"Where is she?" Penny asked no one in particular as she entered the attic.
"Don't worry, she'll be home when she gets here. Now Chris what else do we need for this vanquishing potion?" Phoebe asked.
"That's it!" he said looking up from the book.
"What are you doing?" Penny asked.
"Making a potion, just in case." Piper told her.
"There is no potion for Dalton in the book."
"We decided to use the one that is similar to the one used on Balthasor."
"But you need his flesh for that one don't you?"
"We thought we might to be able to use a drop or two of your fathers blood, if he calls Dalton forward for us." Phoebe said.
"How would that work?"
"Well, as you yourself told us blood is part of the spell. And I figure, we figured that they would be joined. Your father's blood should help us destroy him."
Downstairs the front door opened and closed, then they all heard footsteps on the stairs.
"I'm back." Paige sang up the stairs. "Where is everyone?"
"In the attic." Piper yelled down.
"I don't know if that will work. And if it doesn't that will put you all in even more danger. I'm sure of it." Penny told them. "Chris. Back me up."
Chris looked at her, putting the book aside he stood up and walked over to her.
"We don't know that it won't work. And even if it doesn't were going to set a crystal trap and then my mom, your mom and our aunt Phoebe can say the vanquishing spell." he told her giving her shoulders a squeeze. "It'll be okay."
Paige entered the attic and saw Phoebe filling potion bottles.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"A vanquishing potion." Penny told her.
"Okay then. Well I have a date tonight."
They all stopped and looked at her.
"You met him? You talked to him?" Penny asked running over to her.
"Yes. We met, we talked, we had lunch and tonight were having dinner." Paige told her.
"You liked him didn't you. Your not just doing this because of what I told you?"
Paige cupped Penny's chin in her face.
"I did like him. You were right he's a lovely man." she told her.
Penny smiled, and walked towards the door.
"What are you going to wear? Can I help you pick something out?"
"Yes you may." Paige said laughing.
Piper caught her Paige's arm before she could follow her daughter out.
"Are you sure that this is the right thing to do" she asked her cautiously.
"Yes. James is a great guy, and I want to help him and us."
James stood in front of the darkened doorway hesitating to knock, checking his watch he sauntered over and rapped twice, then took a few steps back from the door.
"I'll get it if you want." someone inside said.
The door opened inwards and a young woman casually popped her head around. James noticed he eyes widening as she brought her hand up to her mouth.
"Ah, Hi. I'm James I'm here to pick Paige up." he told her.
Giggling the girl removed her hand and stepped aside to let him in.
"I'm Penny, Paige should be down in a minute."
"Are you one of Paige's sisters?"
"No. I'm not … um… I'm just a relative."
Four people walked into the hall, and stood behind Penny.
"This is Piper and Phoebe, they're Paige's sisters, this is Leo, Piper's husband and this is Chris." she told him.
"Hi." James said feeling apprehensive.
"Okay guys I hope your not torturing him." Paige joked as she walked down the stairs. Everyone let out a gasp as she came into view. She was wearing a fitted black dress with spaghetti straps that went just past her knees. Her hair up and to the side in a pinned ponytail with a few curling tendril framing her face.
"You look amazing!" James said breathlessly.
Smiling she walked over to him.
"Thankyou. You don't look so bad yourself."
Taking her hand James grazed it with a sweet and lingering kiss.
"Are you ready to go? Or do you need a few minutes?" he asked looking up at her.
"I think I'm ready, just let me get my wrap and purse."
As they walked out together Paige turned around and waved goodbye and mouthed 'Don't wait up!'
While Paige and James were at dinner Penny and Chris orbed over to P3 to discuss they're options.
"We can't stay here forever Penny. We have to live our lives in our own time." Chris stated emphatically as he waved his hands in the air.
"But we won't know if we've changed anything for a while."
"I'm willing to risk it Pen. I came back so that you weren't alone. But if we stay too long we put ourselves at risk. Not only that but we'd put them at risk as well."
"What about the time line?" Penny asked quietly.
"What about it?"
"We don't even know where we'd be going back too."
Chris looked down at his shoes, he knew what she was saying. He had changed his time line and he had to live with the memories of everything that had happened in that life.
"We have to risk it. We can't stay here, we don't belong."
"Can we please give it at least a month? Or until they vanquish Dalton? Whichever comes first." she asked trying to catch his eye.
"Fine a month or Dalton. No extensions and no exceptions." he told her.
Penny jumped up and down a few times and then hugged him quickly.
"Thankyou Chris."
"Okay, okay, calm down. Let's go back to the manor and ask mom if we can set up a bed for you in the attic." Stopping a cheeky grin crossed Chris' face. "That is of course unless you want to share with Wyatt and little me."
"No offence or anything but I think I'd prefer the attic."
"I had a funny feeling you'd say that."
"Leo what if this doesn't work?" Piper asked as she lay in his arms on the sofa. "What if we can't defeat this Dalton guy? I can't handle losing another sister."
Leo kissed the top of her head and smiled.
"you won't lose another sister. You, Phoebe and Paige will vanquish him and then we'll all go back to living our semi-normal lives."
Piper snuggled closer to him and rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat.
"You always know exactly what to say to make me feel better." she said closing her eyes.
Penny and Chris orbed in front of them causing Piper to bolt up.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing." Chris said shaking his head. "We were jus wondering if it's okay to set up a bed for Penny in the attic?"
"Why?" Leo asked.
"Well were not sure how long were going to be here, and I can't expect mom to share her room with me all the time, she needs her space." Penny explained.
Leo looked at Piper who was nodding her head in agreement.
"Chris, why don't you give me a hand." he said standing.
Chris nodded and the two men orbed up to the attic. Penny stood in front of Piper looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Why don't you have a seat?" Piper suggested.
"I'm really sorry about all this inconvenience." Penny said sitting down. "I just wanted to make it all different."
"I understand."
Penny looked around the room bobbing her head and tapping her knees.
"Penny! Are you okay?"
"Yeah." she said stopping, she could see her aunts face full of concern. "It's just I'm a bit nervous."
Piper raised her eyebrows as if to ask why.
"I don't know if I've made the right decision. If mom lives to be an old woman now, that would be great, but I don't know what I go back to."
Upstairs there was a thud followed by laughter.
"If they wake the boys up…" Piper said her voice trailing off. "Well I don't know if this will help, but wouldn't you just be going back to a similar place. The only difference being that your mom is there now?"
"I guess so, it'll just be weird."
Piper nodded and both of them looked over at the front door that had opened.
"Bye." they heard Paige say.
"So what happened?" Penny asked when she walked in the room.
"I think you know that I had a good time."
"Fine then be cryptic, I'm going to bed, if there is a bed." Penny said getting up and walking past her.
"What does that mean?" Paige asked when she was gone.
"Don't ask. So?"
"Let's put it this way, most of Penny's described future is a definite possibility."
"Really?" Piper asked a roguish smirk on her face.