'Damn it!' Dan thought. 'Damn it! I wait until the time is right to come
and see my one true love and she's married with three children! Well, this
changes nothing. In fact, it might make things easier. If I can only strike
the right chords, then it might make things a lot easier. Children can
never keep their mouths shut.'
He smiled at Emily. "You must be Emily," he said sweetly. "Why don't you give a hug to Uncle Dan, eh?"
"You're not Uncle Dan!" Emily said sourly. "You're ugly!"
Dan forced the smile to stay on his face. 'Be nice,' he commanded himself. 'Sooner or later she will trust you. Just make sure they're all fooled'
"Oh, surely you don't mean that," he said out loud. He tried tickling her under the chin, but she pulled away and glared at him.
The rest of the cousins came walking into the room, followed by Aunt Phoebe. Phoebe seeing Dan was, to say the least, surprised. After all, she hadn't seen him since he moved to Portland thirteen years ago. Each of the cousins was presented to Dan. None of them reacted very well to him, except for Wyatt. Dan shook his hand, as if he were an adult. The others he treated like miniature dolls.
"How sweet they are. Pretty as flowers," he said with a charming smile. The four adults drew their breaths. The seven girls formed a threatening group.
"Don't you dare say we're pretty like flowers," Mellie spat out.
"You are so sexist," Patty snapped.
"Just because we're girls," Nellie hissed.
Piper bent down towards the girls. "Honey, Uncle Dan doesn't know you're super-powerful witches with great powers," she whispered.
"We're super-powerful witches and we're gonna kick your ass if you ever say those things again," Phyllis exclaimed. Dan smiled weakly. Was it his fate to screw up with the Halliwell girls?
---
"Is he going to take Aunt Piper away?" asked Astrid a little later. "He's giving her the googly eyes."
"Yuck," responded Pauline. "That's indee . indece . indecent." She stumbled across the complicated word. Pauline picked up a great many complicated words when she was reading. The only problem was pronouncing them correctly.
Dan cursed himself for being so obvious. He should have known, children are experts at picking up atmospheres. It could wreck all of his plans. Piper looked at the frown on his face.
'What is he thinking?' she pondered. 'He doesn't look too happy about seeing me married with three children and five nieces. Does he still like me? Astrid says he's giving me the 'googly eyes', but Astrid is a hopeless romantic. I believe she'd even spot love between Nellie and Wyatt, if they didn't fight so much. Well, even if he does like me, I'm happily married to the best man in the world,' she concluded and looked fondly at her wedding ring.
---
"I take it you didn't like Mom's friend?"
"Are you kidding me? Didn't you see how he looked at her?" Nellie and Wyatt were in the middle of one of their fights again. "I'm telling you, the only reason he came back was to win her back."
"Why didn't he come back sooner then?" Wyatt snapped. "Look, I'm not saying that he's a blessed saint, all I'm saying is that he might not be all you say he is! Come on, not every guy out there want to steal Mom."
"This one does," retorted Nellie bitterly. "And believe me, he'll do anything to break Aunt Piper and Uncle Leo up. I can always sense the desperate ones."
"Okay, so Aunt Piper introduces him as an old friend, an you immediately assume that he's the devil in disguise! Of all the childish notions."
"I'm not saying that he's all bad, I'm saying that he's in love with Aunt Piper and his love is in the desperate stage. Goodness Wyatt, learn to listen! You are so sure you're right; you shut your ears to anything you don't like. No, don't interrupt. That's the truth and you know it. You're so damn obsessed, yes obsessed, with being popular you lost yourself along the way, pal!"
Wyatt listened in disbelief. "I thought this argument was about Uncle Dan and weather or not he's in love with Aunt Piper." He couldn't believe what Nellie said about him. Nellie was always so diplomatic and calm, just like Mom, and she rarely flared up. "I'm leaving."
"Just because you lost this argument. Yeah, you were never good at facing defeat." Nellie mocked after him. She sat down on her bed. Arguments always made her feel bad. The problem was that she and Wyatt disagreed on most things Why had she exploded like that? Wyatt might be an idiot, but that was no reason for her to blow up. At that moment her bedside lamp blew up.
"Hello," Mellie said. "I've been calling your name for ages. It's dinner, and Mom's FRIEND has gone home, thank god."
"You didn't like him either?"
"Are you kidding me? Did you see how he looked at her? I'm telling you, the only reason he came back was to win her back."
"Wait, you overheard our entire conversation?" Nellie stared at her best friend.
"Yup," said Mellie, not at all bothered. "Come on, what are you standing there for?"
He smiled at Emily. "You must be Emily," he said sweetly. "Why don't you give a hug to Uncle Dan, eh?"
"You're not Uncle Dan!" Emily said sourly. "You're ugly!"
Dan forced the smile to stay on his face. 'Be nice,' he commanded himself. 'Sooner or later she will trust you. Just make sure they're all fooled'
"Oh, surely you don't mean that," he said out loud. He tried tickling her under the chin, but she pulled away and glared at him.
The rest of the cousins came walking into the room, followed by Aunt Phoebe. Phoebe seeing Dan was, to say the least, surprised. After all, she hadn't seen him since he moved to Portland thirteen years ago. Each of the cousins was presented to Dan. None of them reacted very well to him, except for Wyatt. Dan shook his hand, as if he were an adult. The others he treated like miniature dolls.
"How sweet they are. Pretty as flowers," he said with a charming smile. The four adults drew their breaths. The seven girls formed a threatening group.
"Don't you dare say we're pretty like flowers," Mellie spat out.
"You are so sexist," Patty snapped.
"Just because we're girls," Nellie hissed.
Piper bent down towards the girls. "Honey, Uncle Dan doesn't know you're super-powerful witches with great powers," she whispered.
"We're super-powerful witches and we're gonna kick your ass if you ever say those things again," Phyllis exclaimed. Dan smiled weakly. Was it his fate to screw up with the Halliwell girls?
---
"Is he going to take Aunt Piper away?" asked Astrid a little later. "He's giving her the googly eyes."
"Yuck," responded Pauline. "That's indee . indece . indecent." She stumbled across the complicated word. Pauline picked up a great many complicated words when she was reading. The only problem was pronouncing them correctly.
Dan cursed himself for being so obvious. He should have known, children are experts at picking up atmospheres. It could wreck all of his plans. Piper looked at the frown on his face.
'What is he thinking?' she pondered. 'He doesn't look too happy about seeing me married with three children and five nieces. Does he still like me? Astrid says he's giving me the 'googly eyes', but Astrid is a hopeless romantic. I believe she'd even spot love between Nellie and Wyatt, if they didn't fight so much. Well, even if he does like me, I'm happily married to the best man in the world,' she concluded and looked fondly at her wedding ring.
---
"I take it you didn't like Mom's friend?"
"Are you kidding me? Didn't you see how he looked at her?" Nellie and Wyatt were in the middle of one of their fights again. "I'm telling you, the only reason he came back was to win her back."
"Why didn't he come back sooner then?" Wyatt snapped. "Look, I'm not saying that he's a blessed saint, all I'm saying is that he might not be all you say he is! Come on, not every guy out there want to steal Mom."
"This one does," retorted Nellie bitterly. "And believe me, he'll do anything to break Aunt Piper and Uncle Leo up. I can always sense the desperate ones."
"Okay, so Aunt Piper introduces him as an old friend, an you immediately assume that he's the devil in disguise! Of all the childish notions."
"I'm not saying that he's all bad, I'm saying that he's in love with Aunt Piper and his love is in the desperate stage. Goodness Wyatt, learn to listen! You are so sure you're right; you shut your ears to anything you don't like. No, don't interrupt. That's the truth and you know it. You're so damn obsessed, yes obsessed, with being popular you lost yourself along the way, pal!"
Wyatt listened in disbelief. "I thought this argument was about Uncle Dan and weather or not he's in love with Aunt Piper." He couldn't believe what Nellie said about him. Nellie was always so diplomatic and calm, just like Mom, and she rarely flared up. "I'm leaving."
"Just because you lost this argument. Yeah, you were never good at facing defeat." Nellie mocked after him. She sat down on her bed. Arguments always made her feel bad. The problem was that she and Wyatt disagreed on most things Why had she exploded like that? Wyatt might be an idiot, but that was no reason for her to blow up. At that moment her bedside lamp blew up.
"Hello," Mellie said. "I've been calling your name for ages. It's dinner, and Mom's FRIEND has gone home, thank god."
"You didn't like him either?"
"Are you kidding me? Did you see how he looked at her? I'm telling you, the only reason he came back was to win her back."
"Wait, you overheard our entire conversation?" Nellie stared at her best friend.
"Yup," said Mellie, not at all bothered. "Come on, what are you standing there for?"