The next day was Monday and it was the day that Gloria and Terrence were due back from their short trip to San Francisco. They had been staying there with some witch friends for the weekend, after being assured by Josiah that the boys would be fine without them.
Terrence and Gloria arrived back in the early hours of the morning, having got an early flight. They crept quietly upstairs, not wanting to wake the brothers up yet.
Gloria was startled upon walking into their bedroom and seeing a blond boy's head sticking out the foot of the bed with his eyes closed; but being a witch, Gloria was prepared for surprises, so remained calm, sure that there was a logical explanation.
Terrence walked into the room calmly, unaware of what Gloria had discovered.
"Terrence, there's a boy in our bed," whispered the woman to her husband, pointing at the child.
"That's my brother," said a sleepy, young male voice from the doorway behind Terrence.
Terrence and Gloria turned and saw the young boy standing there.
"What's going on here?" asked Terrence, looking at the dark-haired boy he'd never seen before.
"Mr. Siah said you's was coming back t'day. He said we could sleep in the bed 'coz you's wouldn't be back 'til later, an' you's wouldn't be needin' it yet..." started JD beginning to tell the adults what Josiah had told him (except with not so many words).
"Slow down, child. I suppose you have a name?" asked Gloria, not failing to notice how much the boy talked. He was like a long-life battery.
"Mine's JD and he's is Vin. We's are brothers. Ezra and Unca Nathan rescued-ed us."
"Oh my!" exclaimed Gloria. Her youngest had carried out a rescue with only Nathan to protect him from demons. "We thought it would be okay to leave the boys alone this weekend. We didn't know they'd have to rescue anyone without us. I wish someone had called."
Vin stirred upon hearing the woman's voice. "Hi Ma'am, you mus' be Mrs. Potter."
"Hello Dear, JD told me your name's Vin and that one of my sons and our Whitelighter rescued you. You're safe here," said Gloria gently, as she lovingly pushed Vin's hair out of his eyes. The boy looked slightly like an angel and she wondered if he and his brother would be able to stay with them.
"We'll be goin' now, Mrs. Potter. You don't have no room for us here, so we'll find somewhere else ta live."
"No, No. We have plenty of room for both of you," said Gloria, wishing that Terrence and her weren't so in the dark about the rescue that had happened while they were away.
"How about Mrs. Potter and I leave you boys to get some more sleep. We'll go downstairs and sleep on the couches," said Terrence. He really must speak to his sons about the two boys when it was a later hour in the morning.
"Okay, Sir," said Vin, too tired to want to give up the bed to its rightful owners.
Gloria and Terrence left the boys to sleep some more and went downstairs, knowing that all would be explained later.
CH7 - CH7 - CH7 - CH7 - CH7 - CH7 - CH7
Later that morning, Ezra sat near his parents at the breakfast table to tell them about the rescue of Vin and JD. Vin and JD sat at the table as well, enjoying their bowls of cereal that Gloria had prepared for them.
"So Chris had a premonition in which he saw the boys' mother and her friends in a battle with warlocks?" asked Terrence, having finished deciphered Ezra's long-worded explanation of where the boys had come from.
Ezra nodded at his adoptive father. "Precisely, Mr. Potter. The boys have no living relatives to reside with, so we're going to keep them."
"It's up to us as the adults of this family to decide whether to keep them, and it's not as easy to keep rescued kids as it used to be, Son," said Terrence. It seemed like the brothers had already decided that the Potters would keep the two boys without even discussing it with their parents.
"Where's your father, Vin?" asked Gloria. The boys' father hadn't been in Chris's premonition, but Ezra had said there were no living relatives to take the boys. The Potters hadn't been planning on taking any more children into their home.
"I don't know where dad is," answered Vin truthfully. He vaguely remembered his dream about his father visiting when he was six, but still believed it had only been a dream. He knew that people in dreams might not look how they did in real life, so wasn't sure his father really looked how he had in the dream. The little blond's mother hadn't shown him any photos of his father, and Vin had never been able to find any, although he was sure she must have at least one somewhere. Vin did wish he could meet his father, but didn't miss someone he'd never known. "Mom said he disappeared before I was born. JD's dad died in a car-accident when JD was still a baby."
"You're half-brothers then," realized Terrence; then made a quick decision. "You can stay with us for now." If there really weren't any living relatives for the boys to live with, then he and Gloria would ask the Elders to arrange for the boys to be left to the Potters in Michelle's will, like had happened to enable them to adopt Chris.
Chris walked into the room with Sarah. "Mom, I'm going to stay at Sarah's for a while. The boys can sleep in my room."
"That's very kind of you, Dear. Are you going there now?" asked Gloria, smiling at her independent son. It probably wouldn't be long before Chris and Sarah were married and living in a place of their own. Chris already had a good job after school and was saving up for the future. A tear fell from Gloria's eye.
"Mom? What's wrong?" asked Chris, sensing some sadness from Gloria.
"I was just thinking about how you're growing up so fast. It only seems like yesterday that you were rescued."
"There's no need to be sad, Mom. I'll always be your son, even when I'm all grown up; now these two boys need you. I'm going now and I promise I'll call if I get any more premonitions. I'll keep my cell with me so you can call if you need to."
Chris and Sarah said good-bye and left the house, holding hands.
Gloria turned to Vin and JD, who were sitting with half-empty bowls of cereal in front of them. They had been listening to the conversation between her and Chris.
"Aren't you two very hungry?" asked Gloria, hating to see the wasted breakfast, but knowing that young children didn't often finish a whole meal.
"We eated loads of Mr. Siah's cookies yesterday," answered JD honestly.
"You had more than me, JD," complained Vin, annoyed that JD had eaten lots before he could eat many. Vin loved chocolate - his mother had told him it was a passion he'd inherited from his dad.
"Did not."
"Did too."
"Boys!" commanded Gloria loudly. "There'll be plenty of cookies for everyone; but you have to share them equally. I won't have any arguing over food in this house."
"Yes Ma'am," said both boys together.
"And my name is Gloria, not Ma'am."
"We can't call ya that, Mrs. Potter," said Vin. "Mama always said we have to call adults that we know 'Mr.' or 'Mrs.' then their surname; or if the woman ain't married we have ta call her 'Miss' then her surname." While he was speaking, Vin had started absent-mindedly pushing his spoon around his cereal bowl.
'Vin, please leave the spoon alone,' said Ezra telepathically into Vin's mind. 'Gloria can't stand us playing with utensils.'
"What, Ez? Did ya speak?" asked Vin, startled by hearing Ezra's voice inside his head.
"Ezra!" scolded his adoptive father. "What have I told you about using your telepathy?"
"Only to utilize it if it's really necessary," answered Ezra automatically. It didn't help that when he communicated telepathically, his father heard everything he said; as Mr. Potter also had that power besides his freezing/exploding one.
"I'm sorry, Vin - I didn't mean to startle you with that power," apologized Ezra. "I don't suppose you've ever encountered telepathy in your life?"
"You was talkin' inside m' head," said Vin, amazed by the power.
"Yes, it's called telepathy. I am also able to read minds."
"So if I think of a number, you'll tell me what number I'm thinking of?" asked JD curiously.
"Seven, JD," answered Ezra, reading the little boy's mind. "I am able to control my power so that I can only use it when I need to. I can use it to hear what demons are planning for an attack, then I would have the upper-hand."
JD and Vin looked at Ezra, puzzled by what Ezra meant.
"Never mind. Ahh, here's my oldest brother. Only just waking up are we, Mr. Sanchez?"
Josiah grumbled out an answer, "Looking after trouble magnets such as you uses a lot of energy, Master Standish."
"Me? A trouble-magnet?" asked Ezra in mock-surprise.
JD and Vin giggled in unison at Ezra's tone of voice.
"Boys, you need to get washed up now," instructed Gloria as she collected the breakfast things from the table. "Then we'll go to the stores and buy you some nice new clothes."
"Really? New clothes?" asked JD in disbelief.
"Yes, Dear. It's too dangerous for us to go back to your house for yours." Gloria walked into the kitchen to start washing up the breakfast things.
"Come on, JD. I'll race ya to the bathroom," said Vin; standing up and moving away from the table.
"Please don't run in the house, boys," requested Terrence Potter, from where he was now sat reading the morning paper. "We wouldn't want you tripping up and getting hurt."
"Okay, Mr. Potter."
"Terrence, not Mr. Potter."
JD and Vin left the room and walked to the downstairs bathroom, already settling into a daily routine at their new home.
When the bathroom door was heard banging closed, Gloria smiled; "I guess our parenting days aren't quite over yet."
"I've always wanted younger siblings," said Ezra, as he sat at one of the vacated chairs to quickly finish his homework before school.
Then blue and white orbs appeared, bringing Nathan into the house. After the orbs had gone, Nathan cleared his throat before informing the present family members of the Elders' wishes. "The Elders have revealed that Vin's father is no longer a Whitelighter. A Darklighter killed him years ago and he is only able to be in the spirit plane now."
"That's sad, I don't suppose Vin knows that," said Gloria, feeling sorry for the child who had never had a chance to meet his father.
Nathan retained an impassive look - it was too soon to tell the Potters that he knew a lot about Michelle and her family, including that Michael Tanner had once visited Vin when he was six. "No, he doesn't, Gloria. Vin's Whitelighter half has made it hard for him to openly express negative emotions, although this may fade slightly when he gets older. He is already inwardly grieving for his mother, as he does believe now that she's gone forever, and if he has to grieve for his father as well it could make him seriously ill. Most humans openly show negative emotions and it helps them find relief, meaning they don't have to store it all up inside."
"Are there any living relatives the boys can go to live with?" asked Terrence. As he was also a half-Whitelighter, he occasionally found it hard to openly express negative emotions, but he had found it easier to do so over time.
"Michelle Dunne was an only child and all of her living relatives died before she did. The Elders can't trace anyone else who could take in the magical children and care for them properly, so they're goin' to make it so Michelle willed the children to you in case she died early. You'll hear from a Texas law-firm in a few days, but in the meantime, no-one's going to be lookin' for the children and takin' them away, so they're good as yours already."
Nathan heard the tinkling sound that signaled that the Elders were calling him, so Nathan orbed back to the heavens.
Terrence turned to Gloria, then they began to have a low-volume conversation about what Nathan had just told them.
Josiah wondered what Ezra was doing; the brother had been concentrating on writing in a book throughout Nathan and the Potters' conversation. The oldest brother quietly walked behind Ezra's chair and looked over his shoulder. "You should have done that at the weekend," reprimanded Josiah, upon discovering that Ezra was finishing his homework that he was supposed to do over the weekend - not when he should be getting ready for school. There had been plenty of time before and after the boys' rescue when Ezra could've been doing his homework. The Potters had raised their sons to not let their magical work completely disrupt the non-magical side of their lives.
"And miss my favorite shows; I think not, Mr. Sanchez."
"EZRA!" complained Gloria, as she turned to the two Potter sons in the room. "Schoolwork is more important than TV; and I do wish you wouldn't address your brothers in that manner."
"I'm sorry, Gloria. Sorry, Josiah," apologized Ezra, before returning his gaze to his homework. "If you'll allow me to finish this now, then I can depart soon and arrive at school promptly."
Loud giggling could be heard coming from the bathroom then, so Gloria hurried to see what the boys were up to inside. "Boys? I didn't realize washing was so funny," she commented sternly toward the bathroom door.
Vin opened the door, his T-shirt soaked; "JD splashed me, so I splashed him back," he explained.
"JD, no more splashing, understand? I just asked you to get washed, is that too much to ask for?"
"No," answered JD sadly. "Sorry, Ma'am. No more splashing, we promise."
"Use this towel to get dry, Boys, then finish up in there," instructed Terrence, as he walked to the doorway with a clean towel.
"Yes, Sir," said JD, as he accepted the towel, "thanks." His mother had taught him good manners and he always remembered to use them.
Both boys disappeared back inside the bathroom, closing the door behind them.
"It's just like old times," commented Gloria with a smile.
Terrence put an arm around his wife's shoulders. "We're not too old to have two more, are we?"
"I don't think so, Dear. Once Chris and Josiah had left home, we would've had too much spare time on our hands - there doesn't seem to be as many innocents to save and demons to vanquish these days. At least with these two, we won't be bored."
"I enjoy a challenge and something tells me that we've just been given a big one." Terrence grinned toward the bathroom door.
"It will certainly be a challenge having a half-Whitelighter in the family," agreed Gloria. "I thought having a half-demon was hard, but at least those aren't at risk from deadly Darklighters."
"Mother, I have never been difficult to care for," disagreed Ezra, looking up from his schoolwork. "Please kindly refrain from referring to me as a half-demon, as that denotes that I am half evil and I am certainly not that."
"We didn't mean any offence, Ezra," apologized Terrence. "You certainly haven't always been easy to look after though - especially when you started using such long words and we had to try and decipher everything you said."
Ezra sighed and looked back at his work, trying to work out the answer to the last question. He finally gave up - he'd just leave it blank and pretend he'd missed it.
JD came running out of the bathroom and ran to Ezra. "What ya doing?" he asked curiously.
"I've just been completing my homework, JD."
JD looked at the page of questions and answers curiously. "You don't know the last one?"
"I must've missed that question," lied Ezra.
"It's fifty-seven," answered the little boy casually.
Ezra looked at JD in surprise. "How would you know that?"
"I worked-ed it out. It's ea-zee."
Terrence had heard the exchange and picked up Ezra's book to check. "He sure is a smart little guy - it's correct."
"Hey, not so much of the 'little'," said JD slightly angry.
"Sorry," said Terrence guiltily.
'It could be handy having a clever baby brother,' thought Ezra, with a slight smile.
"Ezra Patrick Standish," scolded Terrence. "You are not to use him to help you with your schoolwork, understand?"
"Of course," answered Ezra; he hated that his father could read his mind. Having then finished his homework, Ezra stood up, packed his book and pens away, and left the room to get ready for school.
Shortly after Ezra left the room, Vin walked in through the open door. "Can we go to the stores now?"
"You'll need to put your shoes and coat on first, Honey," instructed Gloria, glad that Vin was so keen to go shopping.
"Let's go and get ready, Vin," said JD, as he grabbed his brother's hand.
The two boys left the room to prepare for the shopping trip.
"JD's certainly smart, isn't he?" said Terrence in amazement. "I guess we'll have to make sure he goes to the most suitable school."
"We can't split them up, Terrence - they're very close," warned Gloria, thinking about how upset both boys would be if they had to go to separate schools.
"In that case, we'll find one they can both attend."
The boys quickly came downstairs, ready for shopping, and Gloria put on her coat and shoes; picked up her keys and left the house with the boys.
Terrence looked at Josiah and Ezra, remembering when they'd first come to the house. Then he smiled - he loved being a father and he felt truly blessed to have such fine sons. He was happy to have two more if that was what the Elders really wished, and couldn't wait to start teaching them things.
The End...except for Part 7: The Charmed Seventh, and after that, The Chris Saga (Trilogy) will complete the series.