Disclaimer: I wish.

Ch. 28:

Piper sat in the nursery, holding Wyatt on her lap as Meredith lay curled up on her bed. She gently played with his fingers, sampling sitting with him. Finally, she set him down in his crib, tucking him in gently. She tickled his forehead before straightening and walking over to Meredith. She gently stroked the sleeping girl's hair before kissing her forehead. She looked around until her eyes landed on a picture of her, Leo, and Wyatt, and next to it a picture of Wyatt and Meredith playing together.

She stared at it for awhile longer before turning back to Wyatt and Meredith.

She knew what she had to do.


Phoebe pushed the front door open and walked inside, her arms full of groceries. Paige followed her inside, also carrying a box of groceries.

"I think she's upstairs." Phoebe whispered.

"Ow!" Paige exclaimed. "I just got a neck spasm."

"Don't drop the bag." Phoebe ordered. "She'll hear you."

"Thanks for your concern." Paige told her sarcastically.

"Are you okay?"

Sheila Morris walked into the house behind them, carrying an arm load of groceries and party supplies, followed by Darryl.

"Yeah." Paige replied. "It just, sometimes it flares up under stress."

"Yeah, and you've got enough stress in your life, that's for damn sure." Darryl said.

They all deposited their bags on the dining room table.

"With what you guys do, I'm surprised it doesn't flare up all the time." Sheila said.

"It's not the demons, it's this birthday stuff." Paige told her. "Especially Piper's. I always screw up the surprise."

"I'll take these to the kitchen." Darryl said.

"Oh, thanks." Phoebe said as he passed.

"Plus, I have no idea what I'm gonna get her, and obviously time is running out." Paige continued.

"Paige, I told you, you could come in on the dinner with me." Phoebe told her. "I don't mind."

"I appreciate that, but I don't want to jump on your bandwagon." Paige replied. "I'm gonna do my own thing."

"Well, being a mom, I can tell you that a nice, normal dinner with friends and family is the perfect gift." Sheila told them. "Especially since you guys don't live here anymore."

"No, the perfect gift actually doesn't exist anymore." Phoebe said.

"Do tell?" Paige asked.

"Hey, do these go?" Darryl asked, pointing at some bags.

"Uh, no." Phoebe told him. "Grab those two."

"Okay." Darryl said, grabbing the bags she pointed to.

"It's a charm bracelet…" Phoebe said, answering Paige's question, "that mom gave to Piper and Piper loved it, but then Prue lost it."

"Why don't we just cast a-?" Paige asked.

"A lost-and-found spell?" Phoebe finished. "I tried. It didn't work."

"Is Jason coming to the party?" Sheila asked.

"No." Phoebe replied sadly. "He's in some faraway land, like Zimbabwe or something."

"Must be fun." Sheila said. "You guys travel all over the world together."

"Yeah." Phoebe agreed. "It's-It's nice. I just-I really miss home. I'm happy to be here right now."

"Is your beau coming?" Darryl asked Paige.

"Richard?" she asked. "No. He's, uh, kind of got a bit of a problem with magic. Or it has a problem with him."

"He doesn't like it?" Darryl asked.

"No." Paige replied. "Magic just doesn't like him. It's a long story."

"So it's just us, then?" Sheila asked.

"Uh, what about Leo?" Darryl asked.

"Yeah, we kind of thought that that was inappropriate." Phoebe said.

A door closed upstairs and they heard footsteps, so Phoebe quickly shooed Darryl and Sheila out the door."

"That's her." She hissed. "Out! Out! Hurry! Hurry!"

"We'll see you tomorrow." Darryl said.

"Go!" Phoebe told them before turning to her sister. "Paige, the groceries."

Paige quickly grabbed them and orbed out.

"Hey." Phoebe said, casually leaning against the banister as Piper came down the stairs.

"Hey." Piper replied. "How's that surprise party going?"

She walked past Phoebe, who's smile had frozen, and headed towards the kitchen.

"Ooh." Phoebe winced, quickly following her.


In the kitchen, Paige was quickly hiding bags in the cabinets as Piper entered, Phoebe on her heels.

"What do you mean 'surprise party'?" Phoebe demanded as Paige quickly shut the doors and stood up. "There's no surprise party!"

"Just do me a favor and don't invite Greg or any other guys for that matter, because I'm done with them." Piper told her.

"I'm sorry?" Paige asked.

"It's kind of an epiphany I had, um, right after I vanquished a demon in Wyatt and Mer's room." Piper said as she moved about the kitchen.

"Wait, excuse me?" Phoebe exclaimed.

"You know, an epiphany." Piper told her. "A revelation."

"I know about the epiphany." Phoebe shot back. "What do you mean, a demon?"

"Okay, why didn't you call us?" Paige demanded.

"Well, I didn't want to bother you." Piper said. "It's no big deal. I blew him up. He's gone."

"Okay, do you know that every time you say that, they come back with a vengeance?" Paige asked.

"Kiss of death." Phoebe agreed.

"It doesn't matter, because I'm on it full-time now." Piper told them. "I'm actually thinking of selling the club, 'cause I have a new mission in life, and it's all become very clear to me."

"Would you care to elaborate?" Paige asked, confused.

"Do you guys know that Wyatt called me 'Mama'?" Piper asked.

"He did?" Phoebe asked, happily distracted. "Oh, his first word."

"Right after he was attacked." Piper told her. "I don't think I'm gonna be putting THAT in his baby book."

She strode out of the kitchen and her sisters followed.

"Okay, back to giving up guys…" Paige said.

"It's kind of freeing actually, you know, not having to play the dating game." Piper said. "Was just a big waste of time for me anyway. I mean, I gave it my best shot, I did, but it just didn't work out for me."

"Okay, that is completely ridiculous." Paige insisted. "You've been single for six months."

"No, that's fate." Piper replied. "It's my fate, and I accept it. Apparently, you only get one soul mate in a lifetime, so I guess Leo was mine. And now I'm ready to devote my life to protecting and raising Wyatt."

Piper opened the front door and checked the main box.

"Well, what about sex?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, you know, I'm the mother of one of the most magical creatures ever and the adoptive aunt to one of the other most magical creatures." Piper said. "Sex rather pales in comparison, don't you think?"

She closed the door and walked away.

"She doesn't need a party, she needs an intervention." Paige muttered.


A man in dark robes stood in front an altar with light pouring out of it. Other members of the cult stood around the altar, looking at the bubble inside the light, which held Wyatt's image.

"He led us long ago." The High Priest said. "And once he returns, he will lead us again with your unwavering faith."

"Denado y sentio." The priests replied.

An acolyte stepped forward and took the scepter from the High Priest.

"Help us cleanse him of the poison that has corrupted him."

The Acolyte held the scepter and pointed it at the image of Wyatt in the bubble. A red beam left the scepter and hit the image.

"Turn him that he might lower his guard, so that we may return him to the fold, to his destiny." The High Priest said.

The bubble around the image of Wyatt disappeared and the Acolyte reached out to touch the image, only to have the force field reappeared, making the Acolyte burst into flames and explode. The scepter fell to the ground and lay there, smoking.

Finally, the High Priest reached down and picked it up, considering both the scepter and the image of Wyatt.


Phoebe walked into the attic to find Paige adding ingredients to the potion pot.

"Okay, Piper couldn't find the demon in the book." She told her. "Any luck up here?"

"Uh, actually, I'm working on something else." Paige replied.

"A vanquishing potion?" Phoebe asked.

"No." Paige replied, cheerfully.

She tossed some more ingredients in and the mixture flared.

"A birthday present." She continued smugly.

"A birthday present." Phoebe repeated. "Paige, you're not gonna be able to find the charm bracelet."

"Trust me." Paige insisted. "This will be even better. The perfect gift."

"Okay, what are you talking about?" Phoebe demanded.

"I figure Piper has no love in her life right now, so I think she needs a little love back in her life." Paige explained.

"Okay, so you're making a love potion?" Phoebe asked.

"No." Paige replied. "I'm making a love machine. I am making the perfect man."

"Wait." Phoebe said. "Are you kidding me? Are you – are you out of your mind?"

"No." Paige insisted. "I don't think I am. Listen, we've conjured magical beings before, so, you know, hey, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is they always come back to bite us in the ass." Phoebe shot back.

"No, no, no, no." Paige protested. "This one won't. He's just gonna be around for her birthday from midnight to midnight."

"Paige, we can't just conjure up a sex toy." Phoebe told her sister.

"Listen." Paige told her. "I figure magic owes Piper. It has taken away the love of her life, and now it's threatening to take away love from the rest of her life. Look, I get Wyatt, and now Meredith, are super important, all right? I do get that. But – heh – I think this could be for the greater good."

"Mm-hmm." Phoebe relented.

"Okay, let's write down some qualities." Paige said.

"Qualities?" Phoebe asked. "What do you mean 'qualities'?"

"You know, qualities for the perfect man." Her sister explained.

Phoebe reached for the pad and pen on the table.

"Oh, okay." She said. "Well, I think she would want someone that, um, lives nearby, you know, and doesn't travel a lot."

"Yeah, well, I would write down something about somebody who I could do magic in front of." Paige replied. "But these are qualities that you and I would want, not qualities that Piper would necessarily want."

"Right." Phoebe agreed. "Okay, um…I think she wants, you know a strong man, but someone that's not afraid to show his sensitive side."

"Sensitive, but not a wuss bag." Paige confirmed. "Yeah."

She wrote it down on a piece of paper and threw it in the pot, making the potion poof.

"And someone that is a good listener." Phoebe added, following her sister's lead and throwing the suggestion into the pot.

"Okay." Paige said as they continued to throw paper in. "Good cook."

"Handy around the house." Phoebe added.

"Good with kids." Was Paige's suggestion.

"Gets the whole 'normal life' thing." Phoebe said.

"Has are really big-"

"Paige!" Phoebe interrupted.

"Uh!" her sister protested. "Is this the perfect guy or what?"

"All right." Phoebe agreed. "Throw it in."

The cauldron bubbled.


Piper was sitting on her bed, leafing through the Book of Shadows, while Chris standing in front of her angrily and Meredith sitting on the end of the bed. She had her eyes closed and her hands held about a foot apart, palms facing inwards. Between them, a ball of water was growing.

"How am I supposed to protect Wyatt if you don't tell me when a demon attacks him till hours later?" Chris demanded. "Not to mention what happens if little Meredith is hurt."

"Chris, I'm taking care of it." Piper told him.

"That's fine, but what happens if this demon was the one?" Chris asked. "The one who was after Wyatt? The reason I came back?"

"Well, then you're in luck, because I blew him up." Piper replied. "Not to mention – how many demons have you said that about so far?"

"That's not the point, Aunt Piper." Meredith said, not turning her attention from the globe in front of her, which now had fire mixed in with the water. "We don't know who the person who's after Wyatt is. And we won't if you don't tell us about attacks."

"I – What are you doing?" Piper demanded, distracted by the globe which now included electricity.

"Remembering my lessons." Meredith said, keeping the different elements combined. "If I'm going to teach mini me, I'll need to remember how to teach her. Keeping the elements separate, but together is one of the first things a multiple elemental learns."

She slowly brought her hands together until the globe disappeared between her hands.

"Piper." Chris said, bringing her attention back to the original subject. "We've just got Wyatt's best interest in mind."

"So do I." Piper shot back. "Demon's not in here."

She closed the book and stood up.

"What's it look like?" Meredith asked.

"Tall, robed, with a metal rod thingy." Piper replied, starting to fold the laundry.

"Really?" Chris asked sarcastically. "Well, that narrows it down."

"If another one shows up, I'll be here." Piper said calmly.

"That's just my point, Piper." Chris said. "What if you're not here? What happens if you're on a date with the fireman or whoever else you're seeing this week?"

"Chris!" Meredith hissed.

"Look, Chris, I don't want to go into it, but I'm not gonna be out on a date with the fireman or anybody else for that matter anytime soon so I can focus more on Wyatt." Piper told him.

"W-what?" Chris sputtered as Meredith's face took on a look of panic.

"Did I stutter?" Piper asked. "Meredith, are you alright? You're starting to spark."

Meredith looked down to see electricity running over her hands. She clenched her hands and the sparks disappeared as she got her composure again.

"You can't give up on love, Aunt Piper." She said fervently. "Not now, not ever."

"Why not?" Piper asked.

"Because you just can't, that's why." Chris told her. "It's not natural. Look, all I'm saying is you don't have to make that type of sacrifice to protect Wyatt."

"It's not just Wyatt anymore." Piper pointed out.

"Well, I won't let you make that kind of sacrifice for me." Meredith told her. "That's why Chris and I are here."

"Well, you weren't here earlier, were you?" Piper asked, picking up the laundry basket and heading out the door. "Look, the only thing that matters right now is what's best for Wyatt and what's best for Little Meredith."

"This is not what's best for Wyatt, Piper." Chris told her as he and Meredith followed her out and down the hallway to the nursery.

"And it sure as hell isn't what's best for me." Meredith added.

"How do you know?" Piper asked.

"Because we've seen the future, and this isn't supposed to happen." Chris told her.

"So, what is supposed to happen?" Piper demanded.

"Come on, you know I can't answer that." Chris replied.

"Well, since you're sent from the future to change it, maybe this is one of the things that needs to be changed." Piper said.

"No." Meredith insisted. "Definitely not. So not. Not ever."

"Shh!" Piper told her.

Chris sighed and Meredith threw her hands up in the air as Piper put the laundry basket down. Little Meredith was asleep in her bed and Wyatt was standing in his crib. On the dresser, she spotted a brightly wrapped gift.

"Who left this?" she asked.

"Look, if you're so concerned about protecting Wyatt, there's other ways to go about it, you know?" Chris said.

Piper slipped the card out of the envelope and began reading it.

"Like what?" Piper asked, distractedly.

"Like letting Leo take him up there for awhile." Chris suggested. "Or.."

He moved towards Wyatt and the boy raised his shield. Meredith quickly pulled him back with a glare and went to the boy, who quickly lowered his shield to let her near.

"You could always bind his powers." Chris said, looking at Wyatt thoughtfully.

Meredith stared at him, horror in her face.

"Leo left me a birthday present." Piper said, not paying attention to them. "How sweet."

"What do you think about what I said?" Chris asked.

"About what?" Piper replied.

"About binding Wyatt's powers?" Chris repeated.

"No way." Piper said instantly.

"Why not?" Chris pushed. "Nobody would ever be after him, and you'd have your life back."

"But that would be selfish of me, wouldn't it, to put my needs before his destiny?" Piper asked. "I'm not being a martyr, Chris. Really, I'm not. I just get it now. I'm the mother of a very special child that, if I do my job right, is going to grow up to do very special things. What could possibly be more important than that?"

All the fight went out of Chris and he didn't replied.

"Piper, if you'll excuse us, I need to talk to Chris." Meredith said softly.

Without waiting for an answer, she reached over and took Chris's arm and they both disappeared into the shadows. Wyatt gurgled from his crib and Piper went to check on him.

"Sweetie, you go back to sleep…" she told him. "I will be right back."

She walked over to Meredith and gently kissed her forehead before shutting off the lamp and leaving.


Meredith and Chris appeared in the empty park, underneath their tree and Chris quickly pulled away.

"I hate traveling that way." He complained.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Meredith demanded angrily. "What the hell are you playing at?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"We could bind Wyatt's powers?" she shot back. "Are you insane? This was not the plan!"

"Plans change." He replied simply.

"Not from saving Wyatt from evil to striping him of his birthright, they don't!" she said. "What could possibly be gained from binding Wyatt's powers?"

"Oh, I don't know, the whole world?" Chris replied angrily. "Jesus, Meredith!"

"Just because you bind his powers, it doesn't mean they're going to suddenly forget about him!" she told him. "He's still going to be a target, and without his powers, he doesn't have a chance in hell of protecting himself!"

"Without his powers, he can't take over the world." Chris said. "Without his powers, Jenny might still be alive."

"This isn't what we're supposed to be doing, Chris." Meredith told him. "We're supposed to be saving him."

"Well, maybe I don't want to save him!" Chris told her angrily. "Maybe for once, I'd like to be the important one!"

Meredith stared at him.

"Is that what this is about?" she asked softly. "The second born mentality? If only I could be better than my brother? Is that what this is all about? Because if it is, you're on your own. I hate to tell you this, but you can't possibly full-fill his destiny."

"Why the hell not?" Chris demanded. "He's not the only twice-blest! I'm the son of a Charmed One and a Whitelighter too? Why does no one seem to remember that?"

"Because it's his destiny to lead, not yours!" Meredith yelled at him.

He turned away from her and she sighed. Finally she walked over and hesitantly laid her hands on his arms. When he didn't pull away, she took a deep breath.

"Chris, if Wyatt had turned out the way he was supposed to, do you think either of us would've hesitated to give him our full hearted allegiance?" she asked softly. "He was supposed to be our savior, Chris. Our King. If he had been what his destiny meant him to be, I would have given him my loyalty freely, and so would you've."

She turned him around to face her and gently reached up to caress his cheek.

"You and I were never meant to lead." She told him softly. "We should've been his lieutenants. We should've been standing at his side as we brought this world into a new age. One of peace, not war. That's the world we're supposed to be fighting for."

He looked away, but she forced him to look at her again.

"I love you, Chris, but I won't help you take your brother's place." She told him seriously. "You and I were meant to stand behind him, not take his birthright from him. Do you understand me?"

Chris sighed and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly, but his face didn't lose he didn't answer her.


Phoebe added something to the potion and it exploded.

"Okay." She said. "I can't think of anything else."

"One more thing-" Paige said, picking up a clear glass bottle. "…magical pheromones."

"Magical pheromones?" Phoebe repeated.

"Yeah, see?" Paige said. "It's just one thing to give him an extra shot, to help Piper be a little bit more receptive since he's only got a day."

"I hope we're doing the right thing." Phoebe worried. "I hope this doesn't backfire, you know?"

Paige added the last ingredient and the potion was finished.

"I don't think it will." She said. "If this were a date, honey, this would be the martini."

The clock chimed midnight.

"Okay…" Phoebe said.

They both began to recite the spell.

"A perfect man we summon now,
Another way we don't know how,
To make your sister see the light,
Somewhere out there is Mr. Right."

Swirling orbs rose from the pot and moved above their heads to settle in front of them. Finally, the lights coalesced into Mr. Right, crouching low, completely naked. He slowly stood up and looked around.

"Hello." He said.

"Perfect." The Sisters said breathily.

He smiled and they smiled back at him.

A/N: Okay, so I know it's been forever! I'm sorry! My Doctor Who story is on hiatus until the season is over, so I promise to work on this one! Please don't kill me!

Abbey