Declaimer: I don't own Charmed.
Chapter Thirty-nine
A few minuets later Piper was sat on the sofa.
She had drawn her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her knees, shook out her hair so it had fanned out over her shoulders and tucked her chin in.
This made her look like a venerable little girl.
Which in Phoebe's opinion she was.
She was just as venerable as when she had been a little girl.
Phoebe watched her chew her bottom lip nervously.
The three men who had orbbed in were still there and had been whispering among then selves.
"Would you boys go make me some tea?" Piper asked them.
"Sure," Joe said. "Want anything else?"
Piper shook her head.
"Ladies?" James asked.
"I'd kill for some coffee." Phoebe said.
"Oh me too!" Paige said. "In fact, just make a whole pot full and poor it straight down my thought."
"Please." Jai said.
The men existed.
"Leo!" Piper called when the men were out of sight. "Chris! It's safe now."
Leo and Chris orbbed and Ants and the kids, all five of them back in.
"Every thing alright now?" Ants asked.
"Fine." Piper replied.
"Good then I'll shoot off." Ants told her. "Girls I'll pick you up tomorrow evening or your mom might drop you off. Your mom will explain every thing to you later on. We're all going home tomorrow."
"But dad!" Cat protested.
"Com'on girls." Piper hushed their protests. "It's going to be a big day tomorrow. Off you go Ants, sleep well."
"Will do." Ants kissed his daughter. "You don't over do it," He kissed Piper on the cheek. "And make sure you rest up. No more jet setting around the world. Understand?"
Piper groaned.
"Okay," She agreed. "Not for a couple of month then I hit Paris. Get out of here then."
"See you mate." Leo said.
He handed Wyatt over to Cat and walked Ants to the front door.
Cat sat down next to Piper placing a sleepy Wyatt on to her lap.
Jess sat down at Cat's feet and Beca sat next to her.
Kattie sat down next to her mother.
Piper slipped her legs down to the ground and put her arm around Kattie stroking out her hair.
She was surrounded by her family.
"Here we go girl." James said walking back in. "Some tea for you."
"James!" Kattie jumped up to hug him.
"Hot tea." Piper said. "Watch it Kattes."
Leo looked at James and then at Piper a little confused.
Joe walked over to him.
"Hi." He extended his hand to Leo. "You must be the waste of space elder I've heard so much about."
"Joe!" Jai scolded him sharply. "They may be below us but there still friends of Halli's," He cringed at his choice of words. "Sorry spent far too much time with C, and we have to be nice to them."
"Sorry." Joe said shrugging off the comment.
"Who are these guys?" Chris asked.
"Jai, James and Joe." Phoebe replied.
"But Piper still hasn't explained who they are." Paige pointed out.
"Well…." Piper began slowly.
"We're her club mangers." Jai jumped in to help her out. "I manage in Spain, Joe in Portugal and James in New York."
"That doesn't explain why they can orb." Paige said. "Last time I checked club mangers didn't orb."
"They orb?" Leo asked. "Are they white lighters?"
"No. They're also kinda…. um….." Piper trailed off. "Will one of you guys explain to them please?"
"We're upper level guardian angles." Joe said.
"Which are?" Chris asked.
"They'll need more explanation than that." Cat said.
"The future sure must be screwed if your mom didn't tell you about us." Joe commented.
"Well you know there are three levels of demons you guy fight." James said. "Lower level, upper level and higher level and the source until you vanquished his sorry ass. It like that with us and our demons even more. The demons you fight are lower level to us. There are lower level guardian angles consist of white lighters and the source of all irritation and bug headedness the elders. Then there are the upper level guardian angles that consist of people like me, Jai and Joe and our bosses. There is the higher level guardian angles, well, they're very secretive and no one below them really knows any thing about them for sure. The only thing we do know for sure is that they are split in two like us, actual guardians and their bosses, advisers if you like. Then finally we assume there's one driving force behind this madness, like your source of all evil only good."
"How long have you been assigned to Piper?" Leo asked.
"All the time she's been a witch." Jai replied. "Although there has always been other angles watching over since she was about six. We were assigned to Piper and Prue as active guardians because our bosses believed and still do with Piper that they were destined for greater things beyond the Charmed destiny. Mainly because they refused to accept their powers and didn't like their destiny. But were total naturals when they started to try and even when they didn't try so hard. Then there was the kids' factor."
"The only floor to our bosses' truly wonderful plan is the free will factor." Joe hissed. "they always refuse to accept the powers that are rightful theirs. They only use stronger potions and more powerful spells."
"Ever going to accept your powers?" James asked Piper.
"In your dreams." Piper replied smiling. "Aren't you guys supposed to be managing my new clubs?"
"Yhea." The three men said together.
"And you still want those jobs?" She asked.
"Yhea." They all said again.
"Well mush then!" Piper replied. "Stop cluttering up my living room. Get out of my sight. Now! What am I paying you people for?"
"You're not." James said orbbing out.
"I thought all the hot girls were payment enough for you." Piper called after him.
"You take care of her Leo." Joe said. "Or I'll have to unleash some thing much worse than the titans."
He orbbed out.
"His joking." Piper and Jai said together.
They looked at each other wide eyed and added.
"I hope."
"You never can quite tell with him." Kattie said.
"Shh." Cat said.
Wyatt and the two younger girls had fallen asleep.
"I'd better be going." Jai leaned down and kissed Piper's cheek. "You look after your self girl. Call if you need any thing. Even if it is just to spout insane theories about conspires in the udder world to turn cell phones against the world over ice cream. And you," He shook Leo's hand warmly. "You're a very lucky man. Take good care of her."
"Will do." Leo said.
"And hey," Jai added before orbbing out. "Congratulations."
"He's nice." Phoebe said.
"She wants to know if his signal." Kattie said smiling knowingly.
"Kattie Louise Halliwell!" Piper exclaimed. "Where on earth did you learn something like that?"
"Is your uncle Ants teaching you things that he shouldn't be?" Paige asked.
"I'm gona have to have a word with him." Phoebe said. "He shouldn't be teaching you stuff like that. Not at your age. At Cat's age maybe, but you're only 12."
"Says the aunt who was sneaking into the cinema by the time she was 100 to see Kill It Before It Dies." Kattie countered smugly.
"I am not proud of my miss spent youth." Phoebe said.
Piper laughed.
"I gossip with my daughters." She said. "Bite me."
"Oh my God!" Phoebe cringed. "Piper I can't believe you told her about that!"
They all fell about laughing.
An. The line mush in this chapter is dedicated to Alyssa.
MUSH!
