Chapter Seven
Chris fumed as he sat among several shopping bags in the backseat of the car. He had been forced to take that position after Wyatt had affirmed that he was well enough to drive, since he was a better driver anyway. The older brother had also added that Jennifer should take shotgun, seeing as it would have been rude to put her in the back.
Chris knew that Wyatt couldn't care less about being rude or not at the moment, and the only thing he was interested in was keeping the attractive young woman near him so he could talk to her. With a frustrated sigh after arguing for several minutes, Chris had acquiesced, and was sent to the back seat to hold onto the bags which tipped precariously and threatened to spill their contents over the floor every time Wyatt changed speeds. It was a frustrating job, and Chris couldn't help but wish that he had been allowed to take Mr. Jameson back home instead. The trio had discussed what they would be doing with the neighbor for quite a while, and had finally arrived at the conclusion that they should just bundle him into his car and leave him there, hoping that he'd soon regain consciousness and drive himself back home. Chris had suggested he take the man home in his car, but both Wyatt and Jennifer had vetoed the suggestion, claiming that it would only cause more trouble if the man woke up when they were still on their way back to Prescott Street. Chris had seen what they meant, but he hadn't wanted to agree with them until he had no other choice. He'd seen the way Wyatt was watching Jennifer, which meant that he would have to relive many of his high school days as they drove home.
Chris sighed, annoyed, as he watched Wyatt futilely flirt with the woman, who didn't seem to understand what he was doing. Chris wanted to send his brother a sign to keep him from embarrassing himself further, but a small vindictive part of him was enjoying the way the blond man continued humiliating himself by trying pick-up lines on someone who was obviously not interested.
Wyatt laughed at something Jennifer said, which hadn't truly been that funny, and Chris rolled his eyes. He didn't know how much more of this he could take, and he grumbled under his breath as he stopped yet another shopping bag from collapsing. He'd thought he'd never have to go through this again after his brother had graduated high school. During those years, Wyatt had made him take the backseat while he drove the girlfriend of the month back to her place. Wyatt had become an expert at ignoring Chris's complaints, and the way he tried to ruin the trip in the car, and his dates had eventually learned from him. It reached the point where no woman that Wyatt had ever gone out with even looked at Chris in the hallways. It drove him mad. Chris knew that his brother just wanted a little romance in his life, but he couldn't help but wish that he'd decide on other times to find it, ones that didn't involve driving around in their mom's car.
Luckily, the seemed to be turning the corner onto their street now, and Chris grinned brightly as he saw his house just a little distance away. Soon, he would be able to get out of the car and run into the house, avoiding both his brother and the girl he'd picked up at the supermarket. He knew Wyatt would want to help her all by himself, and he wasn't willing to get into his big brother's way. It would just be awkward.
Wyatt parked the car expertly, turning it off and pulling the keys out with a flourish. Without wasting a second, Jennifer quickly opened the car door and let herself out. Wyatt followed suit, and they began walking up to the front door. Chris, who'd been taking off his seatbelt, didn't notice until both doors slammed shut. He looked up, his mouth open. He stared aghast as the couple left him sitting in the backseat, with all the shopping bags that had to somehow get into the house. Opening the door, Chris untangled himself from the bags and pulled himself out. He looked back at the bags, an annoyed look on his face. It now obviously fell to him to take all of that inside. Wyatt would owe him big time.
-)-(-
"Mom?" Wyatt called out as soon as he stepped into his house. He turned around, beckoning at Jennifer who'd suddenly become rather shy and reluctant to step into the legendary manor. Wyatt smiled, noticing that she was beginning to be impressed. Hopefully, by the time they'd hunted down the spirit, she'd be willing to give him her number. "Mom?" Wyatt repeated, a little louder. He wondered what was taking Piper so long.
"Wyatt? Is that you, honey?" he heard a voice from nearby, and he blushed, hoping Jennifer hadn't noticed the pet name. The names tended to make him feel less masculine, and in his experience with women, the only people they wanted to be referred to with such a name were themselves.
"Yeah, Mom, it's me. I need your help," Wyatt said, leading the way to the living room. Jennifer followed him, hesitating slightly before she took a seat on one of the couches, as Wyatt had indicated she should do. It was at that moment that Piper stepped into the room, having been in the kitchen as usual.
"Wyatt, did you and your brother get everything I asked for?" she asked, not noticing that they had company until Jennifer jumped up.
Jennifer had been unwilling to take a seat in the first place, and when she saw that she was in the presence of one of the Charmed Ones, she was unable to resist getting to her feet. "I-it's an honor to meet you, M-Madam Halliwell," she stammered, bowing her head slightly.
Piper stopped, raising her eyebrows inquisitively at Wyatt before turning back to the strange woman who was in her house. "It's nice to meet you too, but please, don't call me that. Just call me Piper." She looked at her son, a strange expression on her face. She was obviously waiting to be introduced to the stranger.
Wyatt was lost at why his mother was looking at him that way. Suddenly, as Piper meaningfully inclined her head at Jennifer, he realized that he'd forgotten his manners. "Oh, right. Mom, this is Jennifer. She's a witch who needs our help." He glanced at Jennifer, thinking that she would supplement his explanation with more details.
Jennifer, who was now once more in her comfort zone, quickly began letting the elder Charmed One know about the spirit she'd been hunting. "Two years ago, my fiancé was possessed by a vengeful spirit called Malachi. While possessed, he told me that he wanted to find someone with enough power to take over the Underworld and begin a new evil reign under his command." Jennifer shuddered slightly as she remembered the situation in which the information had been divulged. "He used my magic books to find a way to track down powerful witches, before getting rid of my fiancé," the woman's voice broke slightly, but she continued speaking, "and then began possessing people who would be able to help him. He traveled all over, and I finally managed to track him here. It's the longest he's ever been in a single city, so I finally have a chance of getting rid of Malachi, once and for all."
Piper's eyes widened as the woman spoke. She was more than a little overwhelmed by the explanation, and by the way she'd noticed Wyatt's eyes watching the young woman. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Jennifer, and, despite not being willing to have her son fraternize with a woman who was so obviously older than him (although probably not by much), she couldn't neglect her duty as a Charmed One. This woman was an innocent, and Piper had to protect her. "Do you know how we can vanquish this spirit?" Spirits were tricky beings, in Piper's experience, and ridding oneself of them could be difficult.
Jennifer grinned widely as she pulled out the dagger that she'd become so fond of using. "Yes. After my fiancé died, I did a little research of my own. I made this blade myself from ancient magic, and it should work well enough to kill Malachi. The problem is, I think I can only get him when he's in a host body, so he has to be possessing someone before he can be vanquished."
Piper bit her lip, thinking over the situation. "Well then, we obviously need to get to work," she commented, already planning for a spell, a potion, or something that would cause the spirit to become corporeal and solid enough to be killed without needing a body for it to possess. This would be tricky, but Piper was determined to help this woman, if only because of the way her son was looking at her. The things she did for her boy…
(A/N) Ta da! Chapter seven! Didja like? I enjoyed it, despite not too much happening in it. There wasn't a cliffie here, though, which I guess was nice for you guys. It's more a filler, but I had fun writing it, especially how Chris was so annoyed at Wyatt. Poor guy, Chris, I mean. I can't imagine how annoying it must be to have an older brother like Wyatt. Oh, and now you know a little bit more about Jennifer! What do you think? I kinda feel sorry for her, honestly, but not too much. She's still a little too intense. Oh, and in case you're curious, Wyatt is 20 in this fic (as he has been in all my other fics), and Jennifer is about 24 or 25 years old. And, speaking of which, I didn't know that Chris's birthday was in October! I'd always assumed it was in November, but then I checked the wiki... Nope, he's an October baby, so, he was 18 in my previous fics, but he's 19 in this one. Just thought I'd clear that up, even if it has no importance whatsoever in this particular fic.
As usual, thanks to all those people who added this to their Faves or Alerts. Special awesome thanks to those who reviewed: DarcieBiffo, NoseInANovel, Guest, and Fanycharmed (who, by the way, has revealed that all shopping bags are actually named Steve. Just thought you ought to know.)
Anyway, guys, please review my story, that would totally make my week. And, since Fanycharmed caught that I didn't exactly promise you guys cookies last chapter, I'll do so now. Anyone who reviews gets an imaginary cookie in their favorite flavor! Now, who can resist an offer like that? See you next week!
