A/N: Wow, I got a lot of reviews! Okay, here are some answers to a few questions and some replies to a few comments. lol Sci fi fan: Thanks for understanding about the coincidences thing. ;) I just wanted to let everyone know. no name: Actually, I will be putting pictures in for "Family Affair" once Phoebe's baby is born. Don't worry, that is coming up very soon. yellowcat99: First, about Andy, I was really upset when he died and I'm a huge Andy/Prue fan; so I promise he will make appearances, but I'm not saying that he'll come back permanently. ;) Second, about Cole, I have no intention of permanently making him evil! Ugh, that really ticked me off in the show what they did to Cole (and Phoebe), in my opinion, they were the perfect for each other! About Piper being pregnant again with Wyatt, well to tell you the truth, I'm not a Wyatt fan. I really don't like him, he's too powerful, and a boy. I know, I'm sorry to all you Wyatt fans and I really mean no disrespect; I just don't care for him. So, Wyatt won't be in any of my fanfics (and Leo will never become an Elder; that really ticked me off too, but that's a whole other story). But as for the whole Leo/Piper story line, there will be a HUGE surprise for you guys later on (not in "Family Affair" though). ::coughs:: Did I just say that? Also, about the sequel, it will reveal the father of Prue's child but the kids won't be teens....yet.
Family Affair
Chapter 25: Witch Way Home?
It was starting to get dark and much colder. Piper reached to the switch in the heater of her car and turned it up to the maximum. She was driving back to San Francsico, California from Las Vegas, Nevada. She'd went there only for 2 days on a sort of vacation; she'd been specially invited because her club, P3, was one of the most popular clubs in the west coast. While she was there, it had been great, though she did miss her family a great deal, the no evil thing was going pretty good for her. She stared back at the road again, it was almost 11:00 P.M. The road was almost completely empty and only fields appeared on each side of the road. She saw a few droplets hit her windshield. "Great, rain." Piper muttered to herself, in a sarcastic tone. She sighed and turned on the radio, listening to some country music. She lightly tapped her nails on the steering wheel and then the rain began to fall a little harder, making a slight tapping noise on her car. She turned the radio up a little louder, to drown out the noise of the rain, she wasn't in the mood for it right now.
----
"When is mommy gonna be home?" Phiona asked, as she looked out the window of the Halliwell Manor. It was lightly raining.
"Soon, Phiona." Phoebe said. Even though it was getting late, she was sure Piper would be home soon.
"What if mommy doesn't come home soon?" Phiona asked, as she ran her fingers along the glass, following the raindrops as they slid down on the outside of the window.
"Then your daddy will sense her, find her, and orb her home." Phoebe replied.
Phiona sighed and breathed onto the glass, then began to write her name in the white spot on the glass, in which she had breathed on.
----
The rain was now beating down on Piper's car now, she'd had to turn on her window wipers to brush away the rain, but even with that it was still a struggle to see anything. If she squinted her eyes and looked closely, she could see a dim glow of her headlights, even though they were on their brightest setting. Piper shivered slightly and continued to drive down the road. "What the heck happened? Everything was fine a little while ago!" Piper muttered to herself. She gently rubbed her neck. "Well, at least I still have the...." Piper's voice was cut off as the radio began to make slurred noises and then finally settled on a loud, screeching sound. "Radio...." Piper finsiehd. "Great!" She said, in a sarcastic voice. She turned off the radio and continued her drive in silence. Soon she noticed a slushy substance appearing on her windowshield. "What the...." Her voice trailed off and she shook her head in annoyance. "Now it's doing a rain and snow thing to me?! Oh great!" Piper complained out loud. She could now hear the slush swish and gush under her tires, as she drove down the road. She scooted closer to the window to see if she might be able to see anything better. Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, blinding Piper, and when it was gone she thought she saw a profile of a person a few feet in front of her. "Oh God!" Piper screamed, as she slammed on the breaks. Her car went sliding to the side of the road, crashing into the snow, and then the engine stopped running. Piper whirled her head around, but the figure was gone, and all she saw was fluffy white snowflakes pouring from the sky. Piper sighed angrily. She tried to start her car, but it just made a few puttering sounds, then completely died. "Crap!" Piper cursed. She paused. "Leo! Leo!" Piper yelled, as she stared at the ceiling of her car.
----
Leo paced back and fourth in the living room of the Manor. "She hasn't called me." Leo said, as he continued to pace.
"Try sensing her." Phoebe suggested, who was now really worried.
Leo closed his eyes and began to try and sense his wife. Minutes later he opened his eyes with a look of worry covering his face. "I...I can't sense her!" He informed.
"Paige, you can sense too, why don't you try!" Prue suggested.
Paige nodded and closed her eyes, concentrating on a mental image of her older sister, minutes passed and she reopened her eyes. "Nothing." She said. "I can't sense Piper anywhere." Paige said, as she looked at her remaining sisters.
"Daddy! I want mommy!" Phiona said. She looked like she was about to burst into tears.
"Honey, we'll find her." Leo said. "I'm going to check with The Elders." Leo informed.
"I'm going with you." Paige said.
Leo didn't have time to argue with his youngest sister-in-law. He knew she'd go up after him if he told her not to and he had his wife to find. Leo just orbed out.
"We'll be back as soon as I get some information out of The Elders." Paige said. Then she orbed out too.
----
Piper waited, but Leo hadn't come. Panic started to rise in her stomach. She wanted to call her sisters, but her cell phone was dead and she'd forgotten to bring her car charger. She grabbed her coat and bundled up, pulled the keys from the car, and then got out of the car. She was immediately hit by a powerful, icy gust. She shivered and shut her car door behind her. She put her hand above her eyes and tried to see, but the snow was so thick. She began to walk aimlessly through the blizzard like, snowy winds. She thought she could see a large figure in the distance. "Is that...." Piper's voice was lost in the howeling of the wind. She squinted her eyes and moved towards the large figure.
----
Leo and Paige orbed in, simotaniously.
"What did you find out?" Prue asked, immediately.
"They don't understand why we can't sense her. They say we should be able to, unless there is a powerful magic that is blocking us, or unless she is...." Leo's voice trailed off.
Phoebe held up her hand, signaling that she didn't want Leo to continue with his train of thought. "No! She's probably trapped, like we've all been a few hundred times!" Phoebe insisted. She wouldn't stand to hear what Leo had to say, her sister wasn't gone, it couldn't be; it wouldn't be. "I'll be right back." Phoebe said, with a look of pure determination in her eyes. She shimmered out.
Prue turned to her youngest sister. "I know you tried your best, if that was all you got out of them, it must be true. Paige, your pretty unstoppable when you get going." Prue said.
Glenn stood up and walked over to his wife, placing his arm around Paige's shoulders. "That's what attracted me to her." Glenn said. He glanced over at his daughter.
Prue knew exactly what Glenn was thinking, she didn't need powers to tell either, she could see it in his eyes. "I know. She is a spittin' image of Paige. She will truly be one hell of an opponent when she's grown into her powers." Prue said, as she admired her first niece. Not that she didn't love Phiona to death, she did, but Phiona was just more like Piper; an ocean, so to speak, powerful yet calm and level headed. Pearl was more like Paige and sort of herself, seeing as how Paige was much like Prue; Pearl was like fire, powerful and ready to get at something. She smiled, forgetting everything but her niece at that moment, then she saw Phoebe shimmer back in with the Book of Shadows in her hands; bringing her back to reality.
"I've already scanned through the book, I haven't found anything, but then again maybe there is something I've missed." Phoebe said, as she sat down, carefully placing the book in her lap. She began to flip through the pages, carefully.
----
Piper slowly approached the large figure, it appeared to be a huge Mansion. Old, warn, but still standing. Piper walked up to the porch, the steps creaking as she walked along them. She stood for a moment, partially sheltered from the weather, then she looked up at the massive doors. They each had a huge, iron lion's face, with a ring through the lions' mouths. Obviously these are to knock on the door. Piper thought, as she grabbed one of the dark iron rings. It was freezing cold and Piper quickly pulled her hand back. "Ah! Damnit! That was like ice!" Piper cursed. She blew on her hand and then reached into her pocket. She quickly pulled out a few napkins that she'd saved from one of the restaurants she'd visited while on her, vacation. She covered her hand with them and then grabbed the ring again, this time she knocked it a few times; it was still cold, but not nearly as bad through the layers of paper. The ring was hard to move though, it probably hadn't been used in a long time. Piper was sure someone was inside though, she'd seen a flicker of light through one of the windows, though it was only little. Soon she saw the door slightly open. Piper stared at the older man that stood before her. "Hello?" She asked.
"Yes?" The man asked. His voice sounded old and sort of slurred. His hair was a whiteish-gray and his skin was very pale, almost as white if not whiter than Paige's skin. His face was old, with some wrinkles, his eyes were light brown and looked very tired. His hands were the same; wrinkled and pale, but they looked as if they'd done a lot of hard work in their time. That was all that was showing of him at the moment, he had just poked his head out and had his hands resting on the edge of the door.
"Hello." Piper said again. She soaked in the warmth of the air, that had slipped out of the Mansion, when the door opened. "My name is Piper Halliwell Wyatt. I've gotten l...." Piper began, but before she could finish, the old man's voice cut her off.
"I'm sorry, I cannot help you, Miss Wyatt." He said, cutting Piper off. "You'll have to leave." He said. Then he began to shut the door.
Piper placed her foot in front of the door and then placed her hand on the door itself. "No, please, you don't understand! I need to use a phone!" Piper said, as she locked eyes with the old man.
The man shook his head. "No, I'm very sorry, but you must leave...." He said, puasing for a moment, then continuing. "Immediately!" He said, firmness was evident in his tone now. He proceeded to shut the door.
No way, I have to get ahold of my sisters! Piper thought. She quickly waved her hands, freezing the old man, and the door. She peered into the house, past the man. She could only see a few oil lamps throughout the room, which was huge, and at the back of the room in the center was a huge stairway that went up farther than Piper's eyes could travel. Then she heard some muffled voices and footsteps. Piper stepped back and waved her hand, unfreezing the old man. Now is my chance! Piper thought. "No! Please! I'm begging you!" Piper said, in a loud tone. This time she leaned her whole weight on the door, stopping the old man from shutting it.
A woman rushed into the room, from a passageway somewhere in one of the other rooms. "Jeffery!" The woman called. Her voice had a hint of an English accent. She rushed over to the old man and stared at Piper. "Please, let her in!" The woman said, in a stern but calm tone.
The old man, presumably Jeffery, stepped aside.
Piper paused for a moment and then walked past the woman. She stood silently, examining her new surroundings, and greatful to be away from the horrible cold.
The woman shut the door and turned to Piper. "I'm so sorry, I'm...." She paused and turned to Jeffery. "You may leave now." She said, with a smile, then a dismissing wave of her hand.
Jeffery bowed his head. "Yes, Miss Elizabeth." He said. He was wearing the traditional butler uniform; a black suit, perfectly white shirt, shining black shoes, and a black tie. He finally turned and exited the room.
The woman smiled at Piper. "I'm Elizabeth Connery." She said, as she held out her hand.
Piper greatfully took the woman's hand and shook it. "Piper Wyatt." Piper said, with a small smile.
Elizabeth ran her hands along her skirt. She had long, ebony black hair, in bouncing curls; 2 wavy strands hung down on the sides of her face, the rest was hanging down her back, a silver and turquoise hair clip was also clipped on the back of her hair. She had rosie cheeks, bright blue eyes, and wore a reddish-pink lipstick that seemed to bring out more of the rosie color in her cheeks. Her clothes looked like antiques. She wore a very elaborate plantation dress. It was very, very poofy. The dress was deep green velvet with extremely precise beadwork, trimmed in black lace. The dress was low cut, but she wore a tasteful black velvet choker neckless with a black and white cameo in the center. She wore black velvet gloves, trimmed in black lace, and her shoes were deep green and velvet as well, almost the color of the dress. The woman looked like she'd just stepped out of, 'Gone With The Wind'. "I'm so sorry for Jeffery's actions....What did you come here for?" Elizabeth asked, her blue eyes were sparkling with curiosity.
Piper looked down at herself. She'd been wearing a light, long yet bell sleeved dress; the weather had been very nice and only slightly chilly, which is why Piper had picked a light outfit. Her coat was light as well, not much more than a windbreaker. The snow that she'd been covered with was beginning to melt; making Piper's hair and clothes stick to her and her heels seemed sloshy as she walked. All in all, she looked horrible. "I was driving home from a vacation in Nevada, to my home in San Francisco, when I got lost in this sudden storm! I wanted to call my family, I know they'll be terribly worried about me, I was supposed to be home hours ago. My phone died and I don't have my charger, so I wanted to see if I could use your phone." Piper explained.
The woman's face fell sad. "I'm sorry, Miss Wyatt, but our phone lines are down due to the storm. All the power in fact." Elizabeth said. "But you're more than welcomed to stay here, I mean, it's the least we can do." She added.
"Who's there? Elizabeth!" A scratchy voice called, from another room.
Elizabeth bowed her head. "I'm sorry, I must go for a second, I'll be right back." She said. She lifted her skirt above the ground and walked into the next room.
What a strange woman. She is wearing something that is way outdated. Piper though. She took a step closer to the room, she began to overhear some muffled voices.
----
"But mother, it's snowing heavily outside. Please, I beg of you!" Elizabeth said, as she looked into the eyes of a much older woman.
"Elizabeth!" The woman argued, she had a very strong English accent. She strained to talk, she was old, and it took a lot of strength from her. "Please, you know that she may be in danger here!" The old woman said. She wore a plain, long, white nightgown; something that would be worn in the same time period as the dress that Elizabeth wore. She had pure white hair, pulled back into a tight bun. Her hands and face were very pale, with many wrinkles, and her eyes were pale blue. She covered her mouth, with a tissue, and coughed harshly. She removed her hand. "Please, you don't want innocent blood on your hands, my dear!" She pleaded.
"Mother, please! Just until the storm settles. I won't endanger her any further. I'll have her leave as soon as possible. Either way she is in danger. Less here, if it's up to me." Elizabeth begged.
The old woman sighed. "F..fine..." She finally said, breathlessly. She held up her hand, showing that she had more to say. "But she is your responsibility. If she is harmed....It is of your hand and if she finds us out, she must be dealt with!" The woman warned.
"Oh, thank you mother!" Elizabeth cried out, then hugged her mother, lightly. She quickly gathered her skirt and calmly exited the room, returning to Piper.
----
Piper hadn't hear much, just that the older woman obviously didn't want Piper to be there. She didn't hear why, just something about danger. Maybe the house isn't that stable, seeing as how it looks so old. Piper thought. She greeted Elizabeth with a smile, when she saw her retrun.
"I'm sorry, I had to....discuss the current events with my mother." Elizabeth said. She brushed her skirt again, nervously. "Gertrude! Gertrude!" She called.
Moments later an older woman appeared in another doorway. She had whiteish-gray hair, similar to Jeffery. She also wore the traditional maid's attire; a long plain gray dress, it had a white collar, a white apron, black tights, and black heels. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, with a white hairnet. "Yes, Miss Elizabeth?" The woman asked.
She is probably, Gertrude. Piper thought. She shook her head. It was like she was inside of the movie, 'Gone With The Wind'. Piper placed her hand over her mouth. What if somehow I did travel back in time?! That would explain why Leo isn't answering my call! Piper though.
Elizabeth seemed to see the sudden distress in Piper's face. "I'm sorry, but are you alright, Miss Wyatt?" She asked, with concern.
Piper shook her head. "Yes, yes, fine. Just shocked at how everything looks so...." Piper's voice trailed off.
"Yes, I know. We aren't like modern people, mother prefers things like this. She's old, so we feel that we should respect her wishes while she is still with us." Elizabeth stated.
Piper nodded in understanding. Wow, that must be a real pain! Piper thought.
"Gertrude, please make up a room and dry clothing for Miss Wyatt, she'll be staying here temporarily." Elizabeth said.
Gertrude eyed Elizabeth, there was a long pause, then she slowly nodded. "I'd be happy to, Miss Elizabeth." She replied. She bowed her head, turned, and walked out of the room.
Elizabeth turned to Piper. "I'm sorry for your inconvenience, Miss Wyatt." She said.
Piper smiled. "You've done more than enough. Thank you, and please, call me Piper." She replied.
"Very well, Miss Wyatt....I'm sorry, Piper." Elizabeth corrected herself.
A woman rushed out of the passageway that Gertrude had arrived in. "Eliz...." She stopped mid-sentence as she saw Piper. "Who's this?" The woman asked, as she pointed her finger at Piper. She looked very similar to Elizabeth, but she had golden-blonde hair. Her dress was similar as well, but instead of green and black, it was gold and white. Her shoes were like Elizabeth's, but white, and her choker was the same except for it was white velvet with a white and gold cameo. Her eyes were light green. She also spoke with a hint of an English accent.
"Carlotta." Elizabeth said. "This is Miss Piper Wyatt. She'll be temporarily stay with us, until the storm clears." She stated.
"Mother will never al.." Before Carlotta could finish, Elizabeth interjected.
"I've already spoken with mother on the subject, you may as well, but I have things under control." Elizabeth said.
Carlotta shook her head. "There has been, a 'word of awakenment'!" Carlotta said, putting emphasis on, 'word'.
At first Elizabeth looked baffled and then her eyes became wide. "I see, please, I will be there in a moments' time." She said.
Carlotta nodded, turned, and walked out the way she'd come.
Gertrude returned, as Carlotta was leaving. "Your room, it is ready, Miss Wyatt." She said.
"Please, follow Gertrude, she will show you to your room." Elizabeth said. "Something requires my immediate attention." She said, as she gathered her skirt, and left the room.
Piper turned to Gertrude and followed her through a few room, to a small flight of stairs, and finally to a closed door.
Gertrude opened the door. "There are towels in the bathroom and dry clothes on the bed. I hope you find everything to your liking, Miss Wyatt." She said.
"Please, call me Piper." Piper said. "And I'm sure I will, thank you very much." She added, as an after thought.
Gertrude bowed her head. "Yes, Miss Piper." She said. She shut the door and left.
Piper looked around the room. There was a huge bed, a beautiful antique mirror, and an antique vanity. Piper grabbed the dry nightgown from the bed. She walked into the bathroom, which also fit the style of the rest of the Mansion, then shut the door.
----
"Why the hell is there nothing here?!" Phoebe shouted, as she slammed the cover of the Book of Shadows, shut. She felt a sudden movement in her stomach, she placed her hand over her slightly over 5 month pregnant belly. "I'm sorry." She whispered, softly.
Cole placed his hand on his wife's shoulder. "We'll find her, I know we will." He stated, in a mater-of-faclty tone. "I'll go down to the Underworld to see if I can find anything, okay?" He said.
Phoebe slowly nodded. "Be careful!" She said, as she looked into his eyes.
"I will, I promise." Cole said. He kissed Phoebe and then shimmered out.
----
Piper walked out of the bathroom and heard a knock at her door. "Come in." She called.
The door opened and Elizabeth walked in. "I apologize for my shortness." She said.
"It's fine, really." Piper said.
"Is everything to your liking?" Elizabeth asked.
Piper nodded. "Yes, very much so." She answered.
"Well. I must ask you to stay here and do not leave your room, it's a big house. You may get lost and it's old, so I wouldn't want the floorboards suddenly giving way or something like that." She said.
"I understand." Piper said.
"I'll be here in the morning, to check on you. Goodnight, Piper." Elizabeth said. She bowed her head and exited the room, shutting the door behind her.
Piper looked at her watch. "One A.M." She said. She climbed into the bed, which to her surprise was unbelievably comfortable. She immedately dozed off.
----2 Hours Later----
Piper stirred in her sleep; she was half awake and half asleep. She thought she could feel somethign hot beating down on her face and neck, but she figured she must be dreaming, and kept her eyes closed. Minutes later she felt a small spray of something wet, hit her. Her eyes fluttered open and to her horror, she found a horrible beast leering over her!
TO BE CONTINUED....