Chapter 3: Latifah

The two travellers looked around sensing a change in their surroundings, just to turn back to each other once again, mesmerised not so much by finding themselves in front of the Halliwell manor, but more so by the changes to the house from they way they have remembered it. There were two storeys added on top, and a row of steps leading somewhere under the porch as well. The outside wall was painted a brighter shade of red, in contrast with the blackness of the windows, doors and the roof, with the terraced garden planted with so many growing seemingly magical weeds and other herbs that they could hardly see down to the road, where a dark limo was parked.

A grey cat jumped off the fence, meowed at them and shapeshifted into a blond, sturdy demon with a beard, but not with much hair elsewhere on his head in the safety of the secluded entrance in the heart of San Francisco, "your queen is expecting you, my lord," he bowed in front of Leo, glancing uneasily at his companion. He waved the doors open, and the strong scent let them know that a magical protection charm was also broken to allow their entrance.

The hall looked like a mini museum to the untrained eye, but in fact was a collection of ancient objects that possessed paranormal qualities. Wyatt was playing with a toy gun at the bottom of the steps, directing it at an older woman. Next to the steps, baby Christopher was lying in a pram, hands and legs moving vehemently. When they got closer, they could see that he was actually crying, but his voice could not be heard.

"What is this?" Leo couldn't help himself, and took the frazzled child out of the pushchair and held him close to comfort him.

"The triumvirate adjourned the whole board of representing fractions of the underworld and her majesty ordered no interruption from the children, so I cast a spell."

"Break it. Now!" He ordered the demon, reasonably alarmed by seeing his son get more and more frustrated by not being able to hear his own voice and trying harder and harder. But once the effect of the spell wore off and he could lie exhausted in the security of his father's arms, he shot his eyes to rest after all the action. The temporary loud cries however, seemed to have disrupted the gathering in the attic, where from demonic laughs could be heard all the way down to the entrance door. An annoyed Paige orbed in with an even more upset Piper. The babysitter attempted shimmering away at the sight, but Piper's blowing up skills were more practiced nowadays than her freezing ability.

Paige elbowed her playfully, "who are you gonna order to baby sit next?"

Piper regarded her husband with some wonderment, "maybe Leo, if he keeps this up. I thought we agreed not to touch the baby whitelighter that was foretold to change the balance back to the side of good," she scoffed at Christopher, not willing to even utter his name, "until we figure out a way to make him be like Wyatt," she kneeled down to stroke the hair of her oldest, who blew up one of the plastic toy trucks for attention, for which he was also rewarded with a kiss on top of his head.

"Well, I'm sure we will figure out something," Leo stepped into his role the gatekeeper was supposedly wanting him to play in this alternate dimension, where the sisters were apparently on the side of evil, "we always do. So it's a given. There's no need of depriving him of anything till then," he continued to hold the boy.

"Aha," Piper regarded him sceptically, "and that after I had to stop you yesterday from orbing him to the bottom of the ocean and leaving him there tied to some weeds for being the curse on the family. That's exactly what we need now," she gestured towards Paige, "a husband crown price that changes his mind every second minute. Do it, don't do it, get it up, don't get it up..."

"I'm more worried about the presence of a certain half human," she frowned at Cole, "Phoebe will get a nervous breakdown if she sees him."

"Some things just never change," Cole glanced at Leo with an ironic look.

"And more importantly," Paige continued, "I don't like him being here either. We can't trust him. The number of times he turned on us to perform some stupid noble good deed..." She rolled her eyes and held up her hand in a disgusted gesture.

"Maybe he has some info on some of the witches we want to hunt down, don't you Cole?" Piper took his arm, "you can tell me in private. Will you shimmer us up?" She suggested in a teasing manner, tugging at his sleeve and smiling sexily.

"Information, yeah..." Cole followed her order, reasonably confused and unprepared as to what he was supposed to do in the situation.

"Tusk," Paige shook her head, "information, my ass! Leo, this really a disgrace, don't you think? Open marriage here or there, I wouldn't let my wife fling around so obviously with a half breed that endangered our leadership!"

"You're right," Leo felt some jealousy even in the out of place circumstances, "could you mind the kids while I go up and sort out something with my wife?"

"Huh?" Paige admired her own fingernails, "since when is it in fashion to ask the queen of the underworld to baby sit for doubtful spawns of an ex Elder?"

"Queen?" Leo couldn't help, but express his surprise at the words of his sister in law, almost giving himself away with the incredulous tone.

"Okay, okay, the triumvirate of the charmed sisters rules demonkind, but one can imagine herself being crowned in all actuality..." Paige dreamed with an excited voice, then regarded Leo for a moment in a way that made his heart jump, afraid she found a way to see through him, but finally she decided to give him the help he was asking her after all, "guard!" When the curly haired, handsome demon protector shimmered in, Paige pursed her lips at Leo, "my bodyguard will look after the kids. Don't look at me like that! Just because he is my lover, he can still perform other duties as well. He's good with kids, he has six smaller siblings. Now mind your own marriage!" She urged him to orb upstairs, "but I wanna discuss some plan with you afterwards," she ordered him, leaving no doubt about who was in charge between the two of them.

tbc