A/N Before we begin, I just wanted to remind you of two things I mentioned quite a few chapters ago…
Mel is dating/ went to the dance with a boy named Jake (see chapter 2 if you want to refresh your memory)
Chris and Wyatt were seen by several mortals in chapters 6 and 7 (if you recall, Wyatt was too weak to orb all the way back to the manor from the underworld, and Chris came to help him)
Well, keep those things in mind, and enjoy the next (extremely long) chapter!
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CHAPTER 17 "Just Talking"
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Piper's eyes fluttered open as she felt a warm beam of sunlight brush against her face. She groaned quietly and rolled over, forgetting for a few blissful seconds that there was a rather large problem that had to be dealt with. She could feel Leo's arm wrapped protectively around her body, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself starring straight into his chest.
With a content smile, Piper snuggled closer to him, allowing her senses to be filled with warmth that was so undeniably Leo.
She opened her mouth to speak- to wake him- but that was when she saw it…
There were white feathered wings on her husband's back…and in one heart sinking instant; it all came rushing back…
The spell…
The boys, Mel, Paige, Cole…
This was not a morning to relax. They needed to get back to work. They needed to find a solution.
Drawing a deep breath to calm her beating heat, Piper rolled back over to look at her bedside clock.
'10:15 am' it read in glowing green letters.
Her eyes widened and her body froze with panic. Ten fifteen? How could it be ten fifteen? Hadn't she set the alarm to wake them up at six?
Piper's mind drifted back to the previous night. She had come into the room, she and Leo had talked, then they had….
Her heart sank as she realized her mistake. She had been so wrapped up in the moment that she had completely forgotten to set it…and now they were hours behind…
Why hadn't anyone else come to wake them?
They all couldn't still be asleep…could they?
"Leo!" she exclaimed, giving her husband a rough shake. "Leo, wake up! We slept in!"
The man groaned quietly and pulled the corner of their quilt over his head, mumbling a few words she was unable to decipher.
"Damnit Leo!" she cried again, ripping off the blanket and leaving him fully exposed to the cold. "Get up now!"
Relived to see his green eyes slowly beginning to open, Piper jumped out of bed and frantically pulled on some of her discarded clothes. She found Leo's shirt and pants draped haphazardly over a chair and flung them across the room- hitting him on the head and causing him to sit up with surprise.
"Wha-" he began to question, his voice still groggy as he looked down at the items his wife had thrown at him.
"Oh just get dressed and orb your ass downstairs ASAP." Piper snapped, doing up the last button oh her shirt and rushing out the door.
She couldn't believe her stupidity…how could she have forgotten? How could she have been so careless?
She walked quickly down the hallway, knocking on all of the doors as she passed.
"Mel, wake up." She said loudly, as she reached her nieces room.
Piper knocked on the next door. "Chris, Wyatt, wake up."
She hoped they would be able to make up for all of the lost time…
She looked down at her watch.
Ten seventeen.
It was already ten seventeen…
They could have made four hours progress by now. They could have found a solution and had everyone back to normal.
Instead, they had slept in.
This was all her fault…
Still frantic, Piper walked swiftly down the stairs, hoping that her family would have enough sense to shimmer, orb or walk to the kitchen as fast as they could. She would prepare a quick breakfast before sending everyone off on their various tasks…
Taking a deep breath to calm her jangled nerves, Piper turned the corner into the living room…
The sight that met her made stop mid step.
Her mouth fell open in surprise, and the overwhelming sweetness of the scene temporarily broke her away from her panic.
Chris and Jenny were snuggled peacefully on the couch, both consumed by a deep and restful sleep. Her little boy's arm was draped protectively around the girl, and her head was nestled against his chest. She could see parts of their perfectly white wings sticking out from beneath the blanket that covered them, and the sunlight flooding in from a nearby window cast an almost heavenly glow over their sleeping forms.
It was absolutely breathtaking…
Piper knew that she should be slightly disappointed in her son for falling asleep with a girl…but there was such a sense of innocence radiating off them that she couldn't harbour any disapproving feelings.
Allowing herself to simply observe for another few seconds, Piper gave a wistful sigh and quietly crept into the kitchen.
There really was no point in disturbing them until absolutely necessary…she would call them when breakfast was ready.
She pushed open the kitchen door, expecting to find the room empty, and was surprised to see Paige sitting at the table, a steaming mug in her hand.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, and Piper sent a disapproving look at her youngest sister. "Paige…" she began with a raised eyebrow. "Where did you get the coffee? I thought we were out."
Paige shrugged, and took a deep sip from her cup. "Uh, we were…"
The oldest charmed one folded her arms across her chest, and shot Paige a look that clearly said she wanted an explanation.
"I may have sort of summoned it this morning." Paige said, avoiding her sister's gaze and taking another sip. "And before you lecture me about personal gain again, consider this; if I don't have my coffee, then I can't help you guys vanquish the responsible demon and save the world…so, it really isn't personal gain…I wouldn't have done it unless absolutely necessary…"
Piper rolled her eyes at her sisters rambling and shook her head in disapproval. "Fine. We don't have time to argue about this now…but you had better hope this doesn't back fire. That's the last thing we need."
Smiling innocently, Paige downed the last of the coffee in her mug and jumped up to get a refill. "If anything happens- which I doubt- I take full responsibility." She poured herself more of the dark steaming brew, savouring the aroma as it drifted up to wards her nose. "Yep, totally worth the personal gain." She muttered.
Piper rolled her eyes again, and began to rummage around in the fridge for eggs, milk and everything else that could possibly be used to piece together a breakfast. "How long have you been up anyway?" she asked, placing the almost full egg carton on the counter.
"I don't know….an hour….or two…"
"Two hours!" she exclaimed, half expecting something to blow up as she threw up her hands in anger. "Paige! Why didn't you wake us up! I specifically said that I wanted us to get an early start…"
Paige shrugged. "Yesterday was busy- I thought everyone could use the sleep."
Before Piper could get any angrier, both Leo and Wyatt orbed into the kitchen- looking tired and slightly disgruntled.
"Morning mom." Wyatt mumbled as he took a seat at the table next to Paige. He gave a slight wave of his hand and orbed both the coffee pot and a clean mug in front of him.
"What is it with this family and personal gain?" Piper asked, glaring at her son in disapproval as he began to pour himself a cup. "For angels you certainly like to break the rules…"
Leo gave a slight laugh and placed a comforting arm around his wife's shoulders. "And where would we be if we didn't break the rules?" he asked, kissing her gently atop the head.
"He's got you there." Paige cut in. "I wouldn't exist if it wasn't for this family's tendency to break the rules…and neither would my two favourite nephews."
"Good point." Piper muttered quietly. "I don't want to even think about that."
She allowed herself the comfort of Leo's embrace for a few seconds as she tried to bury that horrible idea. She couldn't imagine life without her husband, sons, and little sister…no matter how rebellious they were at times.
"If you were so adamant about getting up early, then why didn't you set your alarm?" Paige asked, glancing up from her coffee to look at Piper and Leo.
Leo cleared his throat nervously and set his gaze down to the floor, and Piper could feel a slight blush creep across her cheeks.
"Umm, we were just talking." Piper replied as she began to fidget with her hands. "And then, um, doing other things…setting the alarm just slipped my mind."
Paige's eyes widened and her face scrunched up in disgust. "Other things? Eugh. I'm sorry I asked." She paused and looked up at them again. "How could you have possibly been 'in the mood' for that after everything that went on yesterday?"
"Oh, I don't know…" Piper replied, playfully kissing Leo on the cheek. "Sometimes I just find it hard to resist my handsome husband's angelic charms...and trust me; he has quite a few…"
"I am not listening to this!" Wyatt exclaimed suddenly. His face had paled considerably, and he was clearly mortified at the thought of his parents doing…that.
Piper gave her son an amused smirk. "Aww, I'm sorry honey." She said as she took a step away from Leo and began setting out breakfast ingredients in an organized manner. "But really-how do you think you got here? You didn't just magically appear…"
"Enough!" Wyatt cried again, his blue eyes wide with horror.
Paige looked similarly grossed out, and Piper decided that she had tortured them enough.
"Okay, Okay. I'll stop." She said, taking out her favourite frying pan and cracking several eggs onto it. "Leo honey, could you please get out the plates?"
The whitelighter set off across the kitchen, almost bumping into Mel as she suddenly shimmered into the room, appearing to be quite cheerful and awake.
"Mmmm, smells good Aunt Piper." She noted as she too took a seat at the table, looking as perky as a person with demonic features could. "Good morning everyone- did you sleep well?"
The other four muttered their various responses as Mel poured herself what remained of Paige's pot of coffee. She took a sip and gave a quick glance around the room. "Where's Chris?" she asked after several seconds, slightly surprised to see that her cousin- the notorious early riser- had not yet joined the family in the kitchen.
Wyatt suddenly snapped fully awake, and he too looked around the room- noticing for the first time that his little brother wasn't present. "I don't know." He stated, standing up abruptly, his expression clearly worried. "When I woke up he wasn't there…I just assumed he had orbed downstairs already. What if-"
A slight smile crossed Pipers lips as her mind drifted back to what she had seen in the living room. "Don't worry Wyatt- he's fine." She replied, carefully flipping the first batch of eggs over. "He's still asleep; I'll wake him up soon."
"Still asleep?" Wyatt questioned, confused by his mothers response. "But I just told you, he's not upstairs…"
"That's right. He's not upstairs." Piper replied, still smiling.
Wyatt was baffled, but before he could question her more, Chris and Jenny burst into the room, both looking hazy and tousled from sleep.
A look of realization crossed Wyatt's face as he stared at the two. Their hands were clasped together as they seated themselves at the table…he could almost sense the sickeningly sweet adoration between them…
The pieces all fell into place.
Chris hadn't come back upstairs last night. He had gone to check on Jenny and he had stayed with her…they had fallen asleep together…
Wyatt must have dozed off before any suspicion could set in the previous night.
He exchanged a wide eyed glance with Mel before looking back over at his little brother and the girl. A grin crossed his face as a hundred possible opportunities for blackmail and relentless teasing began to form in his mind.
It was all too easy…
"Well, this is certainly interesting…" Mel muttered to his left as she tired unsuccessfully to hide her own smirk.
Wyatt nodded in agreement before locking his blue eyes on his brother's green. "So…Chris…" he began, smiling as devilishly as an angel could. "Did you sleep well last night?" he paused "Did you sleep at all, last night?"
Much to his satisfaction, Chris' cheeks flushed a deep pink and he looked uncomfortably down at the table. "Shutup Wy." He muttered, obviously hoping that his brother would drop it.
Unfortunately for Chris, Wyatt had other plans…
"Oh don't worry Chris." He began again. "It's totally alright…I get to be the best man at your wedding though, right?" he paused. "And you know…I have always wanted a little niece or nephew…I suppose I won't have to wait too long, will I?"
"Wyatt!" Piper exclaimed, looking up from her cooking, her eyes flashing with annoyance. "That's enough. Leave your brother alone."
Wyatt stifled a laugh. "Alright- I was only kidding." He said, looking over at Chris and Jenny who were now both beet red with embarrassment.
He decided that it might be best to back off for now…but once his parents were out of hearing range, he would show no mercy…
As he had said just yesterday, it was his job to make fun of his little brother- and this was an opportunity far too good to pass up.
"We were just talking." Chris muttered, holding back the urge to send Wyatt hurtling into the nearest wall. "That's it."
"Yeah, your parents were 'just talking' last night too…" Paige added unhelpfully, as she raised an eyebrow.
Wyatt grinned again; his youngest aunt really could be cool at times…
"Paige!" Piper cried, aghast at what her family was implying about her baby boy. "You're worse then a kid. We are dropping the subject…now."
"Dropping what subject?" a new voice asked, causing all present to turn in its direction.
Emily walked into the room, fully dressed and ready for action.
"Nothing Mom!" Jenny exclaimed, her voice quite a bit higher than usual. "Nothing."
The woman looked at her daughter with confusion before shrugging it off and joining everyone around the table. "It's almost eleven." She noted, glancing down at her watch. "I guess we slept too long, eh?"
Piper nodded, glad for the distraction as she began to dish out the food. "Yes- well, let's eat quickly then…there are demons to be killed and spells to reverse!"
"Agreed." Chris said as he hopped up to help his mother distribute the food. "The sooner we get rid of these wings the better."
The others nodded, all reminded of the task ahead. They were determined to reverse what had been done and make things as normal as they could possibly be in the Halliwell household.
Mel in particular was more then ready to say goodbye to her demonic form. It stood as an outward reminder of the evil she had felt, and she hoped that once the spell was reversed, she would never have to look at herself with such disgust again.
She stabbed at her eggs as a distraction, and tried to keep her mind away from her dark thoughts. It was a new day, with new hope…and she had complete faith that her family would find a solution.
Her mother had always said that there was nothing the Halliwell's couldn't do if they put their minds to it…
Mel was struck by a sudden thought and she slowly looked back up from her plate.
"Hey…" she began, glancing at her Aunt Piper for an answer. "Has anyone seen my mom this morning?"
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"It's about time you woke up."
The words pulled Phoebe from her groggy state, and she painfully pulled herself off of the attic floor. She still felt extremely tired- and sore- but the sound of a familiar voice filled her with a sudden burst of hope.
"Cole?" she asked, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She could see her husband sitting peacefully in the crystal cage, watching her with a gentle smile. His features were still demonic, but his demeanour wasn't…she could sense it…all of the rage and hate was gone…
"Yep, right where you left me." He replied, his tone softer than it had been last night. "It's not like I could go anywhere…even if I wanted too."
A wide smile crossed the witch's face, and relief filled her body.
He was okay…
Everything was going to be okay…
"You're…you're not a demon." She stated, wanting some final confirmation.
Cole laughed. "Well, I suppose that depends on your definition…I certainly look like one." He paused. "But I don't feel like one. Last night…as I thought about what you said…and as I watched you sleep…something snapped inside of me. I realized how stupid I was being- and how my hate had blinded me from my love for you, and Mel and everyone…I'm so sorry Phoebe, I really am."
"It's alright Cole." She replied with a sad smile. It was hard to fight back the tears welling in her eyes. Cole was back- the man she had always loved more than any other had overcome his inner darkness for her…again. She knew that their love was just as strong as it always had been. "It was a spell- it wasn't you. And the important thing is that you over came it."
He nodded slowly, and she could sense his strong remorse. It was just like that she could sense so strongly from her daughter.
"Come on." She said, wanting to break through the overpowering emotions building in the room. "Lets go down and see what Piper has made for breakfast- I don't know about you, but I'm starved…and everyone will be thrilled to see that you're alright."
Phoebe stood up and took a few steps towards the attic door before her trek was interrupted by her husband's voice.
"Uh, Pheebs?" he began with a slight hint of amusement. "I'm still sort of trapped here…"
Her eyes widened and she gave a short laugh. "Right. Sorry about that…" She dashed back across the room and kicked one of the crystals, breaking the circle that had contained him.
"Thanks." He said, taking a step forward and pulling her into a gentle embrace. "Now…what to you say we get down there as quickly as possible? You're right, I am starved."
Phoebe smiled and held onto him tightly as he shimmered them down to the rest of the family…
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"She hasn't come down yet…" Piper answered her niece, worry beginning to build as she pondered Phoebe's whereabouts. She had knocked on her younger sisters door…she should have been awake by now. "She probably still getting dressed or something…"
"Yeah, probably." Mel replied, going back to her eggs and trying not to let her mind wonder off to any irrational thoughts.
Piper joined her family at the table and glanced down at her plate for a second before coming to the realization that she wouldn't be able to eat in peace until she was absolutely sure that Phoebe was alright. "I'm going to go tell her to hurry up." She stated, standing up once again.
But before she could even begin to head for the door, two figures shimmered into the room, filling her with both apprehension and relief. She could feel Paige tense up beside her…she could see Leo and the boys exchange nervous glances…
Phoebe had arrived…
With Cole.
Forcing a smile, Piper sat back down. "Good morning Phoebe…good morning Cole." She said, her voice unusually chipper.
"Dad!" Mel cried happily, jumping out of her seat to give him a tight hug. "Glad you're back."
Cole smiled and kissed the top of her head affectionately. "Glad to be back…I missed you, Ladybug."
Mel smiled at the use of her childhood nickname and happily returned to her seat- clearly thrilled that her parents were both alright…and not evil.
Piper couldn't deny that it was unsettling to see her brother in law standing in the kitchen, looking every inch a demon. Her mind instantly wondered to last night, and the crazed look of hate she had seen in his eyes…
The look was gone now.
There had been love in his interaction with his daughter.
This simple observation gave her huge comfort.
He must be fine…she trusted her sister's judgement…she wouldn't have released him if he hadn't over come the demonic tendencies…
"Good morning." Both Phoebe and Cole replied as they helped themselves to large helpings of breakfast. They were acting as if everything was completely normal…and Piper decided that it would be best to do the same.
"There is more orange juice in the fridge." She said cheerily as she took a few bites of her own food.
"Thanks." Cole replied, going over to fetch himself some before walking over to the table, where he and Phoebe filled the last two seats.
"Well, no use stalling anymore." Paige said with forced enthusiasm, standing up only seconds after her sister and brother in law sat down. "Time to work…I'll be looking through the book if you need me…"
And with that the youngest charmed one orbed out in a swirl of blue, making her remaining contempt glaringly obvious.
Uncomfortable silence filled the air.
No one knew what to say, or how to react…
Paige was angry, Jenny was nervous, Leo, Chris, Wyatt and Emily were confused….and Piper had no idea how she was going to get this family back to where it had been before last night…
They had been so happy- but the stupid spell had reminded them of their differences, and split them further apart then they had ever been…
"Um, good eggs, Piper." Cole commented, clearly aware that he was the cause of the silence.
Piper smiled at his effort. "Thanks." She replied. "Nothing special really…" she trailed off and searched for something else to say…
"You haven't been introduced to our guests!" she exclaimed, struck by sudden inspiration. "Cole- this Jenny." She said, gesturing toward the girl. "She's a friend of Chris' who just found out that she's a witch-whitelighter too. And this is Jenny's mother Emily- she's here to help us with the remaining problem."
Jenny merely stared at the large male demon with wide eyes, but Emily managed to suppress her doubts and extended her hand out for Cole to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She said with a genuine smile.
Phoebe beamed at the other witch's acceptance of her husband- relieved that some of the tension was starting to dissipate.
"Like wise." Cole replied, smiling slightly. "I assume you're a witch and not a whitelighter." He added with a glance over in Jenny's direction.
"Yes," Emily said, looking warmly at the demon. "Jenny's father was the whitelighter…I'm the witch…I suppose that's fairly obvious right now, huh?"
Cole laughed. "Oh, just a little." He stated, surveying the rest of the family. "I have to say, I knew we demons had other forms, but I had no idea whitelighters did too…how come you guys never told me?"
"Because we didn't know until yesterday either." Chris replied, looking up at his uncle. "Well, Dad knew…but he didn't think it was important to tell us that there was a possibility that we could have wings…" his voice was thick with sarcasm and he looked over at his father accusingly.
"I said I was sorry, Chris…" Leo muttered, his eyes starring down at his plate.
Piper shook her head at the argument between her husband and son. Truth be told she was still a little annoyed at Leo too…but there were bigger things to deal with at the moment then her husband's secrecy.
"Alright." Piper said, standing up to take her dish to the sink. "It's time to get back at it." Her voice had switched to business mode and her brown eyes were set with determination. "Emily, Jenny and Chris- go upstairs to help Paige look through the book. Phoebe, Cole, Mel and you stay here and work on the potions supply- we'll need a few batches so I suggest getting out more then one pot…we don't know what we're dealing with, so make it as strong as possible. Wyatt, you're going to help me write up a few spells that may be able to reverse the spell without killing the demon in charge, and Leo, I want you to go see what the elders know about this mess…they may have some useful information."
As she finished speaking, all present began to clean up and shuffle off to complete their various tasks- knowing from Piper's tone that there would be no toleration of anything else.
"I'll be back soon honey." Leo muttered as he quickly orbed out.
Chris orbed Emily and Jenny up to the attic and Cole, Phoebe and Mel all began rummaging in the cupboards for various potions ingredients.
Smiling with satisfaction, and feeling like some progress was finally about to be made, Piper grabbed onto her oldest son's arm and dragged him to the living room where they could have peace and quiet to come up with spells.
"Do you think the power of three is strong enough to reverse this without vanquishing the responsible demon?" the Wyatt asked as he began to scan the room for pen and paper.
Piper shrugged. "I don't know…I hope so. We'll never know unless we try."
He nodded, understanding her logic, and grabbed a pen off the coffee table before sitting down on the couch to think. He had always had quite the knack for coming up with good spells- he just hoped one would come to him right now…
Before Wyatt or Piper had the chance to record even the first word, the shrill sound of the door bell abruptly broke their concentration.
They exchanged a nervous glance- both wondering who it could possibly be.
"You stay here, I'll get it." Piper muttered, walking brusquely into the hallway and hoping that whoever it was wasn't there to deliver more bad news…
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Darryl Morris and his oldest son stood impatiently on the door step of the Halliwell manor, waiting for someone to answer their ring. They knew that they were taking a risk by coming here…but they also knew that they needed to tell their long time friends about the possible danger they were in.
"Do you think they're home?" DJ asked, giving his father an apprehensive look.
The young man was just weeks shy of his 21st birthday, and like his father and grandfather, had decided to peruse a career in the San Francisco Police force. He had been tagging along on patrol with this dad last night when chaos had broken out on the streets, and he had insisted in sticking around to help deal with the mess. He and his father were the only ones who knew that magic was most likely involved…and that the Halliwells were their best hope of solving the problem.
They had spend a sleepless night at the station, interviewing witnesses, dealing with prisoners, and trying to get a hold of any evidence that could provide proof of magic before it was given over to the media.
Darryl shrugged. "I'm pretty sure they'll be here…unless they're down in the underworld vanquishing demons or something. I hope they know what's going on."
A sudden shadowy movement behind one of the windows told them that, thankfully, someone was indeed there. Seconds later a rather frazzled looking Piper swung open the door, smiling slightly as she saw the familiar faces standing outside.
"Darryl, DJ!" the woman exclaimed, gesturing for them to step inside. "I'm so glad it you."
Darryl briefly retuned his friend's smile, before remembering that they were here on serious business. "Good morning Piper." He replied, his voice solemn. "I'm afraid we have some rather pressing news…"
The witch's face fell as father and son exchanged a nervous glance.
"Do you know about what's been happening out there?" DJ asked as he began rummaging around in his pockets for a disc he had brought. "With the demons…"
Piper's eyes grew wide as the young man spoke. "Yes we know about the spell…" she began, her voice suddenly full of worry. "But I almost forgot that it was happening out there too…we've been so distracted with family issues that we haven't even had time to deal with the rest of the city…how bad is it?"
Darryl gave a loud sigh. "Pretty bad." He replied honestly. "We've been up all night trying to deal with things…the station is in chaos with reports and calls from hundreds of eye witnesses. A few weaker demons have been captured, but most managed to escape during the night…and I don't know if you've been watching the news, but it's going to be pretty hard to cover up magic after this…some people are still convinced that it's a Halloween prank…but others aren't buying it."
DJ nodded in agreement and rubbed his tired eyes. "Yeah, the media is jumping all over this one…we've been trying our best to cover things up and make it seem like a prank, but it's almost impossible." He paused. "That's why we came- we were hoping that you guys were working on a way to reverse this…it's effected you too hasn't it? This spell or whatever..."
"We're working on it…and it certainly has effected us." Piper agreed, her knees feeling weak as she tried to absorb the horrible news her friends had delivered. She had been so absorbed with the Phoebe-Mel- Cole issue that she had forgotten that exposed demons all across San Francisco were wreaking havoc.
Just when things had been starting to look up, they had come crashing down once again.
The family was more or less okay now…
But the rest of the city wasn't…
"We think it's some sort of true nature spell- cast by a demon." Piper explained, leading DJ and Darryl into the next room where they could sit down and discuss matters further. "It reverts demons and other concealed magical creatures back to their natural form…but that's about all we know right now."
DJ opened his mouth to ask a question as they entered the next room, but the sight of Wyatt sitting on the couch temporarily took away his capacity for coherent speech. He had always been rather close with Wyatt- who was only a year younger then him- and he knew all about his friend's magical nature…but he never would have imagined this…
"Woah." The young man choked, his brown eyes wide as he stared unblinkingly at the witch-whitelighter. "Geez Wy…wow…"
Wyatt flushed a bright shade of pink as his friend sated at his newly acquired wings in disbelief. "Yes, I know I look ridiculous." He muttered, bitterly looking down at the floor.
Darryl blinked several times to recover from his own shock, before looking over at his son. "Well, that confirms the disc then…"
"Disc? What disc?" Piper asked, as she joined Wyatt on the couch.
DJ pulled the small round object out from his pocket and walked over to the Halliwell TV. "Er- we came to talk to you about this too. Someone delivered it this morning…its home video footage they shot of 'two angels' that appeared on Everwood Ave. around ten pm yesterday…"
"Uh oh." Wyatt whispered, his mind drifting back to the embarrassing predicament he had Chris had been in last night. He had woken up on a street after being hit with the spell…and Chris had come to 'save' him…
They had barely escaped the group of nosey mortals…
"Wyatt?" Piper questioned, her worried eyes locked on her son. "Is that where you ended up when you orbed back from the underworld…"
The boy sighed. "I think so…"
"Well, then it's good that we got a hold of the video before the news station did." Darryl commented as his son began to insert the disc into the appropriate player. "We suspected it might be you guys…but weren't sure if you had actually been affected or not…and it's rather difficult to make out the faces on the footage."
The cop stopped talking as the video began to play. Although it was rather shaky footage, they could make out a young man with wings surrounded by a group of people. Blue lights formed a second young man beside him, and an aggressive member of the crowd managed to pull of his jacket, revealing that he too had white feathered wings. The two struggled with the crowd until they eventually managed to break free and take off down the street…
Piper brought a hand to her mouth as the video finished, her heart beating rapidly as she thought about how close her boys had come to being captured and exposed.
"Yep, that was me and Chris." Wyatt confirmed quietly.
Darryl nodded as DJ ejected the disc and passed it to Piper. "Don't worry, we're the only ones who have seen it…destroy it, hope this is the only copy, and we'll try to pretend it was never delivered."
The witch smiled thankfully.
The Morris' had helped save them from possible disaster once again.
"But…that's not the only thing we think might be connected to your family." DJ added sadly, taking a seat in a nearby chair.
Piper's heart sank again…
"We have received several reports from students at Bayside High…evidently a demon appeared in the middle of the school dance and threatened the students with fireballs…there are also accounts that she threw one straight at a boy- but instead of getting burnt he- um- exploded into a flurry of blue lights and reformed unharmed…"
Realization dawned on the Halliwell's faces.
"Not good." Wyatt stated, looking between his friend and his 'uncle' Darryl in shock.
Piper nodded slowly, "Yes…that was Mel at the dance. The spell turned her into a demon- and she was possessed by evil for a few hours. And the boy must have been Chris…he tried to stop her and she blew him up."
"We sort of figured." The cop replied, shooting the woman a sympathetic look. "But luckily no names have been confirmed as of yet…hopefully we can cover that up too…"
"Although." DJ added, "Just before we left the station, a new witness arrived…a boy named Jake McDermott…he seemed like he might be ready to talk…"
Piper gave a quiet gasp. "Jake McDermott?" she asked quietly. "That's Mel's boyfriend…the boy she went with to the dance. If anyone can give the police a name, it's him."
"I always knew the guy was a jerk." Wyatt said bitterly. "He had better not turn in his own girlfriend." He paused. "Poor Mel…"
"Poor Mel?" a voice asked as a fifth figure entered the room. "Why? What's going on?"
Darryl, DJ, Piper and Wyatt all looked up to see the girl walk in from the kitchen, obviously curious about why they had been talking about her.
The Morris' took a second to absorb the young Halliwell's new demonic appearance before giving her sympathetic smiles.
"It's because of Jake, honey…" Piper began gently, knowing that it would be best just to hand her the truth- no matter how unfortunate it might be. "DJ and Darryl were just telling us about the reports they have received from students after yesterday's events…and they think that Jake may be willing to turn you in…did he see you change?"
Mel froze mid step, her eyes wide with horror.
Her mind drifted back to the dance…
She had been in Jake's arms…they had been swaying to the beat…having fun…
And then the mist had hit…she had been overcome by hate and anger…
She could suddenly remember seeing the disgust in her boyfriends eyes as he stared down at her…he had been revolted…afraid…
"He did." She whispered, trying hard to fight back tears. "He knows it was me…"
Darryl gave a loud sigh and exchanged a glance with is son. "Then we had better get back to the station before it's too late."
DJ nodded in agreement, his brown eyes flashing with anger as he thought about the cowardly boy who threatened to hurt the girl he cared for deeply… "Don't worry about it Mel." He said quietly as he took a few steps across the room and pulled her into a warm embrace. "We won't let anything happen to you…I'll kick his scrawny ass if he tries to turn you in…screw the police brutality rules…"
He ignored his fathers disapproving look as he turned and headed for the door. "Come on dad; let's get back as quickly as possible."
Darryl gave the Halliwell's a short wave. "Bye guys…we'll do our best to keep things under wraps…but the sooner you can come up with a counter spell or something the better…"
"We'll try." Piper replied as she watched the two leave the room.
She heard the front door slam behind them, and she drew several deep breaths to calm her racing heart.
This was bad…
Really bad.
Not only did they have to worry about vanquishing the demon and reversing the spell, but now there was the threat of exposure. How could they possibly protect Mel if the police arrived demanding that they hand over the 'demon' which had threatened the students at the dance…and what if there was another copy of the footage which clearly showed that her sons were far from normal…
Darryl was right, the sooner they could reverse this, the better…
She only hoped that it wasn't already too late to fix the damage that had been done.
"I don't believe this." Mel whispered, taking a seat next to her cousin and wiping a few stray tears from her eyes. "How could he betray me like that…how can he be such a jack ass…?"
Wyatt placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. "It'll be okay Mel." He replied gently. "We've always known that mortals don't take the idea of magic too well…especially not spineless mortals like Jake. You're better off without him."
The girl sniffled. "Maybe…" she whispered, her voice full of sadness. "I can't believe I actually thought he loved me…I'm such an idiot. How could anyone possibly love me? Look at me, I'm a freak…"
"Oh honey, no you're not." Piper cut in, feeling terrible for her niece. She knew all too well what it was like to have your heart broken by a guy…but she also knew that finding true love was possible if only you didn't give up trying. "He just wasn't the right for you…I'm sure the perfect guy is out there some where…"
Wyatt gave her a wide smile as he was struck by a sudden thought. "Or maybe he's even closer then you think…" He paused before deciding to continue. "DJ cares for you quite a bit you know…and he did just say that he was willing to kick Jake's ass for you…"
"DJ?" Mel asked, locking eyes with her cousin. Her mind wondered to thoughts of her long time friend- they had always gotten along quite well- she had many fond memories of afternoons spent with him and Wyatt and Chris…but she had never really considered him in that respect…
He was quite sweet- and quite protective…
And there was no doubt they he was very good looking…
Six foot two, thoughtful brown eyes, flawless tan skin…not to mention the muscles that came from his recent police training.
Maybe Wyatt was onto something…
Mel felt her cheeks heat up, and she knew that if not for the current demonic redness of her skin, she would have been blushing deeply.
"Anything's possible..." Wyatt shrugged, trying to look as innocent as he could.
He had known for awhile how DJ really felt about his little cousin…and he hoped that his friend wouldn't kill him when he found out that he had hinted of this to Mel.
He had promised DJ he wouldn't say anything…
But now that Mel's idiotic boyfriend was out of the way, then maybe there was a chance that things could work out between them. Wyatt would much rather see his cousin with someone he trusted then another annoying mortal from her high school.
She had dated enough of those…
Before Wyatt could contemplate the situation further, a swirl of blue orbs began to form across the room, drawing all of their attentions in that direction.
His father formed seconds later, his face sombre and his green eyes full of worry.
"Leo? Are you alright?" Piper asked, jumping up from her seat and rushing to her husband's side.
She too recognized the whitelighters worry…he had found out something bad…she knew it…
"Did you check with the elders?" she asked.
Leo nodded slowly and drew in a deep breath as he looked over at his niece and son sympathetically. "It's not good." He muttered, not wanting to agonize his family further but knowing that he had too.
There was not point in withholding the truth.
"It's not good at all…"
"Well?" Piper asked, growing more impatient by the second. "What did they say?"
The man sighed and began to speak. "They say that it was a demon that cast the spell, and that he was only able to do so because of the heightened magical force on All Hallows Eve." He paused and nervously looked over at his wife. "They also said that, because of the nature of the spell, if we don't find a way to reverse it before eight o'clock tonight…the effects will be permanent…"
Piper's mouth fell open in disbelief and Wyatt stared at his father in horror. "So…I could look like an angel for the rest of my life?" he asked, hoping desperately that he had somehow misheard.
Leo nodded. "If we can't fix it in the next eight hours, we'll be stuck this way forever…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A/N Muhahaha. Good twist? I thought I needed to heighten the drama a bit. Hope you liked it…can you believe that it's 20 pages in word! The longest chapter I've ever written. I just couldn't stop;) Hope the part with the Morris's was okay…I've been wanting to write them in- and remind the Halliwell's of the outside problems- but I hope it didn't seem too random. I also wanted to give Mel as bit of hope that love was possible, lol, she's been having a rough time, eh?
Now, I am afraid that this will be the last update for awhile…but at least it was a long one, right? It is exam time for me…I have one tomorrow actually…and I really MUST study. It may be a few weeks before I manage to get the next bit up…please forgive me…and please review anyway…it will cheer me up greatly as I study :) (and it may even inspire me to take a break and write some more…)
Also, if anyone is following my other story, I apologise for my lack of updates there, and assure you that by May, I'll get back at it. (I'm still determined to finish! Really!)
I'm so sorry guys…school sucks :(
Please Review!
chattypandagurl- yes, I enjoyed the brotherly parts too, lol. Fluff all around!
IcantthinkofaFnick- Wyatt is adorable, isn't he? Glad you enjoyed all the cuteness;)
Alyssa Halliwell- I suppose Phoebe has redeemed herself now- I no longer feel quite so hostile towards her, lol. Glad you liked that bit.
phoebe turner- you got your wish. Cole is back;) Horray! I prefer him human too, lol.
foureverCharmed- Happy you liked the P/L- it didn't exactly turn out as I intended- but if you liked it, that's great!
ilovedrew88- Thank you thank you! Glad you liked the fluff…are you happy that Cole's okay again? ;)
Phoenix5143- Haha, ratings do suck. I think I may have been pushing it a bit with this chapter, lol, I actually edited some out;) No need to infect Cole with a happiness virus…he'll be okay;)
The-Cheese-Fairy- lol, I felt bad for Phoebe too…I'm actually starting to like her now…(AHHHH, I can't believe I said that) So happy you enjoyed the Piper/Leo parts…it was my first attempt at that and I was a bit worried. There is so much good P/L out there its hard to compete. I'm also REALLY REALLY happy that you approve of my original characters- it's hard to create new people that readers will accept. You like Prue, eh? Lol, I totally don't, but I suppose she did have the older siblingness thing going on…
JadeAlmasy- I must thank you profusely…I had always intended to have a breakfast scene, but it hadn't occurred to me to have Paige steal some coffee anyway…that was such I wonderful suggestion that I had to incorporate it. That's so much!
Linn-LovesPiperLeo- I love love love love loved your review;) Glad you're enjoying it so much:)
Thanks so much guys, I really appreciate all the support!
Lotsa luv,
-Leigh