A/N: Mmm, low-grossing at the box office in the first week.
*
A Beautiful Life
*
Leo hoisted Melinda up and placed her at his side, carrying her on his hip. She giggled and clung to his chest, as if her trust of him wasn't enough. He would never let her fall, but it was only natural that she felt the need to protect herself. Besides, that was a good thing. In the lives they led, protecting yourself was a huge deal.
Placing a couple of cans into the shopping cart, Paige glanced upwards at the father and daughter and couldn't help smiling. They looked truly happy in each other's company, just like they should.
"Daddy let me ride in the cart," Melinda demanded.
Leo laughed. "You're much too big for it," he said. "A big girl like you shouldn't even want to be carried, think yourself lucky you're getting this."
Melinda pouted. "Please daddy? Just for a little while." She looked towards Paige. "Aunt Paige, please?"
Melting at Melinda's pleading look, Paige glanced towards Leo in approval. "Come on, you're only young once," she said, smiling.
With a contented sigh, Leo grunted as her manoeuvred his little girl's body away from his hip and into the small chair that was built into the shopping cart. She squealed with delight, happy to get her way and revelling in the simple fun of being pushed around. Placing his hands on the handle, Leo carefully began to push Melinda around the store. Paige continued to pick up odds and ends, and paused at the refrigerators with the ready-made meals. Sometimes when something came up, they never had time to cook anything. Besides, it wasn't like Paige or Leo were cooking virtuosos. That had always been Piper. Paige sighed in sadness. How come everything she saw reminded her of her sisters?
Pushing it to the back of her mind, Paige grabbed several ready made pasta meals, and on her way back to Leo and Melinda she picked up a tray of muffins which they could freeze.
Making her way to the area the shopping cart had last been, she stopped when she reached the aisle and it was empty, apart from an abandoned shopping cart. They must've moved on, Paige told herself, and checked the next few aisles. There were other shoppers littered about, but no sign of Leo and Melinda.
"Paige," Leo called from behind her.
Sighing in relief, Paige turned around only to get the shock of her life when she saw Leo was alone. He was carrying a loaf of bread and a carton of milk.
He reached her side. "Where's Melinda?" he asked expectantly, glancing around for his daughter.
"You mean you're not with her?" Paige asked quickly.
Leo's smile disappeared. "I thought you were with her," he said, his voice completely serious.
"But when I left you were pushing her around."
"No, when I left you were giving her a lollipop. I saw you!"
Paige blanked. "What?" she cried incredulously. "Leo, I didn't give Melinda anything. When I left, you were pushing her around. That's the truth."
"Paige, it was you. I saw your face."
"Leo I swear..."
Leo cut their little argument short with the matter at hand which was far more important than their squabble. "Well then where is she?"
There was a silent pause as they stared at each other, then as if on cue both burst into a run, bolting to the aisle that both had left the child in the care of the other.
The abandoned shopping cart Paige had seen was still there. Turns out it was theirs. Leo felt all the air being knocked out of him. "Melinda!" he yelled suddenly, "Melinda where are you?"
"She's probably just wandered off," Paige said, trying to conceal her panic.
Leo shouted his daughter's name once more before turning to Paige. "No, these chairs are practically impossible for a girl her size to get out of. Someone must've helped her out."
Paige's mouth went dry. Leo darted over to a shopper and desperately asked the woman if she'd seen a little girl.
"Yeah, a few minutes ago... but she was with her," the woman indicated Paige's direction with a nod of her head. "Haven't seen her since."
Biting her lip, Paige tried to understand that somehow someone who had looked exactly like her had been interacting with her own niece. It was too coincidental to be a coincidence. "Look, this is really important," she said, her voice sounding at its most serious. "What was the woman who looked like me and Melinda doing?"
"Melinda? Oh, um, well," the woman paused, wondering if who she'd seen was Paige's twin sister or something. But they were even wearing the same clothes. And that's just plain weird.
"Please!" Leo begged. The urgency in his voice made the woman realise how important whatever had happened to the girl was to him. He was definitely the father.
"Uh, the woman... who looked like you... she took the child and picked her out of the cart, then they walked away hand in hand."
"Oh god," Leo uttered, and without another word, ran away towards the checkouts.
Paige paused for a moment, and thanked the woman for her help, before taking off after Leo. As they reached the checkouts, Paige looked towards the doors and saw them; Melinda and a woman who looked exactly like Paige!
"Leo!" she alerted him, pointing towards her niece and the impostor who were making a sharp exit.
"Melly!" Leo cried and dashed after them, Paige hot on his heels. "Stop!"
The Paige impersonator heard the yelling behind her and turned around, seeing her pursuers. Quickly, she roughly grabbed and picked up Melinda, hoisting her up so the child was looking over her shoulder. And she saw her own father and real aunt running towards her desperately.
Panicked and confused, she reached a hand out to her anguished family. "Daddy!"
Her kidnapper began to run away, strongly carrying her through the throng of people and trying to disappear into the crowd. Leo and Paige exited the store, and heard Melinda's cries over the mutterings of people, and forced themselves through the pedestrians in the direction of her voice.
The kidnapper darted into a side alley and paused for breath. Melinda was thrashing about now, trying to escape. The kidnapper put her down on the ground, before forming an energy ball in her hand. "Tell me child, do you wish to live?"
Startled and terrified at the appearance of this weapon, Melinda nodded, her saucer eyes glistening.
"Then stop struggling or I will kill you." The kidnapper picked Melinda back up just as Leo and Paige came into sight. They glanced down the alleyway and saw Melinda begin to struggle once again at the woman who looked exactly like Paige's grasp again.
"Help!" Melinda squealed, as the kidnapper grinned sardonically at her prize's family.
"Let her go!" Leo commanded.
Paige threw a hand out. "Mel-" she was stopped short from calling for her niece with her power as an energy ball smashed into her and threw her backwards. She rolled off the sidewalk and onto the road. She was still conscious, and raised her head. "Leo... get her!"
"Try it," the warlock sneered, and blinked out.
"Melly!" Leo screamed and threw himself into the alleyway; into where his daughter had just been as if there was some small chance she would still be there. But it was a stupid thing to hope. She was gone. He sank to the ground. "Oh god, Mel..."
*
*
A Beautiful Life
*
Leo hoisted Melinda up and placed her at his side, carrying her on his hip. She giggled and clung to his chest, as if her trust of him wasn't enough. He would never let her fall, but it was only natural that she felt the need to protect herself. Besides, that was a good thing. In the lives they led, protecting yourself was a huge deal.
Placing a couple of cans into the shopping cart, Paige glanced upwards at the father and daughter and couldn't help smiling. They looked truly happy in each other's company, just like they should.
"Daddy let me ride in the cart," Melinda demanded.
Leo laughed. "You're much too big for it," he said. "A big girl like you shouldn't even want to be carried, think yourself lucky you're getting this."
Melinda pouted. "Please daddy? Just for a little while." She looked towards Paige. "Aunt Paige, please?"
Melting at Melinda's pleading look, Paige glanced towards Leo in approval. "Come on, you're only young once," she said, smiling.
With a contented sigh, Leo grunted as her manoeuvred his little girl's body away from his hip and into the small chair that was built into the shopping cart. She squealed with delight, happy to get her way and revelling in the simple fun of being pushed around. Placing his hands on the handle, Leo carefully began to push Melinda around the store. Paige continued to pick up odds and ends, and paused at the refrigerators with the ready-made meals. Sometimes when something came up, they never had time to cook anything. Besides, it wasn't like Paige or Leo were cooking virtuosos. That had always been Piper. Paige sighed in sadness. How come everything she saw reminded her of her sisters?
Pushing it to the back of her mind, Paige grabbed several ready made pasta meals, and on her way back to Leo and Melinda she picked up a tray of muffins which they could freeze.
Making her way to the area the shopping cart had last been, she stopped when she reached the aisle and it was empty, apart from an abandoned shopping cart. They must've moved on, Paige told herself, and checked the next few aisles. There were other shoppers littered about, but no sign of Leo and Melinda.
"Paige," Leo called from behind her.
Sighing in relief, Paige turned around only to get the shock of her life when she saw Leo was alone. He was carrying a loaf of bread and a carton of milk.
He reached her side. "Where's Melinda?" he asked expectantly, glancing around for his daughter.
"You mean you're not with her?" Paige asked quickly.
Leo's smile disappeared. "I thought you were with her," he said, his voice completely serious.
"But when I left you were pushing her around."
"No, when I left you were giving her a lollipop. I saw you!"
Paige blanked. "What?" she cried incredulously. "Leo, I didn't give Melinda anything. When I left, you were pushing her around. That's the truth."
"Paige, it was you. I saw your face."
"Leo I swear..."
Leo cut their little argument short with the matter at hand which was far more important than their squabble. "Well then where is she?"
There was a silent pause as they stared at each other, then as if on cue both burst into a run, bolting to the aisle that both had left the child in the care of the other.
The abandoned shopping cart Paige had seen was still there. Turns out it was theirs. Leo felt all the air being knocked out of him. "Melinda!" he yelled suddenly, "Melinda where are you?"
"She's probably just wandered off," Paige said, trying to conceal her panic.
Leo shouted his daughter's name once more before turning to Paige. "No, these chairs are practically impossible for a girl her size to get out of. Someone must've helped her out."
Paige's mouth went dry. Leo darted over to a shopper and desperately asked the woman if she'd seen a little girl.
"Yeah, a few minutes ago... but she was with her," the woman indicated Paige's direction with a nod of her head. "Haven't seen her since."
Biting her lip, Paige tried to understand that somehow someone who had looked exactly like her had been interacting with her own niece. It was too coincidental to be a coincidence. "Look, this is really important," she said, her voice sounding at its most serious. "What was the woman who looked like me and Melinda doing?"
"Melinda? Oh, um, well," the woman paused, wondering if who she'd seen was Paige's twin sister or something. But they were even wearing the same clothes. And that's just plain weird.
"Please!" Leo begged. The urgency in his voice made the woman realise how important whatever had happened to the girl was to him. He was definitely the father.
"Uh, the woman... who looked like you... she took the child and picked her out of the cart, then they walked away hand in hand."
"Oh god," Leo uttered, and without another word, ran away towards the checkouts.
Paige paused for a moment, and thanked the woman for her help, before taking off after Leo. As they reached the checkouts, Paige looked towards the doors and saw them; Melinda and a woman who looked exactly like Paige!
"Leo!" she alerted him, pointing towards her niece and the impostor who were making a sharp exit.
"Melly!" Leo cried and dashed after them, Paige hot on his heels. "Stop!"
The Paige impersonator heard the yelling behind her and turned around, seeing her pursuers. Quickly, she roughly grabbed and picked up Melinda, hoisting her up so the child was looking over her shoulder. And she saw her own father and real aunt running towards her desperately.
Panicked and confused, she reached a hand out to her anguished family. "Daddy!"
Her kidnapper began to run away, strongly carrying her through the throng of people and trying to disappear into the crowd. Leo and Paige exited the store, and heard Melinda's cries over the mutterings of people, and forced themselves through the pedestrians in the direction of her voice.
The kidnapper darted into a side alley and paused for breath. Melinda was thrashing about now, trying to escape. The kidnapper put her down on the ground, before forming an energy ball in her hand. "Tell me child, do you wish to live?"
Startled and terrified at the appearance of this weapon, Melinda nodded, her saucer eyes glistening.
"Then stop struggling or I will kill you." The kidnapper picked Melinda back up just as Leo and Paige came into sight. They glanced down the alleyway and saw Melinda begin to struggle once again at the woman who looked exactly like Paige's grasp again.
"Help!" Melinda squealed, as the kidnapper grinned sardonically at her prize's family.
"Let her go!" Leo commanded.
Paige threw a hand out. "Mel-" she was stopped short from calling for her niece with her power as an energy ball smashed into her and threw her backwards. She rolled off the sidewalk and onto the road. She was still conscious, and raised her head. "Leo... get her!"
"Try it," the warlock sneered, and blinked out.
"Melly!" Leo screamed and threw himself into the alleyway; into where his daughter had just been as if there was some small chance she would still be there. But it was a stupid thing to hope. She was gone. He sank to the ground. "Oh god, Mel..."
*