Chapter 6: A Developing Friendship
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?" Chris whispered the question by her ear, and Bianca shivered as his breath and then his lips ghosted along that ear and then her neck. She had never reacted to anyone quite the way she reacted to Chris.
"I think it will be easier to talk with Piper without you there," she replied having thought a lot about what she wanted to do. "However, you certainly have a right to be there. If this were a normal situation, I suppose you might even break the news to her without me there."
"It's not a normal situation though, and I want you to be comfortable."
"I was thinking more of Piper's comfort," Bianca stated moving one hand to brush Chris's hair back from his eyes. "If I talk to her by myself we are more like two friends bonding, something I think she is missing with Phoebe and Paige no longer living in the manor."
"How about if I stay for the initial announcement, and then bail so that you ladies can talk doctors, clothes, and whatever else your heart desires?"
"What lead are you following up on now?" Bianca demanded knowing Chris who smiled at her suspicion. He loved that Bianca knew him so well.
"The one I mentioned last night. I'm not sure it will go anywhere, so it's mostly a leg work thing following up to see if there is anything to it."
"You have to call us if you need help, and that includes to avoid injury," she insisted knowing that Chris could handle himself but also knowing his propensity to always try to handle things on his own without help.
"Deal," he replied then pulled her closer nuzzling his head into her hair and neck. He loved having her around and wondered again how he survived the last few months without her here.
"You are more nervous than I am," Bianca observed running a hand soothingly through his hair enjoying his closeness but also understanding the comfort of it.
"You know I do still live here even if Phoebe and Paige have moved out," Piper's voice rang out as she entered the kitchen interrupting whatever Chris had been about to say. Chris flushed and Bianca laughed. She loved that Piper always seemed to leave him flustered when she made comments like that.
"We were hoping to talk to you about something if you have some time," Bianca stated as she and Chris separated slightly.
"Sure," Piper replied grabbing a fresh cup of coffee. "Should I be sitting down for this?"
"It's good news, not bad," Chris assured her clasping Bianca's hand and squeezing it gently.
"We might as well be comfortable," Bianca added and then lead the way towards the sun room. It was perhaps her favorite room in the home. She and Chris took the loveseat and Piper sat in the nearby chair. The three sat in silence for several long moments, until finally Bianca broke the silence.
"I'm pregnant." Piper's eyes widened as she looked back and forth between the two. "I should be about ten weeks along, and I would appreciate your help in finding a doctor. I consulted a whitelighter when I first suspected and Chris can sense her, but I haven't seen a doctor and I want to make sure she's healthy."
"She?"
"Phoenix witches tend to have girls, so I am guessing," Bianca explained her hypothesis. She didn't see the need to add that Chris's family also ran towards girls for hundreds of years.
"Either way, we'll be happy," commented Chris linking his fingers with Bianca and smiling broadly.
"Congratulations," Piper finally managed to say. "Of course, I can help you with a doctor. Do you want one who knows about magic because that may be harder?"
"It would be nice, but it's not essential," Bianca replied pushing aside her nervousness.
"Thank you for helping us," Chris stated grateful that Bianca had someone to count on and help her. Piper looked the two over carefully. The three had grown closer over the last few weeks living in the manor together, but both were very private people.
"There's really no need to thank me for something like this," Piper reassured them smiling thoughtfully.
"It means a lot to us," Bianca stated squeezing Chris's hand.
"I'm happy to help," Piper assured them. "Besides you can always name her after me," she added with a laugh before noticing the response of the two who seemed to pale at her remark, especially Chris.
"We'll keep that in mind," Bianca replied as Chris's hand tightened on hers, and she found herself wanting to tell Piper who they were.
"You don't have to, I was only joking," Piper remarked unsure as to the response to her suggestion. Bianca found herself wanting to reassure the other woman that it was fine, but was having trouble finding the words.
"We haven't really discussed names yet, but its' a great suggestion. Thank you," Bianca finally managed though her hand was beginning to feel numb from Chris's ever tightening grip. "Maybe we can talk some more about it later, I'm actually feeling a little tired at the moment. Chris, will you join me for a nap?" Bianca stood and tugged on Chris's hand to get him moving with her.
"A nap, huh," Piper teased with a smile. "Is that what it's called these days?"
"Sometimes," Bianca replied with a smile as the two moved towards the stairs their other plans going out the window.
"I'll take Wyatt to the club with me," Piper informed them and Bianca nodded at the information.
"Call if you need us," she reminded the older witch. Moments later once the two were safely behind their own bedroom door, she wrapped her arms around Chris and held him as he shook slightly in her arms.
"We could tell her," she suggested snuggling into his warmth.
'We could.' The words echoed in her mind as he hadn't said them aloud.
"We could also name our daughter Piper, if you want," Bianca told him. "I know you were close to your mother."
'Maybe.' Bianca moved her hands to cup his face and tilted her head to look up at him before bringing her lips to his. Chris deepened the kiss, hands sliding down her body to pull her closer. Bianca slid one hand into his hair, and the other around him to pull him closer still. She heard Chris's heartfelt 'I love you,' as he lifted her and carried her to the bed. 'I love you,' she replied and knew he heard her.
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"Time for a break," Piper announced as the two approached an empty bench. She set several shopping bags on the ground by her feet, and smiled as she watched the younger woman do the same.
"Haven't we done enough?" Bianca questioned wriggling her fingers and longing for home. Shopping was exhausting, especially since she was trying to remain on alert for an attack. Things had been way too quiet lately, and she didn't trust that.
"You really don't like shopping?" Piper observed taking in the other woman's expression.
"I don't hate it. I'm just not used to being around so many people in such an open setting," Bianca returned eyes scanning around them searching for threats. Piper scanned the crowd around them which seemed pretty normal to her.
"This is a pretty normal crowd for this area. You should try relaxing more," Piper suggested with a smile. "Enjoy the fact that things have been quiet lately, and we've had time to just live our lives. Speaking of, how are you feeling? I remember how tired I would get carrying Wyatt," Piper stated in sympathy. "We can head back to the Manor if you want."
"I feel fine. I'll feel better once we are home," Bianca reassured Piper. She hated even the appearance that she might be weak.
"Shopping should be fun," Piper insisted with a smile. "If you aren't having fun, we should head home, maybe try again another day. Is there anything else you or Chris needed?" Bianca mentally ran through her shopping checklist.
"We already got everything essential," she replied with a shrug.
"We'll head home then, see what the boys have been up to in our absence," Piper stated rising to her feet and picking her bags back up from the ground. Bianca followed her lead with a quiet sigh. The two reached Piper's vehicle moments later and moved to the back to load their bags.
"Duck!" Bianca ordered and Piper followed her directions as a fireball swept past where each woman had been standing. Bianca sent an athame into the nearest demon causing it to burst into flames, then rolled to the side of her previous position, dark eyes surveying at least six other demons.
Piper managed to freeze three of the demons, while Bianca took out two more with vanquishing potions. Not seeing anyone else around, Piper blew up the three she'd frozen only to go flying back into the car next to hers when a fireball caught her in the shoulder. Bianca avoided another fireball, shimmered then threw another vanquishing potion, shimmering out a second time to appear next to Piper and check on her.
"You alright?" She asked when she realized Piper was conscious but obviously hurt.
"Yeah, just irritated," Piper remarked pushing aside the pain in her shoulder. "Did we get them all?"
"Yes," Bianca replied then offered. "I can take us back to the Manor now so Leo can heal you, and we can come back for the car."
"No, we're not that far, I can make it," Piper insisted stubbornly. "Are you alright?"
"Fine, no hits," Bianca returned somewhat tersely. She loaded the bags into the car, and then hurried around to the passenger side. Piper climbed inside wincing when she pulled her seatbelt on and fastened it.
"Maybe you can show me some more of those moves you mentioned the other day," Piper suggested as she navigated them back onto the main road towards home. "Couldn't hurt to be a little faster."
"Sure, though the lessons will have to happen sooner rather than later or I doubt I'll be able to do some of those moves for awhile," Bianca replied honestly one hand moving down to touch her abdomen and the baby bump that was more noticeable.
"I'm a little surprised that you haven't seemed to slow down on the demon hunting even though your pregnant. My sisters acted like I was made of glass until we discovered that I was practically indestructible with Wyatt's force field."
"Wyatt had powers from the womb." Bianca was shocked, yet happy that Chris was not here. He did not need to know this.
"His force field, which included me while I was pregnant with him. It came in really handy and relieved a lot of my fears of something happening to myself and the baby," Piper explained realizing how true that was. She had been worried, too, about getting injured and fighting demons while pregnant until she discovered she had Wyatt's force field to protect her and him.
"Being indestructible during pregnancy would be nice, but I imagine Chris would still be a bit overprotective," Bianca remarked thinking about Chris's behavior lately as he had pushed her to be more careful or let him handle things alone. So far it was only mildly annoying.
"Your probably lucky he hasn't locked you in the manor," Piper scoffed thinking about Chris's behavior as well.
"He knows better than that. I'd be forced to kick his ass on principal if he tried." Piper burst out laughing imagining it because she knew the other woman was serious in her remarks. Bianca's smile widened at Piper's laugh. She had not expected to get along with the eldest charmed one quite so well, but Piper was quickly becoming a good friend.
"Are you excited about the doctor's appointment tomorrow? You should get to see the baby."
"A bit. I'm not all that keen on doctors, but I am curious about her," Bianca revealed. "Sometimes I can't believe I'm here, and that I'm having a baby in a few months."
"Having a baby is a big deal. Doing so surrounded by strangers in the past is another thing altogether. And yet, you and Chris seem to be making it work amazingly well."
"The baby was a surprise, but I'm glad we're both here even though I don't fully understand how that's going to work," Bianca stated with a shrug her hand resting on her growing baby bump something that she found herself doing quite often these days. She tried not to think about the very real fact that her daughter might be born before her father was even conceived. It was mind boggling. But this was a much safer world then their own time, and Piper had been a great resource and a friend. She was actually starting to feel weird about not being entirely honest with Piper about Chris's identity, and her relationship to the baby.
"The future has sounded pretty dark from what you both have described," Piper remarked glancing over at the younger woman. Mentioning the future was generally a red flag and stopped most conversations cold.
"It is," Bianca confirmed then fell silent.
"Finally," Piper huffed as she turned the corner onto Prescott Street and could see the Manor just ahead. Her arm throbbed painfully, and she had wished more than once that she had not been so stubborn as to turn down Bianca's offer to shimmer home to get it healed.
"I can get the stuff myself, so you can get Leo to take care of that arm," Bianca offered as Piper pulled into the driveway and parked the car.
"Thanks," Piper stated after a moment knowing it wasn't worth arguing with Bianca. She also knew that none of the bags were that heavy. "Just don't overdo it or Chris may try to kill me," she joked starting up the stairs to the manor.
"Noted," Bianca replied with a smile heading to the back of the car to retrieve their bags while Piper hurried inside to get her shoulder healed.
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Author's Note: No, I haven't given up on this story. Thanks so much for sticking with me, and for the lovely reviews. To clarify, I did mess up with the names, Lilah and Lillian were supposed to be the same person, the whitelighter that Bianca consulted in the future in regards to the pregnancy. As for how she knows she is still pregnant, I went with the idea that as an Elder everything that had been damaged was healed. When Leo healed the sisters in the series, it even included fixing their clothes and dispelling blood. It is also why she slept instead of waking as they always did, because the baby added another element to the healing. I also added that Chris can sense the baby, especially now that he knows to check. That's also my explanation for why Leo didn't say something. He wasn't thinking about it, so he didn't notice immediately. I would also argue that Bianca can sense the baby in a sense in that she knows her body and magic and something is off or different about it. I've got a bit more written, including the start of some more action and conflict. And as always, thanks for reading and reviewing, and for sticking with me even with my lousy updating habits.