After the battle, the house was half wrecked but they were all doing well and in one piece. After a while, Wyatt and Sam arrived.
"Is everyone alright?" Wyatt asked.
"Why is Bianca in an energy cage?" asked Sam as she cautiously went past her to reach her kids.
"Apparently, there are demons that can possess people after they lose their physical body" said Piper who was rocking a still very fuzzy Melinda.
"That's… new" she said picking up her son, giving him a kiss. Julian rested his little head on her shoulder, glad mommy was back by his side.
"Your brother is in the kitchen with Evan and Sarah making a potion to cure her" said Leo. Wyatt and Sam walked as fast as they could to join them, Sam leaving Julian in Leo's arms.
"Why didn't you call us?" reprimanded Wyatt once they got to the kitchen.
"I'm sorry dad, I got it really" said Sarah.
"That's beside the point. You should have called us the moment you orbed back and saw demons in the house" he went on. "Wasn't that what you told us you would do?"
"Take it easy on her. If it weren't for her, you would have probably found some of us dead" said Chris.
"You can help mom, right?" Evan said worrying only about his mother.
"Relax, squirt. I know this potion like the back of my hand"
"So she'll be alright, right?" Chris asked hesitantly.
"Yes, uncle Chris. She'll be fine" Sarah smiled, still feeling her parents' eyes on her. "You should have seen the chaos these two caused when they were infected themselves"
"We were?" asked Sam.
"Yeah, but… you taught me well… so here we are…" said Sarah pouring some potion into a coffee mug.
"Are we out of vials?" asked Sam going to the cupboard.
"No. She needs to drink this" she gave Chris the mug.
"Exactly, how are we gonna make her do that?"
"You have to talk to her. Make her remember who she is. The moment the demons grip falters, you got your chance"
They all went back to the living room. Chris stepped closer to Bianca who kept trying to get to him.
"Bianca…." He hesitated, unsure of what to say as he felt the eyes in the room on him. He held on tight to the mug and tried to focus on her beloved alone "Remember that afternoon when we just stared at the sky looking for shapes in the clouds like a couple of children" he chuckled to himself before falling serious again. "I… don't know what to say, but I want you to know I'm terrified… terrified we won't get to do those stupid silly things together ever again…" Bianca stared at him for a moment, settling down for the first time since they'd trapped her in there. She still looked murderous so this clearly wasn't his chance. "Now I know everything we can become together…" he turned to Evan who looked frightened. "Doesn't even matter how or when we get there, just… to know that it's possible… thank you for that" Bianca choked and she resumed her attempts to attack him. Chris wiped a rogue tear off his face.
"Mom, please! Dad needs you. I need you! I don't want anything to take you away from us… not again… please, come back…" Chris hung up on the words again for a moment, but Bianca shook her head for a second and then stared at them all around.
"Now, do it now" Sarah urged Chris taking a crystal out of place letting him closer to her. He put the cup to her lips and she drank the potion. A moment later she coughed the fog back out where Sarah caught it and burst it like the others using her aerocontrol. Bianca hugged Chris tight. Evan ran to them and after exchanging looks they embraced their son.
"What did you mean by again?" asked Chris decided not to let it go. Evan stared at Sarah while clinging to his mother.
"Things happened differently in our reality. We weren't nearly as close as you guys are" she looked around the room. "Aunt Bianca eventually went back to her clan because she thought that'd make you two safer from them" Chris still held on to Bianca and tousled his son's hair tenderly. "As for me, I never understood why we disagreed so much, dad, but I think it's clearer now. Just because I have this unlimited source of power doesn't mean I'm not supposed to ask for help. Doesn't mean I have to kill myself proving that I am capable to do it all by myself. I'm sorry" Wyatt and Sam went to hug their daughter.
"You sound more like me than you could ever know, kid. I'm sorry too"
"Well, your other you should be" said Sam playfully.
"Well, it's a start" Sarah smiled, tears coming down her face as she held onto her parents.
"How did you know to come home? You arrived before they did" asked Chris still holding on to his family.
"Well, I'm sure mom and dad will fill you in on all the details, but… let's just say, Halliwells are always on the main course for demons. I figured that if some demons escaped us, they would target the manor next"
"She's right. You will need to fill us in" Piper told them to their amusement. "But not right now, let's… try and enjoy the rest of our party" she said as the furniture laid in pieces, walls were severely fire damaged and the gifts had been blown to itty bitty bits.
"Well, we do have the cake in the back seat, so…" said Wyatt.
"Yay, that'll do!" said Evan bringing forth some more needed chuckles. Everybody was still shaky from the whole ordeal.
"We're ready to par… what the hell happened here?" Paige said as their orbed in.
"Long story, Aunt Paige" said Wyatt. "Maybe we can get some of this stuff out of the way and we can still have some sort of a party"
"I got it, dad" Sarah said, this time smiling. Her eyes started to shine bright blue again as she waved her hand around making everything just as it was before the attack. They smiled at each other as Phoebe's party arrived through the door.
"Everything looks perfect" she said. They all turned to her resisting the urge to laugh at her perfect timing. "What? What'd I miss?" she said putting down her bag.
"Yes, it does" Wyatt answered her hugging his daughter again. Sam couldn't help but stare at them both.
They had the girls' party and the rest of the evening in peace. Everybody laughed and danced and played and were altogether happy.
Phoebe had been a little tense to have Jackson, her daughter's boyfriend, around but he turned out to be a very nice young man. Her daughter Bianca had told him about magic and such, even though he hadn't actually seen any yet. He had told her no matter what she was, he was very much in love with her and as far as Coop could tell he was sincere. There would be a moment where he would be tested as much as any other member in the family, but they decided to let her enjoy her own happiness for as long as she could manage to.
After the party, as everyone chose a spot on a bean bag chair or something like that, they projected a movie for the kids' enjoyment. There was a sense of pure peace around the house, which was a rare event around this particular household.
"Thought you might have gone to bed already?" said Piper finding Wyatt and Sam in the attic.
"Oh, not likely. He's been exercising nights now" Sam caressed her belly, making the baby squirm around in happiness at his mother's touch. Evan smiled broadly having his hands on her belly as well.
"Cool" he said. Sam chuckled and tousled his hair.
"I was kind of hoping you guys would stay one more night, since we got the whole family over" she smiled at her granddaughter standing by the BOS and grandson sitting on the floor by her aunt. "What are you doing?" asked Piper accompanied by Leo as she saw Sarah recap the pen she had been using a moment ago.
"I thought it would be a good idea to write about the demons we encountered today… just in case any of them strayed somewhere else"
"Good thinking" said Leo approvingly.
"Done" said Wyatt as he finished writing the spell to send them back. "This should send you right back"
"Let me see that" asked Piper making a last minute change.
"Time to go" said Sarah to a disappointed Evan. He hugged Sam before getting to his feet, then Piper and Leo.
"So soon?" said Chris walking into the room with Bianca. Evan ran to give him a hug. "I'll be seeing you around, right?" Evan nodded.
"You were dead on time" said Piper.
"And I texted him" said Wyatt putting up his phone.
"Magic" said Sam sarcastically getting to her feet. Sarah ran to help her up, even though she was already holding Wyatt's hand.
Evan held on tight to his mother, almost as if scared to let her go. She took one look at Chris and then to her son.
"Whatever happened, I won't let it happen again. You have my word. I will never leave your side" Bianca bent over to tell him to his young face. He nodded and stepped back to hug his uncle Wyatt last.
"It was nice meeting you" Sam caressed her daughter's face.
"You mean see me?"
"Nah, I see you all the time in my dreams kiddo" she choked as her eyes started to tear up.
"We both do" said Wyatt as he came to embrace them both.
"Thank you" Sam told her daughter.
"For what?"
"For showing us not everything's lost. That our line will always find a way" Sarah hugged them both close before stepping aside with Evan, ready to be sent back. After all the proper goodbyes, Sarah and Evan stood some feet apart from the rest of the party as Wyatt and Piper chanted the spell. Sam held his hand to enhance his powers, just in case; her eyes on her daughter and nephew. Chris and Bianca stared at Evan and then their eyes met in such a way that Evan's heart was full of hope as well as Piper's.
Send them back to whence they were
Now cleared our doubts, our minds, our hopes
Restore our line and theirs as well
While in our hearts we stay the same
Both Sarah and Evan disappeared in bright lights.
"We should go back to the movie" said Wyatt holding his wife. They all followed his lead and went downstairs to a ridiculously amount of popcorn, cushions, blankets and pillows in the room.
Chris and Bianca were holding hands at every moment. They didn't know what was gonna come out of this they had. At some point, Chris had even given up on the hope that anything ever would. They knew now however, that it certainly was something worth looking forward to. It frightened both of them, but Chris, wouldn't have it any other way; and Bianca, well, she had never even considered having such a blissful future and she was gonna make damn sure they got there someday.
Wyatt and Sam sat down carefully on a bunch of pillows and their children immediately ran to cuddle around them. Even the birthday girls slowly and steadily made their way close to them. Somehow, for them, seeing their-would-be-daughter gave them hope about their own daughter's future which made them hold Meghan the closest. Maybe after everything, they had saved her somehow. They firmly believed, right there and then, surrounded by their little ones, that they would find their way.
Piper stood aside watching them all adoringly. Leo put his arms around her from behind her and whispered. "Happy?"
"That's one word for it" smiled Piper. "Although I don't think it's quite accurate enough to describe this" she had gotten her answer: Chris was making the right choice. No matter what came their way, he was gonna be alright. He'll have a future. He'll be happy. As for her Wyatt, she too had wondered about whether they had made the right choice concerning Meghan and she was thankful that she had gotten an answer to that too or at least some much needed hope; even more grateful her parents had gotten some peace of mind in the process.
