CHARMED
"Surfer Witch"
by shel
© october 2003
disclaimer:
the charmed ones, cole, and leo, and the rest of the cast of characters we've come to know and love, belong to spelling television, inc. and possible other copyright holders. i intended no true infringement on their copyrights; i only wanted to borrow these marvelous characters for a short time in my own scenarios and hopefully return them no worse for wear; the only things i've gained from this story are the satisfaction and pleasure of having written it and in knowing that others may have enjoyed it too...
rating:
pg-13
summary:
phoebe and a little halloween magic...
timeline:
nearly a week after the events of season 4's size matters' (phoebe shrunk) and before the events of 'a knight to remember' (paige's evil past)...
archive:
please don't without expressed permission...
notes:
this seasonal vignette takes into account events from season 3's all halliwell's eve' with minor reference to season 4's enter the dragon' and season 1's dead man dating'...please let me know if you enjoyed my tale and why and, if not, why not...and, please, don't bother wasting your time or mine by sending any flames...
Chapter One
"Happy Halloween, Two Thousand One!" Paige cheerfully greeted as she carefully walked down the stairs in the manor. She had just finished dressing in her costume for P3's annual Halloween bash and thanked Piper, "It was way more convenient changing here than first going home and then coming here."
"No problem," Piper smiled, "thanks for offering to help me set up the club." She passed Paige and set a tray of candied apples on the console near the front door and took in her sister's yellow, blue, and red gown, "Snow White?" She then glanced at her own reflection in the mirror and tugged down the shoulder seams of her tavern wench blouse. "Off-shoulder's better, right?" she inquired of Paige.
Paige nodded and then smoothed the skirt of her satin gown. "I wasn't planning on it, Snow White freaked me out as a kid even if it was only a cartoon. But," she confessed, "I kept putting off going to the rental place and they were all out of medieval princesses...Still, it's not too bad." She straightened the ribbon in her hair and glimpsed down at the apples on the tray. She grinned and reached for one.
Piper quickly slapped away her youngest sister's hand, "No sweets for you. You still haven't kicked that lollipop habit yet."
"Come on, Piper," Paige whined, "what's a Snow White without her apple?"
Piper narrowed her eyes, "Her apple was poisonous, what exactly are you implying?"
"Nothing, honest," Paige apologized and held up her hands in mock surrender. "You're the best cook I know. I haven't eaten this well in," she paused and buried the wistful emotions that were threatening to overcome her, "well, in a long time." She quickly changed the subject, "So where's Phoebe so we can get this show on the road?"
"She hasn't come down yet. You'll find it takes her ages to get ready," Piper answered. Just then, familiar orb sparkles filled the space next to her and she smiled warmly. "Leo"
Leo immediately smiled when he materialized near Piper, "C'mere, you beautiful wench." And before Piper could say a word, he'd pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her passionately.
"All right," Paige wrinkled her nose at the mushy display, "what's with you two? You've been acting sweeter than those apples all afternoon."
Piper gazed at Leo and he kissed the tip of her nose before she pulled back. "Sorry," she smiled sheepishly at her sister, "it's just that we did the apple test this morning and --"
"Apple test?" Paige interrupted. "Is this a chef's thing or a witch's thing? Should I be worried?"
Piper giggled and leaned back into her husband's arms. "Of course not," she answered as she wrapped her husband's arms around her waist. "Phoebe told us about it. See," she explained, "you blow on an apple peel and drop it into some water."
"And," Leo finished while he pressed his cheek next to Piper's, "then it'll give you the initial of your true love."
Paige stared back at them with a skeptical look upon her face. "ReallyJust like that" They nodded and she asked, "And just how does this apple peel know that?"
"Because apples are the fruit of knowledge," a new, more solemn, voice replied.
Surprised, Paige held her hand over her heart and controlled herself from orbing out. "Cole," she greeted, "back fromwherever?"
"For tonight," he responded while he received friendly smiles from Piper and Leo. "I had to be here."
Paige didn't miss the serious looks the three exchanged and innocently wondered, "Why, what's tonight?"
"The walls between the worlds weaken and the dead return," Cole informed her while he scanned the room. "You're ready to go to the club? Where's Phoebe?"
"Upstairs," Piper said. "She's --"
"Excuse me," Paige nervously interrupted, "you can't just say the dead return' and not explain. Newbie here, remember?"
Piper apologized, "All Hallows Eve. Did you ever read about the origins?"
"When I was a kid, my dad used to read me ghost stories," Paige recalled, "and maybe he mentioned something about it but I don't really remember much. Besides, I was a kid and didn't believe in ghosts and goblins."
Piper smiled faintly but told her, "The masks were to disguise ourselves from the evil spirits that roam during the night."
"Vanquished demons are able to seek vengeance against those who doomed them," Leo explained.
"Are we in danger?" Paige anxiously wondered while she quickly looked about the entryway. "Has this happened to you before?" she gulped.
"Last year," Piper slowly nodded. "The Grimlocks attacked but Leo and Darryl held their own until we came back to help."
"Came back from where? And what are Grimlocks?" Paige asked.
"They're in the Book," Piper quietly said after she stole a quick glance at Cole.
"It's okay, she'll find out sooner or later," Cole allowed.
"Find out what?" Paige warily asked.
"We were sent back in time to protect Melinda the night she was born," Piper informed her.
"Melinda? As in Melinda Warren? The witch who started yourour line?" Paige inquired. "Which demon came up with that one? You stopped him of courseright? I mean you are still here."
Piper sighed and turned away from the others, "We know who it was."
"Piper, I --" Cole began to apologize.
"It was a different time," Piper quietly interrupted. She faced him and reached for his hand. She gave it a slight squeeze and added, "Some good came from it. We saved Melinda and even recovered magical knowledge that had been lost for generations."
"Wait a minute," Paige frowned and pointed at Cole, "you mean you're the one who tried to erase the Warren line?"
"Not erase," he corrected. "Transform."
"Into what," she spat, "evil? And we should be grateful to you?"
"Into a non-threat," Leo quietly interjected. "Cole could've easily killed Charlotte and the baby but he didn't. He was going to let Ruth raise the baby with black magic. Evil."
"The Charmed Ones would've still existed," Piper nodded, "but as evil witches. The Source wouldn't've been after us."
"You don't know that," Paige accused Cole. She turned to Piper and urgently asked, "How can you let him --"
"There's a lot you still don't know," Piper gently interrupted. "A lot you still don't understand."
Paige still frowned and began, "But it's not right that --"
"If everybody had an ocean, across the U.S.A.," Phoebe sang when she suddenly flew down the stairs, surfer-style, on a broomstick. But she had trouble maneuvering the turn at the bottom, the broom fell to the floor, and she immediately tumbled down.
Piper reached her first, helped her up, supported her until Phoebe was steady, and then let her sister have it, "Have you lost your mind? What the hell'd you think you were doing? Were you trying to break your neck? And it took you all afternoon just to get into a bikini and grass skirt? It's practically November, you can't go out like that."
"You got that right," Cole agreed when he thought of all the men who would be staring hungrily at Phoebe in that outfit.
Phoebe's face lit up when she suddenly discovered Cole's presence. She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tight. "I didn't expect to see you," she admitted.
"I had to come tonight," he told her simply while he sent a knowing look in Piper's direction.
Piper acknowledged his concern with a nod and tapped her sister's shoulder. "You ready to go?"
Phoebe stepped out of Cole's embrace and tried to fluff the petals of her crushed lei. "Sure, let's party."
Piper reached out and fingered the butterfly that was clipped to the hibiscus blossom behind Phoebe's left ear. "You look great," she assured her sister. "Come on, help me get the last of the goodies."
Paige stared after her sisters when they left and asked, "What's with the butterfly?"
"It was part of Prue's outfit last year," Leo awkwardly replied.
"How are they? Really?" Cole asked him.
"Better than I expected," he truthfully answered. "Especially considering that Prue's birthday was only a few days ago."
"When I left after our trip to France," Cole recalled, "Phoebe was a bitclingy. She was dreading Prue's birthday."
"It was a rough day for them," Paige suddenly said. "First birthdays, anniversaries, aren't easy, trust me. It might've been easier if their father had been able to be with them but at least they were able to share some of it with me. They told me quite a bit about my oldest sister and I think it helped them."
"Still," Leo considered, "they're keeping a lot inside."
"Especially Phoebe," Cole realized. "She doesn't want to go tonight."
"You've been away for nearly two weeks, how can you tell after seeing her for only a minute-and-a-half?" Paige argued. "She's been talking about this party for two days."
"I know," he firmly told her.
Leo stepped between the pair and said, "If they can get through tonight, I think they'll be okay. We just have to be patient and follow their lead."
Cole shook his head, "Maybe we can convince them to skip the party. We can take them somewhere far away. Somewhere special."
"Look," Paige suggested, "I know you're both worried but they're gonna be so busy they won't have time to think of anything else. Piper'll be running around making sure everything is just right and Phoebe'll be dancing and the center of attention. They'll be fine. You'll see."
"Leo," Piper called out as she and Phoebe returned, "can you grab that tray by the door?"
Phoebe held a basket of fresh popcorn balls, stopped in front of Cole, and shyly asked, "Can you come?"
"I'll change and meet you there," he promised with a wink. She blew him a kiss and headed for the front door with the others. He picked up her broom and then called out, "Hey, beach baby" She turned, he gave her the broom, and he teased, "Don't forget your surfboard."
She smiled and stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek, "Hurry up, I miss you already."
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