THREE WEEKS LATER
Penny was curled up in a chair reading the newspaper giggling to herself.
"What's so funny?" Phoebe asked, smiling as she walked in.
"I can't believe you actually told Miserable in San Mateo to suck it up and apologise."
"Yeah well she was a pain in the butt, she's been sending similar letters for the last few months and it's always about the same thing, 'My boyfriend and I are fighting what should I do?'".
Penny stood and walked towards her.
"How are you?"
Phoebe smiled again and tilted her head.
"I'm fine. Just feeling a bit queasy."
"Have you told you-know-who yet?"
Phoebe shook her head.
"Not yet."
"Okay then, different subject. What are you doing today?"
"I don't know. I was going to ask my favourite niece if she wanted to hang out today, but by the looks of it she may be busy."
Penny beamed.
"No not today."
"Good I was thinking we could catch a movie, have lunch, do a bit of shopping. You know girly things."
"So, no Chris?" Penny asked a playful tune in her voice.
"No Chris. Just you and me kid. Where's your mom?"
"With my dad. She left earlier, something about today's the day."
"For what?"
"She didn't say. Maybe she's going to tell him she knows his secret."
"Well are you ready to go?" she asked checking her watch. "It's 10.30, we can catch the next session of Vin Diesel's latest, then have a late lunch."
"Ohh. Is that The Chronicles: Part 3? If so I love that film." Penny said putting her shoes on quickly. Phoebe stood there staring at her, then slapping her hands against her legs.
"I keep forgetting your from the future!"
"That's funny!" Penny said walking to the front door. "Because I don't."
Paige brushed a few strands of hair from her eyes, and looked out across the bay.
"Strawberry?" James asked.
"Yes please." she said smiling sweetly. Taking a bite she put her hand to her mouth and looked back across the bay. 'How do I tell him?' she thought.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
Turning her head back she looked deep into his eyes.
"There's something that I want, well need to tell you."
"It's not good, is it?"
"Depends on how you look at it, I thought it was when I first heard it, but now … it's growing on me." Taking his hand she kissed it quickly then turned her whole body so she was facing him. "The day before I met you, somebody came to my house and told me this whole story about this guy and his big secret, and how his secret affected me and my family."
James looked down at his hand in hers, a guilty panic in his eyes.
"I don't want to scare you and I understand that this may be hard for you to hear, but I think you need to." she continued. "The guy she was talking about was you. I wasn't completely sure until I saw the cut on the inside of your hand the day we met. My sisters and I know about Dalton. We know that you called on him a few years ago to help your advancement at Reid and St. Clair's, we also know that he has some kind of control over you. We want to help you! Help us to vanquish him?"
He looked up at her his eyes filled with sorrow and dismay.
"How can I help? Because of me, you are in danger. He told me to get close to you, and tell him certain things about you and your sisters."
This time she looked at their intertwined hands. Then looked back up at him.
"I know. You can help us, we have a potion but we need a few drops of your blood and we need you to call him for us. We know that he has control over whoever calls him and we can't vanquish him if one of us calls him."
"If I help you, does this mean the end of everything?"
"If you mean us, No. If you are talking about work and everything else, I don't know."
"Who told you about me?"
"Penny."
"Your, What is she? All you both have said is that she's a relative."
Paige looked out in to the distance again, 'Can I tell him? It would be too strange for him, wouldn't it?' she thought.
"Can I tell you that later, I'd prefer to talk to her first."
He nodded, confused by the secrecy.
"Would you like to come back to the manor and talk to my sisters and Leo about when we can, you know." she said spotting a couple walking close by.
"I guess so." he said quietly, ashamed.
"One, two, three, four … you better be hiding." Chris said.
Two smothered snickers sounded behind him, so he continued counting.
"Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Ready or not here I come."
Stopping for a second he remembered where he used to hide as a child, 'That wouldn't be fair to find me first, I have to find Wyatt first. But then that's not fair, either.' he thought feeling conflicted.
"What are you doing?" Leo asked, an amused tone in his voice.
Chris spun around and watched him walk down the stairs, a confused look on his face.
"Playing hide and seek. The only problem being I know where I'm hiding."
Leo laughed.
"So find Wyatt."
"But is that fair? I'm purposely not finding …. me!"
"I'm sure it's fine." Leo said gaining control of himself. "Wyatt is usually found last, it'll make a nice change for him."
Chris nodded then went after Wyatt, assuming that he was hiding in the solarium.
Leo chuckled as he turned towards the front door, seeing Paige and James walk in.
"How was the picnic?"
"Fine!" Paige said putting their stuff on the floor near the door. "Where's Piper and Phoebe?" she asked looking up.
"Piper's at P3 and Phoebe took Penny out for the day."
"Damn."
"What?"
"We were going to talk to them about vanquishing Dalton."
Leo looked surprised.
"You told him."
"Yes, she told me." James said feeling left out.
"Sorry. I shouldn't be talking about you as if you weren't here. I'm just surprised is all."
"I understand."
"If you want I can go get Piper, then bring her back and then go get Phoebe."
"Thanks Leo, that would be great."
Leo orbed out, James turned and looked at Paige.
"What was that?"
"He orbed." she told him. "Leo's a well, it's a long and complicated story. I guess you could say he's like an angel."
"We've got a while, can you try to explain it"
"Let's go in here." she said motioning towards the dinning room. Both of them took a seat.
"Leo was an Elder, who are like in charge if Whitelighter's, who take care of witches." she said trying to keep it simple. "Whitelighter's are like guardian angels, they give helpful advice and heal their charge's if it's required.
"So Elder's can do the same?"
"Yes. And on a larger scale. They don't have charge's they live up there and watch over everyone and they give advice to Whitelighter's."
"Okay so Leo was an Elder?"
"Yeah. He was and now he's a Whitelighter again."
"Again?"
"I told you it was complicated. A few years ago, there was an incident and because of Leo's part in helping to solve it he was changed from a Whitelighter to an Elder. Then something happened a year later, and he asked to go back to being a Whitelighter."
"Okay then, that is complicated."
"How come you found us so easy?" Wyatt asked Chris as they walked in the room.
"Because I'm clever." he said ruffling Wyatt's hair.
"Hi Paige." all three chimed.
"Hi guys." she said laughing. "Did you practice that?"
"No!" Wyatt and the younger Chris yelled in unison.
"Where'd Leo go?" the older Chris asked.
"To get Piper and Phoebe. He'll be back soon."
"Okay then. You guys want a drink?"
"Yes."
"Let's go."
Paige and James watched them go into the kitchen.
"Kevin, we need four cases of beer, the spirits need replacing in the dispensers, have the cleaners check the restrooms and have everything restocked in there … what else?" Piper said reading the to do list.
"I'll check the back for the beer, we might need to call through an emergency order." Kevin said as he walked to the back room.
"Mmmhhmm." Piper mumbled as she continued reading. Hearing a jingling noise she looked up and saw Leo materialise.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Paige and James are at the manor. They want to talk to you and Phoebe about vanquishing Dalton." he stated.
"Oh. She told him?"
"Yep."
"Everything?"
"I don't think she told him about Penny yet. I don't know if she will."
"Okay just give me a sec. I have to tell Kevin that I'm leaving." Piper said getting up from the stool and walking out the back. A few seconds later she re-emerged.
"Okay lets go."
After taking Piper back to the manor Leo went to Quake and tried to find Phoebe and Penny, orbing in behind the building he quickly walked in and past the manager, spotting them he quickly walked to their table.
"Hi, we need you back at the house. Paige and James are there."
Penny's eyes widened 'That means it is nearly time.' she thought.
"Okay but we'll drive back and meet you there." Phoebe said calling the waiter over with a wave of her arm. "Check, please."
"Fine but hurry." Leo said. Then turning he walked back to where he came from and orbed home.