Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed, or any of the characters EXCEPT for
Grace, Melinda and Wyatt (well he's grown up now, so he's different right?
He's not a baby, and he has a personality. RIGHT?)
A/N: Phoebe is ditzy and self-centered in this chapter to help with the proceedings of the dream. If you've got anything against that, maybe you should just read the word 'Phoebe' as 'Dream-Phoebe' for this chapter? Thanks for reviewing, and Snowbunny, I don't think it will be angst but I'll consider. :p I also fixed the first chapter (Arguments) so that it's spaced correctly, and soon the fic will revolve more around demons as well, as I said in the summary there IS something evil going on. Prue's pregnancy will be explained in later chapters. Please review!
Piper's Dream
"Piper?" Phoebe yelled. Piper rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and sat up. She was sitting in her bedroom. Or at least, it looked like her bedroom. sort of. For one thing, the bed wasn't queen sized anymore; it was just a regular double bed, and all the furniture was different. There were no pictures of her and Leo, although many of her and the children, some of them at events she didn't recall going to at all.
"Yeah?" She called back groggily. "What is it?" The door opened and a tired looking Phoebe appeared.
"Sweetie I know things have been hard lately, but really, think about what's happening to Wyatt and Mellie! This affects them too. I mean, the divorce was tough, but you'll get through it. I know I did, and you know it is for the best. I've never been better since I split up with Cole. I'm sure you'll feel the same way too in a matter of days. Although, you have been moping for a few months, which is kind of strange considering right after the divorce you were like a brick wall."
Piper cleared her throat. "Um, Phoebe? Firstly, you look like hell, and secondly, what the heck are you talking about?"
"I look like hell?" Phoebe squealed indignantly. "Look at yourself!" Piper sat up and looked at herself in the mirror. What Phoebe said was true: she had bags under her eyes; her hair was limp and oily. Her complexion was blotchy, and her eyes were bloodshot and red rimmed.
"Thanks." Piper said dryly. "And why do you look like that if I'm divorced?" She added, figuring she was dreaming.
"Because Paige and I: yes Snow White looks like me too, have been taking care of your affairs." Phoebe complained. "I mean I know it's tough, but you were divorced five months ago Piper!"
"I was?" Piper blinked. "Oh. Well, thanks."
There was a squeal as someone ran past the bedroom. Piper blinked again. "Melinda?" She called. "Melinda?"
A small girl with blonde hair in two plaits, stripy purple leggings, denim overall dress and a white long sleeved shirt wandered in. "Mommy! You're up!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah, I guess I am." Piper agreed. "Let's go downstairs."
Phoebe shot her a weird look. "Are you sure you're up to it Piper?"
"Of course." Piper said lightly. "I mean it's only a floor down."
"Yeah but when was the last time you walked anywhere but the bathroom?" Phoebe asked. Piper glanced at herself in the mirror. She looked the same, apart from her face and hair. She hadn't gained any weight or lost any either.
Piper ignored her and climbed out of bed. Opening the door she started down the hallway, and down the stairs. Her legs felt a little wobbly, but other than that things were normal. Melinda and Phoebe followed her. Piper shot a glance at the photos that usually hung on the wall above the staircase. All the pictures of Leo were gone, and had been replaced: Phoebe and Grace, Paige and Glen, Prue, Wyatt and Melinda all wearing party hats and Melinda blowing out four pink and purple candles.
"Hey." She exclaimed, and stopped. "Where was this?" She tapped the glass with a long fingernail.
"Melinda's fourth birthday." Phoebe said quietly. "You were sick in bed, and a demon came right before the children did. Aren't we lucky we still had the Power of Three?"
"Yeah." Piper said sadly, studying the photo. "Where was this?" She asked, pointing to a photo of her and Wyatt.
"Picnic. That was only a month ago, you mean you don't remember?"
"No." Piper said, studying the photo. She was smiling, but it looked forced and didn't quiet reach her eyes. "Let's go." She said quickly, wanting to get away from all the things she'd missed out on.
"Aunt Piper!"
"Mom!" Wyatt and Grace crowded her at the bottom of the staircase. "How are you feeling today? Were we being too loud? I was trying to give Grace a paper cut so I could heal it. I think I'm getting the hang of the healing thing. I mean I could do it before, but now I can do it all the time. Not just in a crisis." Wyatt beamed.
Piper blinked. Wyatt was so grown up! "That's great sweetie. Where's dad-" She cut herself off, but not quickly enough.
"Piper!" Phoebe said, sounding protective. "They get. upset, when you mention a certain person who starts with L."
"Uncle Leo." Grace said promptly.
Phoebe shot Grace a look, as Melinda burst into tears and Wyatt tried his hardest not to. "I miss daddy!" Melinda wailed.
"I'm sorry Mellie." Piper murmured, scooping her up. "I'm sorry." As Melinda's sobs subsided, Phoebe glared at Grace again.
"Grace I thought that your teachers remarks on your report would teach you some." Phoebe drew Grace aside and began having words with her.
"Where's your report Wyatt?" Piper asked her son, who had calmed down.
"I'll get it." He mumbled, and shuffled out of the room. He came back in, still scuffling his shoes on the floor.
"Don't do that." Piper said, opening the envelope and pulling out the report. She frowned. "Wyatt, what's all this? Fighting with other children, being rude to little girls? Your grades have gone down too."
"Haven't." He said, annoyed.
"Phoebe?" Piper asked, showing her the report. "His grades have gone down."
"Well actually that's been his average for the past five months." Phoebe pointed out. "I guess you just haven't seen his reports."
"Oh." Piper nodded. "I see."
Phoebe studied her face. "You miss him Piper, don't you?" She asked, as Grace, Melinda and Wyatt all went in separate directions.
"Miss who?"
"Leo. I hear you cry at night." Phoebe said quietly.
"I do miss him." Piper said, and sat down on the bottom step. "I've missed him before the divorce too." She added, so Phoebe wouldn't think she was insane when she started spilling her guts. "He was never home then, and when he was he was distant."
"Well at least he wasn't cheating on you." Phoebe said helpfully.
"He wasn't?"
"No, remember? A lot of his charges were female, thus the perfume, and the earring was his grandmother's? Remember? It somehow got into the hands of one of his charges who got it from her mother, who got it from her mother and so on. The other earring was lost centuries ago."
"I see." Piper said faintly. "So why did we get divorced?"
Phoebe shrugged. "Beats me. I mean, he explained everything and all but you seem to think he's never home. Although I think that it was pretty reasonable considering that he was going through hard times remembering his family and thought you weren't there for him and so spent a lot of time with his charge to find out more. But that could just be me." She added.
"Really?" Piper muttered. "I see."
A few minutes later, Piper woke up.
A/N: Phoebe is ditzy and self-centered in this chapter to help with the proceedings of the dream. If you've got anything against that, maybe you should just read the word 'Phoebe' as 'Dream-Phoebe' for this chapter? Thanks for reviewing, and Snowbunny, I don't think it will be angst but I'll consider. :p I also fixed the first chapter (Arguments) so that it's spaced correctly, and soon the fic will revolve more around demons as well, as I said in the summary there IS something evil going on. Prue's pregnancy will be explained in later chapters. Please review!
Piper's Dream
"Piper?" Phoebe yelled. Piper rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and sat up. She was sitting in her bedroom. Or at least, it looked like her bedroom. sort of. For one thing, the bed wasn't queen sized anymore; it was just a regular double bed, and all the furniture was different. There were no pictures of her and Leo, although many of her and the children, some of them at events she didn't recall going to at all.
"Yeah?" She called back groggily. "What is it?" The door opened and a tired looking Phoebe appeared.
"Sweetie I know things have been hard lately, but really, think about what's happening to Wyatt and Mellie! This affects them too. I mean, the divorce was tough, but you'll get through it. I know I did, and you know it is for the best. I've never been better since I split up with Cole. I'm sure you'll feel the same way too in a matter of days. Although, you have been moping for a few months, which is kind of strange considering right after the divorce you were like a brick wall."
Piper cleared her throat. "Um, Phoebe? Firstly, you look like hell, and secondly, what the heck are you talking about?"
"I look like hell?" Phoebe squealed indignantly. "Look at yourself!" Piper sat up and looked at herself in the mirror. What Phoebe said was true: she had bags under her eyes; her hair was limp and oily. Her complexion was blotchy, and her eyes were bloodshot and red rimmed.
"Thanks." Piper said dryly. "And why do you look like that if I'm divorced?" She added, figuring she was dreaming.
"Because Paige and I: yes Snow White looks like me too, have been taking care of your affairs." Phoebe complained. "I mean I know it's tough, but you were divorced five months ago Piper!"
"I was?" Piper blinked. "Oh. Well, thanks."
There was a squeal as someone ran past the bedroom. Piper blinked again. "Melinda?" She called. "Melinda?"
A small girl with blonde hair in two plaits, stripy purple leggings, denim overall dress and a white long sleeved shirt wandered in. "Mommy! You're up!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah, I guess I am." Piper agreed. "Let's go downstairs."
Phoebe shot her a weird look. "Are you sure you're up to it Piper?"
"Of course." Piper said lightly. "I mean it's only a floor down."
"Yeah but when was the last time you walked anywhere but the bathroom?" Phoebe asked. Piper glanced at herself in the mirror. She looked the same, apart from her face and hair. She hadn't gained any weight or lost any either.
Piper ignored her and climbed out of bed. Opening the door she started down the hallway, and down the stairs. Her legs felt a little wobbly, but other than that things were normal. Melinda and Phoebe followed her. Piper shot a glance at the photos that usually hung on the wall above the staircase. All the pictures of Leo were gone, and had been replaced: Phoebe and Grace, Paige and Glen, Prue, Wyatt and Melinda all wearing party hats and Melinda blowing out four pink and purple candles.
"Hey." She exclaimed, and stopped. "Where was this?" She tapped the glass with a long fingernail.
"Melinda's fourth birthday." Phoebe said quietly. "You were sick in bed, and a demon came right before the children did. Aren't we lucky we still had the Power of Three?"
"Yeah." Piper said sadly, studying the photo. "Where was this?" She asked, pointing to a photo of her and Wyatt.
"Picnic. That was only a month ago, you mean you don't remember?"
"No." Piper said, studying the photo. She was smiling, but it looked forced and didn't quiet reach her eyes. "Let's go." She said quickly, wanting to get away from all the things she'd missed out on.
"Aunt Piper!"
"Mom!" Wyatt and Grace crowded her at the bottom of the staircase. "How are you feeling today? Were we being too loud? I was trying to give Grace a paper cut so I could heal it. I think I'm getting the hang of the healing thing. I mean I could do it before, but now I can do it all the time. Not just in a crisis." Wyatt beamed.
Piper blinked. Wyatt was so grown up! "That's great sweetie. Where's dad-" She cut herself off, but not quickly enough.
"Piper!" Phoebe said, sounding protective. "They get. upset, when you mention a certain person who starts with L."
"Uncle Leo." Grace said promptly.
Phoebe shot Grace a look, as Melinda burst into tears and Wyatt tried his hardest not to. "I miss daddy!" Melinda wailed.
"I'm sorry Mellie." Piper murmured, scooping her up. "I'm sorry." As Melinda's sobs subsided, Phoebe glared at Grace again.
"Grace I thought that your teachers remarks on your report would teach you some." Phoebe drew Grace aside and began having words with her.
"Where's your report Wyatt?" Piper asked her son, who had calmed down.
"I'll get it." He mumbled, and shuffled out of the room. He came back in, still scuffling his shoes on the floor.
"Don't do that." Piper said, opening the envelope and pulling out the report. She frowned. "Wyatt, what's all this? Fighting with other children, being rude to little girls? Your grades have gone down too."
"Haven't." He said, annoyed.
"Phoebe?" Piper asked, showing her the report. "His grades have gone down."
"Well actually that's been his average for the past five months." Phoebe pointed out. "I guess you just haven't seen his reports."
"Oh." Piper nodded. "I see."
Phoebe studied her face. "You miss him Piper, don't you?" She asked, as Grace, Melinda and Wyatt all went in separate directions.
"Miss who?"
"Leo. I hear you cry at night." Phoebe said quietly.
"I do miss him." Piper said, and sat down on the bottom step. "I've missed him before the divorce too." She added, so Phoebe wouldn't think she was insane when she started spilling her guts. "He was never home then, and when he was he was distant."
"Well at least he wasn't cheating on you." Phoebe said helpfully.
"He wasn't?"
"No, remember? A lot of his charges were female, thus the perfume, and the earring was his grandmother's? Remember? It somehow got into the hands of one of his charges who got it from her mother, who got it from her mother and so on. The other earring was lost centuries ago."
"I see." Piper said faintly. "So why did we get divorced?"
Phoebe shrugged. "Beats me. I mean, he explained everything and all but you seem to think he's never home. Although I think that it was pretty reasonable considering that he was going through hard times remembering his family and thought you weren't there for him and so spent a lot of time with his charge to find out more. But that could just be me." She added.
"Really?" Piper muttered. "I see."
A few minutes later, Piper woke up.