-1"Well?" Victor repeated. "what did they say?"
"It's um, kinda, well, you see…"Leo couldn't quite look his father-in-law in the eye, however he was saved the need to answer immediately by a shout from Piper.
"Ow! Owie Owie Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaddy!"
"What now?" Victor mumbled as he turned back to face his eldest daughter.
"She hit me" Piper exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at Phoebe.
"No I didn't" Phoebe shouted back.
"ENOUGH" Victor roared. "to bed with the pair of you, come on!"
"Its not my bed time yet Daddy its too early" Piper sulked, her bottom lip sticking out.
" I don't care" Victor was firm.
"I don't think its too early, I think little girls need their sleep" Leo, ever the mediator decided to interrupt before things descended into a shouting match once again, which judging by the expression on Victors face would be in exactly 3 seconds.
"Really?" Piper looked up at him, blushing slightly. "Ok, but only cos you say so" she said, shooting her father a pointed look.
"whatever" Victor was passed caring. " You're both going to sleep in Phoebe's bed tonight ok, go ahead and get ready, and I will be up in a minute to tuck you in"
"Nighty Nighty" Phoebe called. She grabbed Piper's hand and the two of them padded upstairs.
" You were saying…?" Victor focused his attention back to Leo.
"Yes..I ..um" His feet began to shuffle about nervously, as if doing an involuntary waltz. Before he could work his way up to reaching the salsa, Victor interrupted
"Please , Leo, I have had a long, and quite frankly one of the most bizzare days in my life, whatever you have to say, good or bad just hit me with it ok?"
"Ok" Leo began, "But you're not going to like it…."
Patty awoke the next morning to find herself in her own bed for the first time in nearly 30 years. She vaguely remembered crawling into it, at some point late last night, but the exhaustion had encroached on her memory and it was all a bit blurry. The slight snoring sound coming from her left indicated that she was not alone, and that she had in fact shared a bed with Victor for the first time in nearly 30 years too. She attempted to move her head slightly but found she was impeded by a little foot resting on her ear. Baby Paige was fast asleep, cushioned on the pillow between her and Victor. Gently moving her over slightly, and pulling herself into a sitting position Patty realised that Paige wasn't the only visitor, Piper and Phoebe lay snuggled in between their parents.
Phoebe, awoken by the movement next to her, leaped up immediately to give her mother a hug. " Morning Mummy!" She cried.
"Shhh sweetie, some people are still asleep"
"Okay"
"How did you and Piper end up here?"
"Piper had a bad dweem and was shouting and….."
"And Phoebe wouldn't sleep in her room without me cos she was scared too" Piper sat up rubbing her eyes.
"And Paige orbed here" Phoebe added, giving Piper a dark look.
"orbed?"
"she orbed in, after me and Phoebe got here, daddy tried to put her back in her own bed 3 times, but in the end he gave up"
"Anyone up yet?" a disembodied voice called from the hallway , with that Chris stuck his head around the door.
"almost, Patty replied. "what time did you two get back last night?"
"about 3" came the reply " it was real busy, me and Wy were working the bar and then Dad came and helped out at the end, they're both asleep still"
"Did Leo, tell you what the Elders said?"
"No, he said that he told Grandpa, who was going to speak to you in the morning, and then he'd tell us"
"Did he now? Well, we'll see about that!" Patty, like her mother, was not one to be crossed. " Take your mother and Phoebe downstairs and give them breakfast, your Grandfather and I need to talk."
"Ok" Chris was relieved, if Grandma Patty was anything like Piper, he sure didn't want to stick around,
while she and Grandpa "talked"
"Come on you two" he called, as Piper and Phoebe scrambled out of bed. "Let's go eat."
Patty watched them disappear. Lifting sleeping Paige up gently, she carried her into the nursery and placed her down in the crib, and shut the door. Striding purposely back into the bedroom she grabbed Victor by the shoulder and gave him a shake.
"Victor!" she hissed.
"urghhhh" Victor mumbled, his eyes still closed. "what time is it?"
"Never mind all that " Patty continued. " What did Leo tell you?
"jeez, Patty give me 10 minutes to wake up, some of us are getting old"
"No" Patty began to tap her foot, which Victor knew from experience was not a good sign. " I want answers and I want them now!"
"alright" Victor dragged himself into the sitting positon, and with a monumental amount of effort, he opened his eyes. He looked at his ex-wife and braced himself for the up-coming explosion." Leo said that the Elder's can't change them back…"
TBC
