Reese stepped across the floor of P3 briskly, a cardboard box full of glasses rattling in her arms as she stepped through the door into the back room and placed them beside the other five boxes already piled on the floor and sighed before stretching her back.
"C'mon Reese, only three more to go. Then we need to set up for tonight." Piper informed her as she entered the back room and passed Reese to place a similar box down on the floor and turned, brushing her hands against her jeans.
She groaned in protest and walked back out to the service entrance and grabbed another box from the trunk before making a return journey to grab the last box.
When she came back out to begin helping Piper set up bar stools and tables for tonight she decided she had better explain to Chris' mother that she was in fact dating him, feeling bad enough for keeping it from her for this long. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to tell her, though the Halliwell family could be a bit over the top when it came to love and dating, especially with Phoebe's husband being a cupid but Reese had just enjoyed the passed month or so with it being just her and Chris' secret. Of course Wyatt had finally found out what was going on between them, they had sworn him to secrecy til they had found it was the right time to say something. And now seemed like a good time to be honest with Piper while they were both alone and not likely to be interrupted.
"Piper?" Reese began nervously, biting her lip and taking a seat at the bar.
"Everything okay, honey?" Piper asked, instantly being the motherly and loving woman Reese knew and loved. She smiled lightly and nodded her head before saying, "I just wanted to...talk to you about something. It's important. It's about Chris." She said all at once and Piper's eyebrows shot up before she asked, "Is he okay?"
Reese nodded with a smile and said, "Yeah, he's fine. Um, it's just that, well, we-" She bit her lip nervously and let out a sigh as Piper came to join her at the bar.
"Like each other very much?" Piper offered with a pleased grin and Reese parted her lips, clearly having not expected her to say that.
"Well, actually..." Reese began again, feeling slightly awkward about talking to Piper about how she felt about her son. He was her 'peanut', her youngest son and she was very protective of him and always had been. Especially after his alternate future self stumbling into Piper's life at an early stage, she had always been worried about losing him again and was constantly mothering him, much to Chris' displeasure.
"You love him?" Piper finished for her and Reese nodded, not being able to contain the smile that broke out across her face at the thought of how much she really cared about Chris. The fact that they had been friends for years had made their relationship so much stronger and so much easier, both not afraid to express how they felt after so long of keeping it hidden, both not wanting to hurt the other or wreck what they had. When Reese looked back up at Piper she saw the tears welling in her eyes and the smile across her face and she hugged Reese tightly and said in her ear, "I'm so happy for you both. Please take care of my son...he's a handful." Piper said which made Reese laugh and she pulled away and stared up into her face and saw just how happy Chris' Mom really was.
"You know I will." She replied and Piper got up from her stool and wiped away her tears before saying, "Well, enough of that. Back to work!"
"Yes Ma'am!" Reese retorted only to receive a glare from Piper.
"I'm going to start setting up out here. I'll need you to do a full stock count before we open tonight. Here." And Piper handed her the stock list and scooted at her and Reese complied with a smile and a roll of her eyes and made her way into the back room, pushing the door closed slightly so she could have some space in which to crouch in and check each box against the clipboard she held in her left hand.
It had been around an hour and Reese was halfway through the list. She sighed tiredly and straightened for a minute, stretching out the kinks in her back before feeling something slide across her shoe. She looked down at the floor, hearing the resonating sound of the door to the stock room slamming shut before her eyes rested on the floor of the stock room and she let out a terrified shriek at the black slithering snakes coiling around her feet, their hissing and rattling loud in the small space.
"Oh my god." Reese breathed, fear coursing through every vein in her body and her legs began to shake and her breathing became quick and frantic. She stepped backward only to hear the hissing of an angry snake followed by venomous fangs dug painfully into her leg and she screamed again and backed herself up again the door, swivelling to turn the door knob only to find it locked. Reese tried using telekinesis but her fear was making her powers go awry and the door only shuddered but otherwise didn't budge. She began to panic, fear ripping through her chest and making her gasp frantically for breath.
"Piper!" She shrieked, banging her fists against the door with all her might, continuing to cry out her name over and over as another angry snake dug its fangs into her soft flesh and she let out another terrified sob as tears saturated her face.
"Reese! What the hell is happening!? Open the door." Reese heard Piper's muffled voice call through the door but she only continued to bang on it yelling, "Piper! Help me! Please!". Her voice felt hoarse, her throat stinging from her screams and the tightening panic in her chest growing until it exploded and all she could hear was the slithering of snakes, all she could feel was the poison coursing through her body, making her dizzy and her head swim.
"Move back, I'm blowing up the door!" Piper called but Reese didn't hear her and the shock of the door exploding sent her flying into boxes of glasses. She felt them shatter beneath her, felt shooting pain through her back and then the spots cascaded in front of her eyes and she blacked out momentarily. Reese came to shortly after, her mouth opening in a wordless groan as the searing pain in her back came rushing back to her and the light overhead stung her eyes.
"Reese, sweety, just hold on. Wyatt! Chris!" Piper called out and moments later the familiar sound of orbing filled her ears followed by Chris' soft voice, "Mom, what happened?" and another figure came in to her vision and she saw Wyatt gazing down at her worriedly.
"I'm not sure. Wyatt, she's hurt badly." Piper said and Reese saw Wyatt nod before rolling her carefully onto her side. She wheezed audibly and the hot pain and the wetness across her back increased and she let out a cry, instantly feeling Chris' hand caressing her face.
"Just lie still." He said simply, his eyes clouded with concern and finally Reese began to feel the pain in her back subside followed by no pain at all. Both Wyatt and Chris helped her to sit up as she let out a shaky breath.
"Honey, what happened in here? Was there a demon?" Piper queried but Reese only shook her head and let Wyatt help her to her feet.
"Snakes. Lots of snakes." Reese said simply, her voice quivering with fear.
"Snakes?" Chris wondered out loud and she looked up at him and nodded and he saw the terror in her eyes and the tears threatening to spill over.
"One of my greatest fears. Followed closely by drowning..." Reese said quietly and finally Chris understood.
"Barbas." He growled under his breath and Piper seemed shocked.
"It fits the profile." Wyatt offered before Piper interjected with, "But Barbas is dead?"
"Not as dead as we thought." He answered his Mom with a grimace.
"The demon attack last week. There was a vial... I couldn't remember what happened but...I think it was some kind of potion. He said it was from Barbas." Reese said, trying to rack her brain, trying to remember what had happened when it all seemed clouded and blurry.
"I suggest we check the Book of Shadows, see if there's anything we missed." Wyatt suggested and Chris nodded before turning to Reese and grabbing her hand.
"Go home and get some rest. I can look after things here." Piper said with a smile before turning to her son and adding, "You take good care of her." Followed by one of her knowing looks and Chris nodded before orbing out with Wyatt close behind him.