A/N: Second chapter is up! Also, just for clarification, this is a world where Piper never closed the club/opened a restaurant
"The baby will be fine. She's sleeping and if she wakes I'll be the first to know. I'm always sensing out for her." Wyatt assured Veronica. He kissed the top of her head and held her close, never wanting to let go. This family was his whole world. Veronica looked back at the crib and smiled. The mother nodded and pulled apart. "Come on, I think your parents are here."
"Alright, if you say so." She trusted the father of her child to lead. He offered his hand and they walked downstairs .The couple walked into a living room filled with most of the family. Everyone but Mom. Wyatt thought. Phoebe entered from the kitchen, walking up behind Coop, who sat at the table. She massaged his shoulders and listened to the conversation happening between Chris, Mel and Leo.
"I just don't think it's right. Call me old fashion, but-" Leo started. Wyatt rolled his eyes.
"You're not old fashion, Dad. You're just old." Chris corrected. Melinda snickered. "Do I prefer to pay on a date? Yeah, I do and I'll offer ever time, but if she asked me out and she wants to pay, I don't feel threatened by it. Just like I'd want to treat someone out."
"I think when me and Mel go out the meal should be free. Since we're both women and incapable of picking up a check." Margo piped in, causing everyone to laugh. Mel sent a loving glance towards her girlfriend.
"Alright, I get it. I'm old and out of touch with the dating scene." Leo surrendered. "But before anyone makes any assumptions I'd like you to know that it was your mother who made the first move all those years ago."
"Yeah?" Wyatt wondered, impressed. Phoebe nodded.
"Yup, and you know what? I still picked up the check." Leo smirked with teary eyes, remembering the happy days.
"Oh shoot!" Paige shouted from the kitchen.
"Honey, is everything okay?" Henry called back in a deep concerning voice.
"I forgot to let the bread raise." She confessed, holding out flat bread.
"Mazel tov?" Chris raised his wine glass and everyone followed in the toast.
"Oh, sweetie, don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll all survive." Sheila reassured. "Now, where is my adorable little granddaughter?"
"We just put her down, Mom." Veronica greeted her mother with a kiss to the cheek. Sheila looked disappointed, so her daughter lightened the mood. "Hey, why don't you tell everyone about the exciting news?"
"Exciting news?" Phoebe sat down besides her husband to listen.
"Oh, why don't we wait until everyone gets here? Mikey and DJ went to pick up Paige's kids from practice." Sheila said shyly. She was blushing.
"Please, they probably already know by now. If you don't tell them I will." Veronica folded her arms over her chest, giving her mom a look.
"Oh, alright." She looked over at Darryl, knowing it was his news as well, and clasped her hands together. "We've decided to move back to San Francisco to be closer to the baby."
"Ahh!" Phoebe squealed. "I knew it!"
"Shh, Patty's sleeping." Wyatt reminded. Paige gave her old friends a hug.
"I'm so happy for you guys."
"Have you started looking around yet?" Chris asked. "I just closed out my old apartment a few months ago if you want the name of my realtor. She was great."
"Yeah, that would be helpful." Darryl sat next to Chris to get more information. They began discussing real estate before the rest of the family arrived.
"Warning, I smell disgusting!" A teenager proclaimed before entering, covered in mud and sweaty soccer clothes. Wyatt laughed at his mid calves tan line.
"Hey, leave your bags by the door and go shower. I brought clothes for you, they're upstairs." Paige told. Henry Jr saluted his mom and ran upstairs, detouring the party. Kat walked in with wet hair, but otherwise dressed for dinner.
"I showered after practice, but I think I still smell like chlorine." Kat shrugged and started greeting her family.
"I smell like cologne." Mikey teased them and hugged his mom.
"Hey, son. Where's your brother?" Darryl wondered.
"He forgot something in the car, he should be right in." Mikey explained. "Is that Chris? My man, damn it's been a long time."
"Hey," Chris stood up and did their short "secret" handshake before bringing his friend into a hug. They hadn't seen each other much since the funeral. Chris felt guilty, knowing that fell on him for isolating himself in his time of grief. He had been avoiding Mikey and DJ since they reminded him too much of his mom, having grown up together. They were practically family, only Chris felt less bad shutting them out than his immediate relatives. "How've you been?"
"Good, good. Me and Lorie are thinking about getting a place together."
"Look at you." Chris smiled, happy for him. "That's great to hear. Congrats."
"Thank you, thank you." Mikey took a small bow. "And you? I heard you officially took over your mom's club. How's it been?"
"Crazy. Ya know, I didn't realize how much stuff she still did when I was managing, but it's great. I mean, I've got bands I never thought would come." He explained. "I have to admit though, I've been swamped."
"Too much work is better than not enough." Leo encouraged. Phoebe snapped and pointed at Leo.
"True." She agreed. Darryl Jr walked in just as the timer for the lasagna went off. "Oh, good. Perfect timing. Come on in!"
"Hey, everyone!"
"What up, Doc?" Mel ran up and gave him a hug. Darryl Jr playfully messed up her hair. "Hey!"
"You know you love me." The dentist gave her a fake wink and Mel rolled her eyes.
"How you doing?" Wyatt shook his old friend, and brother in law's, hand.
"Me? I'm all right. My partner's being a pain in the ass about the office expansion but other than that I can't complain." He smiled. "How's being a new dad?"
"I haven't slept in the last two weeks." Wyatt said, loving every minute of it.
"You haven't slept?" Veronica raised her eyebrows, entering the conversation.
"Sounds about right." Darryl Jr hugged his sister. "Are your girls coming, Phoebe?"
"No, they volunteer for a group on campus that's having a fundraiser this weekend and they had to stay late to get last minute details ready." She explained. "They should be here next week though."
xx
Chris sat back in his chair, watching the dinner in front of him. His younger cousins passionately gossiped who was taking whom to homecoming and their goals for the end of fall sport seasons. Darryl and Sheila continued to rave about their upcoming move, and their sons spoke with Wyatt and Veronica about work. They spoke of mortgages and student loans. The debated security systems and politics. Melinda and Margo joked about professors and complained of looming deadlines for papers and exams. Chris grew unreasonable irritable at their happiness. Their lives seeming untouched by the elephant in the room. He felt isolated in a room of those who claimed to care. Chris picked at his food in silence, knowing it would never taste as good as the meal his mother would have made.
He then overheard his aunts and uncles discussing their children's lives past, present and future. They shared retirement dreams and Chris noticed Leo chiming in only every once in a while with a forced enthusiasm. The elder tried to keep up pretenses, but Chris could see he was hurting, too. He latched onto the image of his father. It provided comfort. Chris felt guilty, but his fathers pain justified his own, and misery loves company. Chris set down his fork and finished his wine. He poured another glass, and like his father faked his way through the remainder of the meal. Chris laughed when appropriate, smiled when warranted and feigned interest in the stories. The harder he tried the more disconnected he felt. Leo caught his son's glazed stare for a moment and knitted his eyebrows, feeling responsible.
xx
"Come on. I'm driving." Paige offered her sleepy nephew. Chris rubbed his eyes and tried to snap back into focus.
"I took my bike." He said, a little out of it. "Do you have a motorcycle license?"
"No, but I do know how to drive my Toyota and which street your building's on." She helped him stand up from the couch.
"I've got to drive. I can't leave it." He decided, patting his pockets for keys. Paige rolled her eyes and held them in front of his face.
"You aren't driving anything tonight." Henry ordered, taking Paige's side.
"I'm fine. Really." Chris lied. "It's a few a few miles. I feel good."
"I can just give you the DUI here if you want?" Henry suggested. "Might make it easier."
"Chris, listen to your uncle." Leo parented. The stubborn hybrid rolled his eyes and bit his pride.
"Fine." Chris listened and grabbed his coat. By this point, the Morris family had gone back to their hotel and only the immediate family was left. Margo and Mel were cuddled up on the other couch watching some trashy reality show, so when he went to say goodbye to his sister she gave him a small wave.
"See ya later, sleepy head." She said. Wyatt came down the stairs from checking up on the baby just in time to shake Chris's hand goodbye.
"You know if you'd just move in with me you wouldn't have to leave." Wyatt reminded.
"You and Mel and Dad and Veronica and a baby or me myself and I. Let me think on that." Chris teased.
"You bought that place with the idea that Natasha would move in, Chris. How much longer can you really afford it? Mel's only here on school breaks and Dad basically lives up there now that they reinstated his Elder status." Wyatt added. "Just think about it."
"Okay, I'll think about it." Chris hugged his brother. "Say bye to V and the baby for me, aight?"
"Yeah."
"I'll see you guys later." Chris waved. "I'm being escorted home by SFPD."
"Bite your tongue. If I ever see you in the back of my other car I'll kill you." Paige threatened.
"Before or after you read me rights?" He wondered, following them to the door.
"Come on smartass." Kat rolled her eyes and look at her mom. "Oh hey, is Tam coming to my meet on Wednesday?"
"Yeah. She's working the graveyard shift tonight so she doesn't miss it." Her dad reminded. "Why don't you guys get in the car? I'll grab Jr. I think he's talking to Phoebe."
"Aye Aye captain." Chris saluted his uncle.
"Shut up and walk." Paige advised. He smirked and followed Kat to the car.
"So like, if me and some friends showed up at P3 would you let us in?"
"Absolutely not." He replied, bluntly. "You're still in high school."
"What if-"
"No." He shot her down. "I'll lose my liquor license."
"Just me. This Saturday. I'll stay with Mel and Margo the whole time I just really want to see DJ Vix." She begged. He thought about it. "I'll glamour and use Tamora's ID to get in. No one but us will know."
"Okay. But you have to check in with me right after you get in and hand over the ID. If I see you-" He started to threaten her but stopped at her excited hug. She jumped up and down thanking him.
"You're the best."
xx
"She's perfect." Mel agreed looking over the file Chris sent her. Bianca's resume filled her screen.
"She's over qualified." Chris rested the phone between his ear and shoulder while he loaded the shipment into the storage closet. "I really only interviewed her yesterday to amuse the idea of having an extra set of hands around here but-"
"Did you offer her the job?" She asked from the other side of the line. Melinda finished applying the topcoat on her freshly painted nails and waved them dry. She flopped on the bed of her dorm room.
"I told her I'd call her back sometime today." He took a break from lifting the crates and got a glass of water. "I don't know."
"What's the worse that can happen? See how she does. You can always fire her." She reminded. "Did you test to see if she's a witch yet?"
"Not yet. I'll do it when I get records… ugh can you just come back?" He begged. "You're here most of the time anyways."
"I'd prefer to be on the other side of the bar, thank you very much." She said. "Besides I'm working in the lab this semester."
"Thursdays?" He hoped.
"Not going to happen." Mel said. Chris shrugged. He looked over the remaining crates. After checking around him, he waved his hand. Orbs surrounded the boxes. He magically placed them in the room. "Oh hey, are you going to Kat's meet?"
"Natasha is coming over tonight." He went to the back office and sat on the couch.
"Coming over?" Melinda prompted. "Since when do you plan your booty calls?"
"It's complicated." Chris kicked up his feet on the makeshift beer crate coffee table.
"You're horny and she's easy, what's complicated?"
"She stayed for dinner last time." He said.
"What?" The college student sat up abruptly to pay more attention. "You didn't tell me that! Chris, break up sex doesn't end in takeout."
"It was… nice." He confessed. "It felt like old times."
"Chris, she cheated on you all throughout your deployment." Melinda brutally reminded. "I'm sorry, but I can't support this."
"I know." Chris rolled his eyes, frustrated. He picked up the applicant files on the table and looked over Bianca's file again. "What do I do?"
"Cancel." She advised. "Move on."
"What's the point? I mean it's not like I've got anything else going on right now…" Chris stared at the file, and read over the credentials. He had a feeling about Bianca, one he couldn't shake. "You know what, if the records clean, I'm going to hire her."
"Good." Melinda approved. He needed help. Chris was exhausted.
"I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I think I'm done?"
"With what?"
"Work, I think I did everything I can for today." Chris looked around. "I've got to go. I'm taking a nap."
"Alright, I'll see ya around." She laughed.
Reviews always welcome :)
