Disclaimer : I do not own charmed
a/n: in answer to the questions and queries that have been raised.
1)Point number 1:The Caixa demon – I have been reading back over my work and it doesn't make it very clear about him does it? Sorry! I can't think of an eloquent way to fit his back story into the final chapter, without having a load of exposition. So with that in mind, and for those who are interested, here it is (remember this is what happens in my invented Charmed universe, as some things have no relevance to the show):
The Caixa demon, found fame in the underworld by being rumoured to have more power than the source. His plan, was to lead the demonic world, and over throw the world of good magic by harnessing the Charmed Ones' powers. He went after Prue, (by means of Shax) as she was the eldest and the strongest, and she was captured in both timelines. Because in Chris's original timeline, the sisters never confronted Zankou or 'vanquished' the Nexus, Prue never returned, and remained in her magical prison. The Caixa then went after Paige ( by means of the Titans – again her statue didn't kill her, merely preserved her). Several demons tried and failed to capture Piper in the years that followed, causing the Caixa to go after her himself in 2018, which he did in a surprise attack, but it failed, and instead of capturing her, he ended up killing her, which is how she died. He later went after Phoebe, Chris was made to believe that it was Wyatt who killed her when in fact it wasn't). The Caixa however, never had the opportunity to rule the underworld because evil Wyatt was more powerful than anyone else put together, and eventually defeated him Anyhow, none of this happened in the 'new' time line, because Prue returned, and the rest as they say, is history.
2. Point number 2 : Prue - I brought Prue back as I thought she could become an integral character in my story. I then realised (what she would later come to see within my story) that everyone had moved on, characters had evolved and the world could function without her in it. She was a bit of a spare part, hence my decision to kill her off, once she had chance to meet Paige and settled some issues there of course!
3. Point 3 Grammar : My lexis and syntax are British as I was taught to read and write in British English. I realise that Charmed is set in America, but I can't change what I was taught at age 4!
On wards!
Chapter 24 : Happier Times
December 2005
"a little more to the left" Piper dictated as Leo floated in mid air, attaching yet a bunch of balloons to the sunroom ceiling.
"enough already with the decorations, it's like a flipping explosion in a fancy dress shop" Paige grumbled from her vantage point on the sofa.
"you're a veritable ray of sunshine you aren't ya" Piper told her.
"I'm as big as house, haven't seen my feet for weeks, can't walk because my ankles are swollen, and haven't slept for more than 4 hours a night because this one keeps kicking me. What have I got to be happy about?"
"That you're going to have a lovely little baby soon" Leo offered
"yeah, well not soon enough"
" it has been a rather eventful pregnancy" Piper commented
"I suppose this wouldn't be the time to mention that Patty was 2 weeks overdue with her?" Sam brought in another plate full of food from the kitchen.
"what was that?" Paige snapped
"nothing dear" Sam replied
"good. I swear I was never this uncomfortable with Jo"
"speaking of which, when's her flight get in?" Piper asked
"about 30 minutes ago, Kyle's gone to the airport to pick her up."
"I don't know, we didn't get to go on 1-month language exchanges to Spain in my day" Piper sighed
"well you didn't go to St Francis de Assisi's 'very expensive' Academy for Girls. You just went to plain old Baker High"
"St Francis'" Sam raised an eyebrow. "How do you afford that?"
"ha. I don't, her adoptive parents educational trust fund does. Don't worry, this little one will be going to state school with the best of them." Paige tapped her stomach
"hey mister. Step away from the streamers" she called as Leo eyed up some more decorations
"Paige, seriously it's baby Victors belated first birthday party,.." Piper pleaded
"..yeah and its also Chris' belated 19th birthday party, and I'm thinking Teddy Bears Picnic is not the look he was going for." Paige reasoned
"I guess" Piper agreed
"Speak of the angel" Leo commented as Chris strolled in with an enormous grin on his face.
"hey smiler, watcha so pleased about?" Piper asked.
"nothing" the coy grin grew even larger.
"Chris please, you're not known for being this smiley" Piper told him, secretly pleased at seeing him so happy
"alright, alright" he gave in, " Jenny called"
"and" Leo prodded
"and, she thinks that maybe we can start seeing each other again. She's coming round later"
"ahhhh, Chris and Jenny sitting up a tree, K I S S I N G" Paige sang
"wow Paige, have you morphed into your own daughter now?" he smirked
"so funny.not"
"well I'm pleased for you peanut" Piper patted him on the back
"mom, how may times do I have to tell you.."
"What? We're at home, you didn't say anything about not calling you that in the house"
The door bell rang cutting off her argument.
"I'll get it!" Phoebe hurtled down the stairs at break neck speed, and headed toward the door. Flinging it open she found Cole and Ben on the front step. "Hi" she said.
"mummy" Ben flew into her arms.
"Morning" Cole gave her a peck on the cheek.
"did you get it signed?" She enquired
"Yep" He replied
"so everything's sorted?" she asked
"Yep."
Flashback
A noise in the corner caught Chris' attention. It was a voice. A lone weak voice, muffled beneath the layers of debris, and it was shouting ..'help, please somebody help me'.
Chris ran to the source of the noise, and found Cole, on his hands and knees frantically removing pieces of debris from under a marble pillar.
"Help me" he reiterated upon seeing Chris, "It's Phoebe, she's trapped under here, the ceiling collapsed , it fell on her before I could get to her"
Silently Chris began to help him shift the mounds of wood and plasterboard, until at last a human hand could be seen.
"it's okay I got it from here" Cole told him
"You sure?" Chris asked
"Yes, go help the others" he replied as Chris ran off to try and locate the rest of his family.
"come on Phoebe" he gentle eased her out from under the rubble "Now's not the time to take a nap" He gathered the unconscious form in his arms and shimmered back to the manor.
When Phoebe regained consciousness she thought at first that the events of the past few hours had been a dream. After all the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was her own ceiling therefore she rightly deduced that she was in her own bed. It was when she attempted to move her arm and a searing pain ripped through her body that she fully remembered what had happened. Looking down she saw that she had practically been mummified in white bandages, and the person responsible was dozing in a chair less than 2 feet away.
"Cole" she called out
"Phoebe" He cried "Thank God"
"What are you doing here..and why do I feel as if I belong in a tomb in ancient Egypt?"
"You don't remember?"
"No, I remember Caixa throwing a plasma ball at me, throwing myself to the ground and then it went black"
"Yes, that would be when the ceiling collapsed, and part of a plate glass window fell on top of you. That of course was slightly after I killed the Caixa demon"
"so..?"
"I rescued you, brought you back here, stopped you from bleeding to death and kept a vigil at your bedside. You're welcome, by the way."
"what?"
"well generally gratitude is shown by the heroine toward the knight in shinning armour"
"forgive me for being a little slow here Cole, but last time the pair of us were involved in a possible death bed scenario, you confessed your undying love, then recovered, acted as if nothing had happened and promptly buggered off. So I'm at a bit of a loss right now."
"I know, but I was all over the place then, I didn't know if I was going to live to fight another day, and when I survived I knew I had to leave you again and that I might never return. It was easer to have you hate me than mourn me as a lover."
"and now?"
"and now I've done what I said I would. I avenged the Kyriad demon, they certainly won't be going after Ben or any one else. And I've returned, for good this time."
"right"
"so I was thinking, if you were willing, perhaps we could give it another go? I really did mean what I said when I was on my death bed"
"I'll think about it. Go get me a glass of water nursemaid"
End of flashback
And she had, thought about it I mean. For days and days, until finally she decided to give it another chance. They had taken things very slowly. Ben had gone back to live with Cole, on the condition that Cole brought him around promptly at 6pm on Thursdays, and collected him no earlier than 6pm on Sundays. Cole usually stayed for an hour and then left, until gradually he began staying longer, and longer, until eventually they were spending the whole weekend together. Finally they had decided, to take the next step. He had sold his flat, the papers having been signed that very morning, and he and Ben were moving back to the manor.
"well then I think this calls for a celebration' Phoebe declared
"um, just a minute" he grabbed her arm as she was about to move "I have something for you"
"ah yes?"
"This" He pulled out a ring box "Phoebe Halliwell, would you do the honour of marrying me. Again"
"Yes" she leapt into his arms and planted a kiss on his lips "Yes I would love to!"
The moment was soon interrupted by Kyle pushing the door to the manor open, "we're back" he called.
Piper smiled, if there was one thing that was guaranteed to put Paige in a better mood, it was seeing her daughter, who she had missed terribly over the past few weeks. Paige stood up slowly, preparing to give Jo a welcome back hug. When Jo finally trundled into the room after Kyle, there was a sharp in take of breath from all sides.
Jo's long hair which usually fell in loose waves down her back, had been cut short to her shoulders, and straightened within an inch of its life. Its natural chocolate brown shade had been coloured jet black, and punctuated with bright red highlights. Steel toed boots could just about be seen peeping out from beneath the ankle length black skirt, and she had tossed a green army jacket, not dissimilar to the one Paige herself owned all those years ago, over her red and black striped t shirt.
"Hi mum" Jo said casually from beneath 3 layers of eyeliner , as if it was an everyday occurrence for her to be stood in the parlour dressed in goth – chick attire.
Paige looked thunder struck. She stood there, immobile, not blinking, wondering if perhaps she pinched herself, she might wake up and this apparition claiming to be her daughter would disappear.
"Hola Chica" Phoebe tried to divert some attention. " ¿ Qué tal? How was Spain? Did you have a good time?" she hugged her niece.
"Fue una pasada, me mola España de verdad, ¡ es la leche!"
"what did she just say?" Leo whispered.
"some thing about milk…..?" Chris replied
Seeing as Paige still appeared to be in a state of advanced shock, Piper took over the mantle.
"good flight Jo?"
"s'alright..but it's not Jo aunty Piper"
"huh?" Piper puzzled.
"you see" Kyle jumped in, obviously having had the forth coming speech in the car on the way home. "Jo has decided that she would like to be known by her middle name, from now on"
"what?" Piper puzzled.
"Poppy?" Phoebe said in confusion.
Chris snorted.
"I..ugh..I..ugh.." Paige attempted to form words.
"yes?" everyone looked toward her expectantly waiting to gauge her reaction.
"I think the baby's coming"
XXX
…4 hours later
Paige's screams of abuse could be heard rocketing through the entire house.
"well done" Chris told Jo "not every one can say their appearance sent their mother into labour"
The door to Paige's room opened and Piper stepped out
"…YOU CAN BLOODY WELL STAY AWAY FROM ME IN FUTURE KYLE BRODY, YOU SEX CRAZED WAN.." the door closed.
"Pheebs can you take my place for a second, I need to go feed Victor" Piper called
"Sure" the middle sister rose from the second floor sofa and made to enter the room.
"…ASTARD…YOU DID THIS TO ME" the door closed behind Phoebe.
" I didn't induce labour" Jo sulked.
"Of course you didn't" Piper said distractedly "Paige has been having what she thought were practice contractions all day"
" still what's with the school of rock drop out look?" Chris asked as the door bell rang.
"Chris, Jenny's here" Cole called from downstairs.
"get lost" Jo muttered. "you wouldn't understand"
Flashback
Paige orbed a fireball back at its owner, before falling unconscious to the floor, the strain on her body being all too much.
The demons she had been fighting, pleased at their own good luck began slowly creeping forward, fireballs in hand. When after 60 seconds Paige still hadn't moved they got braver, they neared the body, and the lead demon was on the verge of throwing his fireball, when all of a sudden Paige disappeared in a bright cloud of orbs….
…in the attic, Jo was beside herself. Chris had literally just left her, and she was now sole in charge of Ben, Wyatt and Victor. The sound of incoming orbs caught her attention as she thought it was Chris returning, and was shocked to find that it was her mother, who appeared in the centre of the room.
"Crystals" she yelled, deactivating the cage and racing toward her.
"mum" she cried, shaking her roughly by the shoulders "mum! Please don't so this too me!"
"wuh" Paige opened her eyes slowly "what am I doing here?"
"I don't know, you just landed here"
"The baby" Paige put her hand to her stomach "It must have been the baby, she orbed me."….
Paige was sent to bed immediately under Jo's orders, who in turn refused to leave her mothers side. It was there, that Kyle found the pair of them a short while later, curled up under the duvet.
"Thank God you're alright!" he exclaimed as he entered the room and kissed Paige, and ruffled jo's hair.
"A little bruised but I'm fine" Paige reassured him. "How are the others?"
"Piper and Phoebe are fine, Cole and Leo are with them"
"and Prue?"
There was a pause "she didn't make it" he said slowly
"what do you mean she didn't make it?" Jo burst out "she must have made it"
"I don't know" Kyle replied " I don't know the exact details yet"
Paige remained silent, her mind was like cotton wool, she found it hard to process the information, just given to her. She heard the words, but couldn't figure out what they meant.
"I'm going to go and fetch us all a hot drink, you've all had quite a shock"
He orbed out.
"It's my fault" Jo burst into tears.
"Your fault?" Paige was snapped out of her muted state. "how can it possibly ever be your fault?"
"I'm like Typhoid Mary. Everyone in her family caught the disease and died except her. I have some kind of bad luck Karma, first my adoptive mum, then my dad, then my uncle, now Prue…"
"Listen to me" Paige was firm " You are not to think like that. Got it?" her own composure threatening to break.
"but it's true!" Jo wailed.
"It is not" Paige insisted, drawing her daughter into a hug, clinging to each other dearly as tears cursed down their cheeks.
End Flashback.
That was when Jo had decided that she didn't want to be 'Jo' anymore. She was fed up with tainting those around her. As soon as she got the chance she was going to change, bury the person she had been before, and start afresh with a new happier destiny. The trip to Spain, away from the eyes of her parents had given her just the opportunity she needed……
XXX
"did I miss anything?" Sam orbed into the kitchen a short while later.
"only your daughter screaming obscenities" Leo replied.
"good, good" he replied "where's Jo?"
"if you mean Poppy, she's upstairs"
"Poppy?"
"Go upstairs, you'll soon see" Leo told him as Sam headed to the upper floor with a confused expression on his face.
"Hey", he walked up to Piper "bringing back memories?"
"Yeah, because giving birth is a riot" she smiled
"speaking of our babies, where's our oldest pride and joy?" Leo wrapped his arms around her.
"Upstairs, having a deep and meaningful with Jenny, they were down here but he falsely accused me of listening in" she attempted to sound wounded.
"Do you think he'll be alright now?" Leo worried. "you know, since…"
Flashback
"mum" Chris frantically called as her ran through the wreckage "mum where are you?"
He stopped still and concentrated with all his might to try and sense her. He got a faint reading over on the left hand side of the room.
Approaching what looked to be a miniature funeral Pyre of demons, he saw the outline of two dark haired women huddled on the floor. Slowly he walked toward them, his heart beating in his ears as he anticipated what he might find. Carefully lifting what looked like his mother from off the top of what could only be his aunt Prue, he nearly stopped breathing – there was a big blood stain on the front of Piper's shirt.
"No" he cried, laying her gently on her back "No, this isn't happening, it's not happening, if I close my eyes perhaps it will all go away" he closed them and opened them again. His mother was still there, and so was the blood stained shirt.
In desperation he held his hand out over her , recalling how Leo once told him that some whitelighters learnt how to heal by tapping into their emotions, when someone they loved was in danger. To his surprise and immense relief a golden glow began to emit from his hands as they hovered over Piper's torso.
His relief was short lived when he realised that nothing was happening.
"mummy please" tears began to well up "mummy I need you"
He looked away, and it was then that he noticed it. Prue, still unconscious, a bluish tinge around her lips. He squinted – the blood, it wasn't Piper that was injured! It was Prue, Prue's blood on Piper's shirt. For the briefest of seconds he was happy, until he realised the consequences. Prue was dead.
"Chris" he heard his mothers' voice call weekly as she struggled to open her eyes and sit up
"mum"
"Chris" Piper called out, note of urgency in her voice "you need to help Prue"
She crawled toward her oldest sibling, and gathered her head and shoulders in her arms.
"mum" he replied " we need to go, it's not safe, the entire place could collapse in a few minutes"
"But you need to help Prue" she insisted stubbornly
"I can help her at home" Chris lied "please mum, lets go" he put his hand on her shoulder and orbed them out.
Arriving in the manor living room Chris immediately began calling for his father.
Piper meanwhile sat clutching her older sister. "come on Prue, we're home now, you can wake up"
"Mum" Chris came over "mum, put her down please"
"No!" Piper shouted "I can't leave her all by herself, she needs us"
"mum" he said softly "she's gone"
"No, she's not!" Piper insisted " you see, it's just a trick, we thought she was dead last time but she wasn't was she?" Piper was almost hysterical now. "and I can't leave her all by herself can I? she was all by herself in that ice cage for all those years, and now I won't let her be alone again"
Leo finally orbed into the room.
"where've you been?" he asked his father.
"The Elders" he replied "Physically recalled Kyle and I, wouldn't let us fight, something about it not being our battle"
"Leo" Piper called "You've got to help Prue"
Leo looked at Prue and his wife and sized up the situation in an instant.
"Piper" he said walking up to her "Piper look at me" he held her chin in his hand as she looked him straight in the eyes. "Prue's gone" he said gently. And she knew. Just as how she could tell that the Caixa demon was the one who had killed her in the original timeline by looking into those green eyes of his, she knew the instant that he told her, the green eyes full of sorrow, that Prue would not be coming back.
With that she began to cry even harder, her shoulders drooping, her entire body wracked with sobs, mourning her Big sister for the second time in 5 years.
Chris looked on, feeling utterly hopeless for the second time in his life
End Flashback
" I hope so" Piper told him.
"well, seeing how he's all grown up…fancy making another one?" Leo asked.
Piper raised an eyebrow "Maybe" she pouted seductively
XXX
1 hour later
"I think she was worth it" Kyle smiled down at his new born daughter.
" because you put in so much effort" Paige smiled wearily, as Kyle moved to sit down next to her on the bed.
"course I did, I gave her my stunning good looks"
Paige looked at the infant, with her shock of dark hair and her big blue eyes "Looks like she got her Daddy's eyes. Another little girl to wrap you round her finger"
"Jo..sorry..Poppy, doesn't wrap me round her finger"
"yeah right..much" she sighed "I wonder what's going on with that girl?"
"No idea, but that's tomorrows problem" Kyle consoled her.
"can I come in?" Jo stuck her head round the door.
"come here" Paige patted the other side of the bed.
"she's so tiny" Jo exclaimed, clapping eyes on the little bundle in her mothers' arms.
"got the same colour hair as you" Kyle quipped, earning himself a death stare.
"Can we see her yet?" an excitable Phoebe called from the hall way.
"come on in" Paige replied, as her family piled into the room.
"awwww she is just sooooo cute" Phoebe cooed " I could eat her right up"
"mummy why would you do that?" Ben puzzled
"Because she's nuts , and she says that about all babies-you'll learn when your older" Paige told him.
"so what are you going to call her" Piper asked, balancing Victor on her hip
"well Kyle wanted to name her after his grandmother" Paige began
"and Paige wanted a 'P' name" Kyle added
"so ?" Leo hurried them along.
"I'm pleased to present, Primrose Samantha Halliwell or 'Rosie' as she'll be known" Paige announced.
"Samantha? Who do we know who's called Samantha?" Phoebe blundered.
"um Pheebs?" Piper pointed to Sam who was trying not to compromise his masculinity by bursting into tears at his daughter's gesture.
"Missed anything?" Chris arrived in the room
"Your new cousin" Piper told him.
"did I hear that Jenny turned up, are you two back together?" Paige enquired.
"maybe..that's for me to know and you to find out"
"Yes they are" Jo commented casually.
"and what would you know about it Poppy?" Chris asked
" because you're wearing your t- shirt inside out, you weren't before she turned up" She told him.
Chris went bright red.
"that's a yes in my book" Cole teased
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that" Piper said loudly
"How about we wet the baby's head?" Kyle suggested
"good idea, I could do with a drink after all that" Paige agreed "Champaign" she called as 2 bottles and several glasses materialised in front of her. "and any comments about personal gain and you'll be wearing this instead of drinking it – alright?"
"Lets get a pouring then" Chris demonstrated his bar man skills by managing to pour out the glasses and hand them out in record speed.
"so what shall we toast to then?" Leo asked.
"to Rosie " Kyle replied
"and Chris and Victor, it's their belated birthday too" Piper added
"and mine and Cole's celebration" Phoebe interrupted.
"Celebration of what?" Paige puzzled.
"Of us getting married again" Cole told them.
"in which case" Piper took the lead, after 'congratulations' had been offered to the couple, "Lets toast, to Family."
"To Family"
They all raised their glasses, and for a short while nothing but the sound of clinking glasses and laugher could be heard, as they relished a few minutes of normality.
THE END
a/n: with thanks to all those who took the time to review.