UNREQUITED
Summary: When Emily Hargreaves meets Wyatt and Chris Halliwell, she has no idea how complicated her life is about to become. Set in the changed future. It's about life, love and all of that…
Disclaimer: The characters in Charmed do not belong to me. No infringement is intended, no profit is made. The characters of Emily and Chloe do belong to me though, but they can be borrowed as long as I'm asked first.
Notes: Hi! Sorry for the slighter bigger gap than usual between updates. It's basically because this chapter is much longer than normal, so it consequently took me more time to write. I did think about putting the last scene in the next part so I could post sooner, but I eventually decided it would seem out of place so left it as is.
You'll also probably think I work for the UK tourist board after reading the beginning of this (!), but I wanted something cool for Chris and Emily to do on their date and a trip on the London Eye seemed like just the thing. I'm taking some dramatic licence and assuming it'll still be around in twenty or so year's time of course!
Anyhow, for those of you who don't know, the Eye is like a gigantic Ferris wheel with glass cabins and you can pretty much see the whole of London from the top. Just type 'London Eye' into your search engine and you'll see what I mean.
As ever, thanks for all the reviews. Apologies for the short replies this time round, but I didn't have much time and I wanted to make sure I got this posted tonight.
Chapter 29
High up on the London Eye…
"It says it was first built to celebrate the Millennium," Chris said, reading from the thin guidebook in his hand.
He was sitting on the wooden bench in the centre of the cabin, while Emily stood with her fingers pressed against the glass, gazing out in wonder over the vast array of coloured lights that comprised the London skyline at night.
"And it was fully refurbished for the second time six months ago," Chris went on.
"Good to know," his girlfriend remarked, flashing him a quick grin over her shoulder.
Chris smiled. "It is rather high up, isn't it?" he agreed, getting to his feet and coming to stand behind her.
He slipped his arms around her waist and she instinctively laced her fingers through his before nestling back against him with a contented sigh. They stood in silence for a while, taking in the spectacular view as the one hundred and thirty-five metre high observation wheel slowly completed the second leg of its three hundred and sixty degree journey.
Far below them, the water of the Thames looked inky black in the fading twilight, while, on the other side of the river, the majestic Palace of Westminster stood, lit up by hundreds of warm, golden floodlights. The round face of the huge timepiece in the Clock Tower glowed like a full moon on a clear night and, as they gazed out over the scene before them, Big Ben struck the hour, its chimes echoing around the cabin and filling their ears with a deeply resonant sound.
"So was this a good idea or what?" Emily asked, tilting her head back to look up into her boyfriend's face as the last gong faded into nothingness.
She and the other women had come to look at the London Eye during their whistle-stop sightseeing tour earlier that day, but the queue for tickets had been so long that they hadn't had time to take a ride. While they were there though, Emily had noticed that the Wheel remained open until around ten at night, and so had suggested to Chris that they check it out after their meal.
Because they were on one of the very last rides of the day, the crowds had dwindled to the point where they were afforded the luxury of a whole cabin to themselves, a twist of fate that only added to the romance of the occasion as far as Emily was concerned. Feeling more than a little starry-eyed, she couldn't quite bring herself to look at the situation more realistically. She finally had the man she'd wanted for so long by her side and that was all that mattered.
Chris smiled down into her upturned face. "Yeah, I think this can be classed as a good idea," he said in answer to her question. "Remind me to take you up to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge when we get back home. If you like this, you're gonna love it up there."
Taking one last look at the London skyline, Emily twisted around in his arms and snuggled in closer, letting out a soft, happy sigh as she did so.
"You're supposed to be admiring the view," Chris admonished her.
"I am," she replied, tilting her head back and smiling beatifically up into his face.
Standing on her tiptoes, she then boldly pressed her mouth against his, initiating the kiss that she'd been craving for the last fifteen minutes. Stooping to meet her halfway, Chris tunnelled his fingers through her flame-red hair and responded with tender passion, his lips moist and whisper-soft against hers. Standing in the circle of each other's arms, they continued to exchange warm, gentle kisses until their cabin finally reached the end of its circular journey and they were forced to separate.
OOOOOO
Hours later, Emily was woken from a dreamless slumber by the sound of a vacuum cleaner whirring into life nearby. Opening her eyes, she saw a pair of denim clad knees and a large expanse of maroon carpet in front of her. A squashy cushion supported her head and she could feel a hand resting lightly in the curve of her waist, the fingers warming her skin through the material of her clothes.
It took her a little while to become cognisant of her surroundings, but she eventually remembered where she was. She and Chris had headed for one of the communal lounges when they'd arrived back at the Hotel last night, neither one ready for their date to end, in spite of the late hour.
Cuddled up together on a sofa in the far corner of the room, they'd talked, laughed and exchanged kisses into the early hours of the morning, quietly revelling in their newly acquired intimacy. Given her current location, Emily assumed she must have fallen asleep at some point, although she couldn't actually remember doing so now. Properly awake, she turned over onto her back and looked up into the face of the man in whose lap her head had been resting while she slept.
"Morning sunshine!" Chris greeted her with a cheery smile.
"How long have I been asleep?" Emily asked groggily.
"Err… about five hours," he informed her after a quick glance at his watch.
"Have you been awake all that time?" she queried.
"Pretty much," Chris replied. "I dozed on and off, but I'm still on San Francisco time so it's only about ten in the evening for me."
Emily nodded. Her own body clock had shifted much more towards European time after two days away from home so, in contrast, she had had no such trouble sleeping.
"You should have woken me up," she said, sitting up and turning around to face him.
"I liked watching you sleep," Chris told her with a soft smile.
Emily blushed. "For five hours?"
"Well – I watched some TV too," he admitted, indicating the remote control on the sofa arm. "You're gorgeous to look at and all that, but you're infinitely more entertaining when you're awake."
Emily laughed. "Is that so?"
"That's definitely so," Chris informed her, leaning forward to plant a sound kiss on her lips to emphasise the point.
"We should go back up to the room," Emily said when they drew apart. "We're in the way," she added, nodding at the uniformed young woman, who was hard at work making the lounge habitable for another day's quota of guests. "And Chloe'll be wondering where I've gotten to as well."
"That's assuming she's noticed the time," Chris said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"I take it Wyatt's still here then?" Emily asked.
"Yup," Chris replied with a nod, "Unless my sensing radar is faulty for some reason."
"I guess you weren't the only one who fell asleep," he added after a beat.
Emily laughed. "Well, seeing as you're both here, I suppose you might as well stay for breakfast."
"You sure about that?" Chris asked as they made their way across the lobby towards the elevators. "I mean your mother, mine, a full set of Aunts, not to mention my incredibly nosey cousin – that's quite an interrogation team."
Emily smiled. "I'm sure we'll survive," she told him
Chris shrugged. "If you say so," he replied, "But you can bet there'll be some serious speculation going on – especially as I've been here all night."
Emily wrinkled her nose in consternation. "I guess I didn't think of that," she said as the elevator pinged and the doors slid open.
"Your Mom does know we're dating, right?" Chris asked as they stepped inside and pressed the button for the fifth floor.
Emily nodded. "Yeah, I told her on Saturday."
"So I should expect the 'what are your intentions towards my daughter?' question then?" Chris asked in a resigned tone.
Emily smiled. "Probably," she concurred with a nod. "I don't know what you're complaining about though – I had to put up with the same thing from your Mom yesterday and she's way scarier. At least my Mom can't blow you up if she doesn't like your answer!"
Chris chuckled. "There is that I suppose."
"It's not my Mom you have to worry about anyway," Emily continued, her sunny expression fading somewhat. "I think it's safe to say my Dad is probably gonna hate you."
"Witches fall into the unsuitable boyfriend category, huh?" Chris said.
Emily nodded. "Yeah," she said softly, looking down at her feet. "Try not to take it personally, okay? It's not you, it's him. He can't handle my Wicca side and he'll see you as part of that, yet another reason for me not to give up the magic like he wants me to."
"Hey," Chris said quietly, crooking his finger under her chin and raising her gaze to his. "Don't worry about it. I'd prefer it if he liked me, sure, but it's not going to put me off if he doesn't. Disapproving fathers I can handle - Bianca's Dad wasn't that enamoured of me either."
Emily sighed. "If I actually ever manage to get him to accept me for me…," she said, trailing off with a miserable shrug of her shoulders.
Chris nodded. "And if you can't?" he asked.
"Then I refuse to let him ruin what I've waited so long for," Emily said determinedly.
The elevator reached the fifth floor then and they proceeded, fingers intertwined, down the hallway towards Emily and Chloe's shared room. The 'Do Not Disturb' sign was still hanging crookedly on the handle and the two of them exchanged knowing smiles before Chris rapped sharply on the door to announce their presence.
"Hey Mr-and-Mrs-to-be in there?" he called through the wood. "Rise and shine time! And make sure you're decent!"
Muffled sounds of movement could be heard from within the room, and then Wyatt answered the door, barefoot but dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, his hair still damp from the shower.
"You can talk," he said to his brother without any preamble, "Keeping an innocent woman out all hours of the night. Where've you been all this time?"
"Like you don't already know," Chris said as he stepped over the threshold after Emily and firmly closed the door behind them.
"What's that's supposed to mean?" Wyatt demanded.
Chris shot him a meaningful look, causing his brother to grin and playfully punch him on the upper arm.
"Did you get any of that?" Chloe asked her cousin.
She was sitting, cross-legged, on one of the beds, her head tipped to one side as she pulled a comb through her wet hair, attempting to separate the delicate strands before they dried into unmanageable tangles.
"No, it must be secret brother language," Emily replied, sitting down on the other bed.
"Actually it's overprotective brother language," Chris said. "I'm twenty-five, but he still senses for me every few hours to check where I am, would you believe?"
"Well, you can hardly blame me, Mr 'I stupidly got stuck in an Ice Cage and nearly froze to death when I was twenty-three,'" Wyatt swiftly retorted.
Chloe and Emily exchanged confused glances. "What?" the latter asked.
"Never mind," her boyfriend replied, looking distinctly embarrassed.
"Oh no, I think I want to hear this," Emily rejoined teasingly.
Chris threw his brother a chagrined look. "Thanks," he said sarcastically.
"Don't mention it," Wyatt replied glibly.
"So…?" Emily prompted.
"It was just after I found out about the other me," Chris began, taking a seat beside her on the bed. "Mom and Dad gave me his diary to read. They'd found it among his things after he, err… well, died. I guess they thought it would help me understand him better. Anyway, he started it about three months before he came back to the past and wrote about his plans to use the Titan attack as a smokescreen. I told you about that, right?"
Emily nodded, not really understanding why this was significant.
"He'd researched the subject pretty thoroughly and… well, long story short – I was curious so I went to visit the place where the Greek Gods had originally entombed the Titans…"
"Without telling anyone where he was going, I might add," Wyatt cut in.
Emily suppressed a smile, starting to guess where this might be leading.
"The place was still partially enchanted and I umm… happened to step on the exact place where Cronus had been imprisoned and… well, you get the picture."
"So there he was, trapped in ice, unable to orb out or call for help," Wyatt said, taking over the narrative. "Luckily for him though, we were supposed to be going to the game that day. So when he didn't show up, I knew something was wrong."
"Seeing as he's sitting here perfectly healthy, I take it you got there in time to save him," Chloe surmised.
"Only just," Wyatt answered. "He was blue, suffering from frost-bite, hypothermia, you name it. Mom freaked out big time when she found out."
"You didn't have to tell her," Chris objected.
"Right, so how else were you going to explain away the ice-burns I couldn't heal properly then?" Wyatt asked.
"Well if you're going to be all logical about it…," Chris grumbled good-naturedly.
"Telling her turned out to be a good thing anyway," Wyatt reminded him quietly.
Chris nodded. "Yeah," he agreed solemnly.
"Things were pretty strained between us and Mom and Dad after they told us the truth about the other me," the younger Halliwell went on to explain to the two curious young women. "We couldn't believe that they'd lied to us our whole lives."
"We didn't really understand that they were only trying to protect us," Wyatt continued. "We were just so angry at them. Mom was completely distraught when she found out about Chris's little mishap though - and Dad wasn't much better. I suppose it made us realise that we weren't the only ones affected by what had happened. They'd lost a son; nothing could ever really equal the pain of that. Our resentment seemed kind of petty in comparison."
"It got us talking to each other properly again anyway," Chris finished off the story, "So I guess my unfortunate blunder had a happy conclusion in the end."
"Not that I trust him not to get himself into that kind of trouble again though," Wyatt commented dryly. "I beginning to think that 'reckless' is his middle name."
"Hence my apparent need for a bodyguard," Chris said with a long-suffering roll of his eyes.
Emily smiled, knowing his annoyance was mostly feigned. The two brothers were equally protective of each other, just in different ways. While Wyatt showed his concern in a much more overt, big brotherly way, Chris simply stood steadfast by his older sibling's side, always ready to take the strain if the pressure of his twice-blessed destiny got too much for him.
"So," Wyatt said expansively. "I don't know about anyone else, but breakfast sounds like heaven on a plate right now."
"Okay but after that I'm kicking you both out," Chloe said decisively. "I've got a wedding dress to find and you'll be in the way."
"Nice to know we're so wanted, isn't it?" Wyatt commented to his brother.
Chris nodded. "I think I'm actually offended," he said, tongue in cheek. "Are you absolutely sure you don't want to rethink this marriage?"
"Well, I would," Wyatt replied. "But there's just this one tiny problem…"
"What would that be then?" Chris enquired playfully.
"I think she's seriously hot," Wyatt answered, flashing a wide grin at his fiancée, who promptly stuck her tongue out at him in return.
Twenty minutes later, the four of them were downstairs in the restaurant, studying the breakfast menu and chatting quietly amongst themselves.
"I don't suppose we're going to make it out of here before the interrogation squad descends, are we?" Chris bemoaned, as he sipped at his orange juice and tried to make up his mind what he wanted to eat – a full English or Blueberry pancakes, it was a tough decision.
"I'm saying not," Wyatt replied, nodding towards the restaurant entrance where the rest of the Halliwell clan had just appeared, along with Emily and Chloe's Moms.
"Fabulous," Chris remarked with a grimace. "Just great."
"Still here?" Paige pointedly asked her youngest nephew as she sat down on the other side of Emily.
"Still here," Chris returned blandly, refusing to be drawn. "I'll have the Full English," he told the waiter, ignoring his Aunt's disappointed little pout.
Bella shot Emily a slightly speculative look as she took her seat. She didn't want her daughter rushing into anything with her new boyfriend, not when the potential for her to be hurt was so high. Emily stared straight back at her however, her gaze unwavering and unashamed, and her mother immediately relaxed, reassured by the unspoken assertion in her daughter's blue eyes.
After they'd all exchanged greetings, the conversation stalled and Chris and Emily started to feel a bit like bugs under a particularly powerful microscope. After a while, Prue began to giggle and promptly received twin looks of annoyance from both her cousin and his new girlfriend for her trouble.
"Before everyone's imagination goes into overdrive, this is not what it looks like, okay?" Chris said irritably. "If you must know I spent the night in one of the Hotel lounges."
"Alone?" Prue asked, unable to resist the opportunity to aggravate him in front of an audience.
"No, but if we'd been doing what you're not so subtly suggesting, we'd have been arrested," her cousin snapped, his temper beginning to fray a little. "It's non of your damn business anyway, so just butt the hell out, okay?"
"Chris…," Piper warned her son as Emily and Wyatt simultaneously placed calming hands on his forearms.
Phoebe frowned at her daughter, who quickly backed down, sensing that she'd taken things a little too far. She didn't understand why Chris was being so hypersensitive all of sudden though. It wasn't as if they didn't tease each other like this all the time, was it?
"Not in company we don't," Wyatt bent to murmur in her ear, somehow reading her mind and supplying her with the answer to her unspoken query.
Prue looked over at Mrs Hargreaves and felt instantly contrite. She'd not really considered that.
Her hand still clutching Chris's arm in an iron grip, Emily cast a wary glance at her mother, willing her to understand. There was a tense silence and then…
"Families, hey? What would we do without them?" Bella remarked sagely.
"Hopefully make a good impression instead of a horribly bad one," Chris said ruefully, gratefully taking the offered escape route.
He threw a belligerent glance at his cousin, while Emily silently mouthed the words 'Thank you' to her mother over his shoulder.
"Well, there's no need to worry," Bella said, acknowledging her daughter's thanks with a faint smile. "I'm yet to make a judgement, so you've still got time to turn it around and impress me."
"Mom!" Emily protested, her face turning beet-red.
Bella laughed. "Works every time," she commented to the other mothers around the table, who laughed along with her.
"Ssh! You're giving away trade secrets," Phoebe said. "They have no idea we do it on purpose."
"So are we to assume that these dates of yours are leading somewhere then?" Paige asked Chris, unable to contain her curiosity a moment longer.
"Is it so vitally important that you know every single detail of my love life?" her nephew complained, despite knowing it was a rhetorical question.
"Yes," his two Aunts replied in tandem.
Chris sighed in resignation and turned to look at Emily, his green eyes regarding her with an unreadable expression in them. "Yes," he said slowly. "I think it's leading somewhere."
"Aww! That's so sweet!" Phoebe gushed, clapping her hands together in delight.
"Mom! You are so embarrassing," Prue lamented with an exaggerated roll of her eyes.
Emily blushed a deep rosy red under Chris's calm, steady gaze, her heart fluttering about wildly inside her chest. It wasn't as if she didn't know that things were going well between them, but to hear him openly admit it like that in front of everyone was something else altogether. Not knowing quite how to react, she shot him a shy smile, looking bashfully up at him through her eyelashes. Slipping his hand into hers, Chris gave her fingers a warm squeeze before he downed the rest of his orange juice and helped himself to a piece of toast.
The rest of breakfast passed without further incident. Then, after bidding farewell to their extended family, Wyatt and Chris headed back upstairs with Emily and Chloe so that they could orb home to San Francisco away from prying eyes.
"Are you okay?" Chris asked, stopping Emily just inside the doorway. "You were kind of quiet at breakfast."
"I'm fine," Emily replied as Wyatt and Chloe headed further into bedroom to say goodbye. "I just… did you mean that?"
"Mean what?" Chris asked, looking puzzled.
"What you said about us downstairs," she replied. "About this leading somewhere, I mean."
"Oh," Chris said, his confused expression clearing to one of understanding. "Of course I did. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't."
Emily nodded, her lips quirking up into a small smile. Hooking one arm around her waist, Chris tugged her closer and pressed his lips against her forehead.
"You have to stop expecting the worst," he murmured into her hair as she wrapped her arms around his back and hugged him.
"I'm trying," Emily mumbled into the crook of his neck. "It's not always that easy though."
Chris stepped back a little and looked down into her face. "I promise I'll make it worth the effort," he said, a hint of laughter in his tone.
Emily smiled, not realising how effortlessly he'd coaxed her out of her attack of insecurity. "How can a girl resist?" she said, playfully fluttering her eyelashes at him.
"Hopefully she can't," Chris said, regarding her with a distinctly naughty twinkle in his green eyes.
Emily blushed like a schoolgirl and he laughed rather wickedly, making her blush all the more. Curling his hand around the nape of her neck, he then dipped his head and kissed her with his usual thoroughness, leaving her in no doubt in which direction he envisaged their relationship going. When they drew apart, they went to join Wyatt and Chloe, who were just breaking off a similar embrace.
"I'll see you later, okay?" Wyatt said as he stepped back.
Chloe nodded. "Wish me luck," she replied.
"You'll find it, I know you will," he assured her. "I have a good feeling about today."
"Well at least someone does," Chloe told him with a wry smile.
"You're such a pessimist. Have some faith and you might just be surprised."
"Yes coach," Chloe replied, nodding her head in mock solemnity.
Wyatt looked steadily at her. "Are you ever going to take me seriously?" he complained.
"Err… that would be a no," his fiancée replied and then laughed and threw her arms about his neck. "I love you."
"Yeah well, I love you too – even if it does mean I'm certifiably insane."
"He's such a charmer, isn't he?" Chloe said over her shoulder to her cousin. "I mean how could I possibly not fall for a line like that?"
Emily smiled, slightly envious about how free and easy Chloe and Wyatt were with each other. She hoped that she and Chris would have that one day, that she wouldn't be afraid to say she loved him for fear of the sentiment not being returned in kind. Those three little words would be locked inside her heart until she heard them from his lips first however, because she needed that reassurance before she took that fateful step. She knew it wasn't fair of her to expect that of him so soon into their relationship though, so for now she would just have to wait while he played catch up.
At least all the signs pointed towards a positive outcome on that. He was subtly stepping up the heat between them with every day that passed and she knew he wasn't the type to do so without due consideration. Her hopes were high, but her head was still preaching caution. It had only been a week; she mustn't get ahead of herself. There were still so many things that could go wrong. Trying to run before you could walk usually meant a big fall before long; she'd be wise to remember that.
And yet, she wasn't imagining the growing intimacy between them, was she? Chris seemed to be serious in his intentions towards her and showed every indication of wanting more than just a casual relationship. When they were together, the doubts were mostly kept at bay. Unfortunately, they had a nasty habit of returning to haunt her every time they parted company.
She trusted Chris to be honest with her, what she didn't trust was her own potential for seeing things that weren't there, for reading more into a situation than there actually was. She'd let herself hope for something between them when it hadn't been on offer before now. How could she be certain that she wouldn't do that again? Everyone kept telling her to relax and go with the flow, but it wasn't that easy when her dreams could be so easily shattered into a million pieces.
"Well, I suppose it's time we were going."
Wyatt's voice broke through the confused welter of thoughts whirling around in Emily's head and she looked up to see the two brothers standing, side-by-side, ready to leave. Forcing herself to return Chris's parting smile, she was relieved to see that he didn't seem to have noticed her disquiet.
Chloe however, was a different matter entirely. "What's wrong?" she demanded of her cousin, the moment the two witch-whitelighters had left in a swirl of blue lights. "Don't tell me, you're over-analyzing again."
"I don't over-analyze," Emily protested.
Chloe scoffed. "Yeah right."
"You don't understand!"
"Emily I do, believe me. But I think it's about time you started to accept that Chris really likes you. He said as much at breakfast this morning, or weren't you listening? Plus, you don't think he kisses you that way out of politeness, do you?"
"You don't know how he kisses me!"
"Me and Wyatt were watching you both just now," Chloe told her unashamedly.
"What?" Emily stared at her in outrage.
Chloe shrugged. "You can't blame us for being curious," she said. "That's beside the point anyway - you're my cousin, more than that you're my best friend. If I had any doubts about Chris's sincerity, then I'd be telling you to be careful and not to let your heart rule your head. I'm not though, am I?"
Emily sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. "It's just that doesn't feel as strongly as me," she said disconsolately.
"He's not far off, Emily," Chloe argued. "Look – I'm not trying to diminish what you went through, but for love to evolve it has to be a two-way thing. The other person has to let you into their heart for things to progress. Your feelings for Chris are growing stronger because he's giving something back now."
"I suppose," Emily agreed.
"But you're letting your fear of getting hurt again stop you from seeing what's right in front of your face."
"Like what?"
"Like the way Chris feels about you," her cousin told her. "Sometimes you seem almost blind to it. What is it that you so afraid of anyway? That he'll suddenly take it all back and say 'Ha! Just kidding'?"
"Something like that, I guess," Emily admitted.
"I think you're a better judge of character than that, don't you?" Chloe said. "You've usually managed to fall in love with someone at least halfway decent before now."
"Well, apart from Jed," she amended, referring to an old boyfriend of her cousin's, who held the dubious distinction of being what one would describe as a 'bad boy'.
Emily's lips quirked up into a smile. "Jed was cute."
"Jed was a jerk," Chloe retaliated.
"Yeah well, I was going through a rebellious phase at the time."
"So I noticed," Chloe said with a sarcastic roll of her eyes.
Emily laughed. "I was in my first year of college, trying to find out who I was and where I fit into the world. If that's not an excuse for choosing an unsuitable boyfriend, I don't know what is. Besides, it was fun while it lasted."
"I suppose he did have his charms," Chloe conceded reluctantly. "No concept of the word monogamy though."
"Which is why I dumped him and emptied the entire contents of a half-melted ice bucket over his head," Emily reminded her.
Chloe grinned, remembering the incident with relish. For an image conscious guy like Jed, public humiliation was the worst kind of punishment imaginable and her cousin had meted it out in spectacular style. Mr Suave-and-Sophisticated had been left dripping wet with his carefully gelled and spiked hair flattened like a pancake to his scalp. Emily, meanwhile, had walked out of the crowded party with her head held high and her dignity intact.
"Playing the victim never was your style," Chloe remarked blandly.
"Meaning it is now?" Emily asked, catching the subtle inference.
"To a certain degree, yeah," Chloe said. "Chris hasn't given you any reason not to trust him, and yet it's almost as if you're expecting something to go wrong."
Emily sighed, her panic attack having finally subsided to a manageable level. "Chris pretty much said the same thing earlier."
"He's only going to be so patient for so long, you know," Chloe pointed out.
"I know; I'm trying, all right? I… it will get easier, won't it?"
Chloe nodded. "I was afraid with Wyatt too, you know, but the closer we got, the less it bothered me."
Emily rested her forehead against her fingertips. "I feel like I'm on a rollercoaster ride, Chloe," she said. "I'm so up and down all the time. One minute I couldn't be happier, the next I'm stressing out over things that may never happen. It's crazy!"
"Actually, I'd say it was perfectly normal in a situation like yours. Perhaps you just need a little bit of help to see things more clearly."
"What kind of help?" Emily said. "I might be a bit off centre at the moment, but I don't think I need therapy just yet."
"No, but you'd probably benefit from having your energies realigned," Chloe replied. "I treat family for free, you know," she added by way of extra inducement.
Emily stared at her cousin with a certain amount of trepidation in her gaze. Chloe had never used her power on her before and, while she trusted her, it still felt a little weird.
"I won't do it if you don't want me to," her cousin said.
"No, I just… you think it will help?"
"I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't."
"Okay," Emily said slowly, "So what do I do?"
"Just lie back, close your eyes and try to relax," Chloe instructed.
Emily did that and waited, not knowing what to expect. The mattress dipped a little as Chloe sat down beside her, and then she felt the feather-light touch of her cousin's fingertips against her forehead. A feeling of immense calm immediately washed over her before a tingling warmth slowly spread throughout her entire body. How long she lay there in a state of meditative calm she didn't know, but the gentle, stroking touch of Chloe's fingers against her right cheek finally roused her from the hazy stupor.
"Wow!" she breathed as she opened her eyes. "That was just… heavenly."
"Feel better?" Chloe asked as Emily sat up and locked her hands together above her head to stretch out her muscles.
Emily nodded. "Yeah," she said and then laughed a little giddily. "Remind me why I've never let you do that before now."
Chloe smiled. "I don't think there's ever been an occasion when you've needed it before," she said. "But with everything that has happened with Chris, your kidnapping by those horrible demons, not to mention the estrangement from your Dad – it's no wonder your aura ended up all twisted into knots."
"It's not going to make the fear go away though, is it?" Emily said.
"No, but it will help you deal with it better," Chloe replied. "Stressed out people can't see the wood from the trees. Calmer people are able to look at things more objectively."
Emily nodded. "You know, I don't think I've ever fully appreciated what you do for people before. I wish I did something so worthwhile with my life."
"Emily, you do."
"Chloe, I work in an office."
"But you also help Wyatt and Chris fight evil in your spare time," her cousin pointed out. "Don't sell yourself short."
Emily shook her head with a smile. "I don't know how Wyatt can call you a pessimist; you're the most optimistic person I know."
"Except when it comes to finding the right wedding dress," Chloe said ruefully.
"Which we should be looking for right now," Emily said, getting to her feet. "Come on, let's go shop."
"I thought you'd never ask," Chloe replied, affectionately hooking her arm through her cousin's as the two of them made their way to the door.
"You know I think Wyatt was right," Emily said conversationally as they headed down the corridor towards the elevator. "Today is the day, I can feel it. The perfect dress is out there waiting for you, I just know it."
OOOOOO
"Okay, so think positive," Chloe said to her reflection, hugging herself round the middle and nervously bouncing on the balls of her feet.
She was standing in front of a narrow mirror in a curtained off changing area, dressed in the thin satiny robe the bridal shop provided for its customers. She'd taken a different tack today and had handed over the responsibility for choosing the right dress to her shopping companions. The sea of white, ivory and shell pink outfits had all become a blur to her in recent weeks and she was hoping that seven pairs of fresh eyes would see something that she herself could not.
"Are you all right in there, honey?" her Mom's voice sounded from just beyond the curtain.
"Yeah Mom," Chloe replied, pulling back the drape and emerging from her hiding place.
Her Aunt Bella, the Charmed Sisters and Prue were all seated on various chairs and sofas around the room, while her Mom was standing next to a large clothing rail, which was holding about eight protective-covered gowns. Chloe's heart jumped a little at the sight.
"Where's Emily?" she asked.
"Here," a familiar voice said from the doorway.
Chloe quickly span around and saw her cousin walking into the room with a tall, olive-skinned woman by her side. The unknown female was carrying another clothing bag over her crooked arms, while Emily had a wide grin plastered over her face.
"You can thank me later," she said as she sat down next to Prue.
"I'm Stella," the woman introduced herself as she hung up the mystery dress alongside the others. "This is my shop."
Chloe nodded, a sudden, wild hope bubbling up inside of her. Emily wouldn't be beaming like that for nothing, right?
"I buy and sell dresses by other designers as a rule," Stella went on, "But I also studied fashion design in college, and I find myself getting creative every once in a while."
She stopped and looked over at Chloe. "Your cousin tells me you're having trouble finding the right dress."
"Umm yeah, you could say that," Chloe agreed, her heart about ready to break free of her chest such was the nerve-jangling anticipation.
Stella smiled warmly at her. "Well, I think I might have just the thing," she said, unzipping the dress bag and carefully removing the wedding gown inside. "It's called the 'Lily-Rose' and it'll be perfect for someone with your colouring and body-shape."
Chloe stared at the beautiful dress, her breath hitching in her throat. "I… I can't afford…"
"Don't worry, it may be an original but I'm not exactly what you'd call a well-known designer. I think you'll find it's within your price range."
Chloe bit her lip, unable to tear her eyes away from the stunning creation in front of her. It ticked every one of her boxes and more.
"So," Stella prompted gently. "Are we trying it on?"
Chloe's breath left her lungs with a huge whoosh and she nodded eagerly, her violet-blue eyes shining with barely concealed excitement. Removing the gown from its hanger, Stella ushered the bride-to-be into the changing area, pulled the drape closed and began to help her into the dress while the others waited on tenterhooks outside.
The process only took about five minutes max, but to those waiting it seemed like an eternity.
"I'm going to have a whole head of grey hair after this," Leann remarked with a tense laugh. "I'm so grateful Chloe's an only child - I think I'd have a nervous breakdown if I had to go through this more than once."
Emily smiled, her gaze on the drape blocking her cousin from view. She'd known the moment she'd laid eyes on the dress in the back room of the shop that this was the one, all she was waiting for now was Chloe's seal of approval.
Stella poked her head around the drape, a big smile on her face. "So are you girls ready?" she asked.
"More than," Emily replied with heavy emphasis.
Pulling back the drape with a dramatic flourish, Stella stepped aside as Chloe emerged. There was silence and then Leann brought up her hands to cover her mouth with a soft gasp.
"Oh honey!" she breathed. "You look beautiful."
After silently meeting her Mom's tear-filled gaze, Chloe's eyes sought out Emily's for her opinion.
"I better tell Chris to take some super-glue to the wedding," the redheaded witch remarked cryptically.
Chloe's forehead creased into a little frown. "Why?" she asked
"Because Wyatt's eyes are literally going to fall out of his head," Emily replied, her face splitting into a brilliant smile.
Chloe beamed and then turned to look at herself properly in the mirror. Turning this way and that, she viewed the gown from every conceivable angle, checking for any hidden flaws. There weren't any though – it was simply perfect.
The ivory satin fabric gave the dress a rich, glossy sheen and its classic style was exactly what Chloe had been looking for. The skirt was full but not too puffy and snowball-like, while the strapless, fitted bodice followed the natural contours of her body with effortless grace. A narrow column of tiny buttons flowed down the length of her spine to where a stylishly discreet bow decorated the bustle at the back. The only other adornment was a smattering of pearlescent sequins across the front of the bodice, which added a touch of sparkle to the gown's simple but chicly elegant design.
"So, is that a yes?" Emily asked from behind her.
Chloe pursed her lips in thought and then nodded, a big smile spreading across her face. "Yes," she said. "I think we have a winner."
"I don't think it'll need much alteration," Stella said, "Maybe just a bit off the length and it might be worth taking in the bodice slightly to prevent any embarrassing mishaps, if you know what I mean."
Chloe laughed. "Sounds like something I'd want to avoid," she agreed. "How long will it take?"
"I can have it ready for you by the end of the week. Will that be okay?"
"Umm yeah, I think so," Chloe said, glancing questionably over at Paige. "We'll be able to come back and pick it up then, won't we?"
Paige nodded. "Sure."
"Of course, now you need shoes, a veil and a tiara to go with it," Phoebe said after Chloe had changed back into her everyday clothes.
"And here's me thinking we were done," Emily said with a theatrical groan.
Chloe laughed happily and turned to look at Stella. "Do you sell shoes?" she asked.
Stella nodded. "And every other bridal accessory you can think of."
"Just the shoes will be fine," Chloe said. "I don't want a veil and I think a tiara will look a bit lonely without one."
"Okay, just shoes it is," Stella said and went back out into the shop.
After she'd left, Chloe gave into a whim and did a little celebratory dance, making the rest of them laugh.
"Where's my bag?" the bride asked when their mirth had subsided. "I've gotta call Wyatt."
"It's two in the morning at home," her mother reminded her. "He'll be asleep."
"So? I've found a wedding dress at long last," Chloe retorted as she pulled her cell out of her bag. "Which is just cause to wake him up if ever there was one."
"I'm not sure he'd agree with that,"Leann replied.
"Oh, I don't know, Aunt Leann," Emily cut in. "Given the mad and often hysterical woman he's had to put up with these last few weeks, I think he might be quite relieved."
Chloe stuck her tongue out at her cousin as she pressed the send button and lifted her phone to her ear. "You do know you're only getting away with that because…," she began before Wyatt answering the phone distracted her from what she'd been about to say.
"Oh hi babe!" she said brightly into the mouthpiece. "It's me. Guess what?"
"I'm not going to have the pleasure of marrying you in that bed sheet."
"Yeah - got it in one!"
"Damn and I was really looking forward to it too. So what's this dress like then?"
"You're not allowed to know that – it's a secret. You'll just have to show up on the day and find out, won't you?"
"Well actually, I was thinking of giving it a miss if you don't mind."
"You do know you're not even remotely funny, don't you?" Chloe said sarcastically
"You just have no sense of humour. Seriously though, I'm glad you found it at long last."
"Yeah, me too."
"So, is it okay if I go back to sleep now then?"
"Just as long as you dream of me when you do."
"Always."
"Well if that's the case, I'm just going to have to marry you, aren't I?"
"I'll be ready and waiting. I love you, Mrs soon-to-be Halliwell."
"Yeah, I love you too."
"I'm hanging up now then..."
"Yeah okay. I'll see you soon. Bye!"
Click...
Chloe pocketed her cell and smiled broadly as a deep sense of relief washed over her. She was getting married. In seven weeks. To Wyatt Halliwell. Oh boy!
To be continued…
A/N 2: Sorry for the sappy and rather abrupt end to the chapter, but this part was threatening to go on forever and I had to end it somewhere!
