Chapter eight

A curse for Christmas

It was the beginning of December and the holiday spirit was strong. The Halliwells wanted to make getting family photos a yearly tradition. They had liked the outcome of the pictures taken the year before, so they had decided to get their photos done at the same place this year. When they had arrived, only one other family had been there and they were on their way out. So, they didn't have to wait this year which was perfect since they had been worried about keeping four babies, one toddler, and one young child in a good enough mood that they'd have some nice smiles in the pictures.

Wyatt was up first. He was placed on his stomach his arms up, one hand resting on the other under his chin. A bright smile on his face. Photo taken. Wyatt got up and ran over to his mother. He wrapped his arms around her waist. Chris was up next. A chair was placed backward and Chris was seated on it facing forward. His left arm resting comfortably on the head of the chair, his right arm folded neatly on top of his left. Chris put on his best smile. Photo taken. He walked back over to his parents and it was now Melinda's turn. For her, the chair was placed facing the right way and Melinda was seated on the chair. The photographer caught her attention by snapping his fingers. Once she was looking at the camera, he made a funny face to make her smile. Photo taken. He had Tamora just sit on the floor and let her pose herself, he then did the same for Kat. For baby Prue, he placed her on a fluffy white blanket in a small basket. He took the camera into his hand and kneeled down in front of her. Photo taken.

"I want one with just the boys and then one with them and their sister, "Piper instructed.

The photographer placed a one-step bench and Wyatt sit down on it. He placed Chris next to him, having him lean into him. He then had Wyatt wrap his arm around his little brother resting his hand on his brother's shoulder. The boys smiled and the picture was taken. The photographer had Chris sit on the floor and put Melinda beside him, he then had Wyatt sit next to them but a little further back. He wanted Melinda to be leaning back in Wyatt's arms but Wyatt refused to do this, so he left them as they were and took the photo. Paige and Henry wanted a photo of the twins together. He placed them both in a white basket and got a few pictures taken of them smiling before they got annoyed and started crying. Henry came over and scooped them into his arms. He left the room with them to calm them down.

It was time for the family photos. The photographer had Melinda laying on her tummy. Leo lying down on his tummy on Melinda's right and Piper lying on her tummy on Melinda's left. Wyatt was lying tummy down on his dad and Chris tummy down on Piper's back. The boys had their hands around their parents' necks and their heads leaning out slightly to be more visible in the picture. Since Henry was still out in the hall, Coop and Phoebe and baby Prue went next. Coop held Prue in his left arm and looked down at her with a loving gaze. Phoebe stood next to them, her head resting on Coop's shoulder as she looked down at her beautiful daughter. her left hand resting on his. She still couldn't believe she was the mother of an amazing baby girl. Finally. Henry had managed to calm the twins came back into the room with them. He warned the photographer they may not stay in a good mood for much longer. So, he chose a simple pose. He had them sit on the one-step bench. Kat placed on her father's lap and Tamora placed on her mother's lap. Smiles happened. Pictures were taken.

Since the kids were already dressed in nice clothes and they happened to need a shopping trip to the mall, Leo and Piper decided to take their sons to see Santa. The twins were no longer in good moods so Henry and Paige took them home, they took Melinda with them since she was starting to get cranky too. Coop and Phoebe had agreed Prue-Johnna was too young for a visit with Santa being a little over two weeks old and they brought her home.

At the heart of the mall was where Santa was sitting in his big red chair. A few elves were there as well. One elf bringing the children up to Santa and another taking their photos. The line was long and the Halliwell boys were in the middle of the line with their parents. They were completely unaware that they were being watched. Several minutes later and it was finally Wyatt's turn. Wyatt had refused to share his turn with Chris. The elf brought him up and placed him on Santa's lap.

"Hello, young man. What is your name?" Santa asked him.

"Wyatt."

"What a nice name. How old are you, Wyatt?"

"I'm four years old."

"Have you been a good boy this year?"

"Yes but not my brother. He's mean to me."

"Oh, I see. What would you like for Christmas?

"A rocking horse, a new cowboy hat, and more powers."

"Kids and their imaginations," Leo quickly said.

"Well, that is a good list. I will see what I can do."

Wyatt had his picture taken with Santa and the elf brought him back over to his mother. She then took Chris's hand and led him up, placing him on Santa's lap.

"Hello, what is your name?"

"Chris. What's your name?" Everyone nearby started laughing.

"Well, I have many names. Santa Clause, Saint Nicholas. How old are you, Chris?"

"I'm three."

"Oh, that's a fun age. Have you been a good boy this year?"

"Sometimes."

"I appreciate the honesty. What would you like for Christmas?"

"I would like a big, big teddy bear, and some books and a lot of blocks."

"Well I'll see what I can do, look at the camera for your picture and then my elf will give you a candy cane."

Leo and Piper led their boys over to the elf taking the photos to get them. "Mrs. Halliwell, get your sisters. Santa needs your help," the elf whispered in her ear. "What?" The elf looked around all nervous. "We need the help of the charmed ones." Piper now looked around worried someone was nearby listening but nobody appeared to be paying them any attention. "I'll call my sisters. Come to the manor." The elf nodded and handed Piper the envelope containing Wyatt and Chris's pictures with Santa.

As promised, Piper called both of her sisters and told them to meet her at the manor because Santa might need help from the charmed ones. Her sisters probably thought she had gone completely insane but they both came to the manor anyway. After all, they had seen much weirder things. Paige arrived first and placed her niece in her playpen in the living room. The boys had been sent up to their rooms to keep them out of the way. Phoebe arrived just a few minutes later. A few minutes after her arrival came the arrival of old saint nick and five of his elves.

"Let's get straight to the point. I've been cursed to miss Christmas."

"What does that mean?" Paige asked.

"Children all over the world will wake up to no presents under their trees."

"Such a shame too. Us elves had really upped our game this year," one elf stated.

"How can we help?" Phoebe asked.

"That's easy. You just need to vanquish the witch who cursed me."

"We don't know where to find her but we do know she calls herself the cursed witch," Elf two informed.

"Paige, you and I will go consult the book. Phoebe, get our guests some...um...milk and cookies," Piper decided.

Phoebe nodded and brought the Christmas guests into the kitchen. Paige took Piper's hand and orbed them both up to the attic. They walked over to the stand where they kept the book of shadows. Paige started flipping through the pages. "Here is she." Piper took the book into her hands and Paige touched her arm to orb them to the kitchen. Everyone looked up to hear what they had found. "The cursed witch, self-named. Curses anyone planning on celebrating a happy event or holiday to either miss the event or wreck it. She then feeds on the unhappy feelings. She'll feed on anyone but her favourite meal is the disappointment of children," Piper read. Paige looked down at the words and continued the read. "It can be any happy occasion such as parties, vacations, baptisms/Christenings, weddings, baby showers, dates, and holidays. Her biggest desire is to feed on the misery of children waking up on Christmas morning to find no presents from Santa, so far all she's done is take the presents given to the children by family or friends, and has not yet attempted to curse Santa himself." Piper scoffed. "So much for that," she said. Her eyes glanced over at Santa. "To vanquish her you have to find her which is the hard part since she doesn't have a permanent location.

"Well that's easy enough," Piper stated.

"You have a plan?" Santa asked.

"There's a new baby in the family. Phoebe, get the word out a wiccaning will be held for Prue. That should lure her out."

"You're using my baby as bait?"

"No, tell everyone it's happening at Billie's apartment. I'll warn Billie ahead of time, she'll do the vanquishing and we'll have the actual wiccaning here."

It was now a few days later, and Phoebe had told everyone she knew (everyone she knew who knew about magic) that she was having a wiccaning for her daughter at Billie's address. Billie was at her apartment awaiting the unsuspecting witch. The Halliwell/Mitchells were all in the attic at the manor. Grams had just been summoned and it was time for the wiccaning.

Grams approached the book of shadows and said the summoning spell. "I call forth from time and space, matriarchs from the Warren line. Mothers daughters sisters friends, our family spirit without end. To gather now in this sacred place and help us bring this child to grace. The spirits of the matriarchs arrived and Grams was facing them. "The newest child has been born into our family our legacy." She turned to face her granddaughters and reached out her arms. Phoebe came over and placed the sleeping baby into Gram's arms. Gram then turned back around 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, Prudence-Johnna Halliwell."

The cursed witch arrived at a seemingly empty apartment. She looked around rather confused and that's when Billie came along chanting the spell she had made up herself. "I banish the cursed witch, to hell send this bitch. Once she's gone all of her curses will be undone." The witch looked completely befuddled. "From powers to none, her life will switch, send her to hell and bring back the fun." The witches screamed in anguish and exploded.

It was the next day. Leo and Piper were both doing the housework while the boys listened to Christmas carols and coloured in their Christmas-themed colouring books. Melinda was just chilling in her playpen and ended up falling asleep. Leo decided to take a break and pulled out his video camera. Wyatt and Chris both looked up and smiled at the sight of their father. "Hey, boys." Wyatt waved happily at the camera. "Hi, daddy,' Chris said in his cute little toddler voice. "Who did you get to see the other day?" Leo asked them cheerfully. Both of them shouted out "Santa!" At the same time. "What did you guys get to do today?" At first, neither of them had remembered. "We helped decorate the Christmas tree," Wyatt recalled. "It was fun," Chris added. "Show me the tree." Wyatt and Chris jumped off their chairs and ran into the living room with their dad following behind. Leo put the camera view on his sleeping daughter and then on the tree. Piper came along too. "Wow, look at this," Leo said enthusiastically. The boys had proud bright smiles on their little faces. "How did you do this?" He asked them. "With our powers," Chris answered. "Show us," Leo encouraged. Piper winced, she wasn't sure it was wise to capture magic on camera but she didn't say anything. Chris blinked his eyes at the box of decorations and slid across the room. Parents were speechless, Wyatt was confused. "How did you do that. That's my power," Wyatt said. "It's my power too now," Chris replied. Piper squealed and Leo turned the camera off. "Chris, how long have you been able to do that?" Leo asked him. "Just today," Chris replied.

After supper on Christmas Eve, Phoebe summoned, grams, Patty and Prue. Grams, Patty, the sisters, the husbands, Billie, and the children sat down in the living room and ate cookies and hot chocolate (chocolate milk for the younger ones) while they watched how the Grinch stole Christmas. Afterward, the little ones got to open one present and they all received Christmas Pajamas they were going to wear that night. Leo of course videotaped this.

The next morning at four, the tired parents came into the living room holding the babies while the boys just orbed in. Prue turned on the camera and started filming them.

"Ok, whose Wyatt, there's a present for him," Leo teased as Wyatt came up to him and took his present.

"Look at the camera Chris what did you get?' Prue asked

"A big, big teddy bear" Chris happily said showing off his new teddy bear to the camera.

Prue then gave the camera to Patty and sat on the floor and put Melinda on her lap as Piper handed her a present with Melinda's name on it. Prue helped Melinda unwrap the present and gasped to get her excited.

"Look Melinda it's a new doll," Prue said excitedly which made Melinda clap.

Leo took the camera and Patty and Grams sat on the floor beside Paige and Henry who had the twins on their laps. Patty reached to the tree when she spotted two presents with their names on them and handed them to the twins. As they helped the twins open them Leo put the camera down on the table so that everyone could be in it at the same time. Phoebe and coop opened up a present for P.J. while holding her, but she had no clue what was going on and her focus was everywhere. That's when Billie arrived and joined in on the fun.

When all the presents were opened and the living room looked like a volcano of wrapping paper exploded, it was almost seven in the morning. The babies were asleep again in the playpen, the boys were using their Telekinesis power with Prue who was giving them tips on good times to use it, Patty and the husbands were watching them smiling, and Piper and grams were in the kitchen making pancakes, French toast, bacon, and eggs.

When breakfast was ready it was nine in the morning. After putting, three babies in high chairs, and 9 adults with one holding baby P.J. and two boys were seated at the table, everyone dug into the food. The adults of course served Melinda Tamora and Kat their food before eating, and Phoebe gave P.J. a bottle before eating her plate of food.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Billie said looking at Wyatt who had just put his fork down

"I didn't do anything," Wyatt said

"Not yet, but I can read your mind with my power, I know you were going to orb your pancakes on your brother's head," Billie said.

"Well not anymore," Wyatt said and picked his fork back up.

"What's that power called Billie?" Chris asked her

"Telepathy" Billie revealed.

Just as everyone was finishing up, Santa appeared and said "Merry Christmas, I told you I'd be back."

"Why are you here?" Piper asked

"I've been watching you this whole year and I have to say, you go out of your way to make everything as normal as possible, without stripping your powers," Santa said.

"I don't see how that concerns you," Piper said

"It doesn't really, I just thought I'd share my opinion. You can't have normal lives with magic powers, you have to choose, and I know everyone at this table wouldn't mind and has been living life as witches everyone except you, am I right I piper?" Santa asked.

"I want as much of a normal life as I can" Piper replied

"I know, and you can still have jobs and friends, but you can't resent magic, if you haven't realized it by now I'm going to just tell you, this is your normal! waking up in another part of the world, having to call Leo to bring you back, your children using their powers, going to work, fighting demons, that's your normal!" Santa revealed.

"I think you have to choose to either, strip your whole family of their powers including yours, that means staying away from Emma and Billie, and no more summoning dead relatives, or you could all keep your powers and be more open to using them and enjoy being a witch instead of secretly wishing you weren't one, and still have jobs and friends of course, so what will it be?' Santa asked.

Piper got to her feet and all eyes were on her.

"Oh what the heck, we're witches… so we might as well embrace it" Piper decided

Everyone smiled and Wyatt stood on his chair and copied what he's seen his family do so often. He held up his cup and said "To magic, our normal!" Everyone lifted their cups too and they all shouted it together "To magic, our normal!" As they all sat back down Santa took his bell from his coat, rang it and disappeared. And everyone happily went back to their meal, they all now knew they're witches no matter what.

THE END

Stayed tuned for the next book Charmed: Raising the next generation, just a normal life mixed in with magic.