Chapter 12
Poppy paced the wooden floor of magic school's library slowly
"He's not coming back," she said to Wyatt who at that moment was buried in a book reading
"Look Pop he'll come back he's my dad he always comes back" Wyatt assured her and went right back to reading Poppy was amazed at the way her cousin blatantly refused to believe his Dad wouldn't return she remembered back to when she was three and His Dad had left on Elder business for three months yes she had to admit he did come back but if her dad did that no way would her mum even let him come back then again there was the time he…
"I found it!" Wyatt yelped excitedly
"Found what?" Poppy asked having being jerked out of her line of thought
"This!" he showed her what he'd been reading
"What is it?" she sniffed
"You know those books I collect"
"The ones about dark magic and it's reasons" she asked he nodded
"This is the first ever collection of it"
"So?"
"So? The school's copy went missing on my seventh birthday I never got to read it" he told her she looked at him he knew that look the one that said 'Are you stupid?'
"Wyatt?" she asked he nodded waiting for the typical snide remark "Your seventeen" she nodded
"But the schools not"
"I know it's three hundred," she told him reminding him that despite his belief she had and still was part of magic school
"Not here we've been brought here but in order for us to be 17 or 15 in your case we have to have had a life"
"In a strange way that makes sense" she told him
"Where's my shrimp of a brother?" Wyatt asked
"Who knows" Poppy shrugged Wyatt pulled out a magical toy spider the one that he'd enchanted so that Chris couldn't see it and it'd crawl all over him and frighten him until his mum caught him but mum wasn't here
"Ooh Chris!" he yelled and ran out leaving poppy to think
She bit her lip wondering if it would work
"LEO!" she shouted he orbed down
"What's up?" he asked
"I wanna see mum," she told him he shook his head
"I already told you," he said
"Oh what ever! Man this sucks!" she huffed and went after her cousin Leo laughed as he remembered how Paige used to said oh whatever when she didn't get her own way with him perhaps it was time that the kids saw their parents Jennie didn't know what was best for them after all
"Kids!" he called Poppy and Wyatt raced in and Chris followed sulkily
"Wait here a sec" he orbed down to the manor to ask the girls if they wanted to see the kids
Chris tapped Wyatt on the shoulder he thought it was Poppy and pushed her she turned and orbed Chris into the air
"Ha ha!" she squealed in delight as he twisted and turned
"Come on Poppy you know I hate heights!" he complained she brought him own gently
"You should have dropped him," Wyatt muttered
"What's your problem?" Chris asked
"You your always there in the way!" Wyatt fumed Chris shrugged and went back to sulking Poppy looked at the two of them
"This is the reason the charmed ones where always girls" she told them before sitting down
"Girls are no good they're to oh no I killed someone" Wyatt teased
"Oh shut up you idiot" she hurled a book at him and he ducked diving next to her Chris joined in all three laughed until Leo returned
"Come on you three" he held out his hand and orbed them down to see Piper and Paige and Kyle
Kyle smiled as he saw his daughter she rushed over and caught both him and Paige in a hug Piper had grabbed both her boys much to Chris's embarrassment he quickly forgot it as he breathed in the scent he hadn't smelt since he was little finally once it had broken they all turned to face Leo
"These are the charmed ones?" Paige asked a frown creeping down between her eyebrows as she eyed Poppy Wyatt and Chris slowly in turn Leo nodded slowly
"So we don't get a say in our children's lives?" Piper asked Leo shook his head sadly
"Why not?" Paige asked pitifully
"I don't know!" Leo wailed "Piper you know if I could have had any choice in this I wouldn't have done it"
"I don't know if you would have" Piper replied Leo shook his head in disbelief Paige looked down sadly Piper breathed in heavily
"Well I guess we'd better get to work then" everyone looked at her
"The kids need to find their aunt Phoebe" she said Paige nodded realising what Piper was going to do
"Come on" she said softly to the children they all followed her to the attic Kyle looked at Paige apologetically
"Elders," he explained "I love you" he orbed away Paige gave Leo a look of sorrow and left he sucked in a breath trying hard not to cry he felt as if his whole family had just turned their back on him and it felt as if he was being slowly ripped to pieces he orbed away sadly
"Come on Poppy you can do this sweetheart" Piper knelt in front of her niece and smiled
"I've never sensed anyone before" she said sadly
"Look love just close your eyes and imagine your aunt Phoebe and then try and see if you know where she is" Paige told her daughter gently Piper twisted to see what her boys where up to Wyatt was muttering under his breath and Chris was stood stock still eyes wide in fright at Piper watched a huge spider crawl all over his shoulders torso and head she shivered
"Wyatt!" she barked Wyatt jumped and looked at his mum guiltily
"Leave him alone" she told him he tried and filed to look innocent
"What have I done?" he asked smiling slightly
"The spider" she warned
"Mum its enchanted I can't see it just feel it!" Chris piped up his voice high pitched and squeaky Wyatt relented and the spider orbed into his hand
"Wimp" he whispered Piper rolled her eyes and held out her hand she felt the spider orb into her hand she shivered slightly and shoved it into her pocket
"Piper we know where Phoebe is!" Paige told her sister obviously brimming with Pride for her daughter
"The underworld" Poppy told her aunt half worried half proud
Piper nodded
"Well get going," she told the kids
"Your not coming?" Wyatt asked showing a slight bit it sensitivity which growing up he'd learnt to hide after all he'd grown up being the 'big brother' there wasn't anyone there to be his older sibling he sighed
"No Honey we can't we haven't got any powers and we wouldn't want to be a distraction for you guys but we'll be waiting here"
"Whose our whitelighter?" Poppy asked gently
"Dad" Chris said immediately
"NO it's my Dad!" Poppy protested
"Well seeing as there your dads it doesn't mater" Paige told them she held out a potion Piper had made a few weeks ago when she was bored she'd gone through the book and made three of every potion she had ingredients luckily this included the one to withdraw poison they weren't sure if it would work but if they couldn't get Luke to then it was Phoebe's only hope the three children looked at each other and took the potion then orbed away Paige felt Piper squeeze her hand she squeezed back
"Ah Leo your back!" Jennie said brightly
"Not for long I came to ask you a favour"
"No we can't put the children back," Jennie said as if telling a child they couldn't have sweets
"Its not that" Leo said icily
"What then?" she asked gently noticing how wound up he was
"I want to relinquish my powers," he told her
"You're kidding?" she asked
"Who's laughing? I don't want to be a whitelighter any more I don't want to be an elder anymore"
"We allowed you to be both so you could be around your family" she told him
"Yes but you've just made our children miss their childhood and all their memories and everything they and we would have had all for the greater freaking good so you tell me why I am supposed to show any loyalty at all to you" somewhere along the way Leo had began to shout Jennie watched him
"As you wish however we'll have to replace you so you may pick the new elder" she told him
"I wouldn't wish hat on anyone" Leo growled
"Right then we'll pick!" Jennie closed her eyes "Kyle!" she said
Leo shook his head "No!" he objected
"Why not?" Jennie asked
"I am giving up my powers so that I can be with my wife and whatever life I have left with my children so that I can be with my family! And I won't let you take Kyle away from my sister in law I can't let her go through what me and Piper went through so if that is your decision I'll keep my powers!" Leo had began to shout again
"You have no more choice in this!" Jennie yelled back with a wave of her hand Leo was thrown back down to the manor and Kyle summoned Leo shook with anger and guilt and sadness about what he'd just done
"KYLE!" he shouted after half an hour of none stop shouting Kyle orbed down Leo could tell by the shock on is face he'd just been told he stood facing Leo, Leo thought he was about to cry
"I tried to" Leo told him Kyle shook his head
"It's ok I understand but why did you choose me?" he asked
"I didn't! Jennie did"
"She said you did" Leo shook his head and Kyle knew he was telling the truth
"Sorry" he apologised
"It's ok I gotta go say bye to Poppy and figure out what I'll say to Paige" he told him Leo saw the tears welling up he held out his hand
"Good luck" he told him Kyle shook his hand and pulled him into a hug
"I'll never forget what you've done for this family" Leo told him Kyle nodded and let go he waved slightly and orbed away and into his room he picked up the little golden teddy he'd given to Paige on valentines day he ran his had over its soft fur and remembered everything him and Paige had done together all the happy times and the sad ones he orbed away dropping the teddy gently onto the bed he orbed to his little girl she was with her cousins
"I need a word," he whispered to her she nodded
"I'll be back!" she told Wyatt and Chris both nodded they each knew the look in her fathers eyes it was the one their own father had given them the time they'd told them Piper had died in battle with a demon Poppy and Kyle orbed away into her room Kyle looked around the pink and purple wallpaper dotted with clouds
He smiled.