Chapter six
Sheila's warning
Leaning on the book of shadows, Paige buried her face in her hands and let out a whiny groan. Emma across from her. Her head bowed, her bottom lip trembling. Her cheeks felt hot and her thoughts were shattered. She just wanted to give up and go home. "I'm sorry," she whined softly. Paige looked around the flooded attic, she just knew Piper was going to freak out when she saw this mess. She looked at the tween sympathetically. "It's not your fault." Emma looked up at her, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Paige sighed. "I've never trained a witch before, especially not a young one." Emma looked back down at the floor. "It would really help if you would tell your parents you're a witch. As I've told you before, they are probably witches too." Emma shook her head. She was terrified her parents would think she's a monster. Just look at what she had done to Piper's attic, it was ruined. "You said you could recommend I go to boarding school but really I'd be at magic school," Emma recalled a previous conversation. "I can get you a room there, but your chances of your parents allowing you to go would be even better if you just told them the truth." Emma shook her head hesitantly. "I wish my family was like yours. Mine wouldn't understand, they don't know me at all." Paige approached the tween and lifted her head up. She placed her hands on Emma's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Your parents can't know who you are unless you let them get to know you." With that said, Paige removed her hands from the girls' shoulders and backed away. "In the meantime, you need to learn how to clean up your magical messes. My sister will kill us both if we don't fix this."
Phoebe was just finishing up her advice piece when Paige orbed into her office. Phoebe looked up at her and welcomed her with a smile. Paige, on the other hand, looked annoyed and defeated. "By the looks of things it didn't go well with Emma?" Paige groaned and rolled her eyes which confirmed Phoebe's assumption. "Emma is so... so stubborn! I'm not going to get anywhere with her until she fully accepts and embraces this part of herself, and she can't do that until she tells her family." She started pacing around her sister's office. "It's not as easy for her as it was for you. We knew we're witches three years before you did. We knew what you were before you did, so you never had to hide it from us. From friends sure, but not from your family." Paige stopped pacing and shook her head. "Her family probably already knows! Being magical is hereditary and I've told Emma this a thousand times." She started pacing again. "Emma reads my column, right? Maybe I could give her some advice though it, tell her to tell her family," Phoebe suggested. "You already did, when she reached out to you. You told her to tell her family and to trust me." Phoebe shrugged, she didn't know what else to say.
A knock sounded on the office door catching both Phoebe and Paige's attention. The door opened and Elise waltzed in. She looked at Paige and chuckled. "Got in here without me seeing you again. You are quite the sneak, Paige." Paige and Phoebe laughed in response to play aloneg "Are you finished, I really have to get it to the printer." Phoebe nodded and said, "I was just about to send it to you." Satisfied with her answer, Elise nodded and left the office, closing the door behind her. Paige laughed and turned to her big sister. "Your boss has the worst timing. She's always coming in when I'm here." Phoebe laid back in her chair. "Maybe you should start coming in like a normal person." Paige shrugged off this comment. Both of them knew she wouldn't. "Sometimes I want to tell her." Paige spun around at this confession. "She is a close friend, but every time I've told someone my secret, it didn't end well for me." Her sister understood what she meant.
It was Saturday which meant all three of Leo and Piper's children were at home. A knock sounded at the front door and Leo got up from the living-room couch to answer it leaving his three children alone together. He opened the door to find Sheila looking unsure and a little shaken up. "I need to speak with one of the sisters or anyone magical really." Just from this statement, Leo knew something must be wrong. Why else would Sheila be seeking help from the sisters as charmed ones instead of as friends? From the living room, the sound of a baby's cry was heard and the boys arguing with each other. "Piper's in the kitchen. I think Paige is with Emma, Phoebe's at work and I don't know where Billie is at the moment." He stepped aside to let Sheila into the manor. She made her way into the kitchen while Leo went to see what his children were up to.
He picked Melinda up and gave her a cuddle, he then looked at the boys. "Okay, why is Melinda crying?" Chris pointed to his brother and said, "he bit her." Wyatt immediately denied the accusation. "Wyatt, tell me the truth or mommy will come." Wyatt's eyes opened in alarm and he quickly changed his story. "I bit her, I'm sorry." He didn't look too sorry about it. "She bit me first." "How? She doesn't have any teeth yet?" Wyatt nodded and said, "yes she does." Leo looked at his daughter's face and gently pulled her lips apart to open her mouth, he stuck one finger in and felt around for a tooth. He discovered one tiny little tooth just starting to poke out. Leo placed the baby down in the playpen and kneeled down to Wyatt's level. "I'm sorry you got bit but Melinda is just a baby, she doesn't know better yet. And you know there is never a reason to hurt someone, even if they hurt you first. You need to use your words, okay?" Wyatt nodded and now he did look more sorry about biting his baby sister. "I think you need to spend some time in your room thinking about it." Wyatt didn't reply but he did orb up to his bedroom.
"Piper." At the sound of the quiet whisper, Piper turned around. "Sheila, you're so pale. Sit down." She pulled a chair out from the table and Sheila seated herself down. "I was just brushing my teeth and I heard it." She shivered at the memory. Piper walked over the counter and retrieved a glass from the cabinet, she ran the tap and poured the cold water into the glass before closing the tap. She walked back over to sheila and handed her the glass of water. "Thank you," she said. With shaking hands, she brought the glass up to her lips parted them slightly to take a tiny sip of the water. She swallowed and lowered the glass down. "A voice spoke to me, I looked around but I didn't see a face. I've been friends with you lot long enough to know the signs of a ghost." She took a second sip of water, a bigger sip this time. "Only those with magic can see or hear a ghost unless they were trying to connect with you specifically." Piper paused. "Sheila, has anyone close to you died? Doesn't have to be a recent death." Shiela thought back. "Well, three of my grandparents are gone but this voice, it didn't sound like any of them." Piper nodded taking this fact into consideration. "Did you recognize the voice, even slightly?" Sheila simply shook her head to respond. "Darryl and I have been thrown into your magical mishaps before, that's why I didn't tell Darryl about this. He's so protective of me and the boys and after what happened to Mikey, well, if something were to happen to me, I'm not sure he'd be willing anymore to help you guys or for us to even associate with you. I don't want that, at least not anymore. I'm sorry I ever did." Sheila took a third sip of water from her glass. "I'm not accusing you, I'm sorry if it sounded that way. I just figured you guys were the best place to start." Piper nodded to her understandingly. "If you heard this ghost, he's trying to make a connection with you. That's too weird for it to be random or because of us. Either you know this ghost or this ghost knows you." This thought seemed to scare her more. "It was a she, I'm pretty sure. Youngish, maybe early thirties. I'm not sure but it was definitely a woman, a young one." She took a final sip of water then placed the glass down on the table. "Okay, do you have access to a family tree? It'll help if I know the names of your ancestors." Sheila thought about it. "My remaining grandma has one, but only her side of the family." Piper nodded. "That will halve to do, could you get it to me?" Shiela nodded. "But not today, she lives out of state." "Leo or Wyatt could take you there." Sheila listened to the sounds coming from the living room. Leo was scolding Chris, telling of Wyatt, and Melinda was crying. "Sounds like Leo could use a break from home." Piper nodded in agreement.
With Chris's third birthday coming up very soon, Piper's main focus had been preparing for the birthday party. She had briefly skimmed over the names in the book Sheila had given her. Now it was the sixteenth and Chris's party would be starting in a few hours. Piper had spent the last three weeks planning this party and she wasn't about to let anything go wrong, and this included her grouchy little sister. Phoebe walked into the kitchen looking miserable.
"Phoebe Halliwell! Unhappy moods are banned from this house today!"
"I want this baby out. I am sore and tired."
"I don't want to hear any excuses. I know what it's like to be eight months pregnant. Suck it up and fix your mood."
"Fine. I wrote a spell, okay?"
"You did what?"
"I wrote a good mood spell."
"Um hello, that's personal gain."
"Don't you want me happy or miserable?"
"Fine."
Phoebe straightened herself up and removed a piece of crumpled paper from her jeans pocket. She spoke with a clear voice. "Today is yesterday's tomorrow, for today erase my sorrow, today will be yesterday's past, replace my bad mood with happiness that'll last." A woosh flew through Phoebe's body and a bright smile came across her face. Piper, Billie, and Paige watched her curiously. "So? How do you feel?" Asked Billie. "Thank you so much for asking my dear friend! I am super! Just super! Mmmm, the food smells delicious my dear sister, and everything just looks perfect! I can't wait until the party starts!" Billie held in her laughter while Paige's mouth was open and Piper looked amused. Chris came into the kitchen. "THERE'S THE BIRTHDAY BOY!" Phoebe shouted. She scooped him up, spun him around, and then placed him back down. Chris burst out laughing, though he didn't really notice the difference in his aunt, he just thought she was being playful. Phoebe then danced out of the room.
"How long do you think that'll last?" Paige asked.
"Too long," Piper replied.
As Piper walked down the hall to open the door for the guests who just knocked, Piper caught a gimps of Phoebe jumping around singing with the boys while spinning Melinda around, it was hard for Piper to ignore the temptation of video recording her sister making a fool out of herself. Piper answered the door and quickly stepped aside as the kids came running in followed by their parents who all look tired.
"There's coffee on the table, help yourself" once Piper said that almost every parent had a cup of coffee in their hands. "Piper sat down beside Paige on the couch, they both couldn't stop watching Phoebe act like a three-year-old when really she was 32. A few parents even commented on how surprised they were that she was 8 months pregnant and still had that much energy.
Leo finally joined them with the guys and Melinda, when Leo sat down and placed Melinda on Piper's lap he asked, "What spell did she use?" "One she made up" Piper replied. There was no doubt that everyone was secretly enjoying watching Phoebe like that. Even the toddlers were watching her instead of playing with the toys or using their powers. (Leo and Piper had decided on a magic-only birthday party this year.) Piper was so caught up in watching her sister that she didn't even notice that Melinda was levitating again.
"Piper" Paige acknowledged her pointing to Melinda who was levitating above Piper's lap.
"Oh, my" Piper said she placed Melinda back onto her lap, "and that is why I made this a magic-only party." Piper then added.
The party ended shortly after super, Phoebe was passed out on the floor and the babies were napping in Melinda's crib. Paige walked up beside Phoebe and waved her hand around her as she said "couch." In a wave of blue light, Phoebe was now passed out on the couch. Piper then covered her with a blanket and Paige orbed home with Henry and the twins. Coop came and woke Phoebe up, the spell had defiantly worn off she was not in a good mood. Coop got Phoebe out of the manor and into the car, and Piper stood in the doorway and watched them drive off. Leo and Piper then tucked the boys in, read them a story, and then put Melinda in her crib.
It was the next day and all three sisters were in the attic with Sheila. Sheila watched as Piper placed three candles in a circle and lit them. She realized she hadn't actually seen the sisters use magic very much and didn't know all that much about it. "We are going to summon your ghost. All you need to do is be in the room. We'll summon the ghost and we'll ask the questions. You'll be able to see her and you can talk to her if you wish." Sheila nodded. She was quite nervous about actually seeing the ghost. Piper took ahold of her sister's hands and they began the chant. "We welcome your spirit into this circle, we'd like to speak with you. Come forth into this space and reveal your face." A bright light flashed and then the spirit of a young woman emerged. Form her clothes and style of hair, she appeared to be from the twenties. Sheila almost fainted.
"Wyatt, come here please," Piper called out. Sheila looked very confused over why Piper had just summoned her four-year-old. Wyatt orbed in. "Go stand with Sheila and activate your shield," Piper instructed. Wyatt nodded and orbed over to Sheila. He took her hand to comfort her and activated his shield. "Only good magic can enter Wyatt's forcefield," Piper quickly explained, she then turned to the ghost. "Hi, my name is Piper. Can I have your name?" She knew being friendly was the best way to get information out of a ghost. "Alicia." Piper nodded. "Nice to meet you. What is your business with Sheila?" Alicia turned to Sheila making her wince. "You have not to fear me. I am a relative and I come with a warning." She turned back to the charmed ones. "Beware of Barbas, the demon of fear. He plans to kill those close to you, to make you too weak and vulnerable to fight him off. His grand plan is the death of both sets of charmed ones but he will start with family and friends." Alicia turned to Wyatt and Sheila. "Young son of the warren witch line, protect your family and friends with your shield." She looked up at Sheila. "Stay away from golden gate park on Halloween. Trust no one but the charmed ones." Sheila nodded weakly. "Hang on," Piper stated. Alicia turned to her. "What do you mean, both sets of charmed ones." "Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. You are no longer the only charmed ones as there is now another set of three." It took the sisters a moment to realize what she meant. "Wait. My children are charmed ones?" Piper asked. "They are a sibling group of three all born to the same witch from the warren line, correct?" Piper nodded. She was speechless. "Then it is so."
Piper started to process this news but shook it out of her mind, there was a more important matter. "Sheila, Wyatt will take you to Darryl and your sons. He will then bring you someplace safe. His shield will protect you but do not underestimate Barbas." Piper looked at Wyatt and nodded. The small child orbed out with Sheila. Piper turned to her sisters and shouted out Coop's name. The cupid beamed in. "Take Phoebe to Elise. Phoebe, it will expose us but bring her to magic school." Phoebe nodded, took her husband's hand, and they beamed out. "Paige, get home to Henry and the twins. Get them to magic school." Paige nodded and orbed out. Piper then called out for Leo. "Barbas is coming, get my dad and bring him and the kids to magic school. Then go to Wyatt. He's with the Morris's, make sure they all get to magic school too."
At Darryl's house, Wyatt summoned the door which Mikey and little Darryl found cool but their parents looked like they were going to faint. "There is safe. Trust me," Wyatt said to them. He opened the door and looked at them. "Come on. It's magic school." Having heard the name before and knowing all the Halliwell children go there five days a week, the Morris family figured it must be a safe place. Darryl and Sheila took their sons' hands and walked through the door. Wyatt followed them through. The door closed and disappeared. The Morris family looked around. They were in the library and it was full of students. (Some students boarded here while others were only here for their classes and then went home.) Olivia and Emily smiled and ran up to Wyatt for a big hug. He wasn't normally at this school at the same time as them since he took the evening classes and they took the daytime classes. It was just around the time for the magic-realm kids to head home and mortal realm kids to arrive.
Seconds later the door came back and Coop came in with Phoebe who looked extremely worried, and Elise who was as pale as a ghost. A child flew past them and Elise fainted in Phoebe's arms. The door vanished but re-opened again just a moment later. Paige came threw with Henry and the twins. Tamora in Henry's arms and Kat in Paige's arms. The door disappeared again. The next time the door opened it was Leo who came in with Victor, Chris, and Melinda.
Alicia had been sent back to the afterlife and now Piper was with Billie. "I think we should summon my grams. She always knows what to do," Piper suggested. The door to magic school appeared and opened. Paige and Phoebe came through. "Everyone's safe, but you don't think he'd go after Wyatt and Chris's friends?" Piper shook her head. "If word had gotten out about the kids being charmed ones, we would have heard about it sooner." Billie looked shocked. "What?" Piper turned to her. "Oh, right, you don't know yet. Yeah, my kids are charmed ones." "Have you found anything yet?" Paige asked. "I think we should talk to grams." "I think so too, she always knows what to do."
Since the candles had already been placed all they had to do was re-light them and say the summoning spell. It was Paige who did it. "Hear these words, hear my cry, spirits from the other side, cross now the great divine. Penelope Halliwell, we summon you. We welcome you into this circle." With a swirl of white light, Grams' spirit arrived. "Well, about time you summon me for the girls' wiccanings." Paige shook her head. "That's not why you're here." Grams now looked curious over what this was about. "Babas is a royal pain in the ass. How do we get rid of him for good?" Before Grams could answer, Patty's spirit entered the circle. "I was working on a spell that would banish him for good if I had ever come across him. You have to up and person to do it. I never came across him in my time so I never got the chance to use it." Hope formed in the sisters' eyes. Patty remained silent for a moment as she recalled the words. "Barbas, the demon of fear, we banish you from here. Return to the underworld where nothing can free you from there." "Really? That's it?" Piper asked, unimpressed. "What? It's good enough." "Let us hope," Phoebe said.
"I have a feeling we should call in recruitments," Paige expressed.
"Oh yes, I'd love to fight another demon. I've missed it," Penny stated.
"Perfect. Mom, will you help us?" Phoebe asked.
"Anything for my girls," Patty replied.
"Prue?" Piper suggested.
Prue's spirit emerged within the circle. "You bet I'm in."
"Maybe we should summon Melinda Warren?" Phoebe suggested.
For the whole week, the sisters put all their energy and attention into making a plan, nobody was going to go after family and friends without paying for it. Then the night before Halloween, Piper and Paige agreed they needed to have a wiccaning for the girls. They summoned Grams to perform it. In the attic, Grams opened the book of shadows and read the spell needed to summon the matriarchs of the family. "I call forth from time and space, matriarchs from the Warren line, mothers daughters sisters friends, our family's spirit without end. To gather now in this sacred place, and help us bring these children to grace." In the background, all three sisters stood with their husbands. Wyatt and Chris stood in front of their parents. Melinda was in Piper's arms, Tamora in her father's arms, and Kat in her mother's arms. In front of them, the matriarchs emerged in spirit form. Grams was in her physical form.
Grams faced the matriarchs. "The next few children have been born into our family, our legacy." She turned and held out her arms. Piper came forward and handed Melinda over to her. Holding the seven-month-old child, Grams turned back to face the matriarchs. "We pledge to be with this child, this beautiful girl always, apart but never separate, free but never alone. She is one of us and because of that, we will bless her with all the goodness that we are. Welcome to the family, Melinda Phoebe Halliwell." She planted a little kiss on Melinda's head and then said, "Bless it be."
"Bless it be," said the matriarchs.
"Bless it be," Wyatt and Chris said.
"Bless it be," Phoebe and Coop copied.
"Bless it be," Paige and Henry then said.
Grams handed Melinda back over to her mother. Melinda looked up at her and smiled, Piper smiled back. Grams motioned to Paige to hand her Kat. She was doing Kat first since Kat was older than Tamora. Paige kissed her daughter's cheek and handed the five-month-old over to Grams. Gram looked at her and smiled as she noticed the patch of red hair on her head. She turned to face the matriarchs. "We pledge to be with this child, this beautiful girl always. Apart but never separate, free but never alone. She is one of us and because of that, we will bless her with all the goodness that we are. Welcome to the family, Katalina Billie Mitchell." She kissed the top of the baby's head.
"Bless it be," Grams stated.
"Bless it be," said the matriarchs.
"Bless it be," Henry and Paige said together.
"Bless it be," Piper and Leo said.
"Bless it be," Coop and Phoebe said.
"Bless it be," the boys said.
Paige stepped forward and took her daughter back into her arms. She backed up as Henry came forward. He placed Tamora into Gram's arms then stepped back. Grams turned to the matriarchs. "We pledge to be with this child, this beautiful girl always. Apart but never separate, free but never alone. She is one of us and because of that, we will bless her with all the goodness that we are. Welcome to the family, Tamora Piper Mitchell." She kissed the top of her head. "Blessed it be."
The next day. Henry and the kid had been brought back to magic school directly after the wiccanings the day before. Now, the sisters, Billie, Grams, Melinda Warren, Patty, and Prue were gathered in the living room. Leo and Coop were both at magic school looking after the mortals and the kids. "So Paige is going to use her glamouring power to transform herself in Sheila, and she is going to wait for Barbas at Golden Gate Park, when Barbas gets close enough Paige will orb him here." Piper began to explain. "Then Piper is going to freeze him so that Paige will have just enough time to get to Wyatt and get back here, Leo has been Piper has been with him all week teaching him the spell. When Barbas is unfrozen we all say the spell and then it's bye, bye Barbas" Phoebe added.
Paige orbed herself just outside golden gate park and glamoured herself to look like Sheila. She walked in casually, her phone up to her ear. She was pretending to be talking to Darryl. "Yes, honey. I'm sure he came here. Mikey wouldn't lie, he's just a little late to lunch is all." She stopped talking and pretended she was listening to "Darryl's" side of the conversation. It didn't take long for Barbas to show up. She looked at him, "can I help you?" She asked casually, as though he was just a random stranger. Barbas waved his hand in front of Sheila's (really Paige's) face and said, "Your greatest fear is your husband dying from his work." This was true, this was Paige's biggest fear. She deeply loved her husband. It just so happened to be Sheila's biggest fear too. "Well, I only have one thing to say, manor," Paige said as she waved her hand at Barbas.
Barbas was orbed into the manor and came face to face with Piper. She let on a grin and said, "nice to see you again, too bad you won't be staying." As she quickly waved her hands and froze him on the spot before he got a chance to process what had happened and escaped. The other witches came into the living room from the kitchen and had to wait for Paige to come with Wyatt. It was only seconds before the door to magic school showed and Paige came through with little Wyatt. At that moment, the door disappeared and Barbas unfroze. The witched quickly held hands and chanted the spell, trapping Barbas in a circle of magic. "Barbas, the demon of fear, we banish you from here. Return to the underworld where nothing can free you from there." They chanted the spell three times and black smoke started swirling around Barbas. Just before he vanished, they heard him loudly shout, "NOOOOO." Then came silence and all the magic left the room. It was over, and the world had just become a much safer place.
Paige summoned the door to magic school and went in to get the mortals, children, and husbands. Once everyone was back in the manor, piper led the dead witches up to the attic so she could send them back to the afterlife. Leo drove Darryl and his family home while Paige orbed Victor back home. Phoebe helped Elise onto the couch and sent her nephews upstairs. Henry took the twins from the playpen and left the manor with them, to drive them home. Melinda stayed in the playpen and slowly fell asleep. Phoebe sat down next to Elise. Terrified because she didn't know how this was going to go.
"So. I have some explaining to do," Phoebe said in a quiet voice.
"I would say that."
"Elise...I'm a witch."