Piper looks up from the books and smiles at Shelley, her club Manager." I've got to say I'm impressed. The figures are great and the place looks fantastic"
"Even your family booth?" They both laugh; it was a running joke between them. Piper had given Shelley carte blanche to alter anything in the club as long as she kept the P3 name and the booth that the Halliwell family occasionally used. They talk a little longer about upcoming bands and functions before Shelley leaves. It's a relief for Piper to think of anything other than the worries that threaten to overwhelm her, but its short lived and she is still brooding by the bar when Phoebe arrives some time later.
"Wow! The place looks amazing. I'm glad you didn't sell it to fund the restaurant?" she goes to greet Piper
"I don't think I'll ever be able to do that, too many memories, connections to the past" Phoebe hugs her tightly, both of them thinking of Pru.
As the hug continues Piper becomes aware of her sister's unnaturally ridged posture, she abruptly pulls back "You can stop that right now"
"What?"
"The premonition thing. And while we are on the subject how exactly do I feel? You've been scanning me since you walked in the room".
Phoebe puts her head on Piper's shoulders and trills in her baby voice "Its only because I love you"
Piper just raises an eyebrow forcing Phoebe to continue "Well pretty much all I am getting is stress, stress and more stress, with Chris and Leo vying for top spot, Wyatt coming a close third and the new menu at your restaurant some way beyond that. Do you want to talk about any of it?"
"Well I think that the menu might be a little..."
"Piper!"
She slumps down on a chair and starts to talk, hoping that if she finally voices her anxieties it might bring some peace or better still some way of fighting this feeling of impotence that is consuming her. "Honestly, I wouldn't know where to start. Another whitelighter was killed last night and we've hardly seen Leo in months and....
"OK I am sure that the Elders are on to that, lets concentrate on..." Piper just stares at her for a moment, realisation finally dawning, then shouts. "LEO!" before turning back to Phoebe, "Get Paige, now!"
"Piper what...." then off Piper's scowl, Phoebe takes out her phone and begins dialling, watching an increasingly annoyed Piper pace the floor.
"LEO! THIS IS A LIFE AND DEATH SITUATION AND THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THE DEATH PART RELATES TO YOU"
Paige appears, takes in the raging Piper and looks questioningly at Phoebe who just shakes her head. Second later Leo orbs in looking flustered " Piper I have to be quick my charge doesn't know I am a whitelighter and has just gone to make coffee. What's up?"
"You tell me" she glares at the three of them
There is an awkward silence before Paige responds "Not that I don't love being summoned from my job to play 20 questions with my wacky family, but do you wanna give us a clue?"
"Ok. How about the fact that you have just happened to call in every day for the last week, Phoebe mauls me every chance she can get, Leo can hardly look at me without practically weeping and, here's the biggie, I have been mysteriously excluded from all vanquishes and demon activity for over a month." She continues to glare. "Any suggestions?"
Leo takes her hand, "Piper, we just want to keep you safe. The boys are down one parent already and with Chris's birthday coming up..."his voice trails off, unable to finish the sentence
She looks at the three of them and sighs "Look, I am touched by your concern, I really am, but you are all driving me up the freaking wall. In case you haven't noticed the latest evil out there is notching up whitelighters and the last time I checked I'm one of the few members of this family that isn't one."
She continues, "So, now that's settled, what do we know?"
Phoebe looks at the others for a moment then starts "Well Leo found out today that the whitelighters might not be dead, it's more that they appear to have fallen off the Elder's radar"
Piper turns to Leo" Wait, that only happens when whitelighters stop using their powers right?"
"Usually, except the Elders have noticed these very faint, blurred signals which make them think that the whitelighters might be still healing. They can't get any real readings and the signals seems to be coming from all over the place" He suddenly looks up and then at Piper, who sighs in exasperation "I know, you have to go" he orbs out apologetically. She turns back to her sisters.
"Book of shadows?" They join hands and orb out.
It's a week later and Chris is sat lazily in the attic, half reading a book, half listening to his mother and aunts squabble. Its been a boring week, Wyatt keeps mysteriously disappearing, presumably to work on "The Plan", despite their mother's attempts to keep them both close by and when he is there all he wants to do is sleep. Sensing a change in the atmosphere he looks up
"Well I am just saying if he had been less damned mysterious and more factual we would all be in a better position right now"
"PAIGE!"
For some reason they all look at him. "Sorry Mom, do you want me?"
"No sweetie its fine, Paige was just being annoying, you go back to your book" He watches the two women glare at each other for a minute, then starts to read. Whatever. This had been going on for days.
In the background Phoebe steps in "Hey ding ding, all sisters back to their respective corners. This isn't getting us anywhere, plus, which ever one of you just felt that about me is totally out of order"
Paige goes back to the flip chart. "OK so in summary what we know, after a whole weeks research, scrying, potions and spells is .....absolutely nothing", she puts down her pointer in disgust. "I've got to say this shows poor whitelighter husbandry by the Elders. Someone should tell them that they shouldn't be allowed to keep whitelighters if they're not prepared to look after them." she looks up at the roof and shouts "WHITELIGHTERS AREN'T JUST FOR CHRISTMAS"
"This can't be the first time they have lost one" Phoebe looks thoughtful "Paige, how did you find Sam when he went AWOL?"
"Oh I don't know, Leo gave me something of Dads and I just felt this sort of magnetic pull and orbed to it. It doesn't work here, I've tried"
Piper, her thoughts clearly elsewhere, adds absent-mindedly "No, Leo said it was some
sort of family thing" She gets up and demands not for the first time "Where is he?"
Paige and Phoebe look at each other apprehensively, two other whitelighters had disappeared in the last week, causing Leo's responsibilities and Piper's anxieties to increase by the same proportion. As a compromise he had an appointment to orb in for a few minutes at the same time every day. On cue, orb lights began to appear.
Piper moves towards them, not knowing whether to hug him or yell, she finally decides on the former and her arms are around him before he gets a chance to totally form. "You're 2 hours late!"
"I know" He takes a minute to hold the embrace then says hopefully "Anything new?" There is no need for the sisters to answer, their faces say it all "Oh".
Leo looks around the attic and sees Chris quietly heading for the door "Chris! Wait I need to talk to you"
This is unbelievable! It's a whole week since his father stood him up and now he wants to talk to him! Chris swings around to tell him where to get off, but stops on reading his mother's face "I'm busy"
"Well I'll be quick then. Kitchen, now!." Leo orbs out.
Chris thinks about not going but sees Piper watching him closely and decides he'd better follow.
Leo is fixing coffee when Chris orbs in, he looks exhausted, more tired than Chris has ever seen him. Chris softens towards him for a second then remembers how many times he has let him down. Good. He deserved to suffer. Chris places a fixed smile on his face "Ok, lets get this show on the road. You are very sorry. You love me and Mom and Wyatt more than anything. Only the direst of emergencies would have kept you from coming. You will absolutely make it up to me in the future with any promise of my choosing. There did I miss anything out? Ok then, we're good to go and I don't need to take up any more of your valuable time" He turns to leave.
Leo is stunned by this speech, its accuracy and the bitterness behind it; he takes a moment to react "That's not what I was going to say"
Chris raises an eyebrow, Leo absently recognises the expression as one of Piper's "Oh?"
"I was going to say I need your help"
Chris stops, whatever he had been expecting it wasn't that. He is torn between wanting to show Leo how little he cares and curiosity. Curiosity won. "I'm listening"
"I have a charge, Simon. He's the same age as you" Leo smiles "he reminds me of you" Chris remains stony faced "Anyway, he has just become a witch, come into his powers. He doesn't know what's happening to him and he very is scared and confused"
Chris is interested in spite of himself "What about his family?"
"He doesn't have any, well any magical members anyway. He lives with an aunt who has no idea that he is a witch. He won't let me anywhere near him" then he adds reluctantly "and I just don't have the time to make a connexion" There is an awkward pause, and for a minute Leo thinks that he has lost him. "I'd like to you to talk to him, help him understand, his powers, his role."
Chris asks "Why me? I mean why me and not Wyatt?"
Leo looks surprised "Why not? I think that you would do better. That it would mean more to you" Chris is confused, so Leo continues "I know that physically you look a lot more like Piper than me, but inside you are much more whitelighter than witch, more whitelighter than Wyatt. Chris you care about people, helping people. Oh I know that your Mum does too, but it is in a different way. Witch help is about saving people, whitelighter help is more about helping people to save themselves." Leo pauses, trying to gauge Chris's reaction.
His mind is racing. . Better than Wyatt. Wow, to be better than Wyatt at something. No, he is just saying that to win me over. He looks at Leo suspiciously, then relaxes, No Dad never lied, that he was one thing he was sure of. He thought about the boy. How scary would it be for your body to suddenly have powers, to think that you were a freak, to be terrified of people finding out, or maybe hurting someone. For us there have always been so many people to talk to, so many people who care. How terrible would it be to be that alone? Could he help? Make a difference? Make his father proud? No screw that, screw Leo. If he did this he did it for him, him and the boy....but still it was a thought.
He looks up to see Leo watching him apprehensively. "Ok, I'll do it"
The relief and happiness on his fathers face is instantaneous and despite himself Chris smiles back. He suddenly has an afterthought. "Wait, what if we don't have anything to talk about, anything in common"
Leo just looks at him ruefully "Oh I don't think that you need to worry about that"
He takes his son's hand and they orb out together.
"Even your family booth?" They both laugh; it was a running joke between them. Piper had given Shelley carte blanche to alter anything in the club as long as she kept the P3 name and the booth that the Halliwell family occasionally used. They talk a little longer about upcoming bands and functions before Shelley leaves. It's a relief for Piper to think of anything other than the worries that threaten to overwhelm her, but its short lived and she is still brooding by the bar when Phoebe arrives some time later.
"Wow! The place looks amazing. I'm glad you didn't sell it to fund the restaurant?" she goes to greet Piper
"I don't think I'll ever be able to do that, too many memories, connections to the past" Phoebe hugs her tightly, both of them thinking of Pru.
As the hug continues Piper becomes aware of her sister's unnaturally ridged posture, she abruptly pulls back "You can stop that right now"
"What?"
"The premonition thing. And while we are on the subject how exactly do I feel? You've been scanning me since you walked in the room".
Phoebe puts her head on Piper's shoulders and trills in her baby voice "Its only because I love you"
Piper just raises an eyebrow forcing Phoebe to continue "Well pretty much all I am getting is stress, stress and more stress, with Chris and Leo vying for top spot, Wyatt coming a close third and the new menu at your restaurant some way beyond that. Do you want to talk about any of it?"
"Well I think that the menu might be a little..."
"Piper!"
She slumps down on a chair and starts to talk, hoping that if she finally voices her anxieties it might bring some peace or better still some way of fighting this feeling of impotence that is consuming her. "Honestly, I wouldn't know where to start. Another whitelighter was killed last night and we've hardly seen Leo in months and....
"OK I am sure that the Elders are on to that, lets concentrate on..." Piper just stares at her for a moment, realisation finally dawning, then shouts. "LEO!" before turning back to Phoebe, "Get Paige, now!"
"Piper what...." then off Piper's scowl, Phoebe takes out her phone and begins dialling, watching an increasingly annoyed Piper pace the floor.
"LEO! THIS IS A LIFE AND DEATH SITUATION AND THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THE DEATH PART RELATES TO YOU"
Paige appears, takes in the raging Piper and looks questioningly at Phoebe who just shakes her head. Second later Leo orbs in looking flustered " Piper I have to be quick my charge doesn't know I am a whitelighter and has just gone to make coffee. What's up?"
"You tell me" she glares at the three of them
There is an awkward silence before Paige responds "Not that I don't love being summoned from my job to play 20 questions with my wacky family, but do you wanna give us a clue?"
"Ok. How about the fact that you have just happened to call in every day for the last week, Phoebe mauls me every chance she can get, Leo can hardly look at me without practically weeping and, here's the biggie, I have been mysteriously excluded from all vanquishes and demon activity for over a month." She continues to glare. "Any suggestions?"
Leo takes her hand, "Piper, we just want to keep you safe. The boys are down one parent already and with Chris's birthday coming up..."his voice trails off, unable to finish the sentence
She looks at the three of them and sighs "Look, I am touched by your concern, I really am, but you are all driving me up the freaking wall. In case you haven't noticed the latest evil out there is notching up whitelighters and the last time I checked I'm one of the few members of this family that isn't one."
She continues, "So, now that's settled, what do we know?"
Phoebe looks at the others for a moment then starts "Well Leo found out today that the whitelighters might not be dead, it's more that they appear to have fallen off the Elder's radar"
Piper turns to Leo" Wait, that only happens when whitelighters stop using their powers right?"
"Usually, except the Elders have noticed these very faint, blurred signals which make them think that the whitelighters might be still healing. They can't get any real readings and the signals seems to be coming from all over the place" He suddenly looks up and then at Piper, who sighs in exasperation "I know, you have to go" he orbs out apologetically. She turns back to her sisters.
"Book of shadows?" They join hands and orb out.
It's a week later and Chris is sat lazily in the attic, half reading a book, half listening to his mother and aunts squabble. Its been a boring week, Wyatt keeps mysteriously disappearing, presumably to work on "The Plan", despite their mother's attempts to keep them both close by and when he is there all he wants to do is sleep. Sensing a change in the atmosphere he looks up
"Well I am just saying if he had been less damned mysterious and more factual we would all be in a better position right now"
"PAIGE!"
For some reason they all look at him. "Sorry Mom, do you want me?"
"No sweetie its fine, Paige was just being annoying, you go back to your book" He watches the two women glare at each other for a minute, then starts to read. Whatever. This had been going on for days.
In the background Phoebe steps in "Hey ding ding, all sisters back to their respective corners. This isn't getting us anywhere, plus, which ever one of you just felt that about me is totally out of order"
Paige goes back to the flip chart. "OK so in summary what we know, after a whole weeks research, scrying, potions and spells is .....absolutely nothing", she puts down her pointer in disgust. "I've got to say this shows poor whitelighter husbandry by the Elders. Someone should tell them that they shouldn't be allowed to keep whitelighters if they're not prepared to look after them." she looks up at the roof and shouts "WHITELIGHTERS AREN'T JUST FOR CHRISTMAS"
"This can't be the first time they have lost one" Phoebe looks thoughtful "Paige, how did you find Sam when he went AWOL?"
"Oh I don't know, Leo gave me something of Dads and I just felt this sort of magnetic pull and orbed to it. It doesn't work here, I've tried"
Piper, her thoughts clearly elsewhere, adds absent-mindedly "No, Leo said it was some
sort of family thing" She gets up and demands not for the first time "Where is he?"
Paige and Phoebe look at each other apprehensively, two other whitelighters had disappeared in the last week, causing Leo's responsibilities and Piper's anxieties to increase by the same proportion. As a compromise he had an appointment to orb in for a few minutes at the same time every day. On cue, orb lights began to appear.
Piper moves towards them, not knowing whether to hug him or yell, she finally decides on the former and her arms are around him before he gets a chance to totally form. "You're 2 hours late!"
"I know" He takes a minute to hold the embrace then says hopefully "Anything new?" There is no need for the sisters to answer, their faces say it all "Oh".
Leo looks around the attic and sees Chris quietly heading for the door "Chris! Wait I need to talk to you"
This is unbelievable! It's a whole week since his father stood him up and now he wants to talk to him! Chris swings around to tell him where to get off, but stops on reading his mother's face "I'm busy"
"Well I'll be quick then. Kitchen, now!." Leo orbs out.
Chris thinks about not going but sees Piper watching him closely and decides he'd better follow.
Leo is fixing coffee when Chris orbs in, he looks exhausted, more tired than Chris has ever seen him. Chris softens towards him for a second then remembers how many times he has let him down. Good. He deserved to suffer. Chris places a fixed smile on his face "Ok, lets get this show on the road. You are very sorry. You love me and Mom and Wyatt more than anything. Only the direst of emergencies would have kept you from coming. You will absolutely make it up to me in the future with any promise of my choosing. There did I miss anything out? Ok then, we're good to go and I don't need to take up any more of your valuable time" He turns to leave.
Leo is stunned by this speech, its accuracy and the bitterness behind it; he takes a moment to react "That's not what I was going to say"
Chris raises an eyebrow, Leo absently recognises the expression as one of Piper's "Oh?"
"I was going to say I need your help"
Chris stops, whatever he had been expecting it wasn't that. He is torn between wanting to show Leo how little he cares and curiosity. Curiosity won. "I'm listening"
"I have a charge, Simon. He's the same age as you" Leo smiles "he reminds me of you" Chris remains stony faced "Anyway, he has just become a witch, come into his powers. He doesn't know what's happening to him and he very is scared and confused"
Chris is interested in spite of himself "What about his family?"
"He doesn't have any, well any magical members anyway. He lives with an aunt who has no idea that he is a witch. He won't let me anywhere near him" then he adds reluctantly "and I just don't have the time to make a connexion" There is an awkward pause, and for a minute Leo thinks that he has lost him. "I'd like to you to talk to him, help him understand, his powers, his role."
Chris asks "Why me? I mean why me and not Wyatt?"
Leo looks surprised "Why not? I think that you would do better. That it would mean more to you" Chris is confused, so Leo continues "I know that physically you look a lot more like Piper than me, but inside you are much more whitelighter than witch, more whitelighter than Wyatt. Chris you care about people, helping people. Oh I know that your Mum does too, but it is in a different way. Witch help is about saving people, whitelighter help is more about helping people to save themselves." Leo pauses, trying to gauge Chris's reaction.
His mind is racing. . Better than Wyatt. Wow, to be better than Wyatt at something. No, he is just saying that to win me over. He looks at Leo suspiciously, then relaxes, No Dad never lied, that he was one thing he was sure of. He thought about the boy. How scary would it be for your body to suddenly have powers, to think that you were a freak, to be terrified of people finding out, or maybe hurting someone. For us there have always been so many people to talk to, so many people who care. How terrible would it be to be that alone? Could he help? Make a difference? Make his father proud? No screw that, screw Leo. If he did this he did it for him, him and the boy....but still it was a thought.
He looks up to see Leo watching him apprehensively. "Ok, I'll do it"
The relief and happiness on his fathers face is instantaneous and despite himself Chris smiles back. He suddenly has an afterthought. "Wait, what if we don't have anything to talk about, anything in common"
Leo just looks at him ruefully "Oh I don't think that you need to worry about that"
He takes his son's hand and they orb out together.