Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed nor do I make any profit from this piece of fiction.
Fortunate Encounters
March 2, 2019
Bianca could barely remember a time she wasn't disgusted with herself. Right now was no exception. Sitting on a park bench, unwilling to go home and face her mother, she stared at her hands with dissociative horror. They were nice hands, small, delicate but for the calluses. And they were drenched in blood. Not real blood, of course. She was far too professional to let a single drop touch her skin. But she could still see it, still feel it, on her hands and on her heart.
"Such a pretty lady should never look so sad."
Bianca's heart thundered in her chest. How had someone come so close without gaining her attention? She looked up and saw a boy with dark brown hair and green eyes standing a few feet away. Physically he looked younger than her, but something in his eyes bespoke age and suffering. Bianca put her far hand on the bench and conjured an athame in case this was a demon prepared to attack her.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
"Well, you don't look sad anymore, so I suppose it counts as an improvement," he said lightly.
Bianca narrowed her eyes. This was San Francisco. No one walked up to a random stranger in the park and tried to make them feel better. Not unless they were psychotic, or had a death wish. He didn't look crazy, but then, she didn't look like your typical assassin.
"Go away, kid," she said.
"Chris," he responded instantly.
"What?"
"I'm not just a kid," he said. "My name is Chris."
Bianca rolled her eyes. "You look like a kid to me, Chris."
His delight lit his face, which Bianca felt oddly pleased to know she had caused. Then he smiled mischievously. Bianca knew this kid would bring her no end of trouble, and she was weirdly ready to meet it all the same.
"I didn't say I wasn't a kid. But I'm not any random kid either. My name's Chris. What's yours?"
She didn't even hesitate. "My name is Bianca."
Chris grinned in response, a real, happy smile this time. Bianca felt a small smile appear on her lips. It immediately disappeared as she frowned, trying to figure out why she was so happy. All this kid had to do was smile at her and she was grinning like a fool. Her mother would be horrified.
She deserves to be horrified now and then, thought Bianca. She banished her dagger and gestured to the empty seat beside her.
"Wanna sit?" she asked.
Chris nodded and plopped down on the bench beside her. With a critical eye, Bianca studied his posture. He didn't slouch but looked relaxed regardless. Both feet were planted solidly on the ground. One hand was on his knee and the other arm, the one closer to her, was resting on the back of the bench. Bianca was willing to bet he could jump or roll out of the way if there was an attack. Not that there would be an attack of some sort. He was just a mortal kid, and nobody knew she was here.
Bianca tried to relax and found that it wasn't hard at all.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Chris waved his hand to indicate the other side of the park. "My grandpa lives over there. It's not too far from my school, so I stop by every day to see him. I was just walking through."
Bianca tried to ignore the disappointment rising in her chest. She had never laid eyes on the kid before today. He had no reason to walk around looking for her.
"But then I saw you and I thought…" He trailed off.
"You thought what?" asked Bianca.
"I thought you needed someone to talk to," Chris said, blush rising. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."
Bianca felt a matching blush bloom on her face. She told herself it was because she was irritated that a mortal thought she needed his pity. But she really didn't feel that way.
"So Chris, how old are you?" Bianca asked to change subjects.
"I'm fifteen."
He was too young for her to flirt with without someone raising a fuss. It was unfortunate because he would be real looker in few years. She had always had a thing for green-eyed boys, ever since she was small. Bianca shook her head, furious with herself for thinking about it so much.
"It that a problem?" asked Chris innocently.
"It is for what I want," Bianca muttered under her breath. Louder she said, "Hardly."
He smiled again and Bianca felt her insides melting. Before she could bring herself to admit to any highly inappropriate feelings, her phone rang. It was her mother. Bianca grimaced and pushed herself off the bench.
"I'm afraid I have to go," she said bitterly.
Chris sighed and stood up. "Yeah, I'm running late too."
Bianca felt her heart twist. She did not want to go face her mother, did not want to admit to the weakness she still felt after fulfilling a contract. As odd as it was, she wanted to stay and talk or to simply be with this boy.
"I guess I'll see you around," she said.
"Like I said, I'm here every day," offered Chris.
He held out his hand. Amused, Bianca offered hers to shake. He grabbed it, but before she could react, much less threaten him with an energy ball, he pressed a chaste kiss to the back of her hand. Then he was off, racing away and waving over his shoulder at the same time.
"Later, Bianca," he called.
Shocked and pleased, Bianca watched him go. "Definitely," she told herself. She looked at her hand and smiled.
(Begin.)