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The Ties That Bind
Chapter Twelve
Cadey swung her feet back and forth, kicking the kitchen island idly. It'd been nearly two days since they sent Wyatt back in time, or forward? Too complicated. Leo came back in time for dinner and only left that morning when the Elder's incessant chiming began to get on everyone's nerves. And since Chris refused to let her actively take part in 'Operation: Stop and Fix' there was nothing she could do, hence why she was now sitting in the kitchen watching her mo- Piper, bake cookies. So far there were four batches already cooled, or in the process of cooling to one side, another set were in the oven, and now she was preparing to start a new batch.
"So, what's your favourite flavour?"
Caden froze mid-swing. After mom died no one made cookies any more. She couldn't remember what her favourite flavour was.
"Uh, what are you making?"
"Well I was going to make your favourite, I've already made chocolate chip for your Aunts, Leo and Wyatt and oatmeal for Chris and me, so what do you like?"
"Uh, oatmeal's good."
"Good? Honey if they're only good they can't be your favourite!"
"Uh, oatmeal's great! Fab! Love them… to, uh, bits?" Without meaning to, it came out more like a question than a confident statement. However many times she tried to tell herself that this wasn't her mother, wasn't the mom who tucked her in at night and chased away the nightmares, who sang to her and watched cartoons with her, it was getting increasingly difficult to keep it up… it was getting increasingly difficult to lie. Cadey shrunk away from Piper's raised eyebrows and jumped off the stool. "I've, um… I've gotta go… out! See you!"
Piper grabbed her mid-orb, forcing her to stop and re-from on the spot.
"Oh no you don't missy! It's raining outside and we haven't gone to get you any more clothes yet. Now, you just sit yourself right back down and tell me what your favourite cookie is."
"So? A bit of rain won't kill me."
A demon could though, just like one killed you.
"No, no excuses."
Stop it! Cadey remained silent, picking up the swish kick rhythm again. There were nowhere near enough distractions in the house in this time, how was she supposed to get mo-Piper onto another subject? She didn't want to do this, talking with her was too difficult.
"Can I go play with Wyatt?"
"He's napping at the moment, and don't try to change the subject."
Stop it!
"Can I go help Chris?"
"Definitely not. How hard is it to tell me what your favourite cookie is?"
"Harder than you think! Jeez! I'm going out!" The last thing she saw before orbing was her mother's disappointed face.
-
"CADEN! GET BACK HERE!" Chris jumped at the yell, and he was in the attic. What did she do? Dreading the answer he pocketed his notes and orbed down to Wyatt's room, making a pit stop to pick him up, and then down to the source of the noise.
Expecting to find his mom raging and a sheepish Cadey standing over something ripped, stained or broken it was a bit of a surprise when he found her sitting dejectedly in the kitchen, a mixing bowl forgotten to one side, her head in her hands.
"Mom? What's wrong?" Setting Wyatt into his playpen with a few toys he then hurried over to where she still hadn't moved. "Mom?"
Now, see, this was worrying: his mom wasn't saying a word, his sister was nowhere to be seen and there were no broken household items.
Her voice quiet and filled with sadness finally spoke, "Why won't she tell me what her favourite cookies are?"
"What?"
"I was making cookies, and Caden wouldn't tell me! She left and it's raining and she's a little girl!" Tears fell down her face and Chris didn't need to be an empath to know why -everything from the past few days was catching up all at once and overwhelming her.
"Aw, mom…" Chris drew her into a tight embrace, "You've gotta understand, in our future Cadey hasn't seen you since she was five -"
"Because I died."
"Yeah, and now you're here asking about cookies? She's scared that when we go back you won't be there. I mean, come on? Remember what I was like when I first came here?"
"The sarcastic smartass that only turned up to send us on demon hunts? That's kinda hard to forget sweetie."
"Yeah, well it's taken me this long to even be able to talk to you, mom."
"What, Chris are you telling me you can't, you're still -that you're -"
"Mom, this isn't your fault, okay? It's just us; we've been on our own for a while. It's… weird suddenly having to answer to a mom and aunts again."
"What about your father?"
"Mom." This was so not how the conversation was supposed to be going, he was telling her way too much. And now they were getting on to Leo? Sure they were getting better, he didn't want to pound his face in incessantly anymore, and Leo was actually making an effort, but there were twenty-two years of things to make up for. "If you want to get to know Cadey, just take it slow. Ask about the weather."
Piper pulled to look him in the eye, "And how do I get to know you?"
"Just, be you. And don't go too fast either." He smiled and pecked her on the cheek, "I'll go find her."
-
"You know Pip, if you want to run away and not be found you've got to stop running to the same place."
Chris noted the unrelenting rain and near-black tumultuous sky and pulled her up on her feet.
"Stop it Cadey."
"It's not that easy!" A wave crashed into the rocks, drenching them completely.
"You've got to calm down. Our powers are tied into our emotions!"
"Mom was asking me about cookies! Mom's dead!" Cadey was screaming, the wind carrying her voice as it careened through San Fransisco. "I don't remember!"
Chris wiped hair from his eyes and thought back over their last few words. Didn't remember? What?
"What don't you remember?"
"My favourite cookies! I don't remember and I want to and it don't make any sense 'cause she's dead but she was talking and, and it doesn't make any sense! It doesn't!"
Ah. At least it all made sense now… the lack of chatter, the withdrawal, the definitely volatile emotions wreaking havoc on the weather… "Aw man, Pippa, I know it's weird, it's weird for me too -seeing mom again, having Leo actually talk to me, seeing our big bro as a toddler?
"You just gotta, I dunno, enjoy having mom, and who knows? If we can stop Wyatt from turning that might save mom as well."
"Then she'll be there when we go back?"
"She'll be there when we go back."
The winds started to die down, the waves relaxing. Caden sneezed and shivered. Chris knew how she felt -it wasn't exactly warm by the sea front.
"What d'ya say we go home? Experiment with cookies and stuff."
"What about Operation: Stop and Fix?"
"A few hours won't make too much of a difference." Chris took them behind an outcropping of rocks to cover their view, and added, "Or I hope it won't."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Was it something I said? :( My confidence is all shaken up and I'm getting self-conscious again :( Next update might be a week or so -i'm going away on wednesday and i won't have time to write :(
but... meeeep... do people still like the story?
Review Thank You's and Replies To:
melissa-p: Would I kill Chris? Hmmmmm.... good question...
ilovedrew88: Jenna was a member of the Resistance... I don't know if she was anybody to the family... depends how much angst i want to work into later chapters ;) That's a good point about Chris... even Wyatt loves him!
The Ties That Bind
Chapter Twelve
Cadey swung her feet back and forth, kicking the kitchen island idly. It'd been nearly two days since they sent Wyatt back in time, or forward? Too complicated. Leo came back in time for dinner and only left that morning when the Elder's incessant chiming began to get on everyone's nerves. And since Chris refused to let her actively take part in 'Operation: Stop and Fix' there was nothing she could do, hence why she was now sitting in the kitchen watching her mo- Piper, bake cookies. So far there were four batches already cooled, or in the process of cooling to one side, another set were in the oven, and now she was preparing to start a new batch.
"So, what's your favourite flavour?"
Caden froze mid-swing. After mom died no one made cookies any more. She couldn't remember what her favourite flavour was.
"Uh, what are you making?"
"Well I was going to make your favourite, I've already made chocolate chip for your Aunts, Leo and Wyatt and oatmeal for Chris and me, so what do you like?"
"Uh, oatmeal's good."
"Good? Honey if they're only good they can't be your favourite!"
"Uh, oatmeal's great! Fab! Love them… to, uh, bits?" Without meaning to, it came out more like a question than a confident statement. However many times she tried to tell herself that this wasn't her mother, wasn't the mom who tucked her in at night and chased away the nightmares, who sang to her and watched cartoons with her, it was getting increasingly difficult to keep it up… it was getting increasingly difficult to lie. Cadey shrunk away from Piper's raised eyebrows and jumped off the stool. "I've, um… I've gotta go… out! See you!"
Piper grabbed her mid-orb, forcing her to stop and re-from on the spot.
"Oh no you don't missy! It's raining outside and we haven't gone to get you any more clothes yet. Now, you just sit yourself right back down and tell me what your favourite cookie is."
"So? A bit of rain won't kill me."
A demon could though, just like one killed you.
"No, no excuses."
Stop it! Cadey remained silent, picking up the swish kick rhythm again. There were nowhere near enough distractions in the house in this time, how was she supposed to get mo-Piper onto another subject? She didn't want to do this, talking with her was too difficult.
"Can I go play with Wyatt?"
"He's napping at the moment, and don't try to change the subject."
Stop it!
"Can I go help Chris?"
"Definitely not. How hard is it to tell me what your favourite cookie is?"
"Harder than you think! Jeez! I'm going out!" The last thing she saw before orbing was her mother's disappointed face.
-
"CADEN! GET BACK HERE!" Chris jumped at the yell, and he was in the attic. What did she do? Dreading the answer he pocketed his notes and orbed down to Wyatt's room, making a pit stop to pick him up, and then down to the source of the noise.
Expecting to find his mom raging and a sheepish Cadey standing over something ripped, stained or broken it was a bit of a surprise when he found her sitting dejectedly in the kitchen, a mixing bowl forgotten to one side, her head in her hands.
"Mom? What's wrong?" Setting Wyatt into his playpen with a few toys he then hurried over to where she still hadn't moved. "Mom?"
Now, see, this was worrying: his mom wasn't saying a word, his sister was nowhere to be seen and there were no broken household items.
Her voice quiet and filled with sadness finally spoke, "Why won't she tell me what her favourite cookies are?"
"What?"
"I was making cookies, and Caden wouldn't tell me! She left and it's raining and she's a little girl!" Tears fell down her face and Chris didn't need to be an empath to know why -everything from the past few days was catching up all at once and overwhelming her.
"Aw, mom…" Chris drew her into a tight embrace, "You've gotta understand, in our future Cadey hasn't seen you since she was five -"
"Because I died."
"Yeah, and now you're here asking about cookies? She's scared that when we go back you won't be there. I mean, come on? Remember what I was like when I first came here?"
"The sarcastic smartass that only turned up to send us on demon hunts? That's kinda hard to forget sweetie."
"Yeah, well it's taken me this long to even be able to talk to you, mom."
"What, Chris are you telling me you can't, you're still -that you're -"
"Mom, this isn't your fault, okay? It's just us; we've been on our own for a while. It's… weird suddenly having to answer to a mom and aunts again."
"What about your father?"
"Mom." This was so not how the conversation was supposed to be going, he was telling her way too much. And now they were getting on to Leo? Sure they were getting better, he didn't want to pound his face in incessantly anymore, and Leo was actually making an effort, but there were twenty-two years of things to make up for. "If you want to get to know Cadey, just take it slow. Ask about the weather."
Piper pulled to look him in the eye, "And how do I get to know you?"
"Just, be you. And don't go too fast either." He smiled and pecked her on the cheek, "I'll go find her."
-
"You know Pip, if you want to run away and not be found you've got to stop running to the same place."
Chris noted the unrelenting rain and near-black tumultuous sky and pulled her up on her feet.
"Stop it Cadey."
"It's not that easy!" A wave crashed into the rocks, drenching them completely.
"You've got to calm down. Our powers are tied into our emotions!"
"Mom was asking me about cookies! Mom's dead!" Cadey was screaming, the wind carrying her voice as it careened through San Fransisco. "I don't remember!"
Chris wiped hair from his eyes and thought back over their last few words. Didn't remember? What?
"What don't you remember?"
"My favourite cookies! I don't remember and I want to and it don't make any sense 'cause she's dead but she was talking and, and it doesn't make any sense! It doesn't!"
Ah. At least it all made sense now… the lack of chatter, the withdrawal, the definitely volatile emotions wreaking havoc on the weather… "Aw man, Pippa, I know it's weird, it's weird for me too -seeing mom again, having Leo actually talk to me, seeing our big bro as a toddler?
"You just gotta, I dunno, enjoy having mom, and who knows? If we can stop Wyatt from turning that might save mom as well."
"Then she'll be there when we go back?"
"She'll be there when we go back."
The winds started to die down, the waves relaxing. Caden sneezed and shivered. Chris knew how she felt -it wasn't exactly warm by the sea front.
"What d'ya say we go home? Experiment with cookies and stuff."
"What about Operation: Stop and Fix?"
"A few hours won't make too much of a difference." Chris took them behind an outcropping of rocks to cover their view, and added, "Or I hope it won't."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Was it something I said? :( My confidence is all shaken up and I'm getting self-conscious again :( Next update might be a week or so -i'm going away on wednesday and i won't have time to write :(
but... meeeep... do people still like the story?
Review Thank You's and Replies To:
melissa-p: Would I kill Chris? Hmmmmm.... good question...
ilovedrew88: Jenna was a member of the Resistance... I don't know if she was anybody to the family... depends how much angst i want to work into later chapters ;) That's a good point about Chris... even Wyatt loves him!
