Chapter eight

The spooky season

"Can we go today? Wyatt asked.

October had arrived which meant spooky season had begun. Wyatt and Chris had been asking for a few days now if they could go to the mall and pick out their Halloween costumes. At the moment, they were both seated at the table having their morning meal. Leo was finishing up his coffee while Piper took a bite of her buttered toast. Phoebe had spilled some coffee on her blouse and was attempting to save it with a napkin but it left a huge stain and she would need to change before heading off to work. Henry was over at the sink placing down his empty plate and glass. Paige was on a chair at the table feeding Henry, who was almost four months old. P.J. sat in her high chair but she still needed help eating. Her father was taking care of this. (P.J. would be eleven months on old the thirteenth.) Melinda and the twins were devouring their breakfasts as though it was the last meal they were ever going to eat. (Melinda was almost nineteen months old and the twins almost seventeen months old.)

"Not today. You and Chris have to go to mortal school and then magic school."

"I don't mind skipping mortal school," Chris said.

"Nice try," his mother replied.

"Can we go this weekend?" Wyatt asked.

"Maybe. Ask me again on Saturday."

Every morning everyone always left around the same time. So, it was pretty busy by the front door by the time seven-thirty rolled around. Piper zipped up her jacket as Wyatt and Chris slipped their feet into their shoes, Leo retrieving their light jackets from the closet. Henry struggled to get Tamora into the double stroller while Henry Junior sat awake in the baby carrier in Paige's hand. It was Henry's turn to take the children to school or daycare. Coop tied his shoes and then kissed his wife and daughter before beaming out to start his day. Phoebe retrieved her purse and checked inside to ensure she had her wallet and keys. She kissed the top of her daughter's head and handed her to Leo after Leo handed the jackets to his sons. The door opened and Phoebe was the first one out followed by Piper. Henry succeeded in his mission and walked into the living room to collect Kat who had run off not wanting to go into her stroller. He scooped her up and placed her in the stroller. He kissed his wife, took the baby carrier, and left the manor with all three of his children and with Wyatt and Chris tagging along behind him. With baby Prue in his arms, Leo walked into the living room to collect Melinda from the playpen as Paige got her feet into a pair of stylish black boots. Leo heard the front door open and close and he was now the last adult here. He summoned the door to magic school and carried the two babies through the door which vanished behind him.

Henry parked the car in the parking lot and turned in his seat to look at the kids. "Can you two walk alone?" He asked them. He didn't want to have to take the babies out of the car just to walk the boys to the kindergarten area and then put them back into the car but he also couldn't leave them alone in the car because it was unsafe and illegal to leave young children in the car alone for any amount of time. Wyatt and Chris both nodded. From where he had parked, Henry could clearly see the entire path the boys needed to take to get to the right location, which was why he was comfortable letting them go by themselves. "Okay then. Don't forget your bags." Wyatt and Chris unbuckled their seatbelts and retrieved their bags. Wyatt opened his door and jumped out of the minivan. Chris followed behind him and close the door. Henry looked out the passenger window and watched the two boys walk. Once he had seen them enter the area, he put the car into reverse and backed out of the parking lot. He had one more stop to make before heading to work.

Henry got out of the car and walked to the middle seat. He pulled open the door on the other side of the car. He unclipped the carrier from the base and removed it from the car. He walked over to the other side and opened the door. He unbuckled the twins from their car seats and let them get out by themselves. They enjoyed being independent, especially Tamora. (Melinda was the same way.) Henry took Tamora's hand as he needed to guide her in the right direction. Kat, on the other hand, ran over to the door knowing exactly where she was. Henry opened the door slowly as Kat got out of the way. She ran inside with her dad and siblings following her in. They walked down the hallway until they reached the room for kids under two. (It was the same daycare Wyatt and Chris had gone to before magic school had re-opened.) Henry opened the door and Kat ran in and over to the toys. Tamora started kicking to get down so she could play with the toys too. Baby Henry was just chilling in the carrier. Mrs. Hathaway approached them as Henry put his daughter down. He shook hands with Mrs. Hathaway before handing the baby over to her.

Wyatt was seated at the yellow table in his classroom along with his friends Austin and Kennedi, a new kid, and two boys he didn't know very well. He was coloring in a pumpkin drawing using an orange crayon. "I'm going to be an astronaut for Halloween," the new girl said. Wyatt looked up at her and Austin replied, "I'm going to be a police officer." Wyatt snickered, catching his friend's attention. "I know a police officer. He's my mommy's friend," Wyatt said. "That's so cool. What do you want to be for Halloween?" Austin asked him. "I want to be a cowboy but I don't have my costume yet." He looked disappointed, he was really looking forward to buying his costume but his family was always so busy. "Are you going trick or treating?" Austin asked. "Yep. I'm going with my brother and sister. My daddy's taking us." Wyatt put down the orange crayon and reached for the green crayon.

It was now the sixteenth of October, which was on a Thursday. Chris joined his classmates on the blue carpet as Mrs. Wellington sat down on her little chair in front of them. "Good morning class. Today, we have some very exciting news," Mrs. Wellingnton told her students. "Chris, could you stand up please." Chris stood up and walked to his teacher, he stood beside her. "Today is Chris's birthday! Let's give him a round of applause." Chris smiled brightly enjoying every second of attention from his teacher and classmates as they clapped for him. "How old are you now?" Mrs. Wellington asked him. "I'm four years old!"

Chris's birthday party took place two days later. Leo walked into the third-floor bathroom with the video camera recording as Piper sat the closed toilet brushing Chris's brown hair as he stood in front of her. "Chris, look at the camera," Leo called. The child turned his head to look at his father and smiled. "What's today?" Leo asked him. "My birthday party," Chris replied happily. "What? It's not your birthday," Leo said jokingly. "Nope, my birthday was a few days ago. Today is my birthday party," Chris explained. His parents chuckled. The doorbell rang catching their attention. "Okay, birthday boy. Looks like your friends are here," Piper stated. Chris jumped up and ran out of the bathroom. Leo stepped out into the hall and recorded his sons bolting down the hall towards the staircase, Wyatt from his room.

It wasn't Chris's friends who had arrived, it was his grandfather Victor, and Billie was in the living room. (She had arrived early to help out with the babies who were all on the floor amusing themselves. "Happy birthday Chris," Victor greeted him. "Thanks, grandpa." Billie came from the living room and gave the child a hug. "Happy birthday, cutie," she said to him. "Thanks, Billie." Wondering what was going on, Melinda walked over to them. Chris gave his sister a little hug and then Melinda walked over to her grandfather and reached up for him. Victor happily picked her up.

Bille turned on the birthday music on the little radio in the living room as Chris's friends from school began to arrive. Wyatt grabbed his brother's arms and starting swinging them around. They both laughed during this. Piper nervously looked around for the babies, worried they were using magic. Although, she didn't have to worry about Henry Junior or his older sisters. Melinda was near her brothers laughing at them, the twins being chased by a few of Chris's friends. P.J. was at the present table beaming Chris's colorfully wrapped gifts to herself...until Leo caught her. He placed the gifts back onto the table, scooped up the baby, and carried her into the living room where he delivered her to her father. Baby Henry was seated comfortably on his father's lap. He was looking at all the screaming running kids. He was used to chaos as he lived in a pretty chaotic house. Chris's friends were dancing to the music and when the song changed some of the kids started playing with the toys instead.

The doorbell rang and Piper got up to see who it was. "Darryl." Darryl stood there with a present in his hands. "I have a gift for Chris. I also wanted to know what you guys are doing for Halloween." Piper stepped aside to let him in and called Chris over. Darryl handed the gift to him. Chris sat down on the bottom step of the staircase and ripped off the blue wrapping paper. "Cool, legos. Thanks." Chris got up and ran into the living room with his gift to show his friends. "So, Halloween. We're just taking the kids trick or treating, then us adults will probably watch a scary movie once the kids are asleep." Darryl nodded. "Well, my wife is throwing a Halloween party at our place for the kids, Darryl Junior wants Wyatt to come. All of you are invited, of course." "Sure, the sounds like fun. What time should we be there?" "Party starts at four, ends at eight." "Okay. We'll see you there. Oh, and thanks again for Chris's gift. He and Wyatt loved legos and blocks." Darryl nodded and opened the door to let himself out.

An hour had passed when the doorbell rang again. This time it was Leo who went to see who it was. "Pizza's here!" Leo called out a few minutes later. At once, Wyatt and Chris, and Chris's friends all ran into the kitchen and seated themselves at the table. They were followed in by the adults, some of which held a baby in their arms. Melinda, the twins, and P.J. were placed in their high chairs while Paige placed her son on her lap. Leo took care of serving the pizza. The babies made a mess of course and the children all had pizza sauce all over their faces, but Piper and Leo didn't wash them up, because they had learned from that mistake the previous year, where they just made another mess with the cake.

After the pizza was eaten, Phoebe videotaped as Piper and Leo came into the kitchen holding the cake with a light candle in the shape of a four while singing. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Chris, happy birthday to you." After placing the cake down on the table in front of Chris, he leaned forward and blew out the candle. Everyone clapped and smiled, and the babies were all looking at the cake while licking their lips. Piper served the cake and watched Melinda put her hand in her slice and then rubbed it all over Chris's nose. Piper and Leo were expecting him to get mad but were shocked when Chris whipped it off with his finger, licked his finger, and said, "Great cake, thanks for sharing Melinda."Everyone laughed and enjoyed their slices of cake.

Afterward, it was present time. Wyatt was the first one to give Chris something that was badly wrapped in wrapping paper. Chris opened it and gasped. "Spiderman Pajamas, thank you," Chris excitedly said as he hugged his brother. "This one is from me and uncle Coop," Phoebe said handing him the present. "More cars, thank you, Auntie Phoebe, thank you uncle Coop," Chris said. "Alright, me next, this one is from me and Uncle Henry," Paige said handing him the gift. "Thank you, but what are they?" Chris asked. "They're called skates, and I'm going to teach you how to use them," Paige explained. "This one is from me and mommy," Leo said handing him the present. "Spiderman shoes, thank you," Chris said as he hugged his parents. "Alright here you go slugger," Victor said handing Chris a gift. "Tick tack toe, I love this game, thanks, grandpa." "Here you go Sweetie," Billie said. "What is it, Billie?" Chris asked. "It's a picture album, inside are pictures of you and your family, and friends. Your mommy, aunties, and I made it for you," Billie said. Chris hugged Billie to say thank you and enjoyed opening the rest of his gifts.

The next day, all the adults were free and it was decided it was time to get the Halloween costumes. However, before they could go, Wyatt and Chris needed to be reminded of the rules. "No magic. If I see any magic we are going straight home," Piper stated. Wyatt and Chris both nodded their heads. "No crying, no whining, no complaining. You will be on your best behavior or we will go straight home, does everyone understand?" Piper asked. Wyatt and Chris nodded their heads again. Of course, the rest of the children were too young to comprehend what rules were or how they were supposed to behave in public.

Wyatt and Chris got into the back seat of their parent's car and buckled themselves in their car seats. Leo placed Melinda in her car seat which was between Wyatt and Chris and buckled her in as she laughed at Chris who was making funny faces at her. Piper was in the passenger seat checking her makeup in the mirror. Leo finished with his daughter and closed the door. In her car, Phoebe tied her daughter in her car seat hoping she wasn't going to beam out in the middle of the drive. It wouldn't be the first time she had done this. Coop was in the passenger seat looking out his window at the neighbor's dog that was barking at a stray cat. Henry struggled to get Tamora into her car seat in his car as she kicked, screamed, and thrashed around her arms. Kat sat on the other side of the car looking at her twin sister like she was crazy. Baby Henry was strapped into his car seat between his sisters and was also looking at his misbehaving sister. Henry barely succeeded with Paige's help.

The three cars arrived at the mall and parked in the parking lot. Strollers were removed from the trunks. Melinda sat happily in her single stroller as she drank her bottle of milk. Kat looked content in the double stroller but her sister looked miserable. Henry had a stroller to himself as did P.J., both of which were asleep. P.J. had not had a good night and Henry was a big napper, but then again, he was only four months old. Wyatt and Chris held onto their mother's hands as their father had control over Melinda's stroller. The family walked into the great mall and made their way to the Halloween store where they began looking at the costumes. Only Wyatt knew exactly what he wanted to be for Halloween this year.

Wyatt was the first to pick out his costume. "I want this one mommy," he said, holding up a cowboy outfit. "Of course you do. You're a cowboy every day and you have outgrown your old costume," his mother said. She took a look at the price. "Okay, you can have it." Wyatt let out a happy scream and didn't want to put his costume in the cart, he wanted to carry it. "How about this one for Melinda?" Phoebe suggested holding up an angel costume. "Get it?" Piper playfully shook her head. (Melinda was half-white-lighter and white-lighter was pretty much just a fancy word for angel.) "That's such a bad joke, but...it's really cute. Leo? What do you think?" Leo turned around to look at the costume. "Yea. That will look cute on her. Phoebe, you need to get this one for P.J.," Leo said, he was holding a cupid costume. "I love it," Phoebe squealed. "She does take after her daddy," Coop replied. He was referring to the fact P.J.'s only power (beaming) was a cupid power. "I'm going to be a leprechaun," Chris said holding up a green costume. "Alright, honey. I'm sure I know some friends of ours who will be honored," Piper told him. Chris smiled and tossed his costume into the cart. "And how about these for the twins," Henry said holding up two black cat costumes. "I like it, and what about for Baby Henry?" Paige asked. "Well I'm going as a cop, so we'll have Henry junior be the same thing. He can be my partner," Henry said taking a cute baby cop costume off the shelf. "Why don't we be witches?" Phoebe said looking at three witch costumes. "Huh, wonder how you came up with that," Paige stated sarcastically. "Well come on, Melinda is an angel and P.J.'s a cupid, we've got to be witches," Phoebe stated. "I'm in," Piper agreed. "Look at that, two against one. Get a broomstick sis," Phoebe teased. Paige giggled. "Well if that's how we're picking our costumes guess I'm going as an angel," Leo said. He spotted a cupid costume and tossed it at Coop. "There you go, all set," he said.

Though the outing had gone well, things had gone downhill once the family had arrived back home. Wyatt and Chris were both throwing fits because their mother had told them they weren't allowed to wear their new costumes until Halloween to avoid them getting stained or ripped. Baby Henry's nap had been interrupted and he was now very fussy meanwhile P.J. was beaming all over the place and her parents couldn't keep up. Tamora and Kat were sitting on the floor in the living room poking each other. Melinda was getting hungry for an hour early dinner because she had refused her lunch, she sat on the floor crying.

Halloween didn't come fast enough but it did finally arrive. Wyatt and Chris happily put their costumes on but Chris accidentally ripped a decoration off and he was devastated. His parents told him it was fine and not to worry about it but Chris was upset over his costume being ruined not the fear of being in trouble. Tamora and Kat didn't want their costumes on so of course, they gave their parents a hard time. However, the other babies were behaving themselves.

At last, the family had arrived at Darryl's house. It was Sheila who greeted them at the door and she started laughing see the girls' costumes. "Clever," she said. "It was Phoebe's idea," Piper made sure to mention. "You guys all look great, we're having a costume contest later on," Sheila informed them. She stepped aside to let them all into the house. Wyatt quickly found Darryl Junior who was dressed as Mario. (His big brother was dressed as Luigi.) Chris joined a group of other kids, none of which he knew, they were all in the first grade with Darryl Junior. Melinda and the twins ran around laughing but P.J. preferred to stay near her mother. Baby Henry was awake but resting in his mother's arms. He'd probably fall asleep shortly. The adults had one of those "boring adult conversations kids didn't understand."

When it came to the costume contest Wyatt and Chris went first and Chris pushed his brother down. Wyatt started crying and Leo put Chris on time out. Wyatt sat on his mother's lap as she slowly started getting tired and watched the rest of the contestants. "Ok everyone, the winner of the costume contest is, Annabelle," Sheila announced. Everyone clapped as an adult female dressed as Rapunzel walk to the front of the room and turned around to show off her costume. She received her prize and then disappeared back into the crowd. Phoebe caught Chris sneaking candy under his shirt and went to deal with it. She was not going to let the kids take advantage of her anymore. Chris did not like being told off by his aunt and threw a tantrum.

At this point, most of the kids were getting grouchy and tired as it was getting late. Wyatt had already fallen asleep on his mother's lap and baby Henry had slept through most of the party. Melinda actually orbed herself home into her crib and thankfully no one had seen it. The twins were doing what they always did when they were tired, bugging each other. P.J. was fighting her tiredness as she rested in her father's arms. It was time to call it a night. Sheila and Darryl thanked them for coming and walked them out.

"It was great seeing you, we'll be in touch soon," Sheila said.

"Course. Oh, and you're all invited to P.J.'s birthday next month. I'll give you the details when it comes closer," Phoebe stated.

"Alright, we'll be there. Take care," Sheila said.

"You too," Piper replied as the family walked out of sight into the dark.

Piper placed Wyatt down on his bed and kissed his forehead. She then tucked in Chris and gave him a gentle kiss really not wanting to wake him. (He had fallen asleep on the car ride home.) Leo walked into the girls' nursery to check on his daughter. Just to make sure she had orbed home when she had disappeared from the party earlier. In the same room, Henry and Paige were softly singing the twins to sleep, which took a lot less time the normal. P.J. was already out like a light when Coop placed her down in her crib. (She too had fallen asleep on the ride home.) Phoebe was in Henry's nursery putting her sleeping nephew down in his crib. She looked at him and stroked his little cheek. Sometimes she wanted to have another baby, especially now that P.J. was almost a year and growing so quickly. She hadn't talked to Coop about it though. With everyone living in the manor, was it really a good idea to bring another child in?

After putting the kids to sleep, the adults met downstairs still planning on watching a movie. However, once they arrived in the living, they each realized they weren't really in the mood for a movie. "So everyone still up for that movie?" Piper asked. "Well, I'm really tired. I'm going to call it night," Phoebe said. "Yeah me too, you go ahead though, the noise won't bother me," Coop said. Paige let out a yawn. "Sorry, I'm out." Henry too decided to call it a night. Piper looked at Leo. "Let's just go to bed," she said. Leo nodded in agreement.

(Sorry this chapter is shorter than normal. I've been spending a lot of time editing the characters' Wikia pages and just wanted to get this chapter uploaded. Links are in my profile.)