Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or have anything to do with it
Twas the night before Christmas and all over the house creatures were stirring. Upstairs Phoebe Halliwell was running about like a chicken with her head cut off trying to find some last minute things for the celebration that was to take place the next day. Down stairs Paige Halliwell was trying her best not to mess up the food she had been put in charge of cooking and on the middle floor of the house Owen Johnson was trying to get two very over-excited boys out of the bathroom and into bed while Piper Halliwell stood before her mirror in her bedroom getting ready for her shopping trip she was supposed to have left for half an hour ago.
Five year old Chris and his seven year old brother Wyatt were having great fun running circles around Owen while he half heartedly yelled at them, telling them to calm down and let him dry them off. They had just gotten out of their bubble bath and were jumping up and down dancing to the Christmas CD their mom had put on earlier. It was now playing their favourite song Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer something which just made the fact that Christmas was going to be tomorrow become all the more exciting and made them all the more crazier.
Suds covered the two boy's bodies and by doing what they were, they were making a horrendous mess but Owen didn't have it in him to get truly upset with them. It was Christmas Eve they had every right to be excited. This was his first Christmas with them, he had known them a year and a half now and loved these boys an incredible amount. He hadn't been able to make it to the last Halliwell Christmas because he had to go to his parent's house in Portland for the holidays, but he had promised Chris and Wyatt that he'd be here for this one so here he was.
Piper then entered the bathroom and her eyebrows immediately rose as if awaiting an explanation.
"What's this?" she asked her boys sternly but she did get a sparkle in her eye from the sight. "You two are going to drive Owen away if you show him your true evil selves he seems to think doesn't exist" Piper added on while glancing at Owen with a smile playing on her lips.
"Aw come on Piper, its Christmas let them have a little fun" said Owen while Wyatt and Chris looked up at her smiling innocently. "Besides" he continued "you're the one who put on the CD that makes them go nuts" Piper laughed at that then said to Owen
"Can I see you in the hall for a sec?"
"Sure" Owen said getting up off the floor beside the bathtub and following her out.
"Ok I'm ready to go, I think. Are you sure you're going to be fine with them?"
"Of course I am Piper, I've looked after them by myself before and I only came out with one black eye one time remember" he said smiling at her "Besides Phoebe and Paige are still here and they have to go to bed soon anyway"
"Yeah ok, I was just making sure, I've really got to go, the shops won't stay open forever"
"Ok bye honey" he said giving her a quick kiss "and don't forget to stop by mine to feed the..." he only got that far when Piper's hand pressed against his mouth.
"You two" she said looking at the small brown and blonde heads sticking out of the bathroom door, "Back in there now!" They giggled and went back in.
"I know, don't worry I will" said Piper. She then leaned in to kiss him again, quite passionately this time and after a minute pulled back with a soft moan "I've really got to go. Love you Owen"
"Love you too Piper, don't stay out too late Ok" she nodded with a killer smile on her face getting what he was hinting about.
"Bye boys" she said with a quick glance and smile past where Owen was standing before turning around and leaving.
"Bye mommy" Those voices were a lot closer then they should have been. Owen spun back around to see them standing in the hall right behind him. Chris and Wyatt then started giggling again.
"Do you really love mommy Owen?" asked Wyatt
"Yes of course I do" he said before quickly wrapping the towel in his hand around Chris's small body, finally controlling one of them. "Wyatt can you please get your towel and get into your bedroom"
"Ok Owen" he said with an over dramatic sigh
Once the boys had been clothed, had their teeth brushed, said their goodnights to their aunts and had their Christmas story, Owen sat them both atop Chris' bed and pulled a chair in front of the bed to sit on and told them they needed to have an important talk.
"You two like me right?" he asked looking at them with an odd look in his eyes. Both boys nodded wondering what was going on.
"Right and you like spending time with me" again he was met with two nodding heads.
"Well how would you like it if I was to become part of the family?" he asked hesitantly
"What do you mean, like become our daddy" asked Chris confused.
"No, no not that little buddy, Leo's your daddy" he said then added as an after thought "even though I've never met the guy and from what I here he doesn't act it"
"Well then what you mean" It was Wyatt who spoke this time.
"What I mean is what if I asked your mommy to marry me, to become my wife" said Owen looking at them hopefully.
Chris thought this was a brilliant idea but before he said anything he looked over at Wyatt to see what he thought. Wyatt knew their daddy better then Chris did so he might still want their mommy and daddy together, but he didn't have to worry about that because Wyatt had a big smile on his face, so Chris let his break out.
"Yeah that'd be great" said Wyatt excitedly
"And Chris what about you" though the expression on his face already told the answer.
"Yeah, It'd make mommy really happy" he said
"And your both fine with it?" They nodded happily.
"Oh good, but now listen you have to keep this between us ok, don't tell anyone because it's got to be a surprise"
"Ok Owen" said Wyatt
"We promise" added Chris,
"Thanks little buddy, thanks kiddo" he said ruffling their hair
Chris had been smiling happily but suddenly his expression changed into one that looked like he was in very deep thought, then he got a look of resolve and spoke again.
"Wyatt" he said in what he thought was a whisper, though Owen could hear him perfectly "We have to tell him the secret"
"What secret" Wyatt whispered back
"You know the magic secret"
"No Chris we can't, mommy will tell him" By now Owen was very confused
"What are you two talking about" he asked baffled. They ignored him and continued to argue.
"We can't"
"Can too"
"No we can't Chris, mommy would get mad"
"Yes we can, and no she won't" whined Chris
"You're so stubborn"
"Am not" he paused for a second then continued "What's stubborn mean" he asked with wide eyes
"Um, I don't know I heard Aunt Phoebe say that to mommy once" said Wyatt with a shrug
"Ok, but we have to" Chris continued
"No we don't" Owen got fed up of listening to the argument and lifted his hands to put one over each of their mouths.
"Either, one of you tell me what's going on or, stop arguing and I'll ask your mother when she gets home" he lowed his hands slowly making sure they didn't keep going.
"Were magic" Chris blurted out.
"Chris!" Wyatt yelled. Chris just looked over at him innocently. Owen was shocked.
"What, what are you talking about"
"Nothing" Wyatt said instantly. But Chris spoke right after him.
"Were magic, we can do magic"
"Oh you mean like magic tricks" said Owen laughing a little
"No" Wyatt sighed finally giving into his brothers will "Real magic"
"Is this a joke?" asked a very confused Owen
"I think we should show him Wy" said Chris
"Ok, watch" Wyatt then orbed out and then back onto the other side of Chris. Owen blinked rapidly not sure he believed what he just saw. Chris sensing this did the same thing.
"See, were magical" he said when he came back into vision. Owen was incredibly confused and scarred now; he had no idea what to do. After a minute of rapidly looking back and forth between where the boys used to be and where they now were he finally got himself out of his stupor and jumped up off the chair.
"I've, ah, I have to go somewhere" he said quickly before leaving the room.
"See I told you we shouldn't have told him" bragged Wyatt but Chris wasn't listening.
"Is he going to hate me now?" he asked Wyatt, his bottom lip trembling.
"No Chris he won't hate you, come on we have to go catch him" Chris nodded softly and followed Wyatt out of the room.
When they got downstairs they heard the front door slam and saw their Aunt Paige come running out of the kitchen. She looked at the two boys then asked,
"What'd you do?"
"He does hate me" said Chris softly while looking at the door.
"Hey guys, come on tell me. Owen just ran into the kitchen scarred out of his whits saying he had to go then ran out" said Paige worriedly, "What'd you do" she repeated
"We could get Uncle Les to talk to him. He did the same thing last when he found out" said Wyatt still ignoring Paige, but she got all the info she needed from that last statement.
"You didn't?" she asked eyes wide.
"He did" they both said at the same time pointing at one another.
"Oh my god, why'd you do that for" asked Paige faintly
"We can't tell you, it's a secret" said Chris honestly
"Chris! Wyatt! Tell me now!" demanded Paige
"He wants to become part of the family" Chris relented
"Well we can't make him magical" said Paige confused
"He wants to marry mommy" Wyatt clarified for her
"Ohhh! I see" she said understanding washing over her, "That's brilliant and it's about time, but you shouldn't have told him"
"It was Chris's idea" said Wyatt hoping to escape punishment
"That you followed. Go upstairs to Aunt Phoebe and I'll go next door to see if I can get Les to talk to him, ok?" They nodded and went on their way.
Later that night Owen came back to the manor after a long talk with Leslie about the girls. He went to talk to Wyatt and Chris about everything but when he got there found that they were asleep. After a minute or two of debate in his head, Owen decided to wake them up because it was rather important.
"Hey you two" he said softly waking them up "Can I talk to you for a minute" They both nodded sleepily and sat up. Owen went over to Chris and picked him up off his bed and carried him over to Wyatt's then sat down letting Chris sit on his lap.
"I'm sorry about before, I was just scarred and shocked I suppose. I mean what would you do if I told you I had two heads or something like that?" Chris and Wyatt giggled at that thought. "I'm really sorry ok?" he said softly stroking Chris's head
"It's all right" said Chris while yawning
"Yeah" continued Wyatt "Just you can't tell anyone ok"
"Yeah I know. You're uncle Les explained everything to me"
"And you still love mommy" asked Chris
"Of course I do. Nothing can change that" answered Owen honestly "You two have to keep the secret still alright, a bit better then you have been would be good too. I'm going to ask her tomorrow night, now you two better get back to sleep, the sooner you get to sleep, the sooner it'll be Christmas"
"Ok. Goodnight Owen, I love you" said Chris quietly
"I love you too little buddy" he said as he carried a very sleepy Chris back over to his bed.
"And me?" asked Wyatt quietly
"And I love you too kiddo, Goodnight" He walked back over to Wyatt's bed and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. Just then Phoebe stuck her head in the door
"I've got to go home, Patty's giving Les trouble. See you tomorrow boys"
"Bye Aunt Phoebe" they echoed "And Owen don't get mommy mad ok" said Wyatt sleepily
"Why's that?"
"Because she can blow things up" stated Chris right before nodding off to sleep. Owen looked at Phoebe with wide eyes but she just patted him on the shoulder and left the room.
A/N: Thankyou everyone for all your great reviews and please keep them coming.