A Match made in Heaven
A timer went 'ding', catching Piper's attention. She glared at the mechanism, silently cursing it for making its announcement so loudly. She donned oven mitts and pulled out the top layer of a four tiered cake. Spinning expertly around she placed it on a rack to cool. Piper sighed, wiping at her cheeks. She hadn't done this much baking in a long time. And keeping it a secret from Phoebe was even harder. The door swung open and Leo walked in, Chris on his shoulders, Wyatt following behind them. Piper jumped and tired very unsuccessfully to hide the cake layers.
"Are you alright Piper?" Leo asked as he situated 18-month-old Chris in his high chair.
"Yeah, I just thought you were Phoebe," Piper scolded.
"Right, well she and Coop are out buying rings I think," Leo responded, reaching into a cabinet to get out a bowl and some warm cereal.
"I'm just a little nervous ok," Piper remarked, giving the frosting a stir before she began to spread it on the top of the bottom layer.
"Relax a little. Everything is going to be fine. It's not like we have to worry about a guest list. The Angel of Destiny is going to be performing the ceremony. What could go wrong?" Leo commented, giving his wife of five years a kiss on the cheek.
"Leo that is probably the stupidest question you could ask in this family," Piper muttered.
"I don't think demons are going to interfere, Piper. They don't' seem to want anything to do with us right now." He stuck his finger in the frosting.
"Hey! No fingers in the frosting, mister," she ordered, slapping his hand away with the handle of the spatula.
"Hello, anybody home?" Paige called from the foyer. Henry shut the door behind her.
"Yeah, Piper, Leo and the kids are in the kitchen," Billie answered as she walked by, carrying a lace table runner. She looked a little bummed.
"What's up with you?" Paige asked, following the blond into the dining room.
"It's nothing. Just, I have to decorate the house without magic and it sucks," Billie complained.
"Two words," Paige said with a smile.
"Personal gain."
"Yeah, I know. But do you think you could orb down the rest of the table settings? Please?" the young witch begged.
"Oh, alright. Table settings," Paige called out, the box appearing in her hands in a swirl of blue and white orbs.
"Thanks Paige. You're the best," Billie thanked, taking the box out of the other witch's hands.
"I'll wait in here, make sure they don't show up unexpectedly," Henry told Paige, kissing her lightly on the lips.
Shaking her head, Paige wandered into the kitchen to find her oldest sister carefully frosting the top layer of Phoebe's cake. Wyatt was watching intently, being very good not to stick his finger in the bowl until his mother was done.
"Looks good," Paige praised.
"Thanks. No one mentions this to Phoebe," Piper instructed, eying her youngest sister.
"Why not? She knows she's getting married today," Paige asked, acting dense.
"The cake Paige! Don't mention the cake!" Piper railed, setting the plastic bride and groom in the center.
"Ok, ok. Don't take my head off," the whitelighter muttered.
"Mommy, I lick the bowl now?" Wyatt piped up, looking hopeful.
"Go ahead. Not too much though. I don't want you to get sick," Piper answered, turning to the mound of dishes.
"Geez. Did you use every pot and pan in the kitchen?" came Billie's voice.
"Did you finish setting everything up?" Piper asked, ignoring Billie's snide remark.
"Yeah. It's all done. What's left?"
"We have to hide the cake."
"We could orb it to the South Pole in a box with bear repellant," Paige suggested with a laugh.
"Help me move things in the fridge," Piper ordered, beginning to pull butter containers, jars of jam and cartons of eggs off the shelves to make room.
Paige, Billie and Leo joined her, rearranging and rearranging the entire contents of the fridge until Piper was satisfied that the cake would be safe. Just as Piper was drying the final pan, the front door squeaked open. She hurriedly put it back where it belonged, stowing the drying rag under the sink. Henry appeared in the doorway.
"They're here," he announced.
Everyone scrambled to the living room. Leo put Chris in his play pen and Wyatt picked up a coloring book. Billie sat next to him, picking up the box of crayons and offering them to the three-year-old. The married couples took seats on the couch just in time as Phoebe and Coop walked in.
"Hi," Phoebe greeted, looking around the room, seeing how planned they all looked.
"Hi sweetie. How was ring shopping?" Piper inquired.
"Fine. What's going on?" Coop asked, looking at Leo and Henry with a raised brow.
"Nothing. We're just relaxing, watching the kids play," Henry answered hurriedly.
"Ok. Come on. Time to get you all dressed," Piper said, ushering her sister out of the room and promptly up the stairs. Paige and Billie followed quickly.
"Women," Henry said with a shrug.
"I never thought I'd see the day I, a cupid, got married," Coop mused, looking overjoyed.
"Well you know, it's not forbidden love," Leo said, smiling.
Upstairs, Phoebe sat, staring into the mirror, wearing the dress she had married Dex in earlier that year. She thought back to the times he'd spent with him and tried not to cry, fearing she'd ruin her makeup.
"What's wrong hon?" Paige asked, seeing Phoebe's eyes shine.
"Nothing. I just can't believe I'm getting married…for technically the third time," Phoebe murmured.
They grew quiet as Piper finished her sister's hair. Once Phoebe was ready, they got dressed in their best outfits.
"Leo can you get the kids ready?" Piper called down the stairs as she fastened gold chandelier earrings in.
"Sure," he answered and footsteps were heard on the stairs.
Within the hour all were ready and milling about. They weren't sure exactly when the Angel of Destiny would show up.
"Mommy look," Wyatt called, pointing to a floating ball of light coming through the window.
The Angel of Destiny appeared, dressed in white flowing robes, accenting her dark hair and skin. She smiled warmly at the assembled group. Piper gripped Leo's hand instinctively, still fresh from the ordeal in which she'd lost him twice to this woman.
"Are you ready?" she asked, addressing the bride and groom. They nodded
"Then let us go," she said and the entire group disappeared, reappearing in the Great Hall of Magic School.
A raised platform stood in the middle of the room. The Angel of Destiny stood there, summoning Phoebe and Coop to her. The rest of the guests gathered around to watch. Piper wiped her eyes as best she could while holding Chris as Phoebe said her vows. Wyatt swung Leo's hand back in forth impatiently as he watched the second wedding in his life.
"Coop, do you take Phoebe to be your wife, to have and to hold until death do you part?" the Angel asked.
"I do," he answered.
"I do," Phoebe replied with a teary smile.
Everyone clapped as the couple shared their first kiss as husband and wife. After being thanked profusely, the Angel of Destiny departed and the group was left to their own devices. Since it was mid afternoon and too early for dinner, they were going to move right to dessert. They orbed back to the Manor and Piper narrowly avoided Phoebe entering the kitchen.
"Go on. Go get changed," she said, shoving her sister out.
"And bring your appetite down with you," Paige called after her.
"We aren't eating dinner until later," Phoebe remarked, turning around to face Paige.
"Well what about dessert?"
"Paige!" Piper yelled.
"Sorry," Paige murmured, covering her face with her hands.
"Just go," Piper begged of Phoebe.
Phoebe disappeared upstairs for about ten minutes. That gave Piper enough time to get the cake out and set it on the middle of the table runner in the dining room. Piper gave Paige a disappointed look. The whitelighter shrugged. Phoebe walked in and her eyes bulged.
"My God! Piper did you make that?" she asked in awe.
"Yes. No big deal," she said, hugging her sister.
"It looks amazing," she breathed.
With that, Piper handed Phoebe the cake cutter and together, she and Coop cut into the bottom layer. After everyone had a piece, Henry raised his champagne glass.
"I'd like to make a toast. To Phoebe and Coop. May their marriage be as strong and amazing as their love," he said.
"To Phoebe and Coop," they echoed, clinking glasses. Even Wyatt raised his cup with a grin on his face. Phoebe bent down and picked up her nephew, clinking her glass against his.