Sorry this chapter is so long. I couldn't figure out how to cut it into
two chapters. Again, thanks to reviewers. Please, review again. Wow, I
say the word again a lot. Hmm… that is truly odd. Sorry, off on a
tangent. Read. Yeah. I mean that's probably why you're at this site, to
read the story. Yup. Yup.
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At P3, Piper ran in, to see the band already set up, and everyone sitting around waiting for Piper to come.
"Sorry I'm late. I had to talk to my sister before coming over." Piper said she threw her purse in her office, and addressed the band. "How did you guys get in?" She said, taking a look at things.
"Piper, do you remember how I told you I found out about your club?" Jason, Piper's high school friend, asked.
Piper thought back. "You knew one of the bartenders. That makes sense. That also explains why Adam is not only here on time for a change, but extremely early."
"Actually, I was just sticking around until you got here. I was going to go do some things."
"No you're not. You're here early. Normally you're late. I'm not letting that go. Plus, I'm going to need you're help with the sound check. I don't have Leo today. He's currently babysitting." She said. Piper was distracted with thoughts of Rachel, and was babbling.
"Babysitting?" Adam, and Jason asked, surprised at what they heard.
"Long story, now let's get started. I need to hear the bass first…" Piper said. She started to direct the sound check. Most of the way through, she felt something hit her leg. Piper looked down surprised.
"Hey Rachel!" Piper said, seeing the little girl. "Can you hold on a second guys? Thanks! Where's Leo?" She asked.
"Over here." Leo said, from behind you.
"When did she wake up?"
"'bout an hour ago. She wanted to see you, and you were still here."
"You own this place?" Rachel asked amazed.
"Yup."
"Cool."
"I'm glad you like it. I got to do another fifteen minutes here, and then we can go home. K?"
"Yeah!"
"Why don't you go and sit there. I'll get Leo to go and get you paper and some pencils to color with." Rachel nodded, then ran over to the couches. "Leo, when is Kara coming for her?"
"Paige called about twenty minutes ago. We got temporary custody of her."
"How temporary?" She asked.
"Until she's ours for good."
"So it's forever?"
"Not legally."
"Does she know about our plans?"
"I haven't told her."
"Neither have I."
"Do you need help?"
"No, Adam's here."
"Adam? Always late, never on time Adam?"
"The very one."
"Then you are having a good day."
"The best."
"Better go get the paper."
"I'll finish this fast." Piper then turned her attention back to the band. As she promised to Rachel, Piper had the sound check done in less than fifteen minutes and was getting ready to go. She quickly gave some last minute instructions. "Tonight, the club opens at seven. It is now, 6:20. You can practice your sets, or do what ever. Adam, stay here, start them a tab on drinks. And call me if anything comes up!" Piper said. She grabbed her purse, and headed out, with Rachel holding her hand.
When they got home, Phoebe was already waiting for them to return. "My feet hurt Piper." Rachel whined. Piper understood why. She set Rachel down onto a chair, and took of her shoes and socks.
"Oh my!" Piper exclaimed. Rachel's feet were bright red, and were bleeding a little. "Did they hurt while we were at P3?" Rachel nodded. "You should have told me that. I would have carried you instead of letting you walk. Ok? When something hurts, I want you to tell me." Rachel nodded. "Good, because I love you too much to see you hurt like that."
"I love you too." Rachel said. Piper felt like her heart could sing. Rachel had said that she loved her. Things were going great.
"Rachel, do you remember the bad people that hurt you two days ago?" Leo asked. Rachel nodded. "Could you tell me what they look like?"
Rachel thought for a minute, then nodded. "They were tall. Taller than even Leo! And, and they were young. Kinda like tall kids. They kept screaming at me to die. They scareded me. Are they coming back?"
"They might, but we're going to make sure that they won't hurt you."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"I'm going to see what the elders know. I didn't see them in the book." Leo said.
"Ok." Piper said.
"Where are you going?" Rachel asked.
"Up *there.* That's where all the whitelighters live, and where a lot of other people do too. They help out when the girls have to fight a demon or something." Leo explained.
"What's a whitelighter?" Rachel asked.
"A whitelighter protects good witches. Did you know that I'm a whitelighter?" Leo said.
"You are? But you live here."
Leo took a deep breath to begin to explain, but Piper started first. "Leo, go, I'll handle this twenty question girl." She said, making Rachel laugh. "Leo is a special whitelighter. He is the only one that lives down here. All the others live up there, and that's because he fell in love with me. And the elders made an acceptation."
"Oh."
"Come on, what do you want to eat?" Piper asked.
"I want hamburgers." Phoebe said.
"Rachel? Is hamburgers ok?"
"Can I have a cheeseburger instead?"
"Most certainly."
Piper walked into the kitchen. Behind her she heard Phoebe tell a joke to Rachel, who began to laugh hysterically. She smiled to herself. Rachel was going from having no family, to having two parents, two aunts, and maybe an uncle. Cole was sure to propose soon. And they all loved her. Piper heard the phone ring, and with one hand opening the meat, she used the other to pick up the phone.
"Hello?" Piper said.
"Is Piper there?" The voice on the other end said.
"This is she."
"Piper, this is Adam, from the club."
"I know who you are Adam. What's wrong?"
"I lost the key to open up the liquor cabinets."
"Isn't Sarah there yet?"
"She called in sick, remember?"
"That's right. Great. Ok, I'll be right in." Piper said.
"Thanks." She said.
"I'll see you soon Adam."
"Bye." She hung up the phone, then screamed in frustration.
"What's wrong Piper?" Phoebe called.
"Adam is being Adam today. He lost the key to the liquor cabinet, and Sarah is sick. I have to go into the club for a while. I should be back soon." Piper said.
"Bummer."
"Can I go too?" Rachel asked.
"no, because when you were there this afternoon, it was closed and it was ok for little girls to be there. P3 is open now, meaning that if I let you in, I'll be breaking the law. And I don't want to go to jail."
"I don't want you to go to jail. I'll stay here with Phoebe."
"Good. I didn't get the chance to put the burgers on. Don't blow up the kitchen Pheebs."
"Ok! Do you want to help me?" Phoebe asked Rachel.
"Yeah!" She said. Phoebe scooped up the little girl, and carried her into the kitchen, where she was promptly set on a stool. While Rachel wasn't looking, Piper sneaked out of the house.
Piper arrived to a club full of angry customers. She used her key to unlock the cabinet. Because Adam, and Paige were no where to be found, Piper had to serve the customers their drinks. Finally, when the crowds around the bar began to slow down, Paige showed up.
"About time!" Piper said.
"Sorry, I stayed at work longer today because I had to do extra paper work for that custody thing."
"Paige, there are no words in the English language that can express my gratitude for what you did. It meant so much to me."
"But you're not out of the woods yet. They want hearing before you can adopt her for good."
"Small price to pay."
"Large price. Lawyers can be pricey."
"Not when your sister is dating one." Piper said, implying Cole.
"Do you think Cole would do it?"
"I hope so."
"Piper!" Jason called.
"Hey. Sorry about this afternoon. My head wasn't here, and then Rachel showed up. I was looking forward to talking to you. We haven't talked since…"
"The reunion. Three years ago. Sorry to hear about Prue. How are you doing?"
"Ok. It took some time, but I'm ok now. Look at you, a guy with a band. You never wanted anything to do with show biz. What changed your mind?" Piper said.
"I dunno. Someone told me I could sing, and here I am. Lead singer for Plain Chocolate."
"Hey, Piper, what are…" Paige said. "Hi." She said when she saw Jason.
"Hi."
"Jason, this is my sister Paige. Paige, the friend I was telling you about. His name is Jason." Piper introduced.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"You wanted something Paige?"
"Yeah, what are you still doing here? Adam has returned. You can go home now. I'm sure Rachel will be thrilled to see you again."
"Who's this Rachel I keep hearing so much about?"
"Leo and I are trying to adopt her. She was the little girl who was here with Leo this afternoon."
"I must say, she's a cutie."
"I agree."
"Go home Piper. We can talk later." Jason encouraged.
"Thanks." Piper said. She slid under the bar and left. Paige and Jason were still talking, as she looked over her shoulder once before she left.
"Piper! Lookie what Phoebe and I made! Men made out of hamburger!" Rachel said, greeting Piper with an odd shaped piece of raw ground hamburger.
"Very cool. But what are you doing standing up. I don't want you walking the rest of today."
"Sorry Piper. I was excited."
"I was excited to see you too. Come on, let's go cook Mr. Hamburger." Piper escorted Rachel into the kitchen. Seeing Phoebe covered with raw meat and flour brought back some child hood memories. She laughed at the sight. "Phoebe, you don't need flour to make hamburger." She said. Phoebe started to laugh, as did Rachel.
************************************************************************
At P3, Piper ran in, to see the band already set up, and everyone sitting around waiting for Piper to come.
"Sorry I'm late. I had to talk to my sister before coming over." Piper said she threw her purse in her office, and addressed the band. "How did you guys get in?" She said, taking a look at things.
"Piper, do you remember how I told you I found out about your club?" Jason, Piper's high school friend, asked.
Piper thought back. "You knew one of the bartenders. That makes sense. That also explains why Adam is not only here on time for a change, but extremely early."
"Actually, I was just sticking around until you got here. I was going to go do some things."
"No you're not. You're here early. Normally you're late. I'm not letting that go. Plus, I'm going to need you're help with the sound check. I don't have Leo today. He's currently babysitting." She said. Piper was distracted with thoughts of Rachel, and was babbling.
"Babysitting?" Adam, and Jason asked, surprised at what they heard.
"Long story, now let's get started. I need to hear the bass first…" Piper said. She started to direct the sound check. Most of the way through, she felt something hit her leg. Piper looked down surprised.
"Hey Rachel!" Piper said, seeing the little girl. "Can you hold on a second guys? Thanks! Where's Leo?" She asked.
"Over here." Leo said, from behind you.
"When did she wake up?"
"'bout an hour ago. She wanted to see you, and you were still here."
"You own this place?" Rachel asked amazed.
"Yup."
"Cool."
"I'm glad you like it. I got to do another fifteen minutes here, and then we can go home. K?"
"Yeah!"
"Why don't you go and sit there. I'll get Leo to go and get you paper and some pencils to color with." Rachel nodded, then ran over to the couches. "Leo, when is Kara coming for her?"
"Paige called about twenty minutes ago. We got temporary custody of her."
"How temporary?" She asked.
"Until she's ours for good."
"So it's forever?"
"Not legally."
"Does she know about our plans?"
"I haven't told her."
"Neither have I."
"Do you need help?"
"No, Adam's here."
"Adam? Always late, never on time Adam?"
"The very one."
"Then you are having a good day."
"The best."
"Better go get the paper."
"I'll finish this fast." Piper then turned her attention back to the band. As she promised to Rachel, Piper had the sound check done in less than fifteen minutes and was getting ready to go. She quickly gave some last minute instructions. "Tonight, the club opens at seven. It is now, 6:20. You can practice your sets, or do what ever. Adam, stay here, start them a tab on drinks. And call me if anything comes up!" Piper said. She grabbed her purse, and headed out, with Rachel holding her hand.
When they got home, Phoebe was already waiting for them to return. "My feet hurt Piper." Rachel whined. Piper understood why. She set Rachel down onto a chair, and took of her shoes and socks.
"Oh my!" Piper exclaimed. Rachel's feet were bright red, and were bleeding a little. "Did they hurt while we were at P3?" Rachel nodded. "You should have told me that. I would have carried you instead of letting you walk. Ok? When something hurts, I want you to tell me." Rachel nodded. "Good, because I love you too much to see you hurt like that."
"I love you too." Rachel said. Piper felt like her heart could sing. Rachel had said that she loved her. Things were going great.
"Rachel, do you remember the bad people that hurt you two days ago?" Leo asked. Rachel nodded. "Could you tell me what they look like?"
Rachel thought for a minute, then nodded. "They were tall. Taller than even Leo! And, and they were young. Kinda like tall kids. They kept screaming at me to die. They scareded me. Are they coming back?"
"They might, but we're going to make sure that they won't hurt you."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"I'm going to see what the elders know. I didn't see them in the book." Leo said.
"Ok." Piper said.
"Where are you going?" Rachel asked.
"Up *there.* That's where all the whitelighters live, and where a lot of other people do too. They help out when the girls have to fight a demon or something." Leo explained.
"What's a whitelighter?" Rachel asked.
"A whitelighter protects good witches. Did you know that I'm a whitelighter?" Leo said.
"You are? But you live here."
Leo took a deep breath to begin to explain, but Piper started first. "Leo, go, I'll handle this twenty question girl." She said, making Rachel laugh. "Leo is a special whitelighter. He is the only one that lives down here. All the others live up there, and that's because he fell in love with me. And the elders made an acceptation."
"Oh."
"Come on, what do you want to eat?" Piper asked.
"I want hamburgers." Phoebe said.
"Rachel? Is hamburgers ok?"
"Can I have a cheeseburger instead?"
"Most certainly."
Piper walked into the kitchen. Behind her she heard Phoebe tell a joke to Rachel, who began to laugh hysterically. She smiled to herself. Rachel was going from having no family, to having two parents, two aunts, and maybe an uncle. Cole was sure to propose soon. And they all loved her. Piper heard the phone ring, and with one hand opening the meat, she used the other to pick up the phone.
"Hello?" Piper said.
"Is Piper there?" The voice on the other end said.
"This is she."
"Piper, this is Adam, from the club."
"I know who you are Adam. What's wrong?"
"I lost the key to open up the liquor cabinets."
"Isn't Sarah there yet?"
"She called in sick, remember?"
"That's right. Great. Ok, I'll be right in." Piper said.
"Thanks." She said.
"I'll see you soon Adam."
"Bye." She hung up the phone, then screamed in frustration.
"What's wrong Piper?" Phoebe called.
"Adam is being Adam today. He lost the key to the liquor cabinet, and Sarah is sick. I have to go into the club for a while. I should be back soon." Piper said.
"Bummer."
"Can I go too?" Rachel asked.
"no, because when you were there this afternoon, it was closed and it was ok for little girls to be there. P3 is open now, meaning that if I let you in, I'll be breaking the law. And I don't want to go to jail."
"I don't want you to go to jail. I'll stay here with Phoebe."
"Good. I didn't get the chance to put the burgers on. Don't blow up the kitchen Pheebs."
"Ok! Do you want to help me?" Phoebe asked Rachel.
"Yeah!" She said. Phoebe scooped up the little girl, and carried her into the kitchen, where she was promptly set on a stool. While Rachel wasn't looking, Piper sneaked out of the house.
Piper arrived to a club full of angry customers. She used her key to unlock the cabinet. Because Adam, and Paige were no where to be found, Piper had to serve the customers their drinks. Finally, when the crowds around the bar began to slow down, Paige showed up.
"About time!" Piper said.
"Sorry, I stayed at work longer today because I had to do extra paper work for that custody thing."
"Paige, there are no words in the English language that can express my gratitude for what you did. It meant so much to me."
"But you're not out of the woods yet. They want hearing before you can adopt her for good."
"Small price to pay."
"Large price. Lawyers can be pricey."
"Not when your sister is dating one." Piper said, implying Cole.
"Do you think Cole would do it?"
"I hope so."
"Piper!" Jason called.
"Hey. Sorry about this afternoon. My head wasn't here, and then Rachel showed up. I was looking forward to talking to you. We haven't talked since…"
"The reunion. Three years ago. Sorry to hear about Prue. How are you doing?"
"Ok. It took some time, but I'm ok now. Look at you, a guy with a band. You never wanted anything to do with show biz. What changed your mind?" Piper said.
"I dunno. Someone told me I could sing, and here I am. Lead singer for Plain Chocolate."
"Hey, Piper, what are…" Paige said. "Hi." She said when she saw Jason.
"Hi."
"Jason, this is my sister Paige. Paige, the friend I was telling you about. His name is Jason." Piper introduced.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"You wanted something Paige?"
"Yeah, what are you still doing here? Adam has returned. You can go home now. I'm sure Rachel will be thrilled to see you again."
"Who's this Rachel I keep hearing so much about?"
"Leo and I are trying to adopt her. She was the little girl who was here with Leo this afternoon."
"I must say, she's a cutie."
"I agree."
"Go home Piper. We can talk later." Jason encouraged.
"Thanks." Piper said. She slid under the bar and left. Paige and Jason were still talking, as she looked over her shoulder once before she left.
"Piper! Lookie what Phoebe and I made! Men made out of hamburger!" Rachel said, greeting Piper with an odd shaped piece of raw ground hamburger.
"Very cool. But what are you doing standing up. I don't want you walking the rest of today."
"Sorry Piper. I was excited."
"I was excited to see you too. Come on, let's go cook Mr. Hamburger." Piper escorted Rachel into the kitchen. Seeing Phoebe covered with raw meat and flour brought back some child hood memories. She laughed at the sight. "Phoebe, you don't need flour to make hamburger." She said. Phoebe started to laugh, as did Rachel.
