A big thanks to my reviewers from the last chapter:
AlyssaP3, Princess-charmed100, PrUe AnD AnDy , du1387, and Love Angel 1705. It's good to know that you're still out there and interested. :o)
AlyssaP3: Yup, Piper is pregnant and the baby was conceived at the time Leo had his powers, the ones given back to him as an Elder to run the magic school. And I really hope that the movie was good, I still want to see it, lol.
And now onto a new chapter:
Chapter 35: Enchanted Doll
She heard it.
Walking back into the conservatory, Prue had heard what sounded like Piper's yell in the distance. Andy, who was heading in the direction of the living room, turned around to share a knowing look with her. He had heard it too. Something was wrong upstairs.
The insulation wasn't very good, causing all sound to travel throughout the manor. However, because of the type of lifestyle they lead and with their lives constantly hanging on the line, poor insulation actually turned out to be a good thing. With the looming threat of demon attacks on a daily basis, there was never a definite way of knowing when one of them could run into trouble inside of their own home.
After their quick ascent up the winding staircase, Prue and Andy ran into Leo in the hall. He had also been alerted to the call and came rushing out of the bedroom. After looking at them briefly, he joined the two of them, all three making their way up into the attic. The sight that greeted them was a shock.
"Oh my god," Prue cried, rushing inside and kneeling at her sister's side almost immediately.
"Piper?!" Leo exclaimed, seeing her lying on the floor.
He came to his wife's side just as quickly as Prue. Andy stood in the background, concerned but feeling unsure of how he could help in the situation.
"Piper?" Prue called out to her. "Sweetie, wake up!" she pleaded, noticing that her sister appeared to be unconscious. However, she got no response back from her.
"What happened?" Leo cried. But the answer became apparent to them when they all saw the arrow sticking out from her back.
Prue turned to look at the center of the attic. Lana was gone. The crystals were spread across the floor and she had somehow managed to escape her place of imprisonment. Which meant that the darklighter who shot her sister, most likely the same one that had shot her not too long ago, had probably been the one to set her free.
"A darklighter," Leo stated, feeling helpless. "Prue? You're going to have to try and heal her," he looked directly across from her, his face a mask of desperation. "I don't have my powers to do it. Which means I can't call for help either."
Prue stared back at him incredulously.
"Heal her? Leo, I don't know how to or I else would, believe me," she argued. She saw the desperation he was feeling and felt even worse about how powerless she felt.
"Prue, I thought this new power let you guys tap into each other's powers," he retorted. "Paige can heal, which means you should be able to."
"We don't know how to control it like that yet," Prue shot back. "Look, we need to get Paige." She attempted to get up from the floor; however, Leo immediately reached out to grab her wrist, stopping her.
"There's no time for that," he argued back with urgency. "I can't orb to get her and if what you're telling me is true, then it sounds like you can't control doing that either. Try calling for Sam," he suggested out of the blue.
"What?" Prue exclaimed, confusion spreading across her facial features. "Why?"
"Call for Sam," he instructed again. "He's a whitelighter. And your real father, isn't he? There should be a connection there. Try and tap into it, Paige was able to do it before."
"Leo, I don't even have the powers of a whitelighter," she pointed out for him, gesturing with her hands right in front of her. "How is Sam even suppose to hear me?"
Leo discovered the truth about that particular revelation from Piper. Andy, standing with his arms crossed, listened to Leo's open admission and then shot a confused, questioning look in Prue's direction. She glanced back at him, catching his reaction to the news. It was something she really hadn't opened up about yet and knew what was probably coming.
"Some more secrets, huh?" Andy threw out at her.
Prue closed her eyes, feeling frustration. "Andy, not now, please."
"You're right," he retorted, looking his wife in the eyes. "Our concern should be for Piper, so why don't you stop arguing against every one of Leo's suggestions and just try doing it." He knew that could have just as easily been Prue lying on the floor. Like the last time when he wasn't here.
Prue could tell he was upset. Probably over the whole incident.
"Or you can try calling out for Paige. You may not have the active powers of a whitelighter, but the connection is innately there," Leo encouraged. "One of them should be able to sense you. Just hurry up and try to do it. We may not have much time."
His attention fell back on Piper, still unconscious but barely breathing.
Prue took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then focused all her energy into calling out for either Sam or Paige with her mind. Both Andy and Leo watched from the sidelines, in nervous anticipation, when suddenly she felt it. A type of tingling connection sprang to life. And after a few more moments of hardened concentration, lights suddenly materialized inside of the attic, bringing three surprised faces into view.
"Dad?" Paige called out, shocked to be running into Sam, as she turned to see him standing next to her. She had orbed into the attic along with Phoebe, who was also standing beside her. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard a call for help," he admitted honestly. "I thought maybe it was you."
"No, it was me!"
The three stunned faces looked straight ahead of them, turning in the direction of the voice making that announcement. They saw Prue standing up, coming towards them, and then all eyes shot to the figure lying on the floor.
"And we don't have time to waste because Piper is hurt. She needs one of you to heal her," Prue announced getting straight to point.
"Oh my god, Piper!" exclaimed Phoebe, immediately sprinting in the direction of her injured sister.
Both Sam and Paige followed in her footsteps, Paige glancing over to where Lana should have been surrounded by the crystals. Sam and Paige knelt beside Piper. The arrow was removed and each one of them extended their hands over her. Everyone stood back and watched as the healing light appeared and did its work. A few seconds later, Piper regained full consciousness and began coughing. Leo was back at her side, assisting her in sitting up.
"Thank god," came his relief. He turned to Prue. "Knew you could do it," he smiled in her direction.
"Ow, my head," Piper reached out, placing her hand behind her. Her head had hit the floor after falling down. "What happened?" She fought to regain awareness, while standing up on her feet.
"Well, that's what we'd like to know?" Paige retorted. She stood up and placed her hands against her hips. "One minute I was trying to sleep and the next thing I know I'm feeling this overwhelming sense of panic when Phoebe calls to tell me she's feeling the same thing. So I orbed over to get her and then as if that wasn't bad enough, I felt a pretty strong call hit me for help on our way over here. Figured it had something to do with you guys."
Paige turned to look once again in the direction of the empty space no longer occupied by Lana.
"Looks like I was right."
"Looks like your new power is growing," Leo commented. "I mean, if the both of you felt the empathic connection to each other before Prue even called out for help?"
"Hm," Phoebe reflected, looking at her oldest sister. "Tapping into the whitelighter part of our-self, are we?" she teased.
Prue closed her eyes, shaking her head in denial. "Uh, no. Not exactly," she negated. "I think it just had to do with our new power. It had nothing to do with being a whitelighter!"
Sam glanced in her direction as did the others. Leo took on a serious look before responding.
"Prue, of course it did," he jumped in against Prue's denial. "It was bound to happen eventually, especially now that you're fully aware of it."
"Ah, no worries about the denial. It's familiar territory for Paige. I'm sure when you're ready, she can help you through it," Piper spoke up volunteering Paige's services. "And the sooner the better since it effects all of us now. As we can clearly see," came the reasoning, in direct reference to what had just happened to her.
"Okay, fine," Prue tried her best to blow it off. "Let's just leave it alone for another time. We have other things to worry about right now. It's just a good thing you guys knew something was wrong and then you came when you did," she turned the conversation away from herself.
"Smooth, Prue." Paige rolled her eyes around playfully, noting how her sister had cleverly maneuvered the discussion away from her with a little bit of logic.
Prue tried to ignore the passing comment but couldn't resist shooting her a look.
"Yeah. And not a second too soon," Phoebe commented on their convenient arrival. She turned to notice that Lana was missing as well. "Guys, what happened here?" she immediately inquired, complete concern shining through her voice. "Where's Lana?"
"Yeah, what exactly did happen?" Paige repeated the question.
"What does it look like?" Piper snapped in good humor. "I was shot. That's the last time I use my attic as a substitute for a jailhouse."
Phoebe smiled. "No," she sighed. "We know that. We mean what happened before you got shot?"
"I don't know," Piper answered, straightening herself out. "I was trying to sleep. And then I heard some noises from downstairs but she was already gone before I got up here," she gestured with a wave of her hand towards the empty spot a few feet away from them.
"Which means the darklighter had to be the one that definitely freed her. He got around the crystals somehow, but how?" Prue interjected. She stood with her arms folded. "And more importantly, why did he wait around if he got what he came for?"
The sisters shared a look before they heard the loud yell coming from the second floor.
HEY!
It definitely sounded like Billie. It took all four of them about one second to reach the same conclusion.
"The kids!" came their simultaneous declarations.
Everyone ran to exit the attic as they descended the stairs in the direction of the bedrooms.
ooooo
The darklighter's orbs reappeared inside of a bedroom found in the manor.
After looking around, he realized his plan to distract the others had worked. Sleeping in the bed, just a few inches away from him, was one of the children. The little girl that the Triad managed to get their hands on before. Shooting the former oldest Charmed One definitely placed all of the remaining family members concentration on saving her life. Which meant he was now free to move forward with his plan to snatch up the children. His steps towards the sleeping child brought him even closer to that goal.
The darklighter didn't see the small clutter in front of the bed. As a result, he almost tripped over the pile but he caught his balance on the bed post. However, he cursed silently at his carelessness because he had managed to make some noise in the process. Fortunately, it wasn't enough to wake the child but whoever was passing by had heard it. A voice traveled through the door, seeking out the child.
"Molly? Are you awake?"
What if the person walked in on what it was he was about to do?
Instantly, the darklighter knew he would have to alter his plan. He hadn't gotten close enough to the child yet with the stones to ensure protection against the use of any powers she might hold. He thought fast. Instead, eyeing the doll that lie beside her, he orbed it out of her grasp and into his waiting hand.
He moved towards the door and when he opened it the person waiting on the other side received the shock of their life.
ooooo
Billie was almost positive she heard a shout.
After coming back home, she had felt so exhausted that she just let her head hit the pillow. Within a few moments, her consciousness had drifted onto the edges of a deep sleep. However, it was short-lived when a loud call startled her out of it. She then waited a few moments and thought she heard the others passing by in the hall.
Billie had gotten out of bed and then exited her bedroom. Turning down the hall, her steps continued to take her in the direction of the attic when she suddenly stopped. She had just passed by Prue's bedroom but thought she heard something inside. Quickly, Billie jumped to the conclusion that Molly might have been awakened and was roaming around inside. Tip-toeing back, she silently placed her ear up against the door to listen.
"Molly? Are you awake?" she called out gently but loud enough to be heard.
However, she suddenly received the shock of her life when the door bolted open and revealed who had been the cause of the disturbance.
"You!" Billie exclaimed in an accusatory manner.
She recognized him immediately. It was the same darklighter who had taken her and delivered her to Gideon and the rest of the Triad. The same one who had tried to lure JD and was tracking down Lana. Was he back for her? Glancing quickly over his shoulder, she took in Molly's sleeping form. However, it wasn't about to stay that way for long as things were about to get much louder. She began taking steps backwards.
"Yup. Me!" the darklighter sneered back, advancing on her.
"Stay back! Or I'll ..." but she became distracted and didn't finish the sentence.
Casting her gaze downwards, she took notice of what he was doing with one of his hands. It appeared like he was trying to hide something behind his back. What was he hiding? However, she didn't have much time to contemplate it as the darklighter summoned his crossbow with his remaining, free hand. He pointed it directly at her.
"'Or you'll what?" he mocked her, an evil laugh following his words.
"I'll scream." She sneered.
"Go ahead. I dare you."
She kept eye contact with him, preparing to use her powers to thwart his attack. Suddenly, she was completely taken aback when he quickly changed target and turned to point the crossbow in Molly's direction. Her sleeping form was starting to stir from all the commotion occurring in the hallway right in front of the bedroom door.
"HEY!" Billie's loud yell came out, waving her hand and sending both him and the crossbow flying backwards into the bedroom. A dresser in the background broke his fall; however, completely startled Molly out of her sleeping state. The little girl jumped up.
"Mommy!" she cried out upon seeing the dark figure in the room with her.
The darklighter glanced between the startled child and Billie, who was advancing on him inside the room. He quickly orbed out. Billie stared at the floor and then quickly turned her attention to her little sister, sitting upright in the bed.
"It's alright Molly. The bad man is gone, okay?" she tried reassuring the small child as she took a seat beside her on the bed. Suddenly, Billie was alerted to the sound of footsteps rounding the corner and into the bedroom.
"Will he come back?" the little girl asked just as Prue entered the bedroom first, followed closely by Piper and then Phoebe and Paige.
Billie didn't get the chance to answer as she was alerted to Prue making quick strides in the direction of the bed, glancing between them and the broken pieces of furniture found on the floor. She grabbed for Molly out of the bed and held on tightly. The mere idea that her daughter could be abducted again petrified her.
"What happened?" Prue asked in a panic.
"You two okay?" Paige immediately inquired, feeling a little bit out of breath.
"We heard a shout," Phoebe backed up her sister's question with concern of her own.
"Everything's okay, he's gone," Billie tried to calm everyone in the room. "We're fine."
"The darklighter?" Paige pushed for confirmation and Billie nodded.
The men had been behind the women and Andy suddenly rounded the corner with Leo following behind him. In his own state of panic, Andy rushed straight over to Prue, who was standing next to the bed holding Molly close.
"Is she alright?" he asked reaching out for her and hugging her close.
While Prue and Andy were attending to Molly, Piper went over to flick the light switch on and then walked back over in the direction of the debris spread in a pile on the rugged floor. She remained the quietest. Glancing around the room, she stood still in one position with her hands at her sides, remaining completely vigilant for any signs of the darklighter or Lana.
"I'm going to go check on Wyatt and Chris," she broke her silence, suddenly craving the confirmation of her own children's safety. "I'll be back." She made her move to exit Prue's bedroom with Leo following.
"I'm coming with you," he announced.
Sam had remained in the background and watched them go along with everyone else. He glanced over at Prue and her family briefly before breaking in with the what seemed pretty obvious to everyone left in the room.
"That darklighter is still on the loose?" he looked between the two who were his daughters and Phoebe. "It's been kind of quiet on the whitelighter front. We haven't been having as many attacks by the one that was luring us in."
"Well that's probably because the darklighter's focus shifted onto us," Paige informed her father. "He's been working with the Triad to get to us. And obviously, the kids too."
Sam stood with his arms crossed.
"Sorry to hear that." His voice was laced with genuine concern. "Just be careful. All of you," he offered, looking between Paige and Phoebe. Then his attention turned back in Prue's direction. He observed Molly for a moment and then smiled. "And I'm glad that she's safe," he offered.
Prue offered an awkward smile. "Thanks."
"And I really wish there was more I could do to help but I really need to be going," Sam quickly changed the focus to his impending departure. "Of course, don't hesitate to call if you do need me again. For anything." He looked pointedly between Paige and Prue.
The small group watched as Sam was the next to depart from the scene, inside of his blue and white orbs.
ooooo
The darkighter orbed back inside of an Underworld lair inhabited by other darklighters.
"Dammit!" he cursed out loud.
This drew the attention of all the other darklighters inside of the cave dwelling. Feeling the mounting frustration of such incredibly bad timing, he took his quick strides through the crowd of other darklighters. They either attempted to move out of his way or observed him from a safe distance. The child's doll swung back and forth in his hand. He should have at least had the little girl but now he would have to alter how he planned on getting his task done.
"Crate?!" he hollered for the fair-haired darklighter that usually accompanied him on his many missions in the past. Including the one to take out the whitelighter JD months ago. However, this mission had been an exception. "I need your assistance."
Crate turned to address his superior counterpart with a touch of fear mixed in.
"Why?" he dared to ask him. "What for?" His eyes narrowed.
In a rough manner, the agitated darklighter grabbed Crate by his black collar, pulling him within inches of his own face. "You dare to ask me why?" he gritted through clenched teeth. "I said I need your help and you're going to give it to me. That's what for!" he spat.
A third darklighter stood close by in the distance, supervising the work of the other ones who were hard at work building crossbows and manufacturing the poison that would taint the arrows. While keeping a close watch, he listened in on the words spoken by the darklighter who had suddenly made his appearance again. His eyes narrowed. It was because he was well aware of the other darklighter's dealings with the Triad, as were most darklighters by now, something that had been going down for months. Most of them chose to stay clear of him because of the unnatural power boost he had received for being in league with a Triad member. The rumors about the Triad being in possession of the Vicarian Stones were also well known. But to the supervising darklighter in charge, the other darklighter's loyalties had been called into serious question. This other darklighter had gone vigilante and not only that. His loyalties had also shifted to the Triad.
"Well, well, well," the supervising darklighter decided to interrupt. He walked over to the two darklighters, his hands behind his back. "Jarad," he addressed the darklighter by his formal name. "So to what do we owe this honor?" he mocked him openly.
"Stay out of this, Dalihel," he warned the supervising darklighter. "I'm here on business."
"Ah. Yes," he continued to mock Jarad. "Now would that be official Triad business?" He paused momentarily, his features growing even darker. "There's just one problem. And that's that I don't see the Triad anywhere around here. Do you?"
The darklighter, named Jarad, seethed at his former comrade's persistent mocking of him. Because he came here for assistance and he wasn't leaving until he got it.
"Look," he sneered. "I need a place to bring the next generation back to. Just until I can secure their release over to the Triad."
"Well then I suggest you take that business elsewhere," Dalihel ordered. "Our only business right now is in bringing down the whitelighters that we need to so they don't stand in our way. Whitelighters, Jarad, you do remember those don't you?" he mocked a third time, placing his hand underneath his chin and feigning contemplation. "Or has working with the ranks of the Triad gone to your head and our kind and work isn't good enough for you anymore!"
"The next generation?" the fair-haired darklighter, called Crate, questioned, looking between the other two. "Do you mean the children of the Charmed Ones? I thought you were supposed to handle that by killing and taking on that whitelighter's image. JD?!"
"Change of plans," Jarad threw back at Crate. "Look, it's just temporary," he shifted back at Dalihel. "And then I'll be out of your way in no time."
"We don't need the Charmed Ones coming after us!" Dahilel hollered. "And they will if their magical offspring can be traced back to here. The answer is no! Let the Triad be the ones to deal with them and the Ultimate Power."
By this point, they had drawn the attention of most of the other darklighters who had stopped working, listened, and observed the growing conflict around them.
"Yes, and when they finally have it," Jarad took the opportunity to point out about the Ultimate Power, "You'll be punished for your insubordination. All of you," he then turned to address all the darklighters as a whole. His shot his glare back at the supervisor. "Now you can either help me secure our place in the Underworld when that time comes or you can stand here and argue with me about the finer points of what it means to be a darklighter."
He reached for the inside of his dark suit and pulled out the Vicarian Stones handed to him by Gideon in order to complete his mission. He slammed them down onto the large working station for them all to get a good look at.
"There!" Jarad announced, letting them all know he meant business. "Besides, if the rumors are true about the oldest Charmed One, all of their existing offspring already pose a threat as possible future whitelighters."
Crate's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are those what I think they are?"
"Indeed they are."
Jarad sneered again, waiting for the supervisor's reaction. The darklighter, Dahilel, opted to keep his cool, remaining in place with his hands still behind his back. His eyes darted between the stones set out before him and then back to making eye contact with Jarad.
"Which is it going to be?" Jarad pushed, refusing to back down.
Dahilel finally decided to give in.
"What did you have in mind?" he relented, still less than thrilled with the prospect of making themselves the targets of the Charmed Ones.
"This!" Jarad declared, flashing the doll in full view of everyone.
Using some magical assistance from the stones, he created an opening inside the doll. A red, sparkly tinge had appeared, magically pulling the plastic apart. He placed one of the stones inside and then when he was finished the hole magically sealed itself closed.
"We need some type of magical cage or contraption to hold them in. We'll put one other stone inside of the cage to draw them into it," Jarad instructed. "And with the right amount of dark magic, we'll use the doll to create a portal opening to lead them back here."
"Very well. We'll prepare that from our end," Dahilel remarked, grabbing for one of the remaining stones. "But do hurry. My patience is not my strong suit," he warned.
Jarad merely sneered, grabbed for the last Vicarian Stone on the work station, and then orbed himself out with the doll in his possession.
Dahilel turned back around to face the others.
"Well, what are you all staring at? Get back to work!"
ooooo
It was the early hours of the morning and all the sisters had met up in the kitchen to discuss the events from the night before and the impending show down with the Triad. Their other area of concern was what they should do now that Lana was back in the Underworld and with the rest of the Triad members. Suddenly, they were interrupted by the appearance of Molly who came running inside the kitchen, almost frantic.
"Mommy? Mommy?" the little girl's voice traveled to everyone sitting at the table. "I can't find Emma."
A small pout was set firmly in place and she began pulling roughly on her mother's arm.
"Molly," Prue protested. "Stop it."
"Help me find her, mommy, please," her voice pleaded as she began jumping up and down on the kitchen floor. "She's lost."
"I'll help you find her afterwards, but right now you're being rude," Prue scolded her daughter. "We were in the middle of having a grown-up talk and you interrupted something that's very important."
"Emma?" Paige questioned, taking a sip from her coffee. "Who's Emma?"
Molly tilted her head at Paige, her pout still displayed across her small lips.
"My dolly," the child explained, drawing out the word dolly in a very dramatic way.
"And our newest bed-time addition," Prue rolled her eyes in a playful manner at the sudden attachment to the new doll. However, she made sure Molly didn't see. "And I think it's time for Emma to go back to sleeping with her friends," she teased gently, making reference to the other dolls and toys Molly had begun to acquire.
"But she gets lonely," the little girl protested. "And she likes the bigger bed."
"Oh," Paige acknowledged, eyes widened, and nodding her head to play along. "I see."
"She went to sleep with me and now she gone."
The most logical conclusion seemed to be that maybe the doll fell off the bed. She placed her cup back down on the table and then leaned over so that her face was almost aligned with her niece's. She brought her voice down to a low whisper.
"Well, maybe she's just playing hide and seek with ya'?" she suggested in a teasing manner. "Did you check under the bed?"
Molly responded by shaking her head back and forth in protest. "No!" she wailed in an over-exaggerated fashion. "I already look there."
"Oh. Okay. Well, then I give up. Sorry kiddo," she teased again, bringing herself back up to face her sisters. She made a face which only added to the amusement felt by her other sisters. "Hey. I tried," she threw at them. "One of you try to do better."
Piper looked between her sisters.
"Yeah, well, I think I smell a Wyatt," she cracked. She was more than aware that the two of them had been sparring over toys lately and she just assumed it was possible that Wyatt had gotten his hands on the doll somehow. And then hid it on purpose.
"Here," Phoebe got up from her seat. She picked up her coffee cup and carried it with her. "What do you say that you and I go and check underneath that bed again," she covered over in a saccharine voice. "Okay, little missy? I'm sure she's still waiting there for you and me."
She reached out her hand which Molly accepted. She threw an approving look back over her shoulder as the two of them left the kitchen. She needed a break from the seriousness of their discussion anyway. The darklighter, Lana, Gideon and the rest of the Triad would still be waiting for them in a few hours anyway.
"Have fun with that," Prue threw back so her sister would overhear.
"Well, unfortunately ladies, there's no fun for me. I need to get going myself. I've got alot of work waiting for me at the office," Paige informed them. "But, uh, no worries 'cause will figure it all out." She made another face as she thought about her words. "Some how. Besides, these kitchen meetings are becoming so frequent maybe we should just add them into our day calenders," she cracked while getting up from her seat.
"I thought these meetings already were," Piper turned the joke back around on her.
Paige smiled and reached across for some of her sister's long hair. "Nice," she commented. "Like the new look. I think it's so you," she teased. Then she walked off.
"Ha ha, funny," Piper retorted. "Just give Henry my best. He lives with you."
Actually, she was grateful to have her longer hair back but had been afraid to do it herself, contemplating the personal gain rule. It made her feel somewhat back to normal again. She had woken up early in the morning and her natural assumption had gone straight to Billie. Which meant that some type of spell had to have been cast overnight.
"I guess I'll go upstairs and start to work on finding them," Piper offered, referring to the Book of Shadows and scrying to get a possible location. She got up and brought empty bowls to the sink. "Care to be of any help?" She began rinsing a bowl.
"Yeah, sure. I'll be up in a minute."
Piper turned around to face Prue. It was an answer but a distant answer. Piper knew the tone. Her sister was distracted by something else that was on her mind. She had two other sisters she was use to dealing with over the last five years and Prue really hadn't changed all that much either. She recognized the signs. Especially the tone of voice.
"Alright. Spill it, sister. What's up?" Piper went for it. The clean cup was placed inside the dish strainer and she made her way back over to the table to take a seat again. This time she was facing her sister directly. "And don't try to deny it. Somethings bothering you, I can tell. You've been a little distant all morning."
Prue sighed. She took her spoon and moved it around her cereal bowl causing the milky liquid to swirl around. "I'm not denying it. I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to handle it."
Piper took a moment to absorb what her sister was getting at. "I'm going to assume this is about Andy, right?" She paused to think. "So. I guess he got pretty freaked out about last night, huh?"
"Yeah, but it's more like he's just freaked out period. And I just don't know what else to say because I can't make him stay if he doesn't want to."
"Wait, he said he wants to leave you?" Piper was surprised.
"No, not exactly. Just more like the more distance he puts between us, the better off it'll be for him type of thing." She made a face.
"Well, Prue, maybe space isn't such a bad thing," came the suggestion. "I mean, Leo and I actually parted ways a few times until we finally got it right," Piper shared.
"Actually, it's not like I have much of a choice at all, Piper. He said that's what he wants to do. It's what he's going to do. He needs the time and space and I just get to wait around until he decides otherwise." Prue began to fiddle with her coffee again.
"Alright," Piper offered. "So take advantage of the break and then just hope for the best. I think Andy will come around soon. Besides, the magical world effects everyone differently. Andy may be someone who just needs a little more time to adjust, that's all. I mean, he was literally just thrown back into the swing of everything without much of a say. Can't be that easy."
Prue shot her sister a glare. "Thanks for the guilt trip."
Piper laughed.
"Prue, that is not what I mean. I'm not trying to make you feel bad on purpose but it's just that the truth is what it is. Andy came back married to a witch. His daughter or rather ... daughters," she stressed, correcting herself, "are witches too and he has alot to be worried about. He didn't even know about Billie and it's a pretty dangerous world to be caught up in just by choice let alone when there's no choice involved whatsoever."
Piper moved to get up.
"Oh, I don't know," Prue plastered on a fake smile. "Maybe I'll just go plunge myself head-first right into the San Francisco Bay. If I just give into my old fear of drowning, Gideon and the rest of the Triad won't even be able to find me. And maybe it'll save Barbas the extra trouble if he ever decides to come after us again."
"Hey, not funny," Piper scolded teasingly. "You already conquered that fear. And it wouldn't make Andy or your children any safer to find you floating around like a frozen Popsicle. Now we love you and we're here if you need anything," she stressed. "So stop with the self-loathing already and meet me up in the attic. Contrary to what your stubborn self may like to believe, you're not all alone in this."
"Tell that to Andy," Prue sighed, getting up from her own chair.
Piper headed in the direction of the dining room. "Okay, do we need to get Coop in on this?" she shot over her shoulder in a teasing manner.
A puzzled expression washed over Prue's features. "Why? What does that mean?"
A cheesy laugh flowed from Piper. "Well, ask Paige. She can tell you all about it," she supplied in reference to Paige and Henry's own marital intervention not that long ago.
Prue followed her sister out of the kitchen still not fully understanding what the dig meant.
ooooo
Andy sat at his office desk, staring into the space in front of him. The same file sat open on his desk for the last thirty minutes; however, as hard as he tried he just couldn't concentrate. He had alot on his mind, starting with things on the home-front.
"Inspector?" a voice called out to him. "There's someone here that's looking for you."
Andy was pulled from out of the daze and he turned his attention towards the young man delivering the news.
"Who?" he inquired, looking around.
"That woman right over there," the other man informed him, pointing in the direction of an attractive woman in her thirties. "Yup, what a looker," the other man admired. "She was at your desk waiting for you earlier while you were in a meeting with the Captain."
When Andy made eye contact and locked stares with the other woman, she smiled wide in his direction. He, on the other-hand, was completely surprised to find out who it was looking back at him. Andy got up from out of his chair and approached the woman.
"Susan?" he greeted her in surprise. Then he smiled. "How are you? It's good to see you again." He immediately bent over to kiss the side of her cheek but as a friendly, platonic gesture. "What are you doing here?"
She laughed lightly. "Well, I heard you were back in town and just thought I'd drop by to see how you've been," she answered with an aura of mystery mixed in. "It's been so long," she reached out and brushed the tips of her fingers down his sleeve.
A little taken aback by the obvious flirtation, he tried to ignore it.
"Uh, back?" he questioned, pulling back a little, and feeling momentarily confused.
"Yeah, didn't you transfer to New York a little while back? With your girlfriend, or fiance ..." she played dumb for the moment.
Right. The made-up history, Andy reasoned to himself.
"My wife," he corrected. "Prue and I have been married almost six years now."
"Right, Prue," she feigned a smile. "Congratulations. It's lasted longer than our marriage. So, how is she?" It was a question born out of common courtesy, not real interest.
"Good," he replied vaguely. Susan picked up on the strain in the tone of voice.
"Right. So how does the east coast fare from the west coast? I take it you were homesick if you decided to venture back this way." She laughed.
"No. Just a job transfer. Plus, Prue gets to be closer to her family," he shared.
"Wow, they must be pretty close."
"You have no idea," he laughed through gritted teeth, knowing full well that he'd be the only one to fully understand the meaning behind that. He sighed. "Look, Susan, not that it's not great to see you again, but I do really need to be getting back to work," he attempted to break off the short reunion. "It was nice of you to stop by."
"Oh, no problem," she accepted in a sweet tone. "Maybe we can do dinner sometime?" she suggested boldly. When she caught his expression, she laughed. "Just a friendly dinner of course," she tried to pacify him. "Between old friends."
"Maybe," he accepted, not completely comfortable with the offer. "Bye," he waved her off, as he backed up and knocked into the man walking behind him. He almost tripped over the other man. "Sorry about that," he quickly offered to the man whose file went flying onto the ground. Andy covered up with a nervous, light laugh and went back to his desk.
Completely amused by the encounter, Susan Trudeau flashed one last warm smile and then turned around to exit through the doors.
ooooo
The darklighter orbed into the first floor of the manor, being careful to remain undetected by anyone still inside the house.
He glanced around the living room area, trying to figure out where the best place to deposit the doll would be. It had to be somewhere the adults wouldn't find it but where the kids could get to it both easily and right away. However, his moment of contemplation was short-lived as he heard the front door opening and a woman call out.
"Hello? Prue, Piper? Anyone still home?"
Quickly, his eyes scanned the lay-out for a hiding place. He chanted over the doll, infusing the dark magic necessary to effect the children but not the adults should they accidentally come into contact with the child's doll. Glancing at the opening door leading into the grandfather clock, the darklighter opened it and deposited the doll inside. However, he didn't have time to close the door as he orbed out and the woman rounded the corner into the living room.
Taking a quick glance around, Paige's eyes landed on the open door on the front of the grandfather clock.
"Hm, that's a little odd."
She walked over to close it but when she got there, something compelled her to look inside first. And when she did, she was greeted by a surprising discovery. Hidden inside the grandfather clock, was Molly's doll Emma. Paige reached inside for it and pulled it out.
"There you are, Emma," Paige held the doll out in front of her, talking to it. "Wyatt left you in there, huh?" she mused.
Walking back into the foyer, she placed the doll on the table stand as she made her way for the kitchen. And as she left, the doll suddenly came to life. The eyes of the doll turned and followed the movement of Paige. When she was out of sight, the doll named Emma removed herself from the table stand by hopping off and falling to the floor. The two, tiny plastic legs made a fast dash for the stairs leading to the second floor.
After a few minutes had passed, Paige had come out of the kitchen with a bowl of cereal in hand. It was her lunch break and she decided to go with something simple before heading back to work.
"Okay, Emma, you and I are taking a little trip ..." but her line of thought trailed off after she came back to where she had left the doll. Her eyes widened when she saw no doll, and she immediately began checking her entire surroundings.
Did the doll fall under the table stand? Nope not there.
Did the doll slide somewhere on the floor? Nope not there.
Was she going crazy? Had she taken the doll to the kitchen with her? She headed back to the kitchen in a hurry to check it out. Nope not there either.
She ran back into the living room to check the clock. Nope, Emma wasn't back there.
"Okay, did I actually find a doll today or am I just going magically insane?" she mocked, shaking her head in disbelief as she decided to orb upstairs.
ooooo
Piper sat inside of the attic, Billie at her side. Prue had taken a break to go and check on the kids, so a deafening silence infiltrated the atmosphere. Earlier, Prue and Piper had walked in on her already in the attic. She had been thumbing through the Book of Shadows, contemplating how she would break ground with the others. However, Piper had finally decided to open up.
"You know, almighty blonde one," she cracked "my hair thanks you lots, but that still doesn't clear up our problem," she informed her. "But it's a start," she quickly amended with some humor mixed inside of the remark.
Billie's face broke with a smirk as she closed the Book of Shadows on her lap. She had been examining the book and collecting any new spells or potions that would be helpful in protecting the manor against sudden demon or darklighter attacks. Especially since it appeared as if the crystals wouldn't be effective anymore. Piper sat at the table, using the scrying tools to try and locate a place where Gideon and the Triad were shielding themselves.
"I know. And I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to shout and walk out on you guys, it's just that I thought I was helping. I guess the only other thing I can say is that I won't do it alone next time. The next time I'll come to you guys first."
"Mm. Uh-huh," Piper murmured, without taking her eyes off of the scrying she was still in the middle of doing. "Well, easier said than done, right? But you're forgiven. For now, at least," she teased her.
Billie's smile widened. "Thanks."
However, the moment was interrupted with the appearance of Paige's orbs. She stepped out of them and into the interaction taking place between Piper and Billie.
"Where's Leo?" Paige inquired.
"At magic school. Where else. Why?" Piper asked in a distracted manner.
"Um, well for one, maybe he can use some of the magic from there to keep that stupid doll in one place," she cracked, rolling her eyes in the process.
Piper laughed. "You found it? Because Phoebe had no luck with it this morning."
"It was hidden downstairs inside of the grandfather clock," Paige informed them. "I found the small glass door opened when I came inside."
This even caught Billie's attention. "That's a weird place for it to be. Wyatt thought of that place all by himself?" she asked with skepticism.
"No, what's weird is that I placed it down on the table stand and left for a second. And when I came back to get it, the silly thing was gone. Again."
Piper looked up with widened eyes. "Well, it couldn't have just walked off by itself."
Suddenly, there was a shuffling sound that all three women were alerted to. The tiny doll made a quick dash across the floor, careful not to be seen, and then hid behind the antic couch. Taking a peek around the side, it smiled as the confused faces looked around, searching for the source of the disturbance. Taking note that none of its intended targets were present in the room, the doll quietly made its way back for the exit. However, hearing the movement from below the stairs, it suddenly dropped on a step, completely lifeless again.
Inside the attic, the three women shook off their jitters and resumed the previous discussion that they were having before being interrupted by what they thought they had heard.
"Actually, I need Leo for something else. I think I just got a new charge today that came through social services," she informed them. "He's a kid, around twelve, and he's been orphaned by both parents. No other relatives have come forward. I was thinking that maybe there was some possible way that we could get him into the magic school?" she shrugged.
"How?" Billie asked the obvious question. "Without social services finding out?"
"Yeah, I don't think that's going to work, Paige," Piper agreed. "But you can still talk to Leo about it anyway. Maybe he has some ideas."
"I'd like to come up with something because I don't think it's a good idea to let this kid be pushed through a ton of foster homes without any proper magical guidance whatsoever," she shared her concerns.
"Maybe they can find him adoptive parents that are magical," Billie half-joked, shrugging her shoulders in the air.
Paige narrowed her eyes in at Billie playfully. "Or maybe someone should be in class right now and staying out of trouble."
"Day off," Billie quickly lied in her defense. She immediately turned her attention back to the Book of Shadows, flipping it to the first page it opened to.
"Uh-huh." Paige arched her brows not really believing a word of it.
However, the three women were suddenly alerted to the presence of another as Phoebe waltzed in through the attic door. Taking her designer jacket off and throwing it over an antic chair, her smile widened and she offered her greeting.
"Hey you guys. On my lunch break, just thought I'd stop by and see what two of my favorite sisters were up to. So what are you up to?" She began walking towards them. "More in the lifestyles of the not so rich and magical, I see?" Then, she suddenly remembered something else. "Oh, and wasn't that Molly's doll on the stairs?" she asked, pointing over her shoulder. "I can't believe you guys found it, I looked everywhere this morning."
Paige's face crinkled up into a look of pure bewilderment. "Uh, we didn't. I did. But the last time I saw it, it was all the way downstairs. And then it was gone. Poof! Abra-Cadabra!" She used her arm to imitate her words.
Phoebe couldn't help but laugh because of the expression found on her sister's face when she delivered the news.
"Well, Paige, it didn't just get up and walk by itself."
"The attic staircase. How did it get there?" questioned Billie.
Phoebe shrugged. "It's there."
"Prue probably found it and forgot," Piper surmised. She got herself up from her seated position and moved to go check it out.
"Uh, no, don't think so," Phoebe tread-ed lightly on the next topic of conversation. "She's actually downstairs in the kitchen," she pointed back over her shoulder. "Uh, with Andy. Having another argument. He must have decided to take a lunch break too."
"Oh, great timing." Piper rolled her eyes on her way out the door. "Right in the middle of demon-duty detail," she vented.
"Uh-huh. Now you know why I'm standing up here and not down there," Phoebe delivered her own crack.
However, when Piper came back into the attic, she was empty-handed with her own look of confusion set in place.
"Phoebe, there's nothing there."
"What?" Phoebe declared. "Sure it is. I almost tripped over the thing coming up the stairs."
Piper shook her head. "No. I didn't see anything. Go ahead and check for yourself if you want to," she informed her sister.
"Wait, what's all this talk about Prue and Andy fighting again?" Paige narrowed her eyes playfully after turning the topic back to Phoebe's announcement. "Maybe it's time we think about some sisterly intervention?"
All attention was drawn away from the doll.
Piper's eyes widened with that predictable suggestion coming from her. "Paige, no, don't even think about it," she warned. "Absolutely not," she declined.
"Hey, you didn't even hear my idea out," she pretended to be offended, standing with her hands against her hips.
"Paige, we don't need to hear your idea out," Phoebe jumped into the mix with a light laugh. "Meddling is meddling, period. And I have all the experience in the world, with your sisterly interventions, to prove it."
"Well, someone else might actually appreciate it, thank you very much," Paige shot back playfully before orbing out.
"Uh, Paige, wait ... " but Piper's protests were only met with the sight of her orbs disappearing in front of them. She closed her eyes and opened them back up before sharing a look with Phoebe.
"Prue's going to kill her!" Piper cracked with a tight smile that she shared with Phoebe.
"Let her live and learn I say," came Phoebe's comeback.
Piper, Phoebe, and Billie all shared a last laugh together before resuming what they had been doing prior to the discussion. Phoebe jumped into help for a little bit before having to return back to work.
ooooo
It was much later in the evening when the doorbell rang, grabbing the attention of the two sisters found on the first floor.
Prue exited the kitchen with a bowl of ice cream in hand. Lately, she had been craving things extremely sweet, no doubt a craving resulting from the pregnancy. Both she and Piper were sharing a carton from the fridge and eating at the table together. Piper followed behind her sister as Prue approached the door to find out who was there.
After placing the bowl down on the small stand found just before the front door, she reached for the doorknob and was greeted by the last person she expected to see.
"Uh, hi. Can I help you?" Prue stammered out.
She wasn't quite sure if the woman standing there was who she thought it might be but she held a striking resemblance to Andy's first wife.
The woman standing on the opposite side of the door flashed a wide smile in her direction. She wore a very form-fitting evening dress that showed off her fit figure. Prue took in the other woman's appearance and immediately felt inadequate about her own. There she was a few moments ago, and almost five months pregnant, sitting at a kitchen table porking down ice cream, while hiding her own figure under loose garments.
"Yes, actually, you can," the woman threw back at her in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Is Andrew home by any chance?"
Prue gave her a look just as Piper came to stand beside her.
"And you would be?" Prue narrowed her eyes, questioning this other woman's business. She shook her head back and forth waiting for the answer.
"Oh, yes, how rude of me." The other woman immediately extended her hand. "I'm Susan Trudeau. His wife." She caught Prue's dirty look and quickly amended it. "Or rather, his ex-wife," she made it a point to laugh. "Sorry. I think we actually met once before."
"Right, Susan," Prue forced herself to smile back at the woman while extending her own hand. "Sorry. Andy's not home right now." Prue made it a deliberate point to stress the use of Andy instead of his formal use of Andrew. After all, everyone called him Andy, not Andrew. "But I'll let him know you stopped by." She made an immediate attempt to shut the door to get rid of the other woman until she heard and felt the protest.
"Oh, it's not like that or anything," Susan put her hand out to stop the door from closing in her face. She made a bold move to step just inside of the doorway. "I just wanted to return this to him. He forgot it earlier when we met," she reached over to hand Prue his wallet.
"I'm sorry. When you met?" Prue questioned, taking the wallet from her.
Piper felt the tension and broke in.
"Um, Susan. Why don't you come in for a moment. Have a seat," she released a light laugh full of fakeness. "I'm Piper, Prue's sister." She extended her own hand and Susan accepted.
"Nice to meet you, Piper, and thanks."
Susan accepted the offer and stepped inside the manor. She took further steps inside the foyer, looking around with interest. Then, she made her move into the living room that was only a few feet away from them.
Prue took full advantage of Susan's moment of distraction as an opportunity to throw her sister a glare. "What are you doing?" she hissed underneath her breath.
Piper threw Prue back a look of her own, accompanied by a slight nudge to Prue's side. Prue nudged back.
"Your home is beautiful," the other woman swooned. "Different."
Piper nodded her head in agreement.
"Different is definitely how I'd choose to describe it," she laughed through some clenched teeth, thinking of the shock this other woman would most certainly encounter if a demon decided to attack in the manor at this very instant.
Susan then looked down when a small doll sitting on a love seat caught her attention. Picking it up, she decided to comment on it. "Cute doll. So you have kids?"
Piper and Prue both nodded; however, they became distracted as their attention was now drawn to the doll Susan was holding.
"You found the doll?" Prue gritted through clenched teeth.
"No, we thought you did," Piper gritted back.
Susan sighed, placing the doll back down. "Andrew and I talked about having kids," she laughed at what the two sisters perceived was her own stroll down memory lane. "It was just never the right time for us, I guess. In fact, our marriage probably would have lasted alot longer if it hadn't been for our different career paths," she chose to share on purpose.
Prue was barely resisting the urge to hurl something at the other woman. Piper, in the meantime, was picking up on her sister's mounting frustration through their empathic connection. The truth be known, Piper was resisting her own urge to roll her eyes at the other woman's now obvious attempts to get under Prue's skin. Susan took a few steps closer to the two sisters.
"I also just wanted to confirm the day and time for our dinner date," she declared a few feet in front of Prue, as if she were just remembering that detail for the first time. "It's just to get reacquainted. He didn't tell you about it?" she feigned in complete innocence.
Prue tried to suppress the sudden urge to tap into her powers and send Susan flying out a window. She could always just blame it on the hormones, right? The temptation was short-lived. She briefly closed her eyes, shaking her head to clear it so she could force herself to remain cool, calm, and collected.
"No, he actually didn't," she sighed, her arms crossed in a defensive stance. "Was there anything else, Susan?" she asked of the other woman.
Piper glanced side-ways at her sister.
"Of course, you're welcome to attend," she suddenly invited Prue, as if she were doing her some big favor by asking her along.
Prue glared.
"But then again, maybe that's me being a little too presumptuous," Susan attempted to clear her throat. "Perhaps you'd like to hold off on a dinner invitation for another time," she suggested.
Prue smirked. "Hmm," she hummed to herself.
There was a brief pause while Susan's eyes scanned the length of Prue's body. The final remark broke all of Prue's wavering restraint. "You do appear to have put on some more weight since the last time we met, no?" Susan remarked, squinting her eyes a bit.
Prue's eyes immediately bulged and then her hands instantly flew up into the air. Piper sensed exactly what was about to happen and reacted instantly. She grabbed for her sister's arms, thrusting them back down.
"Okay," Piper released a fake laugh to cover over the situation. "Gee, look how late it is already. It's really time to be going," she walked in the direction of Susan and began pushing her in the direction of the front door.
"But ..." Susan attempted to argue but it didn't deter Piper.
"We'll tell Andy you stopped by. Bye-bye now," and then Susan was literally thrust right out the front door by Piper despite the protests.
After slamming the door, the fake smile disappeared, and Piper turned around. She gave her sister a stern look.
"Are you crazy?" she admonished, walking back towards Prue. "You can't just blow up the ex-wife, what are you, nuts?!" she drawled on in typical Piper fashion.
"Oh yeah, watch me," Prue retorted, advancing in the direction of the front door. But she was blocked by Piper.
"Prue, stop. Granted, she's someone I wouldn't mind going a few magical rounds with myself but that's not the way our powers work. You know that. We can't blow up witchy ex-wives, no pun intended by the way," she interjected upon a quick reflection. "Blowing up mortals is always a major no-no. Just because we happen to find them annoying? God, there would probably be nobody left in the world," she rolled her eyes.
"Witchy?" Prue parroted what her sister said.
"I was just trying to be polite," smirked Piper. She closed her eyes, hands against her hips, and began swaying from side to side. "Substitute the W with a B and we both know what I really mean!"
Prue threw her a smirk before turning serious again. "Okay, but annoying? Try downright psychotic. And that perkiness is even more fake then that horrible implant job it's so obvious she's had done," she let out.
Piper smirked. "Wait a minute, are you saying you noticed that she had a boob job?" she laughed.
"Ew, quick glance," Prue clarified, closing her eyes. "I didn't stare."
"Right, okay," Piper nodded.
"Piper, why did you even invite her into manor in the first place?" Prue accused.
Piper shot her an incredulous look. "Uh, lets see, because if I hadn't intervened and diffused the tension building at the front door, Susan was just mere seconds away from an open invitation into the afterlife," Piper couldn't help but laugh before turning more serious. "By the way, try having that discussion with Andy and see how far your marriage gets. He's already struggling to come to terms with our way of life, remember?"
"Yeah, well, I'm stuck questioning how far our marriage is going to get at all with her back in the picture and Andy wanting a normal life," Prue couldn't help but share her concerns and insecurities. "Andy didn't mention to me at all that he ran into her today," she shared in all seriousness.
Piper sighed, understanding how her sister's fears could possibly be founded.
"Prue, I'm sure it's nothing," she tried offering reassurance. "Susan probably embellished the whole meeting with him on purpose," she rolled her eyes. "To get to you. And if you're really that worried about the whole thing just ask him."
While listening to her sister, Prue reached out for the ice cream bowl left on the stand and headed back towards the kitchen. Piper followed.
"And ask him what exactly?" Prue retorted. "If he's still got a thing for his ex, who just happens to have met with him today and in which he just conveniently forgot to mention," she vented as she walked. "And then she just so happens to show up on our doorstep with his wallet and an invitation to have dinner with her?"
"Well, she's certainly not subtle, is she?" Piper cracked, thinking about how this Susan could spell trouble, especially with the fragile state of Prue and Andy's relationship right now.
Prue rinsed the bowl and discarded it in the sink.
"No," she answered Piper, turning back around and leaning against the sink. "And I have a sinking feeling that won't be the last I see of her," she reflected.
Piper thought about it.
"But I'm off to bed, I'm exhausted and I'm sure Andy's already asleep by now," Prue yawned, finally giving into the exhaustion she felt. While walking past her sister, she reached out to hug and kiss her. "Love you. See you in the morning."
Piper sighed and was left standing in the kitchen by herself, contemplating the compiling list of issues they were all facing in their personal lives and magical ones.
ooooo
After daybreak, Paige had gotten up early, at the crack of dawn, intent on heading out so she could follow Coop until he agreed to do what she had requested from him the other day. He was still hesitant about giving in to assist, so she decided the extra push was necessary.
"Paige, you do know I'm on assignment here," he informed her as she continued to follow him around after orbing into his location.
"Just say the right words and I'll be gone," Paige mused with a smile.
Coop stood on a busy street, following a young man on his way to work. Everyday, the young man would stop and watch the young woman with the curly red hair from across the distance. Each morning, she would grab a coffee from a local cafe. The funny part of the whole story was that the two of them worked at the same place. The young man just never gathered up enough courage to walk over and ask her out.
Coop walked a little closer and Paige trailed behind.
"Who are they?" Paige whispered over to him, as she stared across the way.
"Just two people who are perfect for each other but just need a little push and the right amount of inspiration to get things moving," Coop relayed to her, lifting his ring up. The red light suddenly enveloped him, and Paige too, who had latched on. The light carried them to the young man.
"Paige?" he admonished, finding her there beside him. "You can't keep doing this."
"What? Can anyone see me?" she glanced around nervously. "Can he see me?" she suddenly shot her attention in the young man's direction. She waved her hand in front of his face.
Coop reached out and grabbed her arm. "No, he can't see you. But you don't belong here with me while I'm working."
"C'mon, Coop" she pleaded. "I need your help on this one. If you can inspire two people that don't even know each other yet, then the least you can do is offer a little bit of that inspiration to two people we do know. And, uh, might I remind you people who incidentally are family!" she stressed. "People who will soon be your family too."
"Paige, I can't interfere with Prue and Andy's marriage," he stated firmly. "You know that because I already told you the same exact thing yesterday when you came to me and wouldn't take no for an answer."
"Yeah, that's because no is the wrong answer," she hissed in whisper. "You helped me with Henry when we were having newly wed issues," she pointed out to him.
"That's because I had your express permission to do it!"
"So, then we get permission. No biggie," she argued back. "C'mon. There has to be something you can do," she begged.
Coop sighed, giving up on the relentless debate.
"Fine," he relented. "Get both Prue and Andy," he stressed that it had to be both of them, "to be willing to sit down with me, and then there might be something I can do to help. Or, at least, based on what you've told me their issues seem to be."
Paige began jumping up and down. "Ooh, you're the best," she declared excitedly. Then she reached over and pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Yeah, now just orb your whitelighter self out of here so I can finish what I started, please?" he nodded in the young man and woman's direction.
Paige flashed him a wide smile and a wave while orbing out of sight.
ooooo
It was the start of another new day and Phoebe was left alone at the manor, babysitting her niece and nephews.
She had taken the day off. Prue had to attend the job interview that was rescheduled, Piper had another doctor's appointment, Andy was at work, and Leo was assisting the new Elder Dimitri with the magic school. Billie was also back on campus, making up her own school work, which had fallen behind between all the demonic and personal crises.
As she began walking upstairs to check on the kids, she felt something move beneath her and trip her. And when she looked down, she saw Molly's doll there. She then picked it up and took a hard look at it.
"Okay, this doll is starting to give me the creeps," she noted out loud to herself, shaking her head against the weird vibes she was feeling.
Resuming back in the direction of the second floor, Phoebe carried the doll with her the rest of the way. Making her way to the boys room, she opened the door to find the three young children playing with an assortment of toys. Without disturbing them, she smiled and then placed the doll on the floor. She walked back out of the room.
Molly was alerted to the sound of the door closing and she immediately turned to see her doll sitting against the wall. Her eyes widened and a big smile broke out on her face.
"Emma?!" she exclaimed, getting up and preparing to retrieve her lost doll. "Auntie Phoebe found you," a giggle followed, with the new correct pronunciation of her aunt's name.
However, the children received the surprise of their lives when the doll came to life. The doll named Emma jumped onto her feet, eyes narrowing and plastic lips forming into a sneer, as the girl child approached the toy with a look of astonishment. As Molly approached, Emma suddenly darted away from her grasp, into the opposite direction. The doll found its way underneath the toddler bed.
Molly laughed and chased after her. "Emma, come back and play with me."
She knelt down as Wyatt and Chris watched her. She reached her hand under the bed and when she had a tight grasp on the doll, she pulled it out. Molly smiled and stood up, hugging Emma close to her. Suddenly, a dark red light zapped from out of the doll and surrounded Molly. And then in a quick flash, she had disappeared. The doll, Emma, dropped back onto the floor.
Wyatt stared, looking on with a surprised expression. "Uh-oh!" he announced. "Bad dolly."
He watched the doll suddenly resume to life again as it lifted itself off of the floor, only to run to the door and pull the unlocked door open from the bottom. Then the doll named Emma proceeded to slip through the opening.
"Aunt Phoebe?" little Wyatt called out as he too ran for the door to follow the doll.
Little Chris was left sitting in the room by himself, completely confused about what had just transpired in their bedroom.
To Be Continued: Alright. That's the end of that chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed it and I'll be working on the next chapter, as I already have a working title for it, lol.
Stay Tuned: And please don't forget to review. Thanks a bunch. :o)