"Holy shit! It's already four o'clock!" At her shock, Wyatt had to smile. "How did it get to be so late? It takes almost an hour to get back – we're gonna have to eat fast." She whined. "I'm fat for a reason! I like food!" she gave an adorable puppy lip, making Wyatt laugh out loud.
It was a nice change, Addy decided. Wyatt was too serious all the time, and seeing him smiling and laughing was much better than his typical surly countenance. Maybe she should be self-deprecating around him more often.
"Ok, one – you are not fat. At all. You're not stick-like or anything, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's not attractive at all. And second, relax. I can always orb us if I have to – we can come get the car later. We aren't going to be late." Wyatt rolled his eyes inwardly at her pessimism and bad outlook on herself, but laughed at her worries.
"Orb?" She asked with a puzzled expression. "Isn't that a white-lighter power?" She very wisely ignored the fat comment, thinking that would have to be something they agreed to disagree on.
Wyatt stared at her. "Uh-huh. I got it from my dad… twice blessed, remember? I've got white-lighter powers and witch powers. And some others. You know this, right? I mean, you said twice blessed back in the boutique –"
Addy was staring, making Wyatt uncomfortable. "Uh, well – I knew about that part, just now the whole white-lighter thing."
"Oh." The witch-lighter shifted his feet awkwardly. "Well… I guess you know now."
The girl finally came to her senses and realized that her awe was making Wyatt nervous, so she quickly changed the subject. "Yup. So, do you think you could teach me how to orb? I've never seen anyone do it before, and I'd really like to have some kind of transportation power. It would be so much more convenient."
Wyatt relaxed. "Sure. But for now," he held open the door of a restaurant, "let's go eat." Somehow, she had known he didn't want to have that conversation. He wondered off handedly if he should be reinforcing his mental walls – but then he realized that he kind of liked not having to explain his feelings to her. It was nice, after a lifetime of talking.
"A table for two?" The smiling maitre'd didn't look up from his table chart.
"Yes please." Addy answered, after Wyatt didn't. She looked at him questioningly, but he shook his head, not wanting to get into it.
The truth was, if Wyatt talked, he knew that the poor host would end up running away in fright, and Wyatt wasn't exactly sure if he could take that today – Addy seeing him scare someone away. That would most likely change her opinion of him, and he didn't think he could deal with that.
But fate was clearly against him. The man looked up, and his smile died on his face. "Uh – Mr. Wyatt! I didn't think… Mrs. Halliwell did not say… Uh, right this way." He led them forward, careful not to come in contact with Wyatt. Apparently, fate was also against Don – the nametag proclaimed this name in rainbow colors – because as he started to hurry away, Wyatt was sliding into the booth, and their shoulders brushed together. The man immediately stiffen and hustled away, running away without even telling the couple that their waiter would be out.
Wyatt closed his eyes, willing the pain away. That was just a random stranger. It did not hurt anyone in the least when he ran away. Addy didn't need to see him break down… that might be just the way to send her running, which would be bad.
Unfortunately, the girl was very perceptive. "Why does everyone do that to you? First all of the people on the boardwalk avoid looking at you, and go out of their way to stay out of your way, and the cashier at the clothing store, and now the maitre'd. Why?"
Wyatt exhaled slowly. "They sense my power. I'm 'twice blessed', supposedly the most powerful magic user out there, remember? Apparently that means that I'm going to kill everyone that dares look me in the eye." The bitter words poured out of him, making him tell this almost perfect stranger what he had tried to keep secret, even from his own family!
"Everyone avoids me, or shakes when I come into a room. But they don't do that to you. How?" It was his turn to ask a question.
Addy's expression became thoughtful. "I'm not sure. I haven't had my powers for long, only two days. Maybe it takes a while to manifest." She smiled. "But, for the record, I don't think you're very scary."
"I know a few demons that would disagree…" he chuckled tauntingly. "And, unfortunately, a few mortals." His chuckled died in his throat as he finished the statement, and soon, he was in as dark of a mood as he had been last night.
"Stop that." Addy demanded. "You need to stop thinking like that. You are not scary, you just need to show everybody that." She really wasn't thinking ahead as she spoke, though she should have seen his next question coming.
"Oh? How exactly do I do that?" he asked acidly. "I've been trying for years – since I was eighteen. No one except Chris and the aunts ever believed me." Great, now on top of being in a dark mood, he was angry. Not exactly what Addy had been planning on when she had brought the subject up.
The waitress, naturally, chose this moment to show up. "Good afternoon. My name is Cathrine, and I'll be your waitress today. What can I get you to drink?" She hadn't looked at Wyatt yet – her eyes were focused on Addy, almost as if she had been warned not to look at him if she could help it. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"I'll have a Coke." Addy said, and looked at him.
"I'll just have water." He said quietly, staring intently at the tabletop as to not scare the waitress. His mom had a hard enough time keeping servers here; Wyatt worked here occasionally to help her out – these shifts usually had every waiter working with him quit the next day.
Catherine's eyes widened as they fell on Wyatt, and she took an involuntary step back, nearly tripping over one of her stiletto heels. "I'll, uh, be, uh, right out with those." She stammered, and almost ran back into the kitchen, her blonde hair streaming out behind her.
Wyatt let out a weary sigh, and put his head in his hands. These occurrences were becoming more and more frequent, and he was beginning to wonder if he should just become a recluse and live in the attic for the rest of his life, where no one had to see him.
To his surprise, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced up, and stared straight into Addy's eyes. They seemed to share his pain, and relief rushed through him. Not that he was relieved, but, physical relief, relief from the pain.
"It's harder for you than you let on, isn't it?" She said gently, probing with her eyes. Wyatt supposed he was going to have to tell her eventually, as much as he didn't want to. She'd end up figuring it out on her own… she was good enough. And if he didn't tell her, someone else would, and most likely, it wouldn't be the truth, especially if Chris ended up doing the telling.
Wyatt just gave a weak smile. "They can't help it, so I don't blame them."
Addy had had enough of the dank atmosphere. "So, that girl's boobs were so fake. For some reason, it's always her kind that broadcast their thoughts so I can't block them out. And, she's sleeping with three separate guys, thinks she's pregnant, and she can't figure out who the daddy is. I'd say it serves her right that she almost pissed her pants when she got a look at you. That poor kid." She shook her head sadly, hoping that it was clear she was joking.
Wyatt busted out laughing, making her happy. She was right – she just had to keep him laughing, and the pain seemed to fade right out of him. So, that was her plan. Keep him laughing. Keep him happy.
A new waiter came back with their drinks. This one was apparently made of sterner stuff, and just stared at Wyatt, a look of indecision on his face.
"I'm Alan, Catherine had to leave, so I'll be your waiter for the remainder of your stay, Mr. Wyatt. I'm so sorry, he's new." The day manager said by way of explanation. This happened almost every time Wyatt came to The Power of Food; it didn't really surprise him anymore.
"Don't worry about it, Alan." Wyatt sighed and waved the man on.
Addy's eyes had narrowed in confusion, but she held off her questions until the waiter had taken their orders and left. The menu was impressive, she had to say, but something weird was going on here.
"Mr. Wyatt?" She asked suspiciously. "What the Hell?"
Wyatt smiled sheepishly. "This is mom's restaurant." At her look, he shrugged. "Best food in San Francisco." He added, as if that made up for everything.
Addy rolled her eyes and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "Men!" which made Wyatt laugh again – causing her plan to succeed, at least for the moment.
The rest of lunch passed without incident, and soon it was time to head back to the manor for dinner.
"So, we definitely need to orb," Wyatt said, checking his watch. "Come on – the car's locked, so it'll be fine. It's a good thing we didn't put your bags in there, though." He stood up and extended his hand tentatively.
Addy grabbed it without a second thought and let him lead her outside.
"There's an alley over here… come on." He tugged her into the dark alley. "Ready? Hold on tight." He wrapped her arms around her and there was a tugging feeling as their bodies dissolved into hundreds of shimmering blue and white lights.
"Oh, holy shit. That was… whoa." Addy exclaimed the second her feet hit the ground in the manor's foyer. "Is it normal to be dizzy?" She took a careful step, but tripped anyway.
Wyatt laughed as she grabbed on to the table in the hallway to keep standing. "You'll be fine in a minute," he promised, still laughing. It felt good to laugh – he hadn't been doing it much lately. "Orbing takes a while to get used to."
Addy shook her head to clear it. "Ok. I'm good." She took another step, this one less wobbly. "Yup. I'm good." She clarified, this time making her way across the foyer without falling. "But I do not like orbing. At all."
They laughed together.
"Mom?" Wyatt called as they walked into the sunroom. There was a loud bang in the kitchen, and Wyatt was pulling his new friend towards that room before his mother responded.
"Kitchen!" Piper called, bent over to pick up the pan she had dropped – the source of the loud bang.
Addy seemed to be in heaven. "It smells wonderful in here!" She exclaimed, looking around the kitchen at the various dishes spread out across the counters and stove.
"Thank you." Piper said with a smile. Cooking was one thing she took pride in.
"Did you two have fun? Where did you go?"
Wyatt and Addy gave her a ten minute account on their day before giving their excuses so that they could go and get ready for dinner.
"Wyatt, would you show our guest where she'll be sleeping? There are some more clothes that were salvaged from your house, and a few other items that magic saved." Piper told them, managing not to sound guilty for using magic for personal gain. This girl had lost everything because of magic, she deserved to have it save some things, at least.
"Thank you." Addy said, smiling sincerely. Wyatt couldn't help but smile at her happiness, making him wonder what it was about her that made him smile so much. He hadn't wanted to smile, let alone laugh, yesterday, but now… well, he was pretty happy. But then again, he hadn't seen Chris all day. But he was feeling optimistic, so – why ruin it now?
The guest room had been made up for Addy last night, after Piper had decided that she would be staying with them. Clothes had been put in dresser drawers, and stuffed animals littered the bed. And Ipod lay on top of the bureau, along with a CD player and a case full of CD's.
"Oh my God!" The nineteen year old Acquirer screeched, running to the bed. "They saved my stuffed animals… how… oh, God!" Tears were coursing down her face as she scooped up a giant stuffed polar bear and crushed it against her face.
Wyatt shifted his weight uncomfortably, unsure of how to act around a semi-hysterical woman. This kind of scene wasn't exactly something he had been privy to growing up; he had been raised by the strongest women in the world, as far as he was concerned.
Addy seemed to sense his discomfort and gave a weak laugh. "Sorry – these are kind of my weak spots. Mom used to make fun of me all the time because I wouldn't get rid of them. She said they made me act like I was still five years old." She smiled reminiscently.
"Well, now you'll have them to remember her by." Wyatt said carefully. "Mom and the aunts are pretty good at picking things out that mean the most."
Addy smiled. "I can tell. But you'd better go get ready, so I can too. Dinner's in about forty five minutes."
Wyatt nodded and turned to leave.
"Hey, Wyatt?" He turned back around at the sound of her voice. "I'm sure your family will come around. You're a really great guy." She said sincerely, her eyes big and disillusioning.
The witch-lighter flushed. "Uh – thanks. That means a lot."
Addy made shooing gestures. "Go, go. I'm just telling you the truth – don't thank me. Get going." She turned and began lifting the hem of her shirt pointedly.
Wyatt hustled out of the room and down to his room to change, the flush on his face seeming permanent around that girl. He couldn't remember a time he had ever flushed that much – it was ridiculous.
He didn't bother getting to dressed up for dinner – nobody would look at him anyway. He pulled on a blue polo shirt and a pair of khakis, and was good to go. Well, until he looked in a mirror and realized his hair resembled a haystack. The shoulder-length blonde mass was a pain, to be sure, but he felt like it was an important part of his character and refused to cut it. He ran a comb through it and made it lie straight, telling himself that he wasn't just trying to look nice for Addy. That definitely wasn't it.
He descended the stairs, catching wisps of the conversation below between two of his aunts.
"I'm telling you Piper, I saw it! She's going to fix things… or at least make them better. Not that they can get much worse, but still –" Phoebe ranted to his mother, excited about something.
"And your visions are subjective, remember? We can't guarantee anything like that." Piper's ever pragmatic voice said calmly.
"But he's going to fall in love with her!" Phoebe continued, refusing to be deterred by her sister's sour attitude.
"Who's gonna fall in love with who?" Wyatt asked interestedly, announcing his presence.
"Oh, my little Ladybug's got an admirer." She said vaguely, looking nervously in his direction.
Wyatt's brow wrinkled bewilderedly. "Lizzy? She's only ten!"
Phoebe waved a hand dismissively. "In the future, Wyatt. Keep up here." She changed the subject quickly. "Where's Addy? You didn't forget her somewhere, did you?"
"Aunt Phoebe, that was one time! And I was only twelve! It was not my fault that Chris decided that he didn't want to come home with me… I didn't forget him!" Wyatt had left his little brother at the mall, ONE TIME, and they never let him forget it.
"Anyway," Piper interjected. "No, he didn't forget her, I saw them when they came back."
"Well, then where is she?" The ever-impatient Aunt demanded.
"Getting ready. I think she's kind of nervous… our family can be a lot to handle." Wyatt explained, leaving out how he knew this. Addy hadn't exactly told him, but she had been emotional enough while they were in her room for her shields to fall a little, and he had got a glimpse into her mind.
Phoebe nodded understandingly, thinking that she knew exactly why the girl was nervous. Her premonition had told her exactly what was going on, and she couldn't wait until it came true. Wyatt was so lonely, and she hated to admit it, but that made him… foreboding.
"Where's Uncle Coop and the kids?" Wyatt asked, looking at her with a puzzled expression on his face.
"In the living room." She said.
Wyatt nodded. "I'll go in the dining room then." And he walked away.
Piper sighed. "I'm worried about him, Pheebs. He's so alone. He and Chris don't even talk anymore. Not since he came back from the past."
"He'll be fine, Piper. Addy will make sure of that."