"What the hell are we going to do?" Victor repeated.
"I don't know" Patty replied as she balanced Paige on her hip. " I doubt there is a reversal spell in the book of shadows if this is an improvised spell besides" she gestured to her two older daughters " the power of 3 is some what impaired at the moment."
Whilst her parents were busy worrying about what to do, 7 year old Piper stood hand –on- hip staring at the two big boys who kept watching her. "what are you looking at?" she asked them in her best menacing voice, putting a protective arm around Phoebe who had since been released from Victors grasp and had wandered over to join her sister.
Wyatt, took a fresh glance at the young incarnation of his mother, dressed in blue dungarees with her hair in bunches, and couldn't help but burst out laughing. " nothing mom" he tittered, " nothing at all"
"Mom?" Mini Piper wrinkled up her nose " why is he calling me mom?"
"Because" Chris jumped in to save the day " because you like bossing us around and telling us what to do so we nick named you, mom"
Piper seemed to consider this, a smile began to spread across her face. " I like that idea…but do I know you?"
Wyatt collapsed onto the sofa, clutching his sides, " d d d does she know u u u us…classic!"
Trying to ignore his brother Chris continued. " sure you do, we just uh, moved next door"
Again Piper seemed to contemplate this, "ok" she agreed. " so, does that mean I'm the boss of you?"
Back across the otherside of the room, Victor and Patty were trying their best to remain calm.
"you could go back-up-there and ask for help?" He suggested.
"But then they might not let me come back down again, besides we…Ouch." Patty cursed. Paige, bored of the lack of attention had grabbed a fistful of her mothers hair and was trying to put it in her mouth. "Paige! No, Naughty Girl ! " she admonished. The baby looked up at her, her big brown eyes began to fill with tears and her bottom lip began to quiver. "no, no I didn't mean it" Patty began to back peddle, but it was too late,
"Wahhhhhhhhh" the baby began to cry at the top of her lungs.
"this just gets better" Victor sighed as he sank wearily onto the nearest chair.
"Daddy" a little voice to his left called. "What sweet heart?" he lifted Phoebe onto his lap, trying to block out the sound of Paige's screams.
"whos that?" Phoebe asked.
"whos who? darling" victor replied rubbing his temples.
"the baby"
"dam" Victor swore,
"you said a bad word" Phoebe said in an acusatory tone.
Hell,crap, arse , feck, he shouted mentally. He'd forgotten just how careful you had to be around little ones. "yes, yes I did, and I shouldn't have said it" Victor had to shout to make himself heard over the noise of the crying which seemed if anything to be getting louder.
"so, who is the dumb baby anyway?" this time it was Piper who asked, jealous that Phoebe was taking up all their fathers attention.
"She is your little sister" Victor explained
"we don't got a little sister" Phoebe said " I'm the littlest"
"its have, have a little sister"Victor corrected " I don't have a little sister"
"but daddy" Piper interupted, " you don't have a little sister, you just that baby was ours?"
"look , I'll explain it all to you later, right now, I need to help your mother ok?"
With the vain in his temple threatening to explode Victor made his way back over to Patty who was rocking Paige back and forth.
" I don't know what to, she just won't stop crying" His ex-wife was practically in tears herself. " I'm a terrible mother…I can't even calm my own child…."
"Patty" Victor attempted to reassure her but found himself being cut off
"no, I know why..its because I abandoned her isn't it….this is my punishment…" She rambled.
Victor was at a loss as to what to say, as he knew from experience that his she wouldn't even be listening to him anyway. Finally help arrived in the form of Wyatt, who had managed to pull himself together, and stop laughing every 2 minutes.
"here Grandma, pass her to me" he instructed.
Patty seemed reluctant, but looking around the room she spotted Piper and Phoebe putting cushions over their ears to block out the noise, Victor rubbing his head and Chris trying to pretend that he wasn't wishing himself to be on a desert Island, slowly she relenquished the baby into Wyatts outstrectshed arms.
Taking hold of his aunt, Wyatt began to bounce her gently on his knee whilst softly humming a lullaby "hush little baby don't you cry, mummys gonna buy a mocking bird…" within what felt like seconds Paige fell silent, and was smiling up at her nephew.
"How did you do that?" Patty asked.
"Practice and inside knowledge" Wyatt smiled.
"Inside knowledge?"
"Its what always works on Paige's daughter in the future, so I guessed that it might work on her mother too"
"well thank you"
"you're welcome"
"Ok" Now, that She could think properly Patty decided to take control. " I say, we call for Leo, perhaps he can orb up to Elderland and ask them what the solution is"
"good idea" Victor agreed.
"Cool" Wyatt chimed in, "We get to see what Dad looked like back in the naughties!"
"LEO" Patty shouted
The words had barely escaped her mouth before the sounds of orbs signeled that the elder was about to arrive.
Leo materialised in the middle of the room, slowly taking in the scene around him he looked first from Patty ,Victor and baby Paige, over to 2 little dark haired girls that he recognised as Piper and Phoebe, until finally his eyes rested on…
"Chris?" Leo croaked. " Is that really you?"
