A Life of Magic: The Third Child Prophecy Chapter 32: Bother in Law, a charmed fanfic

WOOHOO! I managed to update within two weeks! AH! First time in AGES!

Howdy Doody there folks! Okay, so we're no longer allowed to do review responses, but a BIG thank you to everyone who reviewed, and a special welcome to my new readers! As we all know this is the penultimate chapter of 'The Third Child Prophecy'. Scary to think it's been posted for almost a YEAR! I'm introducing a new permanent character to the crew in this chapter. I know it seems like an odd place to do so, but it seemed fitting. I just hope you like him. Also, the start of this chapter is slightly odd, but don't panic. It shall be explained. And I guess I should leave you to read! Toodle pip for now!

Laur x

Chapter32- Bother in Law

±Charlotte could only watch helplessly as her Uncle Leo's lifeless body flew through the air at a rapid speed, eventually colliding with the living room wall, resulting in a thunderous bang. Her Aunt Piper screamed in both panic and anger, hesitating before rushing to her husband's side.

"Leo!" Her voice rang out. Of course, Leo did not respond. His unconscious form lay crumpled at the side of the room.

"Charlotte." Her father approached her. "Charlotte, listen to me. I need you to stay here. Do not move. Okay?"

Charlotte did not answer her father. Even behind the protective shield of the couch, she could see everything that was happening around her. A pungent smell of stale smoke was present in the air, accompanied by an extremely unpleasant stench of something which reminded the two year old of vomit. And now the sight of her Uncle Leo's wounded form was disturbing her even further. She knew he couldn't die, but that did not make it any less frightening…

The sound of thick, rasping breathing began to approach the terracotta, suede couch, and panic rushed into Charlie's heart. A bead of sweat trickled down her father's creased forehead as he planted a kiss on her tearstained cheeks. "Stay here." He repeated firmly, and he turned away, removing a small, silver athame from a hoop in his belt.

"I don't appreciate demons in my house." She heard her father say quietly. His voice, though in a mere whisper, held more anger than she had ever known her father to experience. "Leave. Now."

"Or what?" A mocking voice replied in almost a growl.

"Or…"

"Jason!" It was Piper's voice this time, in a tone of warning.

"Or I'll kill you." Jason replied.

What followed was a dark and hollow laughter, which seemed to echo through the room. In trepidation, Charlotte crawled to the edge of the sofa. Tears were falling down her cheeks, and her hands trembled, but it was concern more than fear which affected her now. She couldn't let anything happen to her Daddy.

When her head poked around the side of the sofa, she could barely even register what was happening. Her coffee brown eyes widened in utter terror as she watched her father lunge towards the demon with the athame held tightly in his outstretched hand. With a condescending snarl, the demon threw his left fist forward and knocked Jason backwards. A resounding crack was heard. Clearly the demon had broken Jason's ribs.

Her Aunt Piper had risen to her feet now and was desperately attempting to blow the demon up. Her attempts, however, took no effect. After having doubled over in pain, Jason had returned to a standing position and, gritting his teeth, he threateningly thrust the athame forward. Before he could release it from his hand, however, the demon had formed a glowing red fire ball in his palm and was preparing to throw it.

"Daddy!" Charlotte screamed in terror.

"Jason!" Piper shrieked at the same time.

They were too late. Jason Dean had been reduced to a pile of ash.±

xxxxx

Charlotte's blood-curdling scream rang out through the Dean household at a deafening volume. The car keys- belonging to her father-, which she had been playing with, fell to the floor with a lout clatter. She continued to scream until her lungs could no longer bare it, and then she began to cry. "Daddy!" She yelled, loudly.

Hearing his daughter's distressed scream, Jason dropped his glass of water, allowing it to shatter on the floor. Panic beginning to curse through his veins; he screamed his daughter's name more loudly than he could ever recall shouting before. He pushed the kitchen door open with such force that the door handle left a dent in the wall where it had slammed into it, and he raced through the corridors and into the living room. Charlotte stood in the centre her playpen, her face wearing such a look of dread it was almost unnerving.

"Baby, what's wrong?" He gasped, scooping her into his arms. He hugged her close to his chest and kissed her sandy brown hair. She did not stop crying. "It's okay…" She soothed. "Daddy's here… Shh." With her small, weak arms, she managed to push herself away from his chest, and her horror filled eyes gazed at him in disbelief. After blinking several times, her tears started up again, painfully wracking her chest.

xxxxx

Piper smiled, watching from the living room window as Phoebe's silver Porsche pulled out of the driveway and set off towards her own house in Pacific Heights. When the car was gone from sight the eldest Charmed One turned back towards her father, who was standing by the fireplace admiring the photographs of various family members.

"Are you staying for dinner?" She enquired, stepping up beside him so she too could take a glance at the memories captured by camera.

"Sorry?" Victor asked, "My hearing isn't what it used to be…"

Piper grinned, shaking her head. "I asked if you were staying for dinner?"

"Oh." Her father replied, a sudden look of nervousness passing over his face. "Well… I'd love to, but I think I should probably head home…"

"Dad." Piper rolled her eyes and looked into Victor's face with an amused, almost patronising smile. "I know I said there had been an unusual amount of demon attacks lately, but I'm pretty sure you'll be safe for one meal!"

Victor hesitated before answering. "Well, I guess an evening with my grandchildren would be good for me. I only wish Phoebe had brought Charlotte as well as Melinda-Jayne."

"Yeah, but she did say Charlotte has been acting kinda jumpy all morning… Maybe she has a flu or something."

"Very possibly," Victor agreed, placing the picture of the young girl in question back onto the mantelpiece. "There's a lot of that going round at the moment. The little boy across the corridor from my apartment ha-"

Victor's story was cut short by the ringing of a telephone. Piper strode quickly to the other side of the room, and answered in a cheerful manner.

"Hello, Piper Halliwe-" Victor watched his daughter's smile turn to a look of sheer bewilderment and she began to nervously twirl the telephone cable round her index finger. "What?" Her eyes squinted. "Jason, calm down!"

"Jason?" Victor asked, "Is everything okay?"

Piper shrugged in response and continued her phone conversation. "No, Phoebe just left… have you tried changing her?"

"Who's on the phone?" Leo was now in the doorway, with Amy in his arms and Prue and Andy not far behind him. Andy pushed past his father and approached Victor, grabbing onto his leg, whilst Prue watched her mother in curiosity.

"How long has she been crying for? …Whoa! Are you sure there was nothing in the room? No demons? Nothing?" A frown spread across her face and she turned towards Leo. "I doubt it's magic related Jason, she's probably just si-" Piper's jaw dropped and she stopped talking. Faintly, from the receiver, the echo of a scream could be heard, and everyone present in the Manor was now on full alert. "Jason?" Piper gasped. "Jason?" No answer. "Jason!" The line was dead. She threw the phone to the floor and turned to her father. "Look after the kids. If anything happens call for Leo or Paige." And then to her husband. "Take me to Phoebe's, now!"

xxxxx

The flurry of blue and white lights materialised in the corner of the newly decorated living room. Piper literally leapt from her husband's grasp and her eyes began to dart around the room. It did not take long to discover the reason for Jason's panicked screams on the phone.

Looming in the corner, standing over a cowering Charlotte with a fireball poised in his hand was a demon like no other Piper had seen before. His grotesque, grey skin seemed to be stretched around his large powerful arms to such an extent that it was almost pulled apart by its tightness. The skin on his chest- or what was visible of it; not covered by a shredded, denim vest- was the same, but his scalp, which only held three or four tufts of loose, stringy back hair, was different. Large flakes of white dead skin appeared to be pealing off of it, and the ancient tribal marking engraved on the demon's neck was so faded it was almost not visible at all.

"Hey!" Piper yelled loudly. She succeeded in gaining the demon's attention. She let out a sigh of relief, knowing he was no longer lurking over her screaming niece. "Leave her alone!" She flung her arms forward, putting her offensive power into action. The demon did not blow up. "Aw, crap." Piper grumbled, "I hate when that happens." Her wrists flicked again, this time freezing the demon mid-movement, allowing the Charmed One to rush to her niece's aid.

The collar of Charlotte's turquoise dress was covered in fresh tears, and her deep breathing sounded wheezy, indicating that Jason had not been lying about the length of time Charlie had been crying for. Jason had been lying, unconscious in the corner of the room, but as Piper picked Charlotte into her arms, Leo was healing the mortal. "Hey, sweetie. It's okay." Piper attempted to soothe. The tears still did not subside.

"Charlotte!" Jason gasped, sitting bolt upright. The golden glow which had been surrounding Leo's palm faded, and the whitelighter helped his friend up. "Thanks, Leo." He whispered, before pushing past and dashing towards his daughter. In her father's arms, the two year old calmed slightly and Jason wore an expression of immense relief.

"What happened?" Piper questioned, rubbing her hand on the back of Charlotte's head.

"One minute I was on the phone to you," Jason replied. At this point he pulled Charlotte tighter to his chest. "Next thing I know there's a demon in the room trying to take Charlie."

Piper's eyebrows raised and her curious expression deepened. "My powers don't work on him. Do you have an athame or anything I can use to…Oh crap!" At the sight of the hideous demon inching forward, breaking from the freeze, Piper began to panic. She pushed Jason in the direction of the couch and stared at him with utter authority on her face. "Do not move." She told him.

"I have an athame." Jason replied. His hand moved to the back of his belt, but before he could even retrieve the weapon from his pocket, Piper had turned in the direction of her husband's panicked shout.

"Piper!" Leo's voice rang out through the air.

That was when Charlotte began to panic even more. Things were beginning to play out just as she had seen them in her vision.

She could only watch helplessly as her Uncle Leo's lifeless body flew through the air at a rapid speed, eventually colliding with the living room wall, resulting in a thunderous bang. Her Aunt Piper screamed in both panic and anger, hesitating before rushing to her husband's side.

"Leo!" Her voice rang out. Of course, Leo did not respond. His unconscious form lay crumpled at the side of the room.

"Charlotte." Her father whispered. "Charlotte, listen to me. I need you to stay here. Do not move. Okay?"

This was exactly the same. She couldn't let her father die. She grabbed on to the sleeve of his red shirt and refused to let go, her bottom lip quivering and her eyes clouding over with tears once more.

"No," She whispered. Jason had other ideas.

"You have to be brave." He said, wiping a tear away from her cheek with his thumb. "Nothing bad will happen to me."

The sound of thick, rasping breathing began to approach the terracotta, suede couch, and the revolting smell grew stronger. Panic rushed into Charlie's heart. A bead of sweat trickled down her father's creased forehead as he planted a kiss on her tearstained cheeks. "Stay here." He repeated firmly, pulling his sleeve from his daughter\s grasp. And he turned away, removing a small, silver athame from a hoop in his belt.

"I don't appreciate demons in my house." She heard her father say quietly. His voice, though in a mere whisper, held more anger than she had ever known her father to experience. "Leave. Now."

"Or what?" A mocking voice replied in almost a growl.

"Or…"

"Jason!" It was Piper's voice this time, in a tone of warning.

"Or I'll kill you." Jason replied.

"NO!" Charlotte screamed as loud as she could possibly manage. "Daddy, no!"

Piper's head snapped up from where she had been kneeling over Leo, who was beginning to regain consciousness. Her eyes darted from Jason, who was clearly in agony, doubled over in pain, to Charlotte who was literally screaming for her father to move. After a few seconds of looking between the two, everything began to unfold in Piper's mind: Charlotte's power. Premonition. The reason she had been so upset earlier was because she had received her very first premonition. And Piper was willing to bet that what her niece had seen had involved her father and this demon.

The eldest Charmed One leapt to her feet and began to charge towards her brother-in-law. "Jason, move!" She yelled, tackling him to the floor, a fireball lightly scuffing her back. She had just saved his life. "Athame." She ordered. Though he was still contorted in agony, he was able to hand Piper the weapon he still clutched in his hand.

She jumped to her feet again and turned to face the demon. "I'm getting sick of doing this." She sneered, lunging for the demon. She moved so quickly he didn't even have time to react, and as the athame punctured his skin, flames erupted around him. "Fourth time this week!" She announced in disbelief.

xxxxx

That evening, after convincing Victor to go home and stay out of harms way, each member of the Halliwell family sat in the attic, awaiting Leo's return from 'up there'. After the demon attack at the Dean's home that afternoon, Piper had decided it was time they do something about the random and completely unconnected demon attacks that had been experiencing recently.

"How long do you think Leo will be?" Phoebe questioned. "I think I oughta get Charlie home to bed… after the day she's had."

"Shouldn't be too long Phoebs. He's been gone over an hour." Paige replied impatiently. She and the kids had been on their way to the cinema when Piper had called her demanding she came to an emergency family meeting.

"Will you two stop moaning?" Piper snapped. "In the last five days we have been attacked four times! Don't you think that's a little odd- even for our standards?"

"…I guess so." Phoebe replied, "But it could just be coincidence."

"I don't think so." Leo's voice emerged from the cloud of orbs which was forming in the corner.

"What do you mean?" Paige questioned, turning to face him.

"Well…" His face bore a grim expression. One which suggested he was about to reveal some very bad news. "The elders think they know the reason behind the sudden increase in demonic activity."

"And…" Piper urged him to continue.

"Well," Leo took a gulp of air and the serious expression he wore began to worry the Charmed Ones and Jason. "They think the Underworld is regrouping… forming factions…" He hesitated, almost unable to give the final piece of information he had been informed of. "…trying to impress the new Source."

"WHAT?" Piper gasped. Leo nodded in reply.

As the information sank in, everyone suddenly became on edge. Jason had never experienced the Source of All Evil, but the tales he had heard from his wife and sisters-in law had been enough to frighten him. He looked at all three sisters and gave an apprehensive sigh. Though the children remained slightly confused, the adults knew exactly what this meant. A new Source. Nobody had been expecting that. Not even for one moment. This was going to mean very bad things for the Halliwells. Dark times lay ahaead.

A tense silence fell on the attic of the Halliwell Manor. Phoebe slowly moved a shaking hand onto the back of the floral loveseat and lowered herself onto the soft cushions, between her eldest daughter and her husband. Neither the comfort of the seat, nor Jason's hand on her shoulder was of any console to the Middle charmed one now. Her mahogany eyes filled with panic as her brow knitted and she brought her other hand up to her face. She began to shake her head in slow and tiny motions, a sheer look of disbelief had washed over her. The last time she had felt a lurch of dread in her stomach as large as this one had been just over a year ago when Decron had returned. It had almost cost the Charmed Ones their lives the last time The Source had attacked. He couldn't be back… not now.

Paige suddenly found herself clutching Warren more closely to her chest than was necessary. The Source was back. That meant even more danger for her children to face. She placed a silent kiss on her son's mass of dark curls and extended her free arm so that it wrapped tightly around Laura and Rachael's shoulders. The two girls were eyeing her in curiosity and confusion, but they could see the panic on their mother's face and remained in the same quiet tension as the rest of their family. Paige pursed her lips and her face hardened. By panicking she was only going to make herself more vulnerable. If the Source wanted a fight, it was a fight he would get. No demon was going to break or hurt her family in any way- not again.

Piper's face, like her sisters', held a mixture of panic, concern, anger and determination. There was too much emotion rushing through her for even Piper to pinpoint exactly how she felt. The sound of her heals clicking on the wooden floor at a steady and even pace was the only prominent noise in the room, accompanied by the deep breathing of the eldest Charmed One. Piper watched Leo try and soothe the Halliwell-Wyatts' youngest child, and at the same time Prue and Andy made their way towards their father- clearly sensing that the news he had just brought meant something very bad. Then Piper's gaze moved from Phoebe and her family, to Paige, who was protectively holding her children close. Piper was not going to let anything bad happen to any of them. As the oldest sister it was her responsibility to protect everyone, just as she had done during the battle in which they had vanquished the Source last time. The Source would not see victory if Piper had anything to say about it.

"What is… a Source?" It was MJ's curious and innocent voice that broke through the thick anxiety which had been looming over the room.

Piper stopped pacing and Paige's grip on her children loosened somewhat, while Phoebe turned her head towards her daughter. However, it was not just MJ who was awaiting an answer. It appeared that all of the kids were itching to find out the significance of the name which had brought the Charmed Ones to silence.

"Well, Sweetheart," Phoebe began, giving Piper a sideways glance. How could they explain The Source to their children? "He's a-" Phoebe cut off her own sentence when she felt something breeze past her neck. She jerked her head sideways and squinted her eyes. There was nothing there. "Did anyone else feel that?" She asked, but was met with puzzled stares.

"Feel what?" Piper asked, taking a step towards her sister with raised hands, cocking an eyebrow.

"Uh…nothing. I guess it was my imagination…" A shiver ran down her spine and she tensed the muscles in her shoulders, but she managed to convince herself she was just paranoid. "The Source is… well, he's a very bad demon."

"To put it in the simplest words possible…" Paige added under her breath.

"You're Aunties and I fought him a long time ago," Phoebe continued, still addressing her eldest daughter.

"How big was I?" MJ enquired, edging slightly closer to her mother.

"You weren't even born, honey. It was even before Prue was bo-" She felt it again- a breeze sweeping past her neck. But this time the breeze was stronger, and Phoebe knew it was not her imagination. "There it is again!" She announced, loudly.

"What?" Piper questioned, both her eyebrows raised now in a look which suggested her younger sister was crazy.

"I don't know! Wind!"

"Okay, Phoebs you're either paranoid or crazy! It's the middle of winter- all the windows are shut! How can there be wind in the attic?"

"No…" Paige spoke quietly, shifting forward uncomfortably, taking her children with her. "…I felt something too."

"Are you sure?"

"…Yeah." Paige replied, apparently questioning herself too. "It was like…"

"Wind brushing your back?" Phoebe enquired, standing from her seat and lifting MJ onto her hip, allowing the four-year-old's head to rest on her chest. She gave a curt nod towards Jason, signalling that he should hold Charlotte closer to him. If another demon was going to attack she did not want her daughter to be as upset as she had been that morning.

"Exactly." Paige told her sister. "It's probably nothing to worry about, but if it is a demo- whoa!"

Suddenly, the youngest Charmed One's whole body tensed. She pulled Warren closer still to her chest and the arm which she had just removed from her daughters' shoulders grew stiff. Her doe brown eyes grew wide, and goosebumps began to surface on her porcelain skin. The loose material on her floor-length mauve, tiered skirt began to flutter in the draught, which was now swirling around her. Within seconds the light and seemingly harmless breeze had turned into a ferocious wind. Paige's hair began sweeping wildly across her face, and at the same time her daughters found themselves caught in the brutal airstream.

"Kids, downstairs!" Her voice rang out through the attic. Various orbs scattered throughout the attic, as Paige waved her free hand to the side, using her powers to transport the kids to the safety of Piper's bedroom.

Before anyone could register what was happening, a powerful force of wind was rushing around the entire attic in a gigantic sweeping circular motion. Potion vials smashed against walls, cauldrons overturned, and the Book of Shadows found itself hurtling around the room with the air current. Apprehending a demon attack, the three Charmed One's fought with the gale that was circling the room, and made sure their respective husbands were hidden from harms way behind the already battered wooden table which had been thrown onto its side by the winds.

They watched in bewilderment and apprehension, as the huge looping air current grew smaller. The papers and cushions which had been blowing near the edge of the room began to slowly flutter to a halt, but the winds which were beginning to form almost a miniature tornado in the centre of the room appeared to grow stronger. The Book of Shadows finally fell to the ground with a resounding thud and the howling of the gust stopped, but the tornado remained, still encasing many potion vials and stray sheets of paper.

The Charmed Ones, by this time, had joined hands. They stood only feet away from the sucking vortex of wind, each wearing the same determined expression. This would be the fifth demon attack in five days, and, for lack of a better term, it pissed them off. Paige had grabbed one of the only remaining vials from the attic floor and she clutched it firmly in her left hand. Phoebe had taken a leaf out of her husband's book and was gripping tightly to the handle of a rather sharp athame, ready to strike at any moment, and Piper, who had been holding onto Phoebe and Paige, released her sisters' hands and threw her own arms forward, hoping to blow up the demon when it emerged.

Before any of the Charmed Ones could even comprehend what was happening, however, a large figure was hurtling towards them. They had no time to react as the muscular and bare chested man sped towards them at rapid speed.

"BUGGER!" The gruff voice echoed through the room, rich with an accent similar to, but stronger than, the Scottish one Mark had spoken with.

Paige and Phoebe barely managed to leap out of harms way in time, but unfortunately for Piper, she was right in the path of the speeding figure. She had forced all the power she could muster in her sudden panic into her fingertips and her body tensed as she awaited her powers to take effect, but she was too late. Before her molecular acceleration could blow up the man who had emerged from the tornado he had slammed into her at such a great force that she had been knocked to her feet. The explosion, however, had still taken effect, only aiding in increasing Piper's anger in the fact that her bookcase was now shattered and had joined the debris -and the eldest Charmed One- on the floor.

The impact of the ground sent a shooting pain up Piper's back and into her left shoulder. With a loud thump, her head collided with the hard, wooden floor and even before her eyesight could come back into focus she could feel a large bump forming on her temple. The rather pungent smell of sweat met her nostrils, and she was suddenly aware of a weight lying over her. Still dazed from the bump on her head, Piper's vision was blurred. She could roughly make out the form of a male- muscular and well built- but the only thing Piper could be certain of was that, whoever or whatever had just knocked her to the ground had a head of wild red hair.

Ignoring the pain in her shoulder, Piper lifted her arms into a defensive position. She was not going to miss this time. All of the anger that had built up inside of her since the winds this thing had created had appeared in the attic was going to aid in her burst of molecular acceleration. She edged herself slightly off of the floor and tensed her shoulder muscles, allowing rage to reach a peak. Her fists began to clench and her, still un-focusing eyes, narrowed.

"You ruined my attic." She said slowly, anticipating the explosion which would take place the minute she flicked her wrists. And as she prepared to do it a smile passed her lips, but-

"Piper!" Paige suddenly yelped. "No! Don't blow him up!"

"Damn it!" Piper cursed loudly, allowing her hands to fall limply to her sides in annoyance. "Why the hell not!"

"Iain?" Paige gasped in shock.

Piper heard her sister's hurried footsteps approach, but her attention remained fixed on shifting the weight from her body. "Iain who?" She asked in sheer aggravation. She raised her hands once again, but instead of using them for magical purposes, Piper took the mortal approach to hurting the so-called 'Iain'. She placed her hands on his chest and, with all the strength she could muster, pushed the man away from her.

"Now," He spoke. His gravelly voice still dripped with a heavy Scottish accent, and held an air of sarcasm. "I don't usually object to beautiful women running their hands over my chest, but in front of all these people? Come on now!"

"Excuse me?" Piper's glare hardened and in all her anger she managed to bring her knee hard into his groin. Her complete eyesight returned to her as she watched him wince. She saw Leo approach her at a rapid pace, protectiveness radiating from him, and Piper gave him a quick peck on the cheek after she had grabbed onto her husband's hand and rose to her feet. The sneer she was giving the man turned into an impish grin as se spoke to him. "And I don't usually mind sweaty men on top of me, but..." She watched him squirm in pain for a moment before he looked up. "Just… ew..."

Now that she was able to get a clear look at the man who had left her attic in a complete shambles, Piper observed him closely. He wore only a pair of loose fitting, black denim jeans, which were decorated with various stains in many shapes and colours, and the large, frayed hole running down the front of the left leg suggested this man was not just your average magical being.

His hairless, muscular and toned chest would have enticed the eldest Charmed One, had it not been for her immense anger, and curiosity s to who this 'Iain' was- and perhaps the fact Leo was glaring at the stranger through narrowed eyes, with his arm wrapped protectively around Piper's waist.

When she gazed into his face, a striking familiarity to someone emerged. His sturdy jaw line was framed by wild and tousled, red, flyaway hair, and the amused expression, which was fighting through the pained one he wore, made his nose crease in the centre. The heavy bags underneath his eyes, and the tiny wrinkles which framed them suggested the man, whoever he was, had been through more than his crooked smile let on, but there was a twinkle in his eyes which showed otherwise. …His eyes! That was what made him so familiar. Deep midnight blue, surrounded by waves of aquamarine- he was a Nauctater!

A Nauctater? That certainly explained how Paige knew who he was… and now that she thought of it the name Iain did sound rather familiar… "Iain?" She muttered to herself, leaning back into the arms of her husband, who's glowing hand was placed over her injured shoulder. "Iain Anderson?" She looked sideways into Leo's green eyes, and calm settled on her once more. Leo would never fail to calm her in even the most tense of situations. "Mark's brother?" She exclaimed loudly, realisation finally dawning on her. But when she turned to question the brother of her late friend, he wasn't there. He was on his feet and racing towards Paige with open arms.

"Paigey!" He exclaimed. The Scottish accent made perfect sense now.

He wrapped his powerfully built arms around the youngest Charmed One and lifted her into a huge bear hug. Paige's eyes were wide and her face wore a mixed expression of surprise, amusement and curiosity. Barely taking in what was going on, she did not return the hug. But it was clear that the shock of the unusual way in which he had arrived was slowly being replaced by excitement.

"Get off me, you big galloot!" She mumbled and he quickly placed her back on the floor. A huge grin had spread across her face by now. Organising trips to Scotland always proved difficult with three young children, so an unexpected visit from one of Mark's closest family members was not unwelcome. "What the heck are you doing here?" She asked him happily.

"I'll explain later." He told her, and his fun loving appearance suddenly changed. His blue eyes filled with concern as he placed his strong hands firmly on his sister-in-law's shoulders. "…How've you been?"

Paige shrugged off his hands, not informing Iain of the fact they were hurting her, and gave him a grateful smile. "I'm still standing here, aren't I?" She replied quietly.

"Okay!" Piper's shrill voice cut through the air. Jason edged out from behind the table and stood behind Phoebe, his bewilderment clear from his expression. Phoebe gave him a sympathetic smile and opened her mouth to talk, but Piper's shrill voice stopped her. "Would somebody mind telling me what the hell is going on here?" Paige and Iain turned their heads towards the audience they had gained. Piper's head was bowed forward and her eyebrows were pointed upwards, in a demanding expression.

"Well…" Paige began, pursing her lips as she spun slowly in the direction of her family. "This is Mark's older brother, Iain." As she spoke, Paige waved her hand and a small cluster of orbs appeared behind Piper, revealing Laura and Rachael, and another in Jason's arms which revealed Warren.

"Hello." Iain greeted with a wave, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his nieces. "There're my two favourite girls!" They excitedly ran towards him, literally leaping into his open arms. "Wow, you've gotten so big!" He exclaimed, placing a kiss on top of Laura's wild curls, and rubbing cheeks with Rachael, whose hair was an identical colour to her Uncle Iain's. "I hope you've been being good for Mummy?"

"Yup!" Laura told him, "I eated all my vegables!"

Iain gave a snort of laughter and allowed Paige to lift Laura from his arms, turning to face Rachael. "And what about, Baba Mee? Have you been eating all you're vegetables?" (AN- Yup, another nickname. You'll soon learn it's and Anderson thing! Lol)

"No." Rachael's face turned sour, "Icky!"

"That's ma quine!" Rachael grinned at her Uncle's use of the Scottish dialect, but the happy greetings of Uncle and nieces alike was apparently not enough to warm Piper's heart towards the redheaded Nauctater. Before she could snap again, however, Phoebe had laid a silencing hand on her sister's arm.

The middle Charmed One gave the new arrival a broad grin before turning to lift her youngest nephew from where he sat in Jason's arms. Through his huge blue eyes Warren gazed at his aunt, and even at only four months old his face showed an expression of inquisitiveness. Phoebe smiled at him and began walking toward the centre of the room, avoiding the debris left from Iain's extraordinary entrance. Unlike Piper, she was rather excited by the prospect of having another witch to help with demon vanquishing duties- especially with a new Source in power. And if he really was an Anderson, that meant he was a powerful witch too.

"And who's this lovely lady?" Iain asked, as Phoebe approached with Warren in her arms. The young Nauctater gurgled in response. His arms stretched forward and his small hand grabbed onto his aunt Phoebe's large, golden pendant. What he had grumbled was inaudible, but to Phoebe, apparently, it sounded like a word.

"Did you hear that!" She yelped excitedly, her gaze turning from Iain Anderson, to Warren. "Paige, he just said Hagula!"

"Phoebs," Paige sharply turned her neck, her gaze moving from her daughters who Iain had retuned to the ground, to Phoebe. She gave her sister a condescending look, cocking an eyebrow and pouting her lips. "'Hagula'? Seriously, sometimes I wonder if you understand the English language…"

Pink began to creep slowly up the middle Charmed One's neck and into her cheeks, and she turned her head to the floor avoiding embarrassment as Paige rolled her eyes.

"Well, Aunt Hagula," Phoebe blushed deeper when Iain addressed her. She looked up from the wooden floor panels and into Iain's eyes. His mischievous expression gave him a striking likeness to Mark, which had not been noticeable before. Apparently, the brothers shared the same sense of humour. "I take it this is my one and only Nephew."

And the embarrassment abruptly left. Iain's grasp on Warren was remarkably gentle for a man of his muscular physique. He managed to hide the moist layer which had just glazed over his eyes by blinking, but Phoebe noticed the formation of tears. It was then that she realised that this was the first time Iain had ever met his nephew. He had not been present in the Scottish farmhouse when Paige had given birth, and in the past four months the Andersons had not travelled out of San Francisco.

"Hiya." Standing bare chested and covered in battle scars, the six foot five Scotsman looked slightly odd cooing to the tiny baby. "You're just like your father…" He whispered quietly, before regaining his larger than life appearance. "Aren't you a big boy? Aren't you?"

"Oh, he's an Anderson alright." Paige told her brother-in-law with a grin. "I swear he is s-"

A loud whistle cut through the air, causing everyone's heads to snap in the direction of the harsh noise. Piper removed her thumb and forefinger from her mouth and gave a satisfied smirk knowing she finally had everyone's attention. "Okay, as sweet as this is, can I please get some answers?" Piper threw her hands in the air and gave an impatient grunt. "Why are you here, and why the heck did you feel the need to destroy my attic in the process?"

"Well…" Iain shifted uncomfortably on his feet and his eyes shifted from side to side, eventually resting on Paige with a pleading look.

"Hey, don't look at me!" Paige told him with a grin, waving her arm to the side, "Piper has a point! Was it really necessary to annihilate the attic?""

"Okay, so it was maybe the first time I've transported myself further than my back garden…" Piper and Leo gawped at him in disbelief. Jason looked mildly amused.

"So you thought you'd experiment with you're power and mess up my house?"

"Well… I thought you'd be used to this kind of thi…" He trailed off in the middle of his sentence, almost frightened by the frustrated expression on Piper's face. "You know what? I'm going to be in San Francisco for a wee while… I'll clean it up for you."

"Now, that's the answer Piper wanted," Paige smirked as she patted Iain on the shoulder.

"Not quite." Piper snapped. Paige rolled her eyes and Phoebe let out a quiet groan. Iain looked slightly exasperated, but a smile passed his lips.

"Yes?" He asked.

"You still haven't answered why you're here!"

"Oh." Now a huge grin was spread across his face, bringing his likeness to Mark back, once again. "Well to help this little guy here of course!" He pouted his lips and crossed his eyes, moving his face close to Warren's and blowing a raspberry in his face, resulting in a giggle from the baby boy.

As amused as Paige was with Iain entertaining her son, her eyebrows shot skyward. "Help him with what?" She enquired.

"Nauctater duties." He replied with a snort of laughter as if it had been as clear as day. "They don't come easy, darlin'! Someone with Nauctater blood has to help him along."

Phoebe now looked more confused than her younger sister. She had known Mark for seven years and was never aware of any "duties" he had to perform. "Duties?" she questioned.

"Yeah, y'know... The powers, and the demons..." For the second time that evening, Iain regretted his words. Paige's happy facial expression turned grim at the mention of demons, and anger clearly began to well up inside of her. "But don't worry!" he hurriedly corrected himself. "Demons come later of course. Much, much, MUCH later!"

"Good." Paige said firmly, her smile returning.

"Would I lie to you?" He asked impishly. "And…" Suddenly Warren, who he had been holding close up until now, was abruptly placed back in his mother's arms. "Uh, Mummy..." He wrinkled his nose in Paige's direction, "Someone in this room need's a changin', and it isn't Aunt Hagula."

AN- End. You likey+crosses fingers+ And so that is Iain! PLEASE tell me what you think of him… be honest! Lol. And also if you're wondering (and I'm sure some of you are) how Charlotte's premonition was so vivid when it was her firs one… well, it'll be explained in the near future! Reviews are appreciated! Thankoo!

The final chapter

Chapter 33- Accepting the Inevitable. – With the threat of the new source, the elders introduce the kids to their whitelighters. They also offer a gift to the Charmed Ones to help them and their children prepare for the fight ahead of them. We learn a little more about Iain Anderson, and Paige makes a sorrowful realisation about her life.