CHAPTER NINE
Old Coop turned to smile at Old Leo. "It's worth becoming mortal for the woman you love," and Old Leo and Old Piper smiled lovingly at each other, while Old Phoebe giggled like a teenager on her first date.
Coop's eyes grew wide. "And if you're mortal, then your love isn't forbidden!"
Old Coop smiled back at himself. "Exactly. And how do you think I came up with the idea? I doun out when I was here!"
"What?" screeched Paige, totally confused.
Old Piper reached behind her. "We knew you were coming, so--" and she brought out a plate of chocolate-chip cookies and offered them to the newcomers. "Mom? Grams always said that these were your favorites."
Patty simply stared, her arms still wrapped protectively around her tummy. If Paige and Coop were confused, she was in shock. But something about the love in Old Piper's voice gave her the courage to reach out and take a cookie. Biting into it, her face lit up in bright smile. "Even better than the ones Grams used to make," and everyone grinned while Coop reached for one, too.
Paige didn't; she was still confused. "But why are we here?" she asked, still trying to make sense out of something that made no sense at all, desperately wishing the younger versions of her sisters were with her--they would've figured it out.
"You were aiming for Grams," Old Paige tried to explain. "But you came to a time when you, yourself are the grandmother, just like your sisters, and your love for your sisters is greater than your love for Grams."
Patty, still enjoying her cookie, looked surprised by that and started to ask, but Coop interrupted her. "How did you know we would be here?"
Old Coop smiled. "Because 50 years ago, it was me and Pai-" Old Paige quickly elbowed him and looked at Patty. "Prue" he quickly corrected himself, "who traveled to the future, so, of course, we were expecting you."
Old Leo nodded. "Be sure to write in the Book of Shadows that you arrived on July 6, 2050, so you'll know when you become us."
"2050," gasped Patty, and Paige and Coop were a bit surprised, too.
Old Leo sighed and smiled at Old Piper. "Those were the days before the truce, fighting demon, saving innocents."
Old Piper smiled back tenderly. "Finding one another, losing you when you became an Elder, finding each other again, only to have to lose you again. Thank God I got you back!"
"But you didn't!" cried a still-totally confused Paige. "I still don't get it! How can you be alive, Piper? How can Phoebe be alive? Why isn't Leo still frozen?"
Old Paige shrugged. "Because we saved them."
"But we haven't yet!" Paige protested.
Old Paige smiled. "But you will."
Paige shook her head. How could she possibly be having an argument with herself? "I've got a headache."
"Here." Old Henry was back, a glass of water in one hand, two aspirin in the other.