Chapter 16; Ain't it funny how life can turn on a dime.
It had been two days since the dark lighter attack and things were returning to normal in the halliwell household, well as normal as can be when one's house is built above the supernatural nexus and the inhabitants of said house are three of the most powerful witches in creation.
As soon as he had been declared officially "well" by Piper, Leo had been dispatched to ask the Elders about the impromptu darklighter attack, and had returned stating that it was nothing more than a failed attempt to stop Chris from stopping Wyatt from becoming evil.
Patty, wary about pushing her luck, had stayed long enough to say a quick hello to Phoebe on her return from work, before disappearing back "up there", reminding the girls that she was only a 'summing spell away' should they need her. Sam too had departed, though this time his absence was only to be temporary as Paige had made him promise to stick around more often.
Chris had found himself fussed over and force fed on such a grand scale that he was seriously beginning to wonder if he would be able to walk again after he was released from 'room arrest'. His constant asatation and protests that "time was a- wasting" in the great demonic hunt were simply dismissed by a wave of his mother's hand or ignored
completely to such an extent that he was beginning to go completely stir-crazy.
After her talk with Sam, and what with the dark lighter reminding her about the sanctity of life, Paige had decided to take the bull by the horns and tell Jo the truth. Blissfully unaware that that particular cat had already been let out of the bag, Paige had spent the past 48 hours dividing her time between (a) rehearsing her speech in front of various mirrors, metallic objects and shiny surfaces throughout the house, (b) trying to decide when would be the opportune moment and (c) worrying about how to explain about the whole magic exists concept. Truth be told she was still quite surprised that Jo hadn't said asked about her attacker's medieval weaponry, after all its not everyday that one is accosted by a man brandishing a bow and arrow, not even in San Francisco, however Jo had remained curiously disinterested in the whole affair. In fact, Paige had observed, Jo had seemed pretty listless these past few days, and had decided it was best to keep her off from school.
So it was that Jo came to be sat on the sofa in the living room on the following Tuesday morning. To the casual observer it might seem that she was just watching MTV, but inside her head her mind was racing. Since accidentally over hearing the conversation between Paige and Sam she had thought about little else other than the fact that she had just quite without trying found out that this nice lady was her mother, as her grandmother used to say, her life had quite literally turned on a dime.
She'd always known that she was adopted, she couldn't remember them telling her exactly, it was more like an innate knowledge, a fact that she had acquired when she was very young, along the lines of "the sky is blue, grass is green, and you're adopted." Still too young to have suffered from the teenage identity crisis which often leads adoptee on a long quest to find out 'who am I?' Jo had been content with Daddy and the grandparents. Daddy, for there lays the rub, deep down Jo had always wanted a mother. Her adoptive mother was a distant figure kept alive only in Jo's memories, memories which faded with each year that passed. Her death within weeks of Jo's 7th birthday meant that she had spent just over half her life without the maternal figure, they say that you can't miss what you don't have, and Jo would be apt to agree that 90 of the time this was true, but that other 10, mothers day, holidays, birthdays, mother-daughter week at school a hollow feeling overtook her, a feeling that her father's reassurances could never entirely fill. Until now.
Paige as her mother. Now that would be brilliant Jo had thought. She was fairly young, wore cool clothes, and had sisters! That meant aunties, sure Jo loved her uncle Dave, but he was away all the time in the army so she never saw him, it would be nice to have a big family, being an only child can be lonely sometimes. But how would she explain to Paige that she knew the truth? Consequently she had also spent the past 48 hours dividing her time between (a) rehearsing her speech in front of various mirrors, metallic objects and shiny surfaces throughout the house (b) trying to decide when would be the opportune moment and (c) worrying that this whole situation was a fabrication of her imagination, I mean she thought someone had attacked her with an arrow for god sakes.
The door bell rang breaking the silence. Paige lowered the stainless steel saucepan. Dammit, she had just gotten to the part where she was explaining to Jo about the elders. Sighing she placed the pan back onto the counter and made her way to the front door. Wrenching it open she found Mr Cowan on the front porch.
"Mr Cowan" she cried a little too brightly. "I thought I told you that I was working at home today!"
"I know which is why I came to see you. I have good news and bad news"
"oh, well, do come in"
"thank you. the bad news is that we have had word back from Iraq, unfortunately they have found a body identified as Jo's uncle"
"the poor man"
"Quite. However the good news is that at long last we have found a place in a local children's home for Jo, where she can stay until we match her up with a long term foster family. I rang her school and they said she was off, so that's why I came round, to collect her things, I can drive her over there now on the way back to the office"
"NO!" Mr Cowan jumped, Paige hadn't quite meant for it to have come out as loud as that.
"Paige?"
"I mean you can't take her"
"and why not?"
"because, I..well..she..it's..you..see"
"I'm her daughter" Jo appeared at Paige's elbow.
"say that again?"
"I..am...her..daughter" Jo repeated.
Cowan stared at the two of them, Jo with a look of quiet determination in her eyes, Paige, completley and utterly thunderstruck sure nobody could deny the obvious physical similarities between the two, but Jo, Paige's daughter? that was just preposterous!
"come on ladies enough of the kidding around"
"I'm not" Jo insisted.
"Now little lady, lying is a very naughty habit"
"She's not lying, it's the truth" Paige had finally found her voice
"Look Paige, it was very kind of you to look after Jo for all this time for us, and it was greatly appreciated, but seriously whatever this joke you're playing is, it's not funny,"
"it's not a joke, it's the truth" Paige stated, her voice growing stronger with each word "we can do a DNA test if you like"
"what?...I don't know what the hell is going on here, but I can see I am not going to get any sense out of either of you today...I tell you what, seeing as its you Paige..Jo, you can stay for one more night, but I want the pair of you in my office at 9am, with a damn good explanation got it?" with that he turned on his heal and walked out, leaving Jo and Paige to just stare at each in complete wonderment.
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Over at P3 Piper Halliwell was halfway through unpacking that mornings shipment of beer, revealing in the peace and quiet of the club. After the disturbances of the past two days it was quite a relief to be back at work and establishing her 'normal' routine. It was also a relief to be out of the house, as when she had not been looking after an increasingly grumpy Chris, Phoebe had taken it upon herself to mother her older sister, giving Piper a taste of her own medicine, which she had not enjoyed one bit.
She had just started on her third crate when she was interrupted by her slightly neurotic younger son.
"Mom" he shouted the second he had fully corporalised in the room "what do you think you're doing?"
Piper paused midway to placing a bottle of Corona on the shelf "I'm negotiating the abolition of third world debt. what does it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks like you're lifting heavy objects"
"No, its Corona light" she quipped
"ha, ha, you know what I mean, you shouldn't be doing that in your condition" he lectured.
"Chris, I have a band booked for tonight, and I'm already behind, I haven't been in work for the past two days as I have been administering to your every need, pray tell me, who else is going to do this for me?"
"dad"
"I don't want to bother your father with something so trivial..."
"I don't care...DAD, DAD"
"what, what is it?" Leo appeared immediately, distressed by the note of urgency in his son's voice.
"will you tell her to stop it?"
Leo looked between Chris and Piper and back to Chris again "Stop what?"
"The heavy lifting, putting a strain on her and mini me, not to mention being alone in an empty club, what if something happened? what if she was attacked?"
"Ok, hi, hello, over here!" Piper interrupted, "first of all, 'She' is the cat's mother, I am your mother, and as such I have a name, please use it, second of all, what has gotton into to you? I am unpacking some crates that's all, I really..." she trailed off, as the phone in the back office began to ring "I'll get that, and you" she pointed at Leo, "talk some sense into your son seeing as you're so pally pally"
"what is going on?" Leo asked as he took over the unpacking of the beer. "I know we've all been on edge since the attack, but shouting at your mother for doing her job, that's a slight over reaction, even for you"
"I'm just worried about her, that darklighter just showed us how vulnerable we all are, especially her, seeing as you keep reminding me, she doesn't have the force field she had with Wyatt"
"True, she doesn't have a force field, but neither should she be wrapped up in cotton wool...I can else tell when you're lying to me Chris. you have that hooded look about you, the one you perfected during all those months that you claimed to be just to be our white lighter, now spill it"
"it's just..."
"what?"
"Is it so wrong for me to want her to be safe? she's my mother!"
"No, but you haven't answered my question"
"I promised myself I wouldn't do this, that it would be too painful, but I did it anyway..."
"what?"
"I always was a 'mummy's boy' as everyone puts it. I admit it, I don't care. Maybe it was because we're so similar, maybe it's because future you was never around and even when you were you never gave a dam, either way, I worshipped the ground she walked on. When we lost her, I wanted to die myself, the grief threatened to consume me and I let it, I felt as if I would never smile again, that there would be no more laughter or happiness in my life, a black fog seemed to surround me that would never go away...so when I came back to the past I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't get close to her, I wouldn't let myself love her, or be loved by her again, but it was too difficult, I let me guard down, let her back in, and when I came round from that dark lighter attack and saw her lying there on the floor, I felt like I was 14 years old again, ...she was in exactly the same spot, her body in the same position as when she died...I, just can't go through that again..."
"So, that's what you've been hiding from me" a female voice called from behind them.
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"you know! how do you know..when did you...?" Paige stuttered, her eyes never moving from her daughters face.
Jo blushed slightly " I kinda over heard you talking to your dad.."
"oh"
"But it sounded like you didn't want me to find out..i'm sorry, did I do something wrong when I told Mr Cowan..i was just so scared that he would take me away from you"
"God no!" Paige reached out for her daughter, pulling her into a bear hug, " No, it's nothing like that...I didn't want to tell you for many different reasons..not least because I couldn't stand it if you hated me..."
"why would I ever hate you?"
"because to all intents and purposes it looks as if I abandoned you.."
"but you're so kind, I'm sure there must have been a very good reason"
"yes, a very good reason, a very complicated reason, but yes, " a reason" by all accounts..."
"but it's too late" Jo muttered, her eyes downcast "he said, he said he had another place for me, that you have to take me a childrens home.."
"Never" Paige pulled her daughter closer "no one is taking you away from me ever again, whether Leo has to use memory dust or we get the cleaner's in.."
"memory dust?"
"ah" Paige suddenly realised what she had just said " we need to have a little talk..."
"will you explain why you left me?"
"I'll explain everything..but first I have to ask you, do you believe in magic?..."
Chris turned around slowly praying that he had just imagined that voice. He looked up. Nope. She was there, bold as day.
"How much of that conversation did you hear?" Leo asked glancing at his ex-wife.
"enough"
"it's rude to eaves drop on other people" Chris got on the defensive, anything to prolong the inevitable conversation that was to follow.
"Not really the time Chris" Leo muttered.
"well you always brought me up to have good manors…"he trailed off, his eyes scanned Piper's face hoping to gage her reaction to the news that she wouldn't make it to her 45th birthday, but her face remained expressionless, a blank canvas, much like Chris' own during those months of hiding his identity.
"was it quick?" Piper asked, her voice heavy.
"Mom, I .."
"was it quick?" she repeated.
"Yes" Chris glanced down at the floor, not wanting his mother to see the pain that was in his eyes.
"was it a demon?"
"Yes"
Piper felt her knees give way slightly and she swayed forward, clutching hold of the bar for support.
"Honey are you ok?" Leo asked rushing forward, he moved as if to place an arm round her shoulder but she brushed him away.
"I need to sit down" She grabbed the nearest bar stool and hoisted herself up awkwardly, her face now turning an ashen colour "pass me some water" she instructed.
Leo leapt to do her bidding, handing her a bottle of Evian which she downed in one.
They stood in silence for a few minutes until Chris could contain himself no more.
"See, see" " he screeched, "this is why I kept it a secret, this is not the sort of news that you hear well is it?"
"I still think she had a right to know Chris" Leo argued
"No she didn't, I have been there, an d trust me, knowing about it would not make it any easier"
"well I think "
"SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU" Piper , the colour now returning slightly to her face, stood between them. "Leo," she turned to her husband "you're right, I am glad that I know what's bugging Chris, because I could tell he was hiding something from me, and as a mother, that was worrying. Chris"
She faced her son, cupping his chin in her hand "you're also right, it is not the kind of news that one wants to hear, and it is sweet and very brave of you to try and keep that from me, but we are the parents and we should be protecting you not the other way round."
"But.."
"No buts" Piper continued "I can't say that I am not extremely shocked and saddened to find that I won't live to see you and Wyatt all grown up, and I can't pretend otherwise, and it will take me sometime to get used to, but all the same, I'm glad I know"
"how can you be glad that you know that you're going to die?"
"we're all going to die Christopher, just some it seems sooner than other, however now that I know, I can make the most of the time I do have, I can make preparations so that you're not alone, that you and your brother and your father can cope"
"besides" Leo interrupted, not appreciating the macabre tone of the conversation "if we prevent Wyatt from turning evil, then who knows what else we might prevent?"
"exactly" Piper agreed, looking at Chris who was still studying his shoes intently. "Chris?"
"I suppose so" he muttered.
"Good" Piper said, trying to look cheerful, even though deep inside she was dying "Now give me a hug, that's an order"
A small smile appeared on Chris' face as he slowly shuffled forward and wrapped his arms around his mother, and for a couple of seconds let himself forget, forget about the future, the past, the present, good and evil, he was in his mothers arms again, just him and her, and that was all he cared about.