she could. Melinda smiled, rubbing her hand up and down Kate's back. She stood up, holding Kate in her arms as she walked out of the building. She walked over to Peyton's car, and Peyton smiled.
"Hey, there's my little buddy!"
Kate pulled back from Melinda, smiling at Peyton.
"Hey, Aunt Peyton."
Peyton smiled, wrinkling her nose at Kate, and Kate made an identical face back at her. Melinda laughed, pulling Kate closer to kiss her cheek. She walked around the car, opening the back door and letting Kate climb in. Melinda glanced up, freezing.
Across the street, staring back at her, was a man. He was tall, his light brown hair flowing nearly to his shoulders. He was wearing all black, staring at Melinda in such a way that a chill rolled up her spine.
"Aunt Melinda?"
Melinda blinked, and the man was gone. She looked around a minute, a funny look on her face.
"Mel."
Melinda looked over to Peyton, who had a worried look on her face.
"Are you okay?"
Melinda looked back to where the man had been, still seeing nothing. Peyton glanced back where Melinda was looking, then over to her cousin.
"Mel, what is it?"
Melinda looked back to Peyton, shaking her head.
"Nothing."
"Are you sure? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Melinda smiled, looking down at Kate, who was sitting on her knees, looking up at Melinda.
"I'm fine. Just … Nothing."
She reached down, running a finger down Kate's nose, making her smile. Kate sat back in the seat, buckling herself in. Peyton nodded, climbing in the car, buckling her seatbelt, starting up the car. Melinda looked around one more time, letting out a breath, then climbed into the car.
Peyton pulled into the driveway of the Manor, barely able to put the car in park before Kate was trying to get out. Melinda opened the door and Kate shot out, taking off running in search of her Uncle Dean. Peyton and Melinda just smiled, heading inside. Peyton stopped off at the kitchen, but Melinda went right up to the attic. She made her way to the stand where the Book of Shadows sat, and held her hands on the edges of the stand. She closed her eyes, letting out a long breath.
She opened the Book, flipping through the pages. The man she had seen had seemed strangely familiar, and she just couldn't figure out why. She thought perhaps she had seen him in the Book. She murmured under her breath.
"Okay, who is this guy? Not Belthazor. He's dead. Not Shax. He's dead. The Trok demon? What the hell is a … Ew. Well, not him. Not a … How in the hell do you even say that? … Well, not him, either."
She flipped a few more pages, seeing a spell on one page before looking to the opposite page.
"Oh my … No."
Melinda's breath caught in her throat, and she swore her heart had stopped.
"No."
She slowly read the information on the page twice, looking up as her breath came faster and faster. She looked to the door, then took off at a run.