Thank you for the support! Some more bonding to do – and more action to come up in the next chapter...


V. Friends?


"I still don't understand why you have to drive him to kindergarten," said Phoebe, seeing her sister hurrying through breakfast. "The bus seems far more convenient, not to mention that it will help him relate better with the other kids."

"Sure, you are right," said Piper, who couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. Her insisting to drive Wyatt to school every day was another burden in an already heavy schedule; but, regardless of what she told Leo, she wanted to keep an eye on the school. Not that she would admit that to anybody, though. And, it also offered her an opportunity to interact with other mothers as well; but then, that was her secret. "But, I think it makes him fell better, and, besides, Leo feels better if I keep an eye on him."

"Well, suit yourself. But, if you would like me or Paige to drive him, just let us know, OK?"

Phoebe was worried about Piper. Trying to be a full time witch, mother and businesswoman at the same time wasn't easy, and the fact that Leo was almost always gone didn't help much. Even though it was true that Piper had managed to delegate lots of work at P3, owning a club was a job that went well into the late hours. Being a mom was a 24/7 job, and, well, demons never asked what time it was. Getting Wyatt ready for school meant that she had to get up very early, and that had started to show in the first two weeks of Wyatt's school life.

"Don't worry, Pheebs – I like so much what I am doing."

Not really. After so many years of working through the problems of others, Phoebe would have a ready answer for her big sister – Piper, who had never really come to terms with being a witch, was looking for yet another escape from the magical world. Or... just a distraction. It was so obvious for San Francisco's most famous psychologist... but she would never dare to voice her thoughts.

"Are you sure? You seem tired lately."

"Well, if you would convince those demons to stop attacking for a while, it would be nice."

"Speaking of which, did Leo find anything out from the Elders?"

There had been a surge of demonic activity lately. There was almost an attack every day, something they hadn't really seen since the days that followed their first vanquish of the Source.

"Oh, you know the Elders – when did they know something useful? The usual stuff; possibly there is some new powerful demon that wants the throne, and tries to impress the rest of the Underworld by doing harm, and possibly by killing the Charmed Ones."

"Possibly?"

"Come on, Phoebe, as if you don't know them! Wyatt, honey, are you ready?" she asked her son, who just entered the kitchen with his backpack.

"Yes, mommy... Do you have my lunchpack?"

"Sure, honey, there it is... Let's go, and don't forget your jacket..." she said, as she grabbed her car keys. "See you later, Pheebs."

"Bye aunt Phoebe – have a nice day."

"You too, Wyatt – take care."

Mother and son left, leaving Phoebe alone to her thoughts. She was really worried about Piper – it was obvious that she overstressing herself. Maybe she should have a talk with Leo about it? Reluctantly, she remembered, that back a few years ago, when under the weirdest of circumstances Paige had told Cole not to push her too far, and it had helped; but, that was a different time, it seemed almost a different life.

Phoebe made a mental note to talk to Paige about Piper – after all, she was the most direct person in the family, and she never had problems talking straight to anybody. After taking a last sip of coffee, she decided to leave for work, partially trying to get out before the next demon attack.


At the Woods Academy, Piper kissed Wyatt goodbye, and stayed a bit, just to see him join his classmates. He looked so happy, and it made her feel better to see that he was getting along and making friends, after spending the first years of his life with little or no interaction with other children. No, this is normal life... she thought.

She looked around her. Well, maybe Phoebe is right, it seems that I am the only mom driving her son to school. A few seconds afterwards, though, a happy voice behind her proved her wrong – she turned to see a figure that she knew accompanying one of Wyatt's classmates.

"Good morning, Mrs Halliwell," the dark-haired boy said.

"Good morning, Ben," Piper greeted her son's polite friend. "Good morning, Daniella."

"Good morning, Piper, how are you? Off you go, Ben, and be a good boy..."

Ben didn't need to hear that twice, as he rushed towards the happy crowd.

"Now, he didn't waste any time, did he?" said Piper with a smile.

"Oh, no... I guess this Mrs Smith must be a great teacher, I really cannot remember myself being so excited about school."

"Well, me neither... And Wyatt is just like that, looking forward to going to school. So, you drive him here every day?"

"I guess you can say that I am being kind of overprotective, and, the truth is that Ben can be lots of trouble if he decides to, so I am kind of trying to keep an eye on him. By the way, I think that he is becoming close to Wyatt..."

"Yes, I think so too. Wyatt keeps telling me about 'Ben this' and 'Ben that'..."

"Same over here..."

Piper took a good look at Daniella. She seemed so friendly and nice... Piper felt she could trust her, and she was happy that Wyatt's best friend came from an apparently nice family, at least judging from his mother. But, being overprotective herself, she thought that a little spying wouldn't hurt... And, she would like to learn more about Daniella, Ben and their family...

"But, I must admit, he is wonderful. Wyatt is an only child, and he is so excited being around other children... and it's nice for him to have a close friend. How about you, do you have other children?"

"Not really... Actually, Ben is not my son, he is my nephew. But he is an only child, too."

"Wow, you seem so close..."

Daniella smiled. "Well, he never knew his mother, and with my brother traveling all over the world due to his job, we get to spend lots of time together. I am still at college, so I have a flexible schedule, and I can be at home a lot."

"Really?" came the answer from a surprised Piper. The way Daniella dressed, not to mention the BMW she drove, didn't fit the description of a college student. "What are you studying?"

"Well, it's a long story – I used to work for a law firm, but I decided to take a year's leave to take up an MBA course. Thankfully the firm supports that. So, I am basically a lawyer, trying to get a business degree..."

"That's nice... I wish I had the opportunity to do it. But then, I never was really the studying type."

"So, what do you do?"

"Oh, I own this club, P3."

"P3? Really?"

"You know it?"

"I used to hang out there a few years ago... I still go there occasionally. I guess that's why you looked so familiar the first time I saw you."

"Well, I keep running into people that know me; I guess that's part of the good side of the job. So, might I invite you for a drink?"

"Sure... how about this Friday?"

"See you at P3 then..."

"See you, and have a nice day..."

"You too, take care," said Piper, taking a good look at Daniella. She couldn't help liking her. Inside, she hoped that it wasn't just Wyatt who had found a friend; she hoped that she had found one, too.