Chapter 38

Blood is thicker than oil

Episode 5.13

Prue was attempting to make breakfast as Piper was still asleep nursing a hangover as Paige and Phoebe chuckled at their older sister's attempt at cooking.

"Prue the toast is burning," Paige said and tried to cover her smile with her hand.

"Oh," Prue replied and ran over to the toaster and used her powers to force the toast up and out onto the plate.

"That is so cheating Aunt Prue," Chris said as he sat down next to his other Aunts.

"Is Melinda coming?" Paige asks as she drinks some orange juice.

"Yeah she just had some things to take care of."

"Like what?" Phoebe asks.

"She said she had to pick up some supplies, god knows what that means."

"Melinda is very quiet was she always that way?" Phoebe asks.

Chris moved around in his chair a little as the memory came flashing back. "No she was fairly normal except for a few things like her phobias, but she was on medication for that. Mel had a dark sense of humor and was normally to the point, I think she got that from mom," Chris said as Prue took the pancakes out of the skillet but they didn't look quite done.

"Honey I think those need to cook a little longer," Paige said and again tried to cover her laugh.

"Hay smartass you want to do this?" Prue replied as she put the pancakes back on the skillet.

"Was she also that smart?" Phoebe continued her question.

"Yeah when she was 10 she fried her pet squirrel when she was testing her teleporting device. Mom was pissed because it stunk up the place, you know how she is with little critters," Chris replied as he remembered a fond memory. "Let's just say Mom wouldn't let her have any more pets."

"Chris I know this is hard but why didn't you call for us when Piper was hurt, or Leo?" Phoebe asks and was nervous about the answer as he looked away from her. His fond memories were changing to the horrific ones as he remembered that day.

Flashback 2016

Piper was looking in the book for a demon that attacked earlier as Chris came into the room. She looked tired and worn as she moved through the pages of the book. "Mom what are you doing you need to sleep," Chris said as he walked over to her.

"Chris we need to kill this demon, now where is your sister?"

"She is working on something in the garage, she said it was a surprise for my birth day."

"Well let's just hope we don't get a visit from PETA again," Piper replied with a snort.

"Hay look what I made," Melinda said as she walked into the room with the hovering camera behind her. "Happy birthday Chris."

"Nice," Piper said as she smiled proudly at her daughter.

"Was any small animals harmed in the making of this?" Chris asks as he tapped the lens of the camera.

"No I'm not allowed to have pets," Melinda replied as she playfully hit him in the shoulder. She made her way to Piper and stood next to her as the hovering camera moved behind them.

"Ok guys we need to kill this demon because I'm getting too old for this," Piper said as Wyatt orbed in.

"Happy birthday Chris," Wyatt said coldly as he kept his eye on his mother.

Piper put her hands out to keep her kids from getting in front of her," Wyatt please come back to us," She pleaded and tried to keep the tears from rolling out.

"I'm here to eliminate my competition," He said and formed an energy ball, Chris tried to get in front of her but Wyatt was too fast and she went flying through the window and out to the street. Chris was grazed in the side and Melinda used her teleporting device to get to the street as Wyatt smiled wide and orbed out.

Piper laid motionless covered with blood from the impact as a large whole was in her chest. Chris put his shaking hands on her juggler hoping for a pause but found none as Melinda just stood there in shock.

"Dad!" Chris yelled as he cradled her.

The once jubilant sister was changing, her soft expression became hard and emotionless as her eyes narrowed. She clenched her fist as her blood ran hot with rage.

"Dad please mom needs you!" Chris yelled but he did not come, "Dad, Please don't die mom please don't leave," The young man cried out as he rocked her back and forth in his arms.

"Chris we need to go," Melinda said as she put her hand on his shaking shoulder.

It took many more minutes for him to relinquish his hold and it took every fiber in his being to rise. Him and Melinda orbed away leaving her body there as sirens could be heard in the background.

In the flashback:

"That's when it happened, that's when she changed," Chris said as he stared at the table while a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Why didn't he come?" Paige asks angrily as most of the food was burning because of the lack of attention from Prue.

"Because he was an elder, and although it took time but eventually he just left his family and never came down. He wasn't even there for her funeral," He finished angrily.

"Wait what about me or Phoebe we could have helped?" Paige said as she wiped her face to clear away the wetness the came from her eyes.

"Because he killed you a year earlier," Chris replied still staring at the table.

No one said a word as the realization of what he was saying struck all of them hard and now the urgency of fixing the problem was greater than ever.

Melinda was leaving the electronics store with a small bag in her hand. and started looking for alley so she could teleport to the house. She finally found one and made her way to the end, making sure to look around before pushing the button on her teleporting device. But before she could someone took her arm and she was shimmered away to a large cave and knew she was in the underworld.

"Hay sis," Wyatt said as he came out of the shadows as the demon let go of her and backed away.

"I'm not your sister, because were not family you bastard," She replied and put the small bag in her coat pocket readying herself for battle.

"I have to say you've always been interesting to fight, but I think I figured you out," Wyatt said and with a snap of his fingers two large metal post rose from the earth. "I believe electricity and electronics are not a good mix if overdone," He said and bolts of lightning shot out of the polls, hitting her dead in the chest and took her off her feet. She flew through the air until finally slamming into the cave wall and slid down letting out a grunt as she hit the ground. Her outfit was sparking as it tried to adjust to the energy surge but before she could react he was on her. Wyatt pushed her hard against the wall using his hand around her throat to do so. "Is it true about the rumors, that you're kind of like a cyborg," He said and moved the collar of her coat to reveal small wires going into her skin in the back of her neck. "I guess so." He said with a smile.

Back at the manner the once quiet snitch that was seen on the table came to life. It hovered around frantically trying to get everyone's attention.

"What the hell is wrong with that thing?" Prue said as Piper entered the room and it immediately went to her and started nudging her.

"Oh I can't deal with this this early," Piper said as she swatted at it.

"It's never done that before," Chris said as he looked inquisitively at the little snitch.

Back in the cave Melinda reached in her pocket and tried to pull out her teleporting device but could not find it," Looking for this," He said as he held it in front of her. "What are you?" He asks while squeezing tighter around her neck as her outfit was clearly malfunctioning. Her eyes changed from the dark brown to something that resembled a circuit board and seem to create its own light.

"Perfection," She replied and Wyatt was thrown back as a shock wave came from her body, but then she slid down the wall again as that was the last bit of energy she had left.

Back at the manner the snitch was becoming more frantic hitting and bumping everyone making squealing noises.

"Something's wrong," Chris said and closed his eyes trying to sense his sister. "Dammit she not a witch, I can't sense her!"

"What do we do?" Piper asks as her hart began to race.

The snitch made a high-pitched noise and then vanished," Oh god does that mean?" Phoebe said as the thought of Melinda being dead means her technology would go with her.

Back at the cave everyone within range of the shock wave was getting to their feet slowly as the snitch teleported into the cave. Melinda was barely conscious and could see it in the corner of her eye as Wyatt could see it as well. She used all the strength she had left and made a run for it as it hovered in the air above a large boulder looking for her. Wyatt formed an energy ball and threw it at the small snitch right as Melinda leapt in the air using the large boulder as a launching pad and grabbed hold of it, but the energy ball made contact as they both teleported away.

Back at the manner they heard a odd mechanical sound coming from the living room but when they walked in they could see nothing, until finally Melinda teleported in, but with a massive force was thrown to the far wall, taking out the solarium table chairs and wicker furniture along the way as she slid on the floor with the snitch tight in her hand.

"No!" Piper cried and ran to her fallen daughter who lay unconscious as a little mechanical device struggled to move as well and appeared to be broken. "Leo!"

Chris lifted her head and cradled it on his lap, "Please not again I can't take it, not again," He whispered into her ear as Piper held her hand. Leo orbed in and saw Mel on the ground not moving and without orders he began to heal her. It took over 5 minutes but from what he could tell the injuries were gone as she opened her eyes slowly and looked into Chris's wet ones.

"Oh don't be such a pansy," Melinda said and tries to laugh as she stood up and looked at the little snitch that had one wing broken and was not moving any more. Her smile faded as her eyes watered up as she let out a whimper while she picked it up.

"Thank god, now what happened?" Piper asks as her nerves began to calm, but Melinda did not answer and just took the little snitch and ran upstairs to the attic slamming the door behind her.

"I can't believe she's more worried about that damn thing, then herself," Chris said as he sat down irritated that his sister cared more for her devices then people.

Phoebe bent down and picked up a small piece of metal that came from the snitch and immediately went into a premonition.

Premonition:

2016

Melinda teleported onto the street where Piper died and there was still some blood left on it. She used an eyedropper and took some of the blood that was still wet into it. The premonition changed and she was now in a small room filled with electronics and scrap all around. Melinda was working on the snitch from what she could tell and the top part of the round ball was open and she took the eyedropper and let a small amount of the blood fall in. She smiled and closes the lid as the little device came to life and hovered around her before resting on her shoulder. Melinda continued this process for other snitches until finally they were done and the premonition ended.

End of premonition:

"Oh my god," Phoebe said as she had to sit down because of being overwhelmed with the emotion.

"What did you see?" Piper asks as she bit her nails.

"It's not just a snitch, its you," Phoebe replied looking directly at Piper.

"She had five of them and she used your blood in it somehow," Phoebe said while still holding her chest.

Chris's whole body slumped as he remembered the broken snitch was her last one, and in a way was the last piece of mom she had left.

"It makes sense, it always plays with little Wyatt and even is protective," Paige chimed in.

"I should go talk to her," Leo said and headed for the stairs with Piper in tow.

"How is that possible how can something that's mechanical take on emotions and even be like her?" Paige asks completely amazed.

"I told you she was a genius, the stuff she was making has never been seen before. She found a way to mix biology with technology, I think her entire suit is made of little Nano's," Chris replied as it started making sense, she was devastated whenever one was destroyed and it was the only time he saw her cry after Wyatt killed Piper.

Leo and Piper made their way to the attic and carefully opened the door not sure what they were going to see. Melinda was hunched over a table and was working frantically on the little snitch, "Please don't be broken," She said through sobs.

"Sweetie its ok we are right here," Piper said as she walked over to her.

"Melinda look at us," Leo said as he approached her.

The youngest of their children raised her head as tears flowed freely from her eyes, "it's all I have left of you I can't let it die," She said and went back to working on it.

Piper closed her eyes tight trying to keep control of her emotions, the pain she felt for her daughter was overwhelming as she remembered losing her own mother. Leo put his hand on Melinda shoulder and she pulled away from him," No I need to fix this," She said in a cold voice.

Piper took a knife off the table across from her and pricked her finger and she held it over the snitch that was open and let the drop of blood go into it. Melinda looked up surprised and unsure of how she knew about the ingredient. The little wings started to flutter as the top of the lid closed as it began to hover, struggling at first until finally moving around the room with ease and seemed to be happy. It went right to Melinda and then landed on her shoulder almost purring. "Thank you," She said as she looked into her mother's watering eyes.

"You're welcome sweetie, I know what it means to lose your mother and if that is what you need to remember me by then so be it," Piper replied and put her hand on her daughter's wet face and she did not protest the action.

Leo bit his lower lip and lowered his head trying to keep himself from losing it. Thought of losing his wife was horrifying and he didn't want to think about it." Ok can you tell us what happened?" He asks.

"Wyatt almost killed me, but it won't happen again he had one shot and he blew it," Melinda replied as she put the snitch in her pocket.

"You know I'm tired of being a victim, first the elders and then we fix my son," Piper said as her eyes were focused and resolved in its task. She left the attic and made her way to the solarium where everyone was still getting their bearings back while cleaning up. "We are not going to summon him, we are going right to him," Piper said as she waited for a response.

"You want us to go to elderly land?" Prue asks.

"Yes and we will need a lot of potions."

"Let's finish this," Paige chimed in.

To be continued..