Three o clock in the morning
piper wakes up to the crying of her youngest
she turns to Leo with a little smile
"sleepy head your turn to get the siren this time"
O piper if you get her now ill get her tomorrow Leo's answer came from under the cover.
"Uhm Leo you said that last night and the night before that
reluctantly Leo raises himself up from under the cover turns gives piper a kiss and walk slowly to the door to go and see what little serena wanted now.
"Hey little siren you are gonna wake the whole house and you know how your Aunt Paige gets when she hasn't had enough sleep" Leo says as he picks up his youngest daughter out of her crib.
"Daddy?? Leo hears the voice of daughter #2 at the door
"why is serena crying again" little leora wants to know
"I think she might be hungry leora" Leo says as he tousles his daughters hair.
"But she always wakes me up daddy and now I am hungry to" leora states
"well lets go to the kitchen then and have something to eat but then young lady straight back to bed promise"
"yay" comes the toothless smile from his daughter.
As they walk in the hallway the door to phoebe's room opens up and out comes daughter #3
"cassie what are you doing in aunt phoebe's room at three thirty in the morning" Leo asks his little girl
"sisi woke me up and mommy was asleep so I went to see if aunt phoebe wanted to play" but she just wants to sleep to.
"Well guess what girls so does daddy," Leo says with a sigh as the parade continues its way down the stairs.
"Okay girls let me get the bottle for serena and then we will get the two of you something to eat". Leo says as he walks over the to fridge.
"What is going on here" Leo hears another voice coming from the doorway.
"O well Melinda why don't you join your sisters and have something to eat to" Leo says as he cant believe another one of his brood is down in the kitchen.
"UHMM Melinda" yeah daddy?
"Are the other ones still sleeping" as he puts little serena on his other hip.
"Nope Kelly woke up and she is in the bathroom and Kerri and prue are looking if mom is awake".
"Oh man mom must be happy about that one".
Just as he said that piper walks in the kitchen followed by the triplets.
"Leo it is four thirty in the morning what is every body doing up at this hour".
"Leo holds little serena up in the air who is squealing in delight thinking it was a game her daddy was playing with her. "This honey" as he gives her a warm smile.
Piper looks at her children all of them gathered in the kitchen sitting around the island and one in her husband's arms.
Who would have thought that nine years to the day they where married they would have seven children all girls and all with powers. And they loved their daughters each and everyone for their own little quirks.
After all of them had had their little midnight snack piper orders the 6 older ones back to their rooms with good-hearted threats if they dared to walk in their parent's room before ten the next morning.
Each waited for their kiss and their hug
and Leo and piper got the hugs and wet kisses in return
yes it was hard at times to raise seven children.
But neither one of them wanted it any other way .
Even the midnight meetings in the kitchen which seemed to happen more and more these days.
As piper and Leo crawled back in bed piper looked at her husband .
A very tired man but a happy man
she figured she would wait till morning to tell her husband #8 was on its way.
Sunday
it is suppose to be the day of rest
although many people like to think so
but not so in the Wyatt household
as we look in through the window we can see sitting on the couch flanked by three little girls Leo. One looking just like the other, triplets. Kerri Kelly and prue named after piper's sister who had passed away about nine years ago. All looking like a carbon copy of their mom piper when she was their age. Four a great age.
On the floor with a coloring book we can find Melinda age eight with her little sister cassie age three very intend on coloring the picture on each side of their coloring book.
On the arm chair cuddled up with her mommy is little serena age eighteen months slowly falling asleep, as was her mother. And little leora age six was at a playdate that morning
it looked like a very peaceful morning but as we know with seven children how long could that last.
First there was a little pushing then some more and then the first scream of the day .
Piper shook out of her slumber and looked at little cassie on the floor doing her best impression of becoming a tomato
her little face was fast becoming a bright red
and her mommy knowing what was coming prepared for the ear defining scream that followed soon.
Kelly, Kerri, prue who had been listening to the story Leo had been reading jumped when they heard the scream. Leo jumped as well. "What happened he bellows above the scream". Looking at piper
who is covering little serena's ears to try and drown out the noise.
Leo hovers over Melinda and picks up little Cassie of the floor.
Piper gets up and takes serena up to her little crib and comes back down.
Cassie still was screaming at the top of her lungs.
Leo is trying to calm her down but the little girl is unconsoble.
Leo looks at piper in panic. But piper takes Cassie from his arms and sits her down on her lap.
"Okay Cassie calm down calm down and tell mommy what is wrong" piper says as she strokes the long blond hair.
"Did you get hurt"?
"NO"
"then you have to tell mommy hunny"? Piper says as she places a little kiss on the crown of her head.
"I wanna ......I wanna I want the red crayon" as her little body shakes with each little sob.
"jees that is why she is screaming like that" Leo says.
"I thought she had broken bones she was screaming so loud"
Piper looks at Leo and gives him a loving smile
him the cool and collected guy the one who stays calm when demons come flying through the door
the guy who helped her through the rough times in life panics when one of his daughters has a melt down.
she couldn't help but love him even more.
"I guess you would never know hunny since you didn't have any siblings when you grew up" piper says as she looks down on Melinda who is strangely quiet. and pretending not to hear any of the commotion going on around her.
"Melinda hunny"? piper says as looks at her eldest.
"what mommy? comes the answer from the floor.
"Who had the red crayon first"?
"Cassie did but I really needed it cause I was drawing a heart for aunt phoebes picture I am making".
"did you ask her first if you could use it"?
no answer comes from the floor and with out telling her mom piper knew Melinda had just taken the crayon without even trying to ask Cassie.
"Melinda I think mommy asked you something" Leo says as he gets back in the room after he has put the triplets in front of the t.v for a few minutes.
"did you ask her"?
"NO" comes the answer from the floor again.
piper hands cassie over to Leo and sits down on the floor next to Melinda who is hell bend on not looking at either her parents or her little sister and keeps coloring the picture she was working on.
"Melinda will you please put down the crayon and look at us when we are talking to you"
but again no reaction.
great piper thought the day started out so nice but here we go
Melinda had been getting in these moods more and more for the past few weeks and to be honest it was getting on pipers nerve.
"Melinda.........Mel.....!! but again nothing
Leo had had it he called for phoebe and asked her if she could take Cassie for a few minutes while he and piper had a talk with their eldest.
phoebe took Cassie from Leo and headed in to the t.v room with the other three kids.
Melinda looked at her parents and then back to the floor
"so Melinda are you gonna tell us what is wrong with you today" piper says in a stern voice.
again Melinda looks at her parents
"NO I am not gonna tell you" as she jumps of the floor and runs for the staircase tears flying behind her.
Leo looks at piper and piper back at Leo
they hadn't expected an outburst like that one.
Melinda storms up the stairs as loud as she can and when she gets to her room, which she shares, with leora and Kelly and slams the door shut.
piper and Leo follow her up the stairs and knock on the door.
"go away" comes the reply from behind the door.
Leo looks at piper and turns around to leave and go back down the stairs
piper stops him with her hand on his arm as she puts her finger on her lip and her ear to the door.
they can hear Melinda in the room ranting and raving
"and all these stupid kids, and I have to share everything
and it was my crayon and I let her use them
and more and more kids, and I have to do everything
and Melinda do this and Melinda do that, but when I want a stupid crayon I get yelled at. ARGHH I hate living in this house with all these stupid kids".
piper slowly opens the door to the room and walks in
"Melinda hunny can we talk to you please"?
No I don't wanna talk leave me alone".
"I'm sorry Mel but we cant, it seems that you are very unhappy right now and I think you really need to tell us what bothers you".
Melinda looks at her parents and sits on the bed defeated she knew her parents where not going to leave.
"can you talk to us pumpkin" Leo says.
tears are now rolling down Mel's face and it broke pipers heart to she her baby crying like that. it wasn't one of those tantrum cries or even an upset cry it was one of those
silent her little heart was broken cries.
piper walked over and took her eldest daughter and put her on her lap like she used to do when Mel was little
"hunny please talk to mommy"
Mel looks at her mom.
"I.........I ......but nothing else comes out.
"what hunny"?
"sometimes I wish it was just you and me and daddy" Mel finally dares to say.
"and why is that Mel"? Leo asks
"because you never have time for me and when you do it is only to yell at me because I didn't share things or I wasn't nice to Kelly or Kerri or any of the other million kids in this house" Melinda said.
"I don't think that is true Mel" Leo says
"how would you know you are never here anyways" Melinda said as she looked at her dad. Leo was taken aback from that statement but when he looked at piper she reassured him that is was Mel trying to get back at them.
"well how do you think we can help her in this one daddy". piper says as she pretends to talk to Leo but in reality was talking to Melinda.
Leo looked at her and gave her a warm smile
"how about if every day we set aside an hour for Melinda to be with either you or me by her self".
"nah I don't think she would go for that". piper says with a smile
"yes I would" comes the answer from pipers lap.
"okay so that is a deal you have one hour with either mommy or daddy each day" piper recounts.
"yeah"
"but Mel you know what you have to do first right".
"yeah ,yeah" as mel gets of her moms lap and goes to the door to go downstairs and say she is sorry to cassie.
Leo takes piper in his arms and gives her a kiss
"that was a hard one" he says
piper laughs
"hunny you have seen nothing yet you have seven of these diva's and they haven't even reached their teens yet".
just then another scream is heard from downstairs
"here we go again" piper smiles as she gives Leo another kiss and both of them walk down the stairs
Monday
three thirty in the afternoon.
Leo looks at piper with a little pout
"it isn't fair " he says.
"sorry hunny we drew strays this morning and I won" piper says with a big grin on her face.
"but cant you take serena with you at least" Leo tries again.
"nope we said one hour a day alone" piper said as she is putting on her coat.
"Mel in five seconds your hour starts so you better get your bootie down here" piper calls up the stairs.
"coming mommy" Mel piper and Leo's eldest yells down the stairs .
piper turns to Leo "okay here is the deal.... the triplets al had a snack when they came home earlier if they want anything else fruit...... and I don't mean as in fruit gummies" she cant resist saying
"oh serena needs to be changed and leora has to make a card for her friends b-day party". she walks over to give a Leo a kiss.
"what no instructions for Cassie" Leo cant resist asking.
piper gets a frown in her forehead "hmmm not that I can think of honey". piper smiles and goes for the front door.
"hey Melinda ready to go times a wasting".
"coming" and sure enough Melinda comes running down the stairs and grabs her coat on the way down that she had discarded there earlier.
as they reach the door Cassie comes bolting out of the sunroom
"mommy I want to go please I wanna come ,ill be a good girl I will listen I promise" little Cassie clamps herself to her mommy's legs.
piper bends down and picks up her daughter
"hunny mommy is only going out for an hour she will be back really soon". she then puts Cassie back on the floor.
"I wanna come mommy pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassseee". but piper is firm
"LEO a little help here" she shouts towards the kitchen.
Leo comes out with serena a diaper half on and off.
piper cant resist a smile as she looks at her husband trying to hold up his youngest diaper and at the same time trying to pry a three year old of her leg.
as piper and Mel head out the door, she can hear little Cassie still screaming that she wants to come.
and when they reach the bottom of the front steps the door opens and little Cassie sticks her head out the door and screams as loud as she can....."I don't like you anymore mommy
I like daddy best anyway!!!!!" piper turns and can just see as one of Leo's hands grab the three old to get back in to the house.
Melinda looks at her mom "that wasn't very nice of her" she says.
"I would never say that cause I know it would hurt your feelings" Melinda states in ernest.
piper has to laugh at her oldest daughter she was glad that they had decided to spend on hour a day with her.
up to this point piper had not realized that she needed this time just as much as Melinda needed it.
"so princess of my heart ,what do you want to do first". piper says as she lovingly looks at Mel.
who is staring at her in disbelieve.
"What Mel"? piper asks her.
"I am " comes the answer.
"I am what Melinda". "still the princess of your heart"?
"of course Mel, you will always be the princess of your daddy and mine's heart, why would you think different"?
"cause you and daddy haven't said that since Cassie was a baby" piper looks at her. and to her horror she can't even remember the last time she had told her daughter she was what she was.
"well just remember that you will always be our one and only princess of our hearts , even if daddy and me forget to say it some time okay". "okay mommy" Mel says.
"and now I want to go to the mall" . Okay the mall it is" piper says as she out of the street.
meanwhile in the house Leo has 6 girls he has to deal with
"okay leora we get you set up first" he says as he guides the six year old in the sunroom where he had made a little corner where the girls could do their art projects.
he then goes in search of the triplets it had been very quiet upstairs and that was never a good thing with the three of them.
as he walks in the upstairs hallway he can smell a strong sense of soap and he can hear some commotion coming from the bath room
"O no" he walks in to serena's room and puts her in her crib so she wont get run under foot. ofcourse serena was not happy with this as lets Leo know by screaming her little lungs out "daddy will be right back I promise".
he then goes to the bathroom and finds his three daughters Kerri Kelly and prue very busy washing the wall with all of pipers beauty products.
"what in the world are you three doing in here" Leo says in his best daddy is mad at you voice.
all three girls drop what they where doing and as in chorus start to bawl.
"out out out Oh jees your mom is gonna kill me, to your rooms all three of you and don't come out till I say so"
all three girls walk out of the bathroom with their heads hung as low as it could go.
"OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH mommy is gonna be so mad" he hears a voice next to him.
"yup I think you might be right there cass, well daddy hasn't got time to clean this right now, so it will have to wait till mommy comes home."
"DADDY"
"ARGHH ,what now" Leo thinks as he walks to the top of the stairs.
"What leora what is wrong"
"Daddy I cant find the red crayon" leora screams from downstairs.
"Sweetie use a another color instead then"
"NO daddy I need the red one"
"How about pink bonny really likes pink hunny"
"NO daddy she really likes red and I really need it NOW".
Leo sits down on the top of the stairs that damn red crayon is going to be the death of him yet.
he then remembers .
"LOLLIE?"
yeah daddy "
"Look under the chair in the living room I think it might be there"
"Kay daddio"
"GOT IT daddy thank you"
good that was solved now back to the triplets.
he walks in to the girls room with a serious expression on his face
"SO who is gonna tell me why in the world you guys decided you needed to make such a mess in the bath room".
"But daddy it is not a mess we where helping mommy and cause she had to take out melli and she said she really need to get to this bathroom cause it was filthy" Kerri the eldest of the three said. and the one that always took the lead.
"UGHH". how was he gonna handle this they tried to something good.
"Okay ,okay I should punish you for what you did but I cant cause you thought you where helping"
"so every one down the stairs"
he walks in to serena's room to find she had fallen asleep.
"Oh well the better I can handle the other five".
when he gets downstairs leora walk out of the sunroom with the b-day card she made for her friend bonny.
closely followed by Cassie who had made a picture for mommy
leora had written on it for her I LOVE MOMMY.
all of them gather in the kitchen and sit down
"we want a snack daddy" Kerri says once again speaking for the triplets.
"Yeah us to" Cassie says as she puts her arm around leora.
"okay what do you guys want"
"candy "comes out the mouth of his five girls.
"Hmmm nope , mom would kill me".
"fruit loops" comes a very little whisper from behind Kerri belonging to prue.
Leo thought for a second fruitloops hmmm why not piper had said fruit but no fruitgummies and fruitloops where not gummies , he couldn't resist the grin that was coming across his face but he had a rough hour and he deserved it and so did the girls. he wondered how piper did it
and then it hit him she must keep some of them frozen for part of the day cause he could not imagine her doing this all day by her self.
he pours the bowls and hands them to the girls.
Just then piper and Mel walk in both looking like a million bucks and a million dollar smile to match.
he walks over and gives her a kiss. how is the princess of my live and the princess of my heart doing as he looks at Mel.
"great daddy I have to put this away before the other ones get their hands on" and she runs out of the room.
piper looks at Leo and gives him a nice long kiss
"what was that for" just for being the daddy you are".
she then takes her bags and heads out of the kitchen as well
Leo looks at the five remaining girls and says.
"hurry fingers in your ears now"
all the girls look at Leo as he puts his own in his ear.
and decide they like this game and do the same.
just then from upstairs
"LEO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!