The Lost Ones

Chapter Eighteen: The calm before the storm….

When Leo orbed into the manor all in the room groaned. This could not be good not good at all.

"Listen Leo do you know what time it is?"

This came from Ellie.

"But this is the Prophesy of Elthalath."

"Yes and it'll still be here in the morning, but how receptive everyone is that depends on how much sleep we get."

Ellie addressed Leo with a raised eye-brow.

"I agree with her, come on Leo you know the saying mother knows best, well in this case it's true you should listen to your mom and let us get some sleep."

Paige said in her most annoyed tone of voice, Leo opened his mouth to disagree when Piper also cut in.

"Leo I love you but if you want me to still love you, you'll let us all get some sleep. I mean look at the time it's not bad enough Wyatt will be waking me up in oh…let's say three hours and will probably get to sleep an hour before my alarm goes off. I need what little sleep I can get."

Leo went once to say something but when he looked at the stern faces of the women surrounding him, and saw that there was no way for him to win he admitted defeat.

"Its times like these I wish I wasn't the only guy in the group. Fine we'll talk about it in the morning until then I'll be up there if you need me."

At the end of his pity me speech Leo orbed out of the manner.

"Well I going to bed hopefully this time I'll get some sleep. Goodnight all."

With that Paige made it up the stairs to her room. Leaving Ellie, Piper, and Phoebe alone in the living-room.

"Listen you both should go to bed I'll crash here on the couch."

"No I said you could use my bed and you should."

Phoebe was now adamant she thought that she had done some quick thinking when she explained that the reason Ellie should sleep in her room was because Ben might need her. But now the more she thought about it the smarter it sounded, sure the little boy asleep in her bed was her son, but that didn't negate the fact that they were complete and utter strangers.

"Listen Phoebe, thank-you really but it wouldn't be practical, one it's your bed and your son and sooner or later you'll have to get used to each other without me there as a buffer, and I think sooner is much better than later. Two I happen to suffer from an acute case of insomnia I might if I'm lucky get an hour or two of sleep tonight. So how much sense does it make to have you and your sister double up, so you can kick her during the night and she doesn't get any sleep either."

"How did you know I kick in my sleep?"

Ellie lifted up her hand and waved in front of Phoebe.

"Hi I'm Ellie and I have a magic power when ever I get skin to skin contact with a person I end up reading them better than a college student reads The Cat in the hat."

"Well I'll go get you a pillow and a blanket then."

Phoebe said running up the stairs.

"Well I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight Ellie."

"Night Piper."

A few minutes later Phoebe came down with the blanket and pillow in hand.

"Um…"

"Phoebe we need to talk."

"Okay that was what I was going to say I you sure you're not psych."

"Yeah I pretty sure."

"Okay…"

Phoebe came over and put the blanket and pillow on the couch, she sat next to Ellie.

"Why…why didn't Cole ever tell me about you and his brother?"

"He wanted to, if I know my brother like I think I do I can bet he wanted to. But…um…you see Liam and I we both had normal lives. But it came at a price and Cole paid it."

"What do you mean?"

"You married him, tell me you didn't know that he's the kind of man who would endanger if not sacrifice himself for the people he loves. And he did."

"What happened?"

"It's late and trust me when I say this isn't a bedtime story. You should go to bed."

"I…I…"

"It's okay Phoebe you'll be a good mom, and Ben is as easy kid to take care off. A lot like Leo."

"Really."

"Yeah really."

"Thanks."

"Goodnight Phoebe."

Phoebe got up and went to bed, when Ellie was sure that she was upstairs, and everyone was asleep,

"Michelle…Michelle…" Ellie hissed.

A few seconds later a man orbed into the room he was in his early thirties, he was 6'4 with broad shoulders, golden blond hair, and green eyes.

"Ellie."

"Hay cutie."

Michelle smiled at Ellie, he sat down next to her, and he took her hand in his and kissed it.

"How much do you hate me?"

"That depends… why didn't you tell Leo the truth? Why didn't he know about me, his uncles?"

"I wanted to but at first I couldn't….how would I have explained that to him he was a child and I couldn't go the Christopher we both loved you it would have been weird. So I waited and then he became a whitelighter, and I went to approach him. They stopped me, it was then they decided to make me an elder. You know what happens the years spent in isolation to reach purity and the rest of that crap."

He ran a hand through his hair. Ellie put her hand on his shoulder. He turned around and pulled him to her hugging her.

"God I've missed you."

"I know I've missed you to."

He pulled away from her,

"Do they believe you?"

"I wasn't sure at first but when Leo came in saying that what I was saying was true I think they will."

"Good because this won't work unless they do."

"I know and they will."

"I've got to go. I love you."

Michelle came in and kissed Ellie lightly on the lips, and orbed out. Ellie then unzipped her boots, put the pillow down at the end of the couch making so that she could see however came down the stairs, covering herself with the blanket she tried to get what ever sleep she could.

Three hours later she was awoken to the sounds of a baby crying, Ellie got up and when she did she saw Piper coming down the stairs with Wyatt in his arms. Ellie didn't think it was strange that a child nearly two years old didn't sleep well through the night.

When Piper came into the living-room she saw that Ellie was up.

"I don' get it all my friends can get their kids to sleep through the night why can't I?"

"I wouldn't worry Piper, you should have seen Leo, it was unbearable he wouldn't sleep through the night at all not until he was four, so don't worry."

"So you're saying he takes after is father?"

Ellie looked at Wyatt, from the crop of his blond hair, the shape of his eyes, nose, and mouth.

"In more ways than one. He really looks like him, but hopefully he'll take after his uncles when it comes down to sleeping through the night."

They both sat quietly Piper kept on rocking Wyatt trying to get him to sleep.

The next morning Paige came down stairs to see Piper sleeping on the couch with Wyatt cradled in her arms and a blanket wrapped around her. Walking quietly through the living-room she went in to the kitchen, she saw Ellie up and sipping a cup of coffee, with Chris who once again was eating an omelet made for him by Ellie.

"Morning and when did you change I thought you were spending the night here and there you stand in our kitchen wearing something you weren't wearing when I went to bed last night."

Paige said pointing to sundress and flip-flops she was wearing.

"I had Chris orb into my place when he came back and pick this up for me. Would you like some breakfast?"

Paige was about to say no but, she was hungry and she couldn't cook to save her life.

'Might as well have someone else cook for me sure bets, cereal.'

"Yeah could I get French toast?"

"Coming right up."

Ellie turned around and started getting the French toast ready, when they were cooked and ready she put in front of Paige her plate, with the maple syrup and a cup of coffee.

"Some guy named Will Grant called this morning for you."

"Will called really!"

Paige couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice. She had been sure the date had gone well but having him call so soon was something she had never hoped for.

"Yeah said something that I was meant to tell you he was sorry your date was cut short and he'd like to make it up to you. Now that's enough talk about boys eat your breakfast. Before you're late for work."

Paige happily dug into her breakfast not realizing that for lack of a better word Ellie had mothered her.

'That's Ellie for you… feds and takes care of everyone.' Chris though with a bemused smile on his face. The smile soon left his face when Ellie turned her attention to him.

"So Chris have you gotten any closer to finding out the evil that got a hold of Wyatt."

Chris thanked very god he could think of on the way Ellie worded Wyatt being evil with out arousing Paige's suspicion, but he was also thankful that the knowledge of Wyatt's future alter ego wasn't his burden alone.

"No every time I think I'm making headway it turns to be a dead end, or a mote point. I don't know what to do?"

Ellie put a compassionate hand on his shoulder giving it a little squeeze indicating her support.

"Maybe you can get a little help from up there."

Ellie pointed up indicating the elders. This earned her a snort from Paige.

"Tell me your not for real, the elders don't help they hold back crucial information until the eleventh hour and by then chance are it's too late."

"I sure Leo would help I mean you are his charges and his family."

Ellie said a frown marring her perfectly shaped eye-brows.

"You really don't know the elders do you. I mean they can't be that different from whatever the equivalent on elders is for demons."

If anything Ellie looked more perplexed then she had when he first heard mention of the way elders worked.

"Actually people as important as the charmed ones in the underworld always work directly with the Triad."

"Really!"

Paige was shocked she never spent any time thinking how demons operated for it was vanquish now ask later.

"Yeah I mean you can't send your chosen ones or whatever blind especially if you can give them a heads up, how do they except you to make any headway if they keep what could be crucial information. I bet they knew that Cole was possessed by the Source and never told you anything. Ridicules and they wonder why witches are picked off the way they are."

Ellie ranted as she shock her head. Paige had to admit that after that little rant Cole's sister was growing on her, it was nice to see that even demon or half-demons had a problem with the elders.

'Maybe not a problem but also disapproved on how they operated.'

"Well as much as I would love to sit here and bash the elders I do have a job I need to get to. Bye all."

Paige said as she walked out of the kitchen. As she felt Phoebe came into the kitchen a worried expression on her face, followed by a sleepy Piper who was carrying Wyatt.

"Ellie there something wrong with Ben and I don't know what to do?"

Phoebe said as she handed Ben over to Ellie,

"Hay Benny boy what's wrong?"

"Ellie."

Ben said with a smile stretching his baby face as he playfully pulled his aunts hair. Ellie tickled his stomach and shifted him to rest more comfortably on her hip.

"Nothing's wrong with him Phoebe he's just a happy healthy two and a half year old."

"But he's hardly speaking just last night he was so talkative and now he's…"

"Babbling like a baby."

"Well yeah."

"That's because the spell is no longer necessary I had cast the spell so he would be able to tell me how he was feeling as he was feeling it."

"Oh…so he's okay."

"He's perfect."

Ellie said as she kissed her nephew on his forehead she brushed his wispy dark brown hair away from his face, she handed him back to Phoebe.

"Are you two hungry? I could make you something?"

"Oh…that would be great normally I'm the one making everyone breakfast."

Piper said as she sat down, Phoebe nodded her head.

"So what would you guys like?"

"Pandacks!"

Ben shouted out.

"Pancakes it is."

Piper said. Ellie went to work on get their breakfast ready for them. One thought went through the mind of all those in the kitchen.

'This is the calm before the storm.'

To be continued…..