Authors Note: I wrote this story quite a while ago and I'm getting interested in writing again. I'm not sure if I ever published it, I know I didn't do it here. I might have posted in a message board at one point.
This is my version of how Penny meets the girls grandfather. I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Charmed. I am simply borrowing them for this story.
The infectious beat of the music filled the hall as she tapped her feet beneath the table. There was no better place to be at this time. Here, listening to the band play and watching the couples swirl about the dance floor.
"May I have this dance?" A deep voice brought her back to reality.
"Oh hello." She looked up.
"May I have this dance?" He repeated.
"Thank you for asking, but I'd rather listen. Maybe Marianne would like to join you." She replied nudging her cousin next to her.
"Me?" Marianne asked surprised.
"Yes. You."
"That would be swell." He said taking Marianne's hand and leading her to the dance floor.
She spent a moment watching Marianne dance and turned her attention to the band. He was such a wonderful musician. But her real attention was across the room. He was working again. She always loved the music, but this was a big part of the reason same came every Friday night. How she loved watching him work.
"Honey..." She didn't realize the music had stopped. " Would you like something to drink?" Her father asked her.
"Oh, yes sir!" She answered jumping to her feet.
They made their way across the dance floor filled with scattering dancers, running into Marianne on the way.
"Are you thirsty?" She asked Marianne, 'Daddy's buying." She grabbed Marianne's hand as they stepped up to the bar.
'How are you tonight Jack?" Her father asked the bartender.
"Just fine sir." Jack responded, "What can I get for you and these lovely ladies?"
"I'll have an orange juice." Marianne said.
"Same for me."
"And I'll have a tall glass of club soda." Her father added.
"Commin' right up." Jack began to fill the order.
"So are you enjoying the music?"
"Yes sir!" Marianne answered with excitement.
"I always do Daddy."
"Here you go Mr. Johnson." Jack placed the order on the bar. "I'll put this on your tab."
"Thank you Jack." Mr. Johnson handed the girls their drinks and began to walk away.
"Penny, you coming?" Marianne asked as she dragged her cousin away from the bar
"Yes, of course." Penny answered, but not before catching Jack's eye one last time.
"No Penny, you add the water to the flour..."
"I know Mom." Penny grabbed the jar away from her mother and began to add the mixture to the gravy.
"Don't be like that.." her mother scolded 'Cooking is something all mothers teach their daughters and their daughters daughters."
"That's not all you'll teach them!" The room filled with November air as Phoebe Bowen entered the kitchen.
"Aunt Phoebe!" Penny dropped her whisk and ran to hug her favorite aunt. "You came!"
"Wouldn't miss it." Phoebe took off her coat, revealing a bright pink suit, much brighter than any respectable woman would wear in 1948.
"What's the matter Paulette? Not happy to see me?" Phoebe asked her cousin.
"Of course I am. " Paulette answered. "But I really wish you'd leave the magical legacy thing alone."
"It's who we are, what all Warren women are." Phoebe said squeezing Penny's shoulders.
"Penny..." the sound of Gordon Johnson's voice came from the living room of the manor."
"Coming Daddy!" Penny said running out of the kitchen.
Paulette continued to stir the gravy and glared at her cousin.
'What?"
"I really wish you'd stop reminding Penny about our legacy."
"It is our legacy, her legacy, Marianne's legacy."
"And its falling on our daughters. All this pressure to produce the Charmed Ones. It's hard enough to be a teenager in these times."
"Daddy, do you hate us?" Penny asked as he slowly lifted the piano with her power.
"Hate you?" Gordon asked surprised as he retrieved the sheet music from under the piano, " I could never hate you, I love you."
Penny set the piano down gently and turned to her father. "No, I mean do you hate Mom and I for what we are?"
Gordon could tell his daughter was genuinely worried and patted the piano bench next to him. "I don't hate you and you're Mom for being witches." He continued as she sat down, "I rather like it."
"Like it?" Penny asked her mood brightening.
"You're special. You have a wonderful, fascinating gift and you should be proud of it."
"Did you know about Mom before you got married?"
"Where is this coming from?"
"Did you?"
"Yes, I did. She froze me the first time I met her."
"She did?"
"She sure did!" Gordon laughed, "From that point on, I knew my life would never be the normal, but it didn't matter, I loved her and I love you."
"I love you too Daddy." Penny put her head on his shoulder.
This was not the first time she'd had this conversation and she knew it wouldn't be the last, but Phoebe hoped that one day Paulette would let go of the past.
"Paulette, you can ignore what you are, what we are, but I can't. And I refuse to."
"I don't."
"Yes, you do. You have for nearly 25 years."
"Phoebe!"
"Don't Phoebe me! You can't let what happened destroy Penny."
"I am not." Paulette said knocking the turkey off the counter and freezing it before it could hit the ground.
Phoebe grabbed it from mid air and plunked it on the counter. 'We did what we had to do. Peg was seduced by Anton, we had no choice."
"We could have found an alternative."
"She chose evil..."
"I know... I just don't want Penny ...or Marianne to have to make that choice."
"They won't...they're good witches and so are we...this family is destined for greatness...We'll be charmed yet." Phoebe said confidently.
The commotion in the soda shop came to a sudden halt and Penny stopped in her tracks.
"Penny Johnson, where are you going?"
Penny turned around and found her cousin standing amongst the frozen patrons of the shop. "Marianne..you know we shouldn't use our power in public like this..." Penny scolded.
"You sound just like Aunt Paulette!" Marianne replied. "And you should never, ever walk away from a guy that looks at you like that." She pointed to a frozen Jack, he was watching Penny like a love sick puppy.
Penny smiled at her cousin, "He is, isn't he?"
"Now get back to your place and lets get on with it."
Penny scrambled back to her spot and motion returned to the room. She retraced her steps and stood in front of Jack. "Why, Mr. Halliwell...I think any many that looks at me like that should at least take me to the movies."
"Look at you?" Jack was confused, "How? Do you have eyes in the back of your head?"
"Maybe.." Penny said mysteriously, ,"There's a lot of things you don't know about me. " She was surprised by herself. Maybe Aunt Phoebe had rubbed off on her.
"I aim to find out all of your secrets." He answered, "Shall we see Three Musketeers on Saturday night?"
"That would be wonderful. See you at 7 then." Penny turned and began to walk away.
"Wait..." Jack followed her, "I don't know where you live."
"A challenge for you Mr. Halliwell. " Penny told him.
"I love a challenge." Jack called after her as she caught Marianne's arm and left the soda shop.
"Hi Mom... Daddy..." Penny said as she walked into the foyer of the manor, closing the front door with a wiggle of her finger.
"Hi Honey. " Gordon answered looking up from the newspaper.
"I'm going upstairs to do my homework." Penny told them and continued up the stairs.
"What has gotten into her?" Paulette asked her husband after Penny was out of ear shot.
"I'm not sure, but I think she's found a beau." Gordon smiled taking off his glasses.
"A boy." Paulette gasped, "But she's so young!"
"The same age as when we met."
"But..." Paulette stammered, "Who?"
"I think she might be sweet on Jack Halliwell."
"That bartender. From the club?"
"He's a very nice young man. Hard worker."
"He's just a ...bartender..."
"And I'm just a piano player. Calm down Paulette. She'll find her way."
"Found you!" Jack grinned as Penny opened the front door of the manor.
"So you did." Penny let him in. "Very industrious."
"Begged it out of Marianne last night."
"That's cheating!"
"No that's creative." Gordon answered for Jack as he entered the foyer. "Evening Jack."
"Hello Mr. Johnson." Jack extended his hand.
"Where are you kids going tonight?"
"Goin' to see Three Musketeers."
'Good for you..."
Gordon and Jack froze in mid conversation.
"Mom..." Penny whined.
"Shhhhh, it's just for a minute." Paulette replied as she walked around Jack. " Seems clean cut, good teeth, nice smile..."
"Oh Mom!"
"He seems safe enough to me." Paulette finished and went back to the dining room and released the men.
"Paulette?" Gordon asked knowing what had just happened.
"Just making sure.." She said walking up to her husband.
"Hello Mrs. Johnson" Jack greeted her, "I promise I'll have her back by 11 o'clock."
"10:30" Paulette told them.
"Mom..."
"11 and no later. " Gordon said patting his wife on the back.
"It's going to start any minute." Jack said as Penny stood up in the darkened theater.
"I know. " Penny told him, "I'm just going to powder my nose. Be back in a minute."
"Don't be too long.."
Penny walked into the lobby squinted at the bright light. Spending time with Jack was even better than she could have imagined" Aunt Phoebe!" She exclaimed in surprise upon seeing her.
"Be careful" Phoebe warned pulling her into a hallway.
"Be careful? Why?"
"A warlock. I saw him come in here."
'What, you're chasing them now?"
"He almost killed a girl down the street. I chased him here." Phoebe said quietly peeking out into the lobby.
"Why here? Why now?" Penny whined, "I'm on a date!"
"Shhhhh. "
Suddenly the warlock was standing in front of them.
"Penny now!" Phoebe ordered. With a wave of her hand Penny sent the warlock flying down the hallway.
Phoebe blew icy air at him and he froze on the spot. Penny then used her power to shatter him into pieces.
"Good job!" Phoebe told her niece as the warlocks pieces turned to dust and blew away.
"Can I go back to my date now?" Penny told her aunt as she stomped away.
"What took you so long?" Jack stood up, letting Penny by. " You missed the beginning."
"I know I'm sorry. I ran into my Aunt Phoebe..."
"Is this what my life is going to be like?" Penny stood in front of her mother. "Is something as normal as a movie date going to be interrupted by witch business every time?"
"Penny, honey, calm down..."
"No! I want to know. And I want to know now! Is this my life?"
"Penny..."
"Hello all!" Phoebe walked into the kitchen and sensed the tension immediately.
"Phoebe help me talk some sense into her." Paulette begged.
"Talk some sense into me? How can she? She's part of the problem!"
"Penelope Ann Johnson!" Paulette scolded.
"I'm serious mother" Penny continued, "I finally meet someone, someone I want to get to know better and then she drags a warlock on our first date!"
"Penny, its what we are." Phoebe interrupted.
"I know..." Penny said leaving the kitchen, "We're going to be charmed. And I'm not so sure I want to be a witch anymore..."
"Penny, what's going on?"
"Nothing Daddy." Penny answered as she sat on a chair next to him in the club.
"This has been going on for weeks. You and your mom really need to talk about it."
"I don't want to."
"She's worried about you. I'm worried about you. You spend all your time with Jack."
"I like him Daddy. And he likes me. The human side of me. Not magic."
"Is this what this is about?" Gordon suddenly realized the reason for the tension between his wife and only child.
"Hello Mr Johnson." Jack interrupted the conversation.
"Hi!" Penny sprang from the chair.
"Penny, we're not finished here." Gordon told her.
"Yes...we are.." Penny replied, "And you're wrong."
"I don't think so." He called after them.
"Wrong about what?" Jack asked as they walked away.
" A binding spell?" Phoebe looked down on the ancient book that had been in their family for over 200 years. "Are you insane?"
"I'm seriously considering it." Paulette closed the Book of Shadows. "It's destroying us. Penny hasn't spoken to me in weeks." She said sitting on an old rocker.
"Paulette.." Phoebe sat across from her cousin on a trunk. "I don't think you have to take such drastic measures. Some day...some day very soon, she'll appreciate her heritage."
"I hope so..."
"I'm going to be sick.." Penny said, her eyes covered with a blindfold.
"We're almost there.." Jack smiled at her as he turned down the dusty road.
"Where are we? We've been driving forever."
"Almost." Jack put the car into park. "OK we're here." He got out and went to the passenger side of the car and let Penny out. "Ta da!" He said pulling the blindfold off.
'Jack...I don't know what to say..." Penny stammered.
"What do you think?" Jack was very proud of himself.
"It's great.." She said.
"You don't like it."
"It's a ...farm field..." She leaned on the car. "It's a very nice farm field.."
"No Penny.." Jack ran out into the field.."It's a street...a house here.." He jumped in a spot. "a driveway here..no a mailbox..." He went to another spot. "Another house here."
"I see wheat and corn and dirt.."
"Vision Penny" He said, his blue eyes sparkling as he ran up to her, "You need vision."
"Jack...you're..." Penny laughed at him as he grabbed her hand and led her out into the field.
"I'm going to buy this land!" He said with excitement in his voice. "And make it a neighborhood..a sub division."
"You don't like math.."
"But this is the future...this is what we need, houses that people like us can buy. It's my dream Penny.." He said taking her hands. "And I'd like it to be your dream too!"
"Mom..."
"Up here." Phoebe called from the attic. "Paulette..please promise you'll wait before you do something like this."
"It would all be so much easier.."
"And you'd put us, all of us in danger..just wait. Please?"
"All right. I'll wait. For now."
"Ready Mom?" Marianne burst into the attic.
"Yes, let's go.." Phoebe got up and hugged her cousin. " It'll all work out."
"You're so funny Jack." Penny told him as they walked hand in hand through the farm field.
"Funny? Why?"
"You're just cute when you get excited."
"I am" Jack dropped her hand and ran ahead. 'This is the future." He stood on an old building foundation and spread his hands to the sky. "It's a whole new world Penny!"
"OK. I believe you!" She laughed as she walked up to him.
Jack jumped down. "You believe in me?" He said somewhat surprised. " You believe in me.. No one has ever believed in me before."
"I do."
"Penny...I'm going to do something.."
"Do what?"
"Something I never thought I'd do.. don't you dare stop me.."
"Stop you? Why would I stop you?"
"Shhhhh..Penny I don't know what it is, but the moment I met you, I was in love."
"Love..."
"Yes, I love you."
"Oh Jack..." She pulled him to kiss him.
"Don't stop me now... more than anything I want to share my life, my dreams with you. We've only known each other a short time..but it feels right. We feel right. Will you share your life with me? Will you marry me Penny?"
"Oh Jack.." She hugged him crying tears of happiness. "I will. Yes, Jack Halliwell, I will marry you."
"So what do you think of all this?' Phoebe asked her daughter as they walked to their car in the driveway.
"All what?" Marianne asked.
"Penny and Aunt Paulette not talking..and Jack."
"I don't know Mom..."
"Yes, you do. You're like me, you always have an opinion." Phoebe got into the car.
'You might not like it.."
"Tell me." Phoebe said starting the engine.
"It's hard..hard for both of us..this Charmed legacy...it can be so daunting."
"I know..I'm sorry." Phoebe said quietly.
"One of us could have the Charmed Ones..or not...but in the time being we're just..."
"Young women.."
"Please let us enjoy life..grow up and have kids..whatever happens will be destiny."
"She's too young!" Paulette said tensely"And he didn't even ask properly."
"Paulette, she's the same age we were!" Gordon returned the fire.."And there's no rule a man has to ask the father before proposing. I didn't ask yours.'
"He was dead."
"Yes, but don't you see my point? It's nearly the 50s, things are different."
"She's still too young. And how do we know he's not a warlock?"
"If he was he would've tried to kill her by now. " Gordon replied, " Would you please relax and be happy for Penny?"
"No and yes."
"What?"
"I'll never relax and yes, I'll try to be happy for her, but she's still too young."
"Paulette!"
"Oh would you..." Paulette raised her hands and froze him " Let me get in the last word, just once."
"Are you sure this is where you lost it?" Marianne asked Penny as they walked through the grassy field.
"Pretty sure.."
"It's so beautiful here.." Marianne observed as she stopped and looked around.
"It's the most beautiful place on earth" Penny said as she continued to walk through the field. "He proposed right here." She walked over to the old brick foundation. "I think it should be here."
"I hope so, or we're looking for a needle in a haystack."
"There it is!" Penny exclaimed and he bent over to pick up her bracelet. "I found it!"
"Great! " Marianne replied and a moment later her eyes grew wide. "Penny! Watch out!"
"What?" Penny jumped and turned around. Behind here there was an eerie zombie like creature emerging from a hole in the he ground. "Freeze it!" Penny ordered and Marianne obeyed.
"What do you think it is?" Marianne asked as they looked at the creature.
"Never seen one like this before." Penny answered.
"Know what I'm thinking?"
"Book of Shadows and our mothers!"
"And fast!"
They both ran back to the car before the creature unfroze.
"Is Mrs. Johnson real steamed?" Jack asked Gordon as he wiped down the bar.
"Right now she is...but I think she'll come around." Gordon smiled at his future son-in-law.
"I'm real sorry I didn't ask you first..but I got caught up in the moment."
"It's all right Jack, really."
"Good."
The two men say in silence for a few minutes.
"Say Jack...how much has Penny told you about our family?"
"No much." Jack answered, "Just you and Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Johnson's cousin and Marianne."
"That's all?"
"Yep...Is there something I should know, sir?"
"I think so, but Penny should be the one to tell you..."
"Mom!"
"Mom!"
The cousins cried out as they ran in the front door of the manor.
"What is it?" Paulette walked out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel.
"Attic now Mom!" Penny said pulling her up the stairs.
Phoebe joined ran out of the sun room and followed them up the stairs.
"What is it?" Phoebe asked upon joining them in the attic.
"Big..." Penny started.
"Scary..." Marianne continued.
"Yellow skin..."
"Zombie thingie."
"Do you think it was a demon?" Phoebe asked her cousin.
"OK girls.." Paulette took control of the situation, "What did you see?"
"A demon in Jack's field." Penny answered.
"You're sure its a demon, not a ghost?"
"I'm sure Mom."
"We;ve seen a few." Marianne retorted.
"If its a known demon it will be in the book." Phoebe opened the book, "Yellow skinned zombies.." She said holding her hand over the book. The pages began to turn and flip by some unseen hands, stopping on a page. The four witches peered down at the book.
"That's them!" Marianne pointed to a drawing.
"Terrians..." Phoebe read aloud. "Sub demons that inhabit underground tunnels and holes dug by humans. Harmless unless disturbed..."
"Then they turn all that dwells above them to evil.." Paulette continued.
"Evil!" Penny gasped.
"Hello Mr. G." Jack said to the older man as he joined him on the edge of the farm field.
" Hello son." Joe Guittard smiled at the young man. "We could have done this at the bank."
"I know...but I wanted to do it here...so it feels real." Jack replied.
"Let me get the papers..." Joe said opening his car door. "And we'll make this official."
"Great."
"You do know what you're doing...don't you?" Joe set the paperwork on the hood of the Cadillac.
"Yes sir."
"You know that his land had a town on it before the earthquake."
"I know sir..it means it will become a great place to live again."
"All right then.." Joe handed Jack the pen.
"This has got to work.." Penny sighed as her mother stirred the steaming kettle.
"The Book of Shadows has never let us down before." Phoebe reassured her niece.
"Stop worrying.." Paulette pulled her daughter close. 'We'll fix this."
"Thanks Mr. G." Jack waved at him as he drove away. Joe honked his horn in reply.
"I can't believe this is all mine..." Jack said to himself and tossed the papers into the car and began to walk through the field. He turned suddenly, feeling like someone was watching him. "Maybe Mr. G. is right, this place might just be haunted...' He mumbled and kept walking.
"Hurry up!" Marianne yelled from the driveway. "We want to get there before Jack finds out."
"Oh God...he can't know..." Penny thought aloud.
" You'll have to tell him sometime." Paulette told her daughter as they got into the car.
"That's what I'm afraid of."
Jack walked through the tall grass counting out paces, mapping out the streets in his mind. He'd have to have a Penny Lane..that's for sure. And Marie Street, after his mother. How he wanted to share this happy time with her. Suddenly his daydream was broken by an ugly yellow being in front of him.
"What...what the ...?" He yelled as the creature stared at him filling his mind with horrible thoughts.
"Turn here!" Penny ordered as they veered off the main road.
"There!" Marianne added pointing.
"Oh my God!" They gasped as they saw Jack in the distance standing in front of the Terrain.
"Freeze them!" Phoebe ordered. On command, both Paulette and Marianne raised their hands stopping time.
"Now what?" Marianne asked as they walked to the frozen forms.
"We need to get Jack away from it. " Phoebe explained. " Penny..."
"Huh?" Penny was looking at Jack. She didn't like the look in his eyes. "They're turning him."
"Penny, move Jack now!" Paulette ordered her daughter.
Penny waved her hand and gently picked up Jack, setting him down a few hundred yards away. Phoebe tossed a bottle of the potion they had created at the feet of the Terrain and it screamed in pain as it evaporated into a yellow mist.
"That's one...we need to get rid of the rest of them.." Phoebe said.
The four witches stood in a half circle and recited words taken from their ancient family book. Like flowers emerging from the ground, the demons began to rise from the field. As each one emerged, Marianne froze them.
"OK are we ready for this?" Phoebe asked.
"I think so." Penny replied.
One by one Phoebe tossed the bottles of potion in the air. Marianne froze them and Penny exploded them only to be frozen again. In a few minutes their was a frozen mist of potion spread across the field.
"Ready?" Paulette asked her daughter.
"Yes...Now!" Penny said with more strength than she knew she had. In an instant Paulette unfroze the potion and with a sweep of her hand, Penny sent it raining down on the Terrians, evaporating them all.
"Good work!" Phoebe said as the last one disappeared.
"Jack!" Penny ran over to him. She watched as the evil look in his eyes melted and he was released from the freeze.
"Penny...what..what are you doing here? What happened?"
"Shhh...they're gone." Penny told him.
"What were they? How?" Jack looked around at the witches. "What are you?"
"Jack...there's something I need to tell you..." She took his hand and led him away from the others.
"Do you think he'll understand?" Marianne asked.
"I hope so." Phoebe continued the thought.
"If he loves her...he will..." Paulette replied.
"You're..."
"You heard me right...witches..." Penny told him.
"All of you?"
'Yes..all of us.."
"Your dad said you needed to tell me something..but I never imagined."
"I love you Jack..and I hope in spite of all this you can still find it in your heart to love me."
Jack looked at her family across the field from them. They had just saved his life. He turned back to Penny, her brown eyes looking at him hopefully, filled with love.
"You live in a strange world Penny Johnson..."
"Jack, you don't have to decide now..."
"But yes," He continued, " Yes, I will always love you."
"You will?"
"Yes, I will." He took her in his arms and swung her around.
"Looks like you have a son-in-law." Phoebe told her cousin, as they watched the couple.
Paulette smiled, "And I couldn't be happier."
"I love you Penny."
"I love you too Jack."
He took her hand and they started back across their field of dreams.
Note: There's a few more stories in this series. I'd appreciate feedback if you would like me to put the other ones out there.
Thanks for reading.